Contrary to what most people believe, mornings are not times of peace. At least it isn't for her. Where the typical person drinks their coffee or milk, gets some time for themselves, and enjoys the cold breeze before officially starting their day, Rontress has to work.

  Flotol needs to be managed, paperwork needs to be reviewed, and cases where crimes happen pop out more often than she preferred. For the last one, very few are extensive crimes like stealing or murder and a lot are just minor, petty things that people do day-to-day.

  Rontress likes to give some time to herself before getting out of bed. To her, this small moment of peace is her morning, the rest? It's work. The day officially starts the moment she leaves the soft embrace of her bed.

  Staying here like this for a few more minutes would have been ideal, but sometimes, fate just hands her something to deal with first thing in the morning. Annoyance delivered straight to her bed. Before breakfast. Work in bed, as she likes to call it.

  Her sharp senses tell her that something moved along the edges of her room, a cat stalking its prey? No, Thalion is back at their home and Rontress wouldn't take him here no matter how her roommate pesters her about it, this cottage only belongs to two people.

  Rontress reflexively moved when she felt a bit of weight get added to her bed, the indentation was bad enough to make her slip downward so whoever it is must be heavy.

  Or maybe a pig found her bed and decided that it was the most comfortable thing in the world? There's even the possibility of gravity suddenly increasing because Bylor failed another spell. It's what? The 8th time this week? The reason for it could be anything really.

  Something poked at her cheek, she ignored it, it happened again, she didn't acknowledge it for the second time. When the third poke came, it wasn't soft and it didn't come for her cheek, it slid between her ribs.

  Rontress gasped, unable to control herself, her body went rigid and she sat up like a coiled spring, her forehead almost collided with Ifira's but she took hold of herself moments before impact.

  "What is it?" Her groggy voice was the exact opposite of Ifira's manic, wide-eyed state. "It's what? 4 o clock right now?"

  "Four thirty-eight." Yeah, whatever Ifira was trying to accomplish by saying that didn't happen, Rontress only felt even more exasperated. "Anyway! You know how I decided to work on more ice cream flavors last night?"

  'Oh yeah, she did do that didn't she? I should have expected her to do this when morning came...' This was a mistake on her part, she knew that Ifira often liked to test out the flavors the moment she's done with them. 'I wonder what it is this time? And where does she get her excitement from? She used to hate these things back then.'

  Is it the fact that people feel pain every time they taste Ifira's latest inventions? It totally is, isn't it? Sadistic bastard, taking in pleasure from the pain she inflicts on others via taste tests.

  "Yes?" Rontress knew what was coming, she decided to ask anyway. "Did you finally make one? And how much time did you spend on this? Were you up the entire night again? I keep telling you that losing sleep is a bad idea!"

  "Okay, but I don't need sleep." Ifira tilted her head, the way she did so made it so that her body shifted just enough to press more of her weight against Rontress' hips. "Why would I do it if I don't need it?"

  "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" The stare Rontress gave her best friend was not friendly. "By now, you know better than to pretend to be stupid and distant from common sense."

  "Hm? Maybe?" Ifira grinned, why is this girl always so unapologetic? Just because she's more powerful than anyone bar Rontress herself...

  "Maybe." She repeats, sliding backwards and letting Ifira fall to the mattress in a soft thump. "Ifira, just give me the taste test—"

  Rontress couldn't even finish before a spoon was suddenly shoved into her mouth. She chewed in shock— what is this? Cheese with nuts? And is that a hint of sweetness? Why did she think of this? How? — and wondered where Ifira was hiding the spoon all this time, she could have sworn she saw her best friend use both hands to talk animatedly earlier.

  "So, is it good?!" Well, her excitement implied that she was being genuine when it came to the invention at least. Even if it's a flavor that wouldn't take off. "It's good right?!"

  "Sort of?" It might just be the perk which enhanced her pallette and made her think of normal food as badly influencing her but Rontress didn't find any problems with the taste. "I don't think this thing will make it far though, it's the kind of flavor only weird people like to eat."

  "Well, who cares? We still make some." Why is she so determined? Why? "Cheese, chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry are our main source of income anyway, we make more of those while adding flavors like these for the weirder people."

  "You just took that quote from me, and can you step off the bed for a bit? I'm fixing it." The act of doing so would mean that her day officially starts but Rontress knew that her times of peace were over the moment Ifira hopped on top of her. "And while you're right, I don't think it's a good idea to actually do it, the only time I can see it working is if we put it in a container and sell it alone."

  "Works for me!" The joy in Ifira's voice should not be understated, she was happy that the flavor went into the market. "Kids will love these!"

  "Yeah, I don't think they will." Rontress sighed before a tiny smile bloomed on her face. "Good morning, Ifira."

  "Good morning!" With flourished movement, her best friend turned away and faced the direction of the door. "Okay, so today, I hear that Bylor is planning on doing another experiment, we need to watch out for that."

  "Yay."

  "Another thing, I hear that something important will happen later so that's something that needs to be taken care of as well."

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Okay, Rontress usually listened without hearing during Ifira's usual morning reminders— they're all the same anyway, and she'll see them in the reports later. — but that got her attention and legitimately made her stop.

  Something important? What's so important that even Ifira doesn't know about it? The vagueness is especially strange, Ifira usually doesn't bother to mention things she doesn't have any information on.

  "Wait, something important?" Rontress flinched when Ifira looked at her strangely, did she say something wrong? Was she supposed to hear about this yesterday? "What? I'm just asking you a question?"

  "No, it's just... You usually don't talk whenever I do this, putting out so many words at the same time just surprised me, that's all."

  Should she be focusing on that right now? Why does she feel petty enough that she wants to do so? Of course she wouldn't talk whenever Ifira reminds her of what she needs to do, everyone does that almost every single day and it's like they don't think she reads the reports!

  Rontress took a deep breath to calm herself. Not the time. "I just listen, yes." She decided to go along with Ifira's idea of her during meetings like this. "But what you said just got my attention, so I want to know more about it."

  "Do you find it that strange?" Why is Ifira acting like it isn't? Of course she finds it strange! "Important things happen around here all the time, yes? The amount of times your family got approached for "something important" only for it to be some random merchant who wants to rent land happens way too often honestly."

  And she's only heard of this now? Wait, if this happens a lot then why has she never encountered any of these people?

  "Merchants? I never saw any of them, let alone talked to a merchant who wants to rent land." Then again, new buildings get built in the noble district all the time, the only time she ever got details on them was when someone wanted to build a brothel.

  "That's because your family thinks that you shouldn't worry about things like that, or it's beyond you rather. Even I only get an occasional glimpse of such things." The casual shrug Ifira did after saying that meant she also didn't think those were important.

  "Ifira, we can't just rent land to anybody, can you ask people to make a report on this?" Rontress let out a sigh, great, first thing in the morning and she's already stressing out. "I need to make sure there are auditors as well, and that's gonna be another drain on our manpower."

  "Well, there are decently educated people in both Ghorise and Flotol so I don't see the problem?" And why would Ifira say anything but that? "And I don't think there's anything wrong with getting merchants here."

  "We need to limit them, Ifira. I don't want to come back to a corporocracy after we're done with Light Academy." Does she not see the problem of letting people who have a lot of money run wild when our settlement runs off of the economy itself? That's like giving a criminal a gun and then not feeling suspicious about the possibility of them robbing you.

  "Well, we won't leave for at least another year so I don't see the point of you worrying about that yet."

  "Exactly, we have a year to make it clear to everyone that merchants shouldn't have power here." And to do that, I need to talk to my parents. "I'm going to the bathroom to change, is breakfast ready?"

  "Isn't it your turn today?"

  "Don't try to avoid it, Ifira." I grab a fistful of my hair and whip them back, straightening the strands. "Pretending like you didn't sit behind me while I was cooking yesterday won't be enough to convince me."

  "Ugh, fine." She rolled her eyes, I know she did. I didn't have to face her to figure it out. "What do you want to eat?"

  "Something leafy, maybe?"

  "Meat it is then... And maybe a few leaves." Ifira conceded in the end, our dinner last night was entirely meat so I can see why she would want to eat vegetables this morning.

  I left her to do her thing while I went to the bathroom. A few minutes later, I came out wearing two towels and carrying another. "You done yet?"

  "Not yet." Ifira waved me away. "Can you please focus on changing into something decent? It's important, see."

  "Why would it be important?" Did something happen while I was gone? No? Something happened didn't it?

  "Uknave came here moments ago and told me that we should wear something impeccable, or at least fashionable? It must be important if he came all the way here from Ghorise."

  "Definitely." Is it related to what Ifira told me earlier? "Wonder what this is all about? It's clearly not a merchant."

  "Maybe a noble wants to settle inside the noble district this time? Not just some random merchant?" That's a possibility, but not something I'm willing to entertain. Ifira continues, "if so, then this is considered an invasion, yes?"

  "Yep, we'll probably have to take it to the crown if that's the case." Regardless if our relationship with this mysterious person ends in a fight or not, I will wear something nice. "I'm gonna go change, it's been a while since I wore a non-casual dress anyway."

  "Aren't you just gonna wear a plant regardless?"

  "Yep." A sheepish yet unapologetic grin was my main response, and that said a lot more than words ever will.

  Leaving Ifira for another few moments probably wouldn't make her miss another important conversation right? No really, she just learned that her family is renting land to people they should be worried about so she's clearly been missing out. Is asking them to tell her everything invasive? It sounded invasive in her mind.

  Once she was back down stairs, the table was already set so all that's left is for her to sit down and have a nice meal with her roommate.

  Ifira didn't have anything more to say so they ate in relative silence, once the dishes were soaking in the sink and the two of them had brushed their teeth, they walked out of their cottage and into their orchard.

  Four years, that's how long they've cultivated this place together. It went from an empty plot of land surrounded by walls made of plants into a place that produces fruits, plant oil, and grows herbal medicine.

  Her eyes go over to a giant tree near their cottage, it was just regular oak from the rainforest at the start, now the tree serves as a strange proof of their bond. Various parts of the giant flora had markings of the four years she and Ifira spent together in this orchard.

  The bark had names, drawings, and runes carved into them, with one side growing a throne-like look, no magic was used to shape it, only a giant clay mold and two years worth of waiting.

  Ifira wanted the tree to have it once Rontress revealed to her that she's a Dryad inhuman, which made the girl ecstatic back then. Thus, Ifira decided that she needed a throne to sit on and this orchard would be her kingdom.

  A pair of sea saws hang side by side at the back of the tree as well, they're only a year old, the tree wasn't big enough to support both their weights before that because they haven't hit enough milestones when it comes to managing Ghorise and Flotol yet.

  The crown of the tree also hides a tree house, their first ever home in this place, a unique area that only belongs to them. Back when they first made it, Rontress felt that they were the only people in the whole world whenever they're inside.

  Before the cottage, or before any of the fruit trees grew to maturity, it was their safe haven from the sun, the training, the expectations, and the responsibility placed onto their shoulders at a young age.

  She never expected the orchard to develop this way, she genuinely believed that it was just a whim on Ifira's part but ever since they planted that first sapling, things just... Went out of hand.

  And now they're here.

  "Oh look!" Ifira pointed forward, where a man stood straight. Too straight. Was this person a knight? What kind of discipline training do you have to go through to stand like you're a statue?

  "Hello." Rontress greeted when they neared him, the man is rather tall as well, 6.8 by her own estimate.

  Instead of answering, the man handed her a scroll, unfurling it, she scanned the contents and began reading, every sentence her gaze passed made her go pale.

  "Why now?" She couldn't help but ask. "It's been four years already since my family took over."

  "Let me see!" Ifira grabbed the scroll from her hands and Rontress loosened her grip to let her have it.

  Why is the crown checking on them and their sudden takeover of Flotol now?