Chapter 34: A Bit Too Smooth

There were two carriages that Tori contracted for her weekend trip to the delta: one for Constantine and the brother at the Eshra Shrine, and the other to carry her, Nanny Rey, and Axton. Ilyana and Henrik came with her last week and were spending this weekend, after midterm exams, going over legalities at the guild for their Lycée Projects.

They were also finishing their mid-semester reports on the projects. Tori had taken continuous notes since she started and compiled the various important points into a portfolio. She made a conscious decision not to outline her entire grand plan and instead focused on the slow, methodical resettlement details.

She didn’t want to raise expectations or reveal the intricate details for trying to revive the village’s economy after their previous way of life proved near impossible in the new environment. In addition, she also didn’t know who’d happen to see her report and after the brick purchase incident, she became a bit more cautious.

“Your friend isn’t riding with us?” Axton asked as he sat across from Nanny Rey as Tori climbed in.

“No, he has to pick up someone from the Eshra Shrine. Fitting five people into this carriage is difficult, so they'll sit in the second one,” Tori said as she placed her basket of snacks on the seat next to Axton. “We’re going to go there first.”

“My lady, Mr. Zisos is ready,” the footman said from outside.

“Then, let’s go to the Eshra Shrine,” Tori said. She felt the carriage bounce as the footman climbed on to his seat beside the driver. “Thanks for coming this weekend, Axton. Are you sure it’s no trouble?”

Axton shook his head. “No, we just finished our midterm exams, as well, so there is a lull.”

Nanny Rey wrapped a blanket around Tori as Tori furrowed her brows. “Piers doesn’t have anything for you to do?”

“He has a family dinner and will be at the palace all weekend,” Axton replied as he leaned back against the seat bench. “If they ask about me, he’ll tell them I’m helping you with your project.”

“Is that all right?” Tori asked, frowning a bit. “I mean, you’re Pier’s aide. Even if he doesn’t need a knight at his side at all times, shouldn’t you focus on him?”

“I am focusing on him,” Axton told her with a small grin. “He’s the one who ordered me to go to the delta and help you. You have the support of the first prince for your project; I don’t think anyone else has that.”

“That’s true,” Tori said with a nod. “And Mr. Zisos and his brother from the church may be able to work with me.”

Axton looked impressed. “Zisos as in Pope Zisos? Is that his son?” Tori nodded.

“We met on the road to Horizon before Lycée started and it was a bit awkward, but he’s been polite. I thought I’d reach out to him about working together with the projects, like I’m doing with Ilyana and Henrik. Surprisingly, he agreed. I hope that this weekend will solidify his commitment.”

“I am sure it will,” Nanny Rey said as she combed Tori’s hair. “The church would love to get involved in a project like yours. It would look good for them if they assisted in the resettlement of refugees, even if it is simply giving blessings or leading prayers.”

“I also hope that Mr. Zisos and his brother will be able to ease my reputation with the village elders.” Tori let out a tired sigh. She looked out the window as Nanny Rey braided her hair. Just as she finished, they reached the Eshra Shrine.

Tori climbed out of her carriage, bringing a canvas bag out with her. Constantine was already outside of his carriage, walking towards a young priest in a dull gray robe. He looked about Kasen’s age and likely just finished his theological studies to enter the priesthood.

“Brother Cassius.” Constantine greeted him with a warm embrace. “Thank you for coming with us.”

“I’m happy to come to serve those in need,” Brother Cassius said as he patted Constantine on the back. He looked past Constantine as he was released and saw Tori standing by the carriages. He smiled warmly and gave her a small bow of his head. “Lady Guevera?”

Tori returned the smile and gave a nod in return. “Brother Cassius, thank you for your time.”

“Not at all, Lady Guevera. Constantine has told me of your work at the delta resettling the refugees. Though I know it is a project assigned to you, you have acted quickly to do what you can. That is admirable.”

“I appreciate your words, Brother Cassius. Please,” she said as she stepped back and motioned to the carriage. “Have a seat. It is a few hours to the delta and we will arrive well before sunrise. So as not to burden the refugees further, I have made it a habit to supply the meals for all non-villagers and my party each time we go.” She held out the canvas bag in her hand. “There is a snack, some coffee in the canister, and in the heating box, some breakfast sandwiches prepared at my friend’s cafe. My nanny is with me and she will prepare our meals once we are at the delta.”

The two seemed surprised that she’d prepared a meal for them during the trip. Brother Cassius’ face softened as he gratefully accepted the bag. “Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Lady Guevera.”

She shook her head. “It is what I should do.” She stood by the open door to the second carriage and pointed to the compartments underneath the seat benches. “There are pillows and blankets there to make your ride more comfortable. If there is anything you need, please let one of the guards escorting us know.” She gave them one more smile. “I’ll see you on the delta.”

Tori watched them get into the carriage before turning around and climbing back into hers. She once more wrapped herself in the blanket and settled in for the long ride. Her mind drifted off to dreams of how the test island looked. At least one of the houses should’ve been built and was just waiting for the arrival of the roof tiles, which were en route.

Everyone working to build this city was invaluable to her and she was relieved that they were willing to give her time.

They reached the delta in the dark hours of the morning and Tori woke, as if knowing that they had arrived. Axton was snoring lightly on the bench across from her and Nanny Rey was sleeping lightly beside her. Tori shifted on the bench to peer outside.

Unlike when she came the first time, they didn’t stop at the camp that was situated so close to the shore. They were a good five-minute walk in-land, on a part of the delta that was granted to them for permanent use. Tori was surprised that a larger portion of land than she originally asked for had been allocated.

She didn’t know if it was thanks to Piers or if it was her detailed report noting that there needed to be room for growth and future industry in the long term that got them that land, but they had it. The yet-to-be-named village was in an area that had remained under the imperial family for ages since it could not be farmed or wasn't seen as viable land by the local nobles.

“Do you want it?” Piers had asked casually the other week when she got news of the additional land grants.

Tori had laughed as she looked over the map. “Sure. Are you going to make me a land baron?”

“Well, perhaps not a baron....”

There were no marches in this region that could oversee the delta and the existing barons and counts were hesitant to take on land now with refugees. It was also in an awkward area between the Alvere Duchy and the Fekete Duchy. The Cosora River was the border between the two, up to a certain point.

Tori did not want the region to fall into the Alvere Duchy. She didn’t trust that Montan wouldn’t get involved and disregard the lives of over 1,500 people to try to screw her over for personal, Alessa-related reasons.

The Fekete Duchy was also hesitant to take responsibility for the delta. It was difficult to live there with the soft, wet soil and the difficult farming conditions. They were a duchy that had majestic forests, gemstone mines, and produced luxurious fabrics. A poor, underdeveloped region would make them look bad.

Tori let out a little ‘hmph’. If the region was built up properly and industries developed sustainably to fit into the environment, a thriving city could be created. Not to mention that the delta was an energy vein. This meant that the lifespan of crystals in the area would be long and the effects they had would be much stronger. It was cost and energy efficient.

Of course, she didn’t mention the energy veins to anyone except her brothers. Even Instructor Ignatius didn’t know, yet. She thought he’d get too excited and want to come...and never leave.

“The sun is going to rise soon,” Nanny Rey said as she stirred beside her. “Do you want to take a walk outside before breakfast?”

Tori, still wrapped in a blanket, nodded. While it was still quiet, she liked to walk around the encampment. Commander Kuhn had done an excellent job setting up the tents and splitting up the shared areas evenly amongst the smaller family tents. Tori had supplied heat crystals to the village and had them shipped as soon as she and Instructor Ignatius were able to charge them.

At the very least, the refugees were a bit more comfortable.

The carriage door opened and she hopped out, bundled against the cold, damp morning air by her camping vest and her travel cloak layered over it. Nanny Rey made her put on a knit sapphire blue cap with two pom-poms and made sure she pulled them down over her ears.

“Do you want me to come?” Nanny Rey asked, lingering by the open carriage door. Inside, Axton began to shiver as the cold air sneaked in, but he didn’t wake.

“No, there are imperial guards and I’m familiar with the encampment,” Tori said. “I won't be out for too long.”

“Do you have your dagger?”

“Yes, Nanny.”

“Okay.” Nanny Rey still seemed somewhat hesitant, but allowed Tori to go on her own. She continued to look out the window as Tori walked along the wooden plank pathway into the tent village.

Small, cheap light crystals had been bought and hung over the front entrances of the tents, as well as along the pathways to provide some light. Tori was reminded of walking along wooden bridges between trees in Indonesia, where strings of lights were wrapped around the rope side rails and canopies of a resort she stayed at.

She smiled to herself. Of course, it wasn’t this cold there and she wasn’t wearing so many layers.

“Lady Guevera.” She turned around and saw Constantine closing his carriage door and wrapping his Lycée branded cloak around him as he jogged forward to catch up with her.

Tori gave him a small nod. “Good morning, Mr. Zisos. Did you get some rest? I know it’s difficult on a carriage, with all the bumps.”

He smiled and shook his head once. “No, I’m quite used to it actually. The nearest town to the Temple Mountain is a half day’s carriage ride away, down a curvy mountain road.”

The corner of her lip curled up a bit and she continued to walk forward. “I assumed the Temple Mountain would have whatever it needed brought to it.”

“For most pilgrims, they stay in town and make day pilgrimages up the mountain. The seminary is also located near town, at the Pagos Monastery by the shore.” Constantine fell into step beside her. “You’ve never visited?”

“It’s another few days in the opposite direction of Horizon from Presidio,” Tori said. “I’ve never really left Presidio until Lycée started.”

Constantine nodded. “That’s a shame. The southeast is beautiful with many historical and religious sites. From Karap, the town at the bottom of the mountain, you can take a ship to Nazria.”

“I do plan to travel around Soleil, and wherever else I can, after we graduate,” Tori said. Provided this game doesn’t try to kill me before then.

“What are your plans afterwards?” Constantine asked as he looked around, seemingly admiring the neat rows of brown tents on either side of the pathway.

“Maybe go home. Maybe seek higher education. I’m not sure what to study yet, though.”

“We have time.”

“It’ll move quickly, trust me.”

He chuckled. “Time does move faster the older you are,” he said, nodding in agreement. “I don’t want to rush my future either.”

Tori drew her head back. “I thought you were going to join the church. That is, with your uncle...father...the pope....” She cringed. That was something she drew from the wiki-article. She never heard Constantine himself say he planned to join the church. It was a bit rude to expect such a thing from him. It wasn’t as if they were close.

Constantine looked ahead of him and his eyes seemed to narrow. “That is what is expected of me.”

“Do you not want to join the church?”

“It’s not a matter of not wanting,” he said, firmly. “I grew up surrounded by the Church of Belcoy and I believe my faith is strong. However, it seems that everyone has always expected me to join the church, since my adoptive father is the pope.” He smiled gently and looked up ahead. “I still call him ‘uncle’, by the way. He never hid from me that he was my uncle and didn’t want to replace my parents, so while everyone also acknowledges me as the pope’s son, we are still very much nephew and uncle. And Uncle has told me that I am free to choose my own path.”

This was unexpected. Tori narrowed her eyes and looked ahead of them. She had no strong feelings for the church nor the pope, but she found it satisfactory that the pope would let Constantine have the freedom to choose.

“That’s good,” she replied. “It's difficult to have such a weight of expectation on your shoulders. Especially at such a young age.”

Constantine chuckled and looked over at her with an amused expression. “You sound as if you’re not at that same age, Lady Guevera. And I may say the same for you. As the daughter of Marquis Guevera, I am sure you have your own expectations placed upon you.”

Tori let out a little snort. “No, I have two older brothers. I’m fine.” He laughed beside her and quickly tried to muffle it so as not to wake the villagers. “I’m the youngest child and my family dotes on me to an almost embarrassing degree. I am certain that if I wanted, I could go home once I graduate, do nothing, and my family would accept this.”

He still carried a smile and glanced over at her with a knowing look. “But you’re not the type to sit and do nothing, are you, Lady Guevera?”

“I can if I wanted to.”

He muffled another laugh. “Then you are certainly in an enviable position.”

“You are, as well,” Tori said. “Your uncle is letting you choose your own direction in life. That is not something often afforded to children of...influential people. Often, much is expected of us and it can be devastating if one is unable to meet those expectations.”

“Hmm....”

“Have you thought about possible choices?” Tori asked.

“I quite enjoy history outside of theological studies related to it,” he said. “I considered looking into working in preservation of religious objects, texts, and structures.”

Tori couldn’t help but get excited at that. Having been an antiquities nerd when she was young, she was always very conscious of the importance of preserving historical objects. “That sounds amazing! Preservation of historically significant items can teach us a lot. And for pieces that have to withstand the test of time with constant usage, preservation is extremely important in order to keep them usable and in good condition.”

“Isn’t it?” His face lit up, as if pleased someone understood. “I used to sneak into the old record vaults below the basilica to watch some of the monks clean artifacts or fix damaged scrolls and tapestries. One must be very patient and careful. It’s not an easy task.”

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“It’s not.” Tori agreed with a nod. “Do you have to be a certain kind of monk to be able to do that? Do you need to join the clergy?”

Constantine seemed to think for a moment. “I don’t believe so, but it helps. In order to fully appreciate and understand various items, it is necessary to have a background in them.” He furrowed his brows. “It seems that in order to follow this path, I’d still have to go to the seminary.”

“Seminary,” Tori mumbled to herself as they reached the end of the walkway and turned around. “Is that after Lycée?” She thought she hid it well, but it was a bit embarrassing for her not to know. Honestly, her world view of Soleil and the game world was still quite narrow.

Constantine looked surprised and turned to look at her. “It is after second year.” She jerked her head back and he took the chance to elaborate. “I am sure you’ve heard of La Garda. It doesn’t accept students until they are sixteen, but our primary education ends at fourteen, so many prospective students go to a secondary school, like Lycée, for another two years and then transfer.”

Tori nodded. That was what Axton did. “The seminary is the same?”

He nodded. “Yes, by the end of next year, I should decide whether I want to continue studying at Lycée or transfer to the seminary to begin further theological studies. It is two years long and after that, I can join the clergy or seek higher education elsewhere, should joining the church not be for me.”

Tori pursed her lips as they walked. Constantine, and Fabian, had a certain time limit to secure them in the game. She remembered that Alessa needed to gain a certain amount of romance points early for those two love interests or they'd no longer be viable love interests. It turns out that the reason was if Alessa didn’t rack up early romance points for them, then Fabian would transfer to La Garda and Constantine would transfer to the seminary, taking them out of the game.

Her eyes widened. She knew that Fabian was a lost cause, but since Constantine was still considering the seminary, that meant Alessa hadn’t gained enough romance points with him yet. Coupled with the fact that Constantine rejected Alessa’s offer to work together earlier that week, wouldn’t Alessa’s chances to gain points be limited? How can she gain points if there are little to no encounters?

She glanced over at Constantine, who warmly greeted someone who came out of their tent. If she could take up Constantine’s time with the resettlement, it would severely limit encounters with Alessa.

This works in my favor. I can both get help with the resettlement and point-block Alessa. And if it goes on until next year, Constantine is out of the game! Okay, Tori, don’t get too excited. You don’t know how many romance points he currently has...although, it’s probably not much.

“Mr. Zisos, I will need a favor from you,” Tori said as the sun began to rise. He looked over at her and gave her an acknowledging look, waiting for her request. “Part of the reason why I wanted to ask for assistance from the church was also to help coax the village elders to move here from the shore.”

He knit his brows. “There are those who refuse to move further from the shore? But spring is coming. The river water levels will increase. Won’t that increase the water levels of the delta?”

“You understand that better than they do,” Tori said. She let out a low breath. “Actually, it's my fault. I angered them when we first met.”

He seemed taken aback by this. He narrowed his eyes curiously. “How in the world did you manage that?”

“If you were the elder of a village who fled war, then your resettlement was thrown into the hands of a teenager, would you take that said teenager seriously?” she asked as she gave him a knowing look.

He opened his mouth and seemed to want to say something, but slowly nodded. “I see. But that’s not your fault. Lycée assigned you the task, which was authorized by the empire.”

“Well....” Tori trailed off and hesitantly told him about how she slashed the tent and climbed out after announcing that she didn’t need their help if they didn’t want to work with her.

Beside her, the pope’s adopted son turned his head to the side and tried to hold back a laugh. “That’s...quite dramatic of you.”

“If His Highness Prince Piers wasn’t there, I’m sure it would’ve been worse,” Tori said, kicking a rock on the pathway. “The majority of the village has moved inland and we’ve done our best to make them as comfortable as possible while we are test building on the islands, but because of my conflict with the village elders, they’re stubborn and refuse to listen to me. Or their families. Or reason.”

“I see,” Constantine said, rubbing his chin. He nodded thoughtfully. “Leave this matter to myself and Brother Cassius. Brother Cassius has always been very popular with old folks. Are there places for them to stay?”

Tori nodded. “Of course, when we organized the encampment, every household was taken into consideration. A few of them even have children and grandchildren that moved here, but they refused to follow.”

“All right, then after breakfast, we will head to the old encampment first.”

“Wait, what about your project?” Tori asked, stopping him before he could march towards the carriage. “When do you want to discuss it? Do you want to look around first? Speak to the refugees and find out what their needs are?”

A thoughtful smile appeared on his face. His eyes crinkled up once more. “First, we coax the elders to a safer area, then we can concentrate on the project. It is not as imperative as their safety.”

Holy shit, this guy is dependable. A bit too smooth and always seems to know what to say, but if he can pull this off, this partnership may work out. Tori took a deep breath and lowered her head in a small, respectful nod. “Thank you, Mr. Zisos.”

“We should all strive to do what the gods call upon us to do, Lady Guevera,” he said. He looked towards the carriage. “I should go wake Brother Cassius.”

“Of course. I will see you both soon and take you to the old encampment.”

The roof panels were still being installed and the brick work had yet to reach the ceiling, not to mention there was no door, windowpanes, or roof tile, but considering that the house itself was a little larger than her dorm room, it was impressive that it was built in such a short period of time.

The professors, their students, and the villagers who specialized in masonry and building were eager to show her the house that had been designed by Architect Ebbadottir, who had the certification of Imperial Architect. A colleague of Professor Meyer, Architect Ebbadottir was particularly interested in the challenge of building in a wetland area and had excitedly made numerous designs to show Tori.

This particular house had a kitchen area to one side with brick and wood counter space. Then the rest was open space. It was a very rural styled house for a small peasant family, and reminded her of the old one-room, rural farmhouses at an outdoor museum in Hungary. It seemed very small, dark, and lacked privacy to her modern, otherworld eyes, but everyone was excited about it.

“With the amount of people working, we are moving along much faster than usual,” Architect Ebbadottir said, filled with enthusiasm. “This test island may be ready for villagers to move into in two months' time.”

“Amazing....” Tori said as she walked around the interior perimeter of the house and ran her hands against the brickwork. She looked at the professionals seemingly waiting for her assessment of their work. “What is the estimated number of homesteads the test island can accommodate? As discussed, I don’t want to overfill an island. The villagers have been understanding and are willing to be patient.”

“That they are, Lady Guevera,” Professor Grey agreed with a small puff of his chest. “The test island can accommodate twelve similar sized homesteads. It isn’t much, at first, but most of the islands we’ve surveyed are larger than this. They will be able to accommodate larger homes, as well. Would you like to see the finalized plans for this island?”

Tori’s eyes brightened. “If possible, yes.”

They walked outside, to the work area. Despite it being a weekend, the fervor of building homes did not stop. Villagers followed the orders given to lay brick and timber to raise homes for their friends and families.

Professor Grey showed her a large piece of paper across a wooden plank on some sawhorses. They added more piles than initially planned to secure the edges of the island and now, there was an ifana stone walkway wrapping around the part of the island that had a finished foundation. All it seemed to need were some nice benches, metal railings, and elegant streetlights, and it would be a nice, relaxing place to walk on warm evenings. With the large pots of insect repelling plants that Uncle Maurizo helped her pick and order, there would be calming greenery.

The houses themselves all had entrances that would face the water and shared courtyards with one well per four homes. Two of the wells were still in the process of being dug, but one of them was already being lined with ifana stone and one of the village’s master stonemasons was preparing to create a stone well head.

“Later, when there is more time and additional supplies, we can also add another story or two to these existing homes,” Architect Ebbadottir said. “This will help with village expansion in the future.”

Tori nodded. “I see. That’s perfect. What about plumping and water?”

While this world was a chaotic cherry-picked mess of various European time periods and technologies, their plumping wasn’t all that bad in the city, especially in wealthier homes. Outhouses were most common, as were small, separate buildings for bathing with a water plump inside. Ewan’s house had an outhouse that was actually quite large and had a water plump inside, over a large metal bowl so one could wash their hands.

Her dorm washroom didn’t have a tub; just a tiled room with a drain with a lip and a glass door to keep the water from getting everywhere. There was a tiled bench built into the wall for them to sit on and the water that was pulled through the pipes were heated by carnelian or chilled by ice calcite faucet mouths before they came out into a large ceramic wash basin. They’d use a wooden pitcher to scoop up water and rinse themselves.

Showers as she knew them were not a thing, but she had nothing against classic bath house style bathing facilities. She recently discovered she could overheat a carnelian chunk, put it on the tile, and pour water over it to simulate a steam bath.

As for sewage, there were tanks and pipes underground to contain waste and were layered with three kinds of crystal to filter the water before it was released back into a river. In all honesty, this alone made crystals magic to her.

“We’ve taken that into consideration as well,” Professor Grey brought out some more documents to go over sewage plans and how to keep it out of the well water. Tori just nodded, deciding to leave it all to the experts. “How has the allocation of the homes been decided?”

“For the time being, it has been discussed that these homes will go to families who are not artisans or craftsmen. The reasoning is that those families will require large spaces for their work areas and they understand that planning and building for those will take a longer time. Thus, these homes will likely go to former farmers, which works out, as they will need to soon start to learn to fish and these homes are directly on the water.”

“We will need more boats, my lady!” someone shouted from where the second house was being built.

Tori laughed. “The boats are coming! I have yet to announce it at tonight’s dinner, but I have secured fishermen from the coast to come and study the area to see what can be harvested from the delta and what methods can be used. In a month or so, they will arrive.”

“These will be taught to us, my lady?” another young man asked, his arms covered with mortar. Tori nodded.

“Yes,” Tori said. “I hope that since you cannot farm the land, you can fish the delta. But first, we have to see what it gives us.”

“Lady Guevera, regarding the bricks,” Professor Grey began, a bit worried. “While we have enough for the test island, we will soon begin to pile and foundation the first phase of the selected larger islands. Bricks are not needed immediately, but likely by autumn, we can begin building.”

Tori frowned and nodded. “Thank you for the timeline. This gives me an idea of what we’re working with. We may need to bring bricks from further away, but if possible, I will try to secure future orders of bricks from our current supplier. The land transport costs are just so much cheaper.” She looked towards Architect Ebbadottir. “Do we have other choices in materials? Wood? Stone?”

“Wood wouldn’t be recommended for the main material considering the humidity. Stone would work, but it is significantly more expensive. I still favor the brick I showed you.”

Tori chewed her lower lip for a moment. “Can you give me a list of materials that you’d recommend for building here? This is also taking into consideration what we previously discussed on the needs of the craftsmen and artisans.”

“Of course, Lady Guevera. I can have those for you before you leave.”

“Thank you,” Tori said. She paused and pursed her lips. “By the way...are you all satisfied with your current lodgings? I know that you are living in tents-”

“My lady, our lodgings are very good,” Professor Meyer replied, chuckling. “You supplement our food and necessities. There are carriages on call for when we need to return to Horizon.”

“I’ve been at research sites that are far worse than this,” Professor Grey said with a smile. “Besides, it’s good for our students to be as involved as they are and be on location.”

Tori nodded. “Then, once more, if anything is needed....”

“We understand, Lady Guevera.”

They continued to lead her around the island and she was joined by Axton and a curious Constantine. Constantine could not yet be fully trusted and she shot a glare at Axton for bringing him along.

“He just got on the boat,” Axton said in a low voice. “I said I was coming to get you for dinner.”

“Then let’s go back before he asks too many questions,” Tori replied. She peered into the nearly completed homestead that Constantine had entered. “Mr. Zisos.” She found him standing by the kitchen, moving his hand along the wooden countertop as his eyes slowly moved along the brick and then up to wooden beams that crossed overhead. His eyes were squinted and his lips were parted. He didn’t seem to hear her. Tori sighed and stepped through the threshold. “Mr. Zisos!”

He snapped around and seemed almost surprised to see her standing there. He blinked a few times before putting on a tired smile.

“My apologies, Lady Guevera. I was a bit distracted,” he said as he looked at the gap between the brick and the roof planks. “The houses in my home village were similar.”

Tori looked at him and then followed his gaze. She opened her mouth, but paused. Wasn’t responding just asking for this tragic backstory? No. No, I’m weak to those. I already know his sad backstory. I read it on wiki. I don’t need more details. “Is that so?” Dammit, Tori.

“You might’ve heard why my uncle adopted me. A plague spread in our home village when he just became pope.” Constantine furrowed his brow. “I was one-year-old when it happened and was the only survivor. I don’t remember anything about the village, but when I was older, he brought me back because he wanted me to know where we came from. The houses were still empty; no one wants to move in, even though the plague has passed.” He had a sad, wry smile as he looked at Tori. “The bricks and beams...a small, one room home. It’s a far cry from the ornate halls of the Temple Mountain.”

She hated that she was moved by his tragic backstory. She hated that she knew he was telling the truth and that his eyes were red because he remembered seeing an empty house, but likely couldn’t remember living it or his parents that died inside. She hated that he was a love interest and she felt bad for him.

Feelings are a burden, she thought to herself once more. Tori lowered her head. “Well, you know they say that a house doesn’t make a home; the love within its walls does.”

He seemed to let her words sink in for a moment before his lips curled up just a bit. “Did you read that in another obscure book?” he asked, his voice a bit lighter.

Tori offered him a small chuckle. “I do like to read.”

Constantine nodded. He removed his hand from the counter and walked towards her. He took a deep breath and extended his hand forward. “Lady Guevera, I would like to work with you to start my Lycée project here on the delta. I will write the formal proposal with the selected location and send it in with my report by midweek. I will also reference you in the report and will ask you to look over it before I submit it.”

Tori looked at his hand and then at him. “How will this project be affected if you decide to transfer to the seminary next year?”

“In such a case, I can report my final project as is. If it is accepted, the project can be handed over to another person. Brother Cassius seems to have an interest, as well.” Constantine continued to hold his hand out. “Do we have an accord, Lady Guevera?”

Tori thought for a moment. She took in a quiet, deep breath and tried to listen to her ‘gut’, as Kasen told her. Nothing was alarming her aside from her usual suspicion, but if she was careful, she could mitigate any harm.

As if noticing her hesitation, Constantine smiled and bit his lips to keep from laughing. “If this is about what happened at the cafe before winter break, I can assure you that I respect your rejection. I wish to work with you as a fellow student, with no ulterior motive.”

Tori wanted to groan and duck out of the house at the reminder. You’re the adult here, Tori. Don’t get embarrassed by a kid. She stood up straight, lifted her hand, and shook his hand firmly. “Then, to a friendly partnership, Mr. Zisos.”

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