Chapter 60 - Rebecca’s Big Project (1/2)
Herti did not know what her seven hundred-year old ancestor was thinking about at this moment and was doomed to not understand the plans that she thought was too remote and grand. However, she, too, seemed to be affected and motivated as she followed Gawain’s gaze and looked towards the lively and energetic campgrounds.
A land built from scratch, an entirely new order, a promising future—Herti thought she had passed the stage of impressionable girlhood, but at this moment, she still could not help but hope and look forward for better things to happen on this land.
This was what set her apart from traditional aristocrats—traditional aristocrats could not anticipate change.
“Just keep to yourself what I told you today, for now,” Gawain reminded Herti as he whipped his head back suddenly. “These matters are too progressive. The people would not understand if they hear about it, but if the aristocrats were told… and don’t understand it, they’ll regard you as a lunatic, and if they do, they will think you a deadly enemy.”
Herti was startled, but she was intelligent and understood Gawain’s meaning quickly.
The new order, even though there only appeared to be glimpses of it for now, there were enough issues to strike a nerve in the sensitive aristocrats. It might indeed bring prosperity to the land, but that prosperity might not be palatable to the traditional aristocrats.
After all, they were unlike the Cecils, and were still living splendid lives.
“I understand, but can I tell this to Rebecca?” Herti nodded, but pursed her lips and shook her head immediately after. “That child perhaps may not be able to understand something so complicated…”
“No, you’ve underestimated her.” Gawain laughed. “Rebecca is actually smarter than you think, just that her intellect has not been expressed through the right outlet. Recently, I’ve seen her…”
Before Gawain could finish speaking, a little shadow appeared in his vision out of the blue. Betty was sprinting on the embankments of the field towards him. The little maid with her lovely freckles came up to him, panted for a while, before bowing awkwardly. “My Lord! Miss Rebecca is looking for you!”
“What does she want me…” Gawain stopped mid-sentence. “Oh, you must have forgotten.”
“I haven’t this time!” Betty stood up straight and crisply, “She says it’s about to start, and she wants you to see what happens!”
Herti walked up from behind. “What’s about to start?”
Betty thought for a while before shaking her head. “I forgot!”
Gawain and Betty: “…”
“Well, I know what it is.” Gawain did not know whether to laugh or cry as he patted the girl’s head. “She’s been working on the magic circles for the past few days, and it looks like she has finally finished the ‘magic web’— I’d actually thought she needed more time. How about coming along to see it? There’s nothing here that is particularly urgent to settle anyway, why not go and see how Rebecca’s first ‘project’ has turned out?”
“To be honest, I’m a little worried about how she’s doing. After all, for an untalented mage who only knows how to make fireballs to create such a large-scale magic circle… even though those runes are elementary.” Herti smiled as she shook her head and turned towards the wooden shed. “Knight Philip, I’ll head over to the smithy to see what’s going on, so I’ll leave you to take care of things here.”
The young knight stood up straight in an instant and knocked on his breastplate. “Leave it to me!”
Overseeing the reclamation works was only a small job, yet he had declared his commitment so epicly… Gawain could not help but sigh with emotion. How was this young knight behaving so old-fashionedly, to the point of conforming to strict rules like a classic knight… was this really the power of faith?
Gawain and Herti left. Betty looked around and decided that it was nothing to do with her and slipped into the wooden shed. It was still too early to make food and she had already done the laundry, so the bored little maid’s interest was piqued by the things that had many words and pictures on the wooden table.
Knight Philip observed the little lady’s movements and kept a close eye on her, in case she messed up anything of importance—he was ready to stop her at any time.
Meanwhile, Betty was looking at a piece of paper with a drawing of a waterwheel on it. However, her interest quickly shifted to the records with the names and numbers. She moved closer to the table and pointed to the stationery. “May I write?”
Knight Philip moved to shift the stationery away. Looking seriously at the little lady, he asked, “Can you write?”
“I can’t write.” Betty shook her head and added, “I don’t know how to read either.”
“Then you’re not allowed to touch them,” Phillip said a little sternly. “The Lord has spent money to purchase the stationery. It’s not for you to play with.”
Betty paused for a while. Disappointed, she nodded, “Oh…”
Knight Philip frowned as he saw her disappointed face. He thought he might have been a little too stern, but protecting the assets of the Lord was his duty—especially when everything in the territory was in short supply. Even a single piece of paper or pen had to be brought in from Tanzan Town, so he could not let the little lady waste the precious stationery.
In the end, he consoled Betty for a while, but the little lady still went away disappointed and sorry.
As he watched the disappearing silhouette of Betty on the embankment, Phillip could not help but remember what he had heard in the conversation between Grand Duke Gawain and Lady Herti earlier.
To teach them to read and write.