>>6120385>“Tell me more about Bronte. Has she taken a liking to this country? Has she grown any stronger? Did you see her for yourself?” Ever since Bronte had left for Morfis, news had been scant. The letters that she did send home were both infrequent and scant in detail, merely stating that she was enjoying her time in the desert kingdom.“I can see she means a great deal to you.” Alvin smiles. “Though I have not seen her since she left the College two years ago, I can confirm that she does still reside in the royal palace alongside the Princess and her other retainers. She came to us already a capable sorceress. A talent that she inherited from her mother if I’m not mistaken. But she has learned much under the tutelage of the Sages. So much so that it caused quite the stir when it was announced she would be leaving to serve Princess Yulia.”
>“A stir?” You ask. How do you mean?”“In thousands of years of Morfisian history, a foreigner has never been brought on to serve as the retainer of a ruling monarch.” Alvin says. “That alone would brew quite the controversy among the many conservative circles in the capital. But given recent events, there are several who believe that the idea of the Competition was actually your cousin’s idea.”
>“What?” You can hardly hide the doubt written so plainly in your face. Bronte wasn’t exactly the romantic type. At least not in your experience. You don’t think she’d ever so much as even glanced at a boy in that way before. Even if she were, you can’t imagine she’d sponsor a method of courting as bizarre as this one. She abhorred fighting, only resorting to it when absolutely necessary.“Who knows? It certainly is a coincidence.” Alvin says. “For Morfis to take such strong strides in ending its isolationist period, which lasted thousands of years, just as your cousin came to be known to the Princess…it makes for a compelling theory.”
>“I just can’t see it personally, but I suppose I’ll have the chance to ask her myself before long.”“As I said, she’s made quite the stir.” Alvin's face grows dark for a moment, and you feel almost a bit uneasy. Even when facing down the threat of pirates seeking to kill him and his men, he’d maintained his composure. But for the first time since coming to know the man, you sensed that he was on edge. “There are some that believe her service to the Princess to be more… ‘cloudy’ in nature. I did not wish to give you or your family cause for concern, but certain high-ranking officials in Morfis believe she has bewitched Yulia, who now values her counsel above all others.”
>“Bronte has made enemies?” That was somehow even more unbelievable. 