CHAPTER 20 A Late-Night Potts’s Cast

Keith

Keith was oiling tiny gears for his new planned construct when something very unexpected happened.

"Keith!" Henrietta burst into his workroom. "I've changed my mind!"

The princess wore a long green tunic with silver decorative embroidery at the open neckline, silver tights, and knee-high boots. She clutched a rolled and sealed scroll in one hand.

Keith carefully put down his gear and used a clean towel to wipe grease off his hands. When he thought about the princess in front of him, Keith changed tactics.

[You have attempted to use the Perk: Cantrips (Cleanse). You have succeeded.]

He really needed to get himself an alarm to let him know when the princess and Tulith attempted to visit him in the afternoon. Or maybe he would install locks, then they could only interrupt him after he was ready?

"Good afternoon, Henrietta," Keith replied. "It's nice to see you too."

"Oh, stop." Henrietta was getting used to his teasing, but he liked that her ears still flushed a little red with embarrassment. "What I'm saying is that … I think I'm ready to cut off my parents. I don't want to get any more letters from them."

"I see." Keith stared at the scroll. And he did see. "And this is?"

"My last letter. I've told my parents that I'm giving up the throne and disowning them." Henriette offered it to him. "They can think of me as dead because I won't be returning to Drendil … So could you please mediate any more mail I receive?"

Keith took the letter and gave her a very big smile. "It would be my pleasure, Princess."

"Thank you." Henrietta stuffed a lock of her brown hair behind her ear. Tension left her shoulders, and she visibly relaxed.

"Just one thing, Hat—Henrietta," Keith slipped, almost using Hattie, one of the nicknames he'd been bandying about in his mind. He pushed forward when she just looked at him expectantly. "By mediate, do you mean that I'm allowed to read your mail?"

Keith felt that Hattie didn't fit right, anyway.

Henrietta nodded. "Everything I get from outside the Dark Enchanted Forest. I'm happy to read any mail so long as it's not from my parents. They might try to sneak in letters using intermediaries, so it would be best for you to check everything."

"Would you like me to reply to the letters, and did you want to know if there is correspondence for you?" Keith asked. "Or should I just dispose of it?"

"Reply however you want, and I don't care what happens to the mail. You can tell me if it's really important, like if they declare war or something," Henrietta explained. "But otherwise, I don't want to know."

"That reminds me." Keith sidled up beside her and offered his arm. "Have you considered becoming one of my minio—subjects? The benefits far outweigh the demerits."

"Really?" The soon-to-be-no-longer crown princess of Drendil took the Dark Lord's arm and walked with him out of the inner sanctum. "Tell me more."

"We have free revival, free health care, and a four-day work week," Keith offered. "And it comes with the Nightshade Rooms and an excellent office job." He waved her letter in his free hand. "You can file immigration forms while I arrange swift delivery of your letter."

"I'd like that." Henrietta sighed and looked up at him. "If only it were that simple."

They entered the main castle, and Keith paused to look at her. He asked her directly, "Why?"

"It's St. Veralyn's Day—"

"If you are worried about the war, Ria," Keith tried another one of the nicknames he'd been contemplating for days, and he thought it actually suited her very well. Since he had cut her off, he continued. "I apologize for interrupting, but if you're worrying about your father's threats, then don't. He has been threatening war since before you came here, and I have been planning for it since I took over the kingdom at sixteen. We are ready for an attack."

"No, no." Henrietta shook her head. "That's not what I was going to say."

They went through the common room, continuing toward his office.

"Then, again, I'm sorry I cut you off," Keith apologized. "Why can't you officially immigrate to Nilheim?"

Henrietta looked apologetically up at Keith. "Because I'm still eighteen until the day after St. Veralyn's Day. Registration for Drendil emigration starts at age nineteen or with confirmation from a guardian. I can't request a transfer of tax records until I come of age." A touch of hope filled her voice. "I could fill out the immigration forms today … but if I wait until then, I can submit them legally."

"So, what I'm hearing," Keith said, "is that it's not a no; it's a not yet."

"Yes."

If all they had to do was withstand a potential invasion and celebrate her birthday, he could wait.

He could also prepare.

Keith sent Henrietta out after she'd been helping in the office for a few hours, but then broke his own rule and stayed behind. He would need to finish as much paperwork as he could if he was going to create more golems for a war.

He was finishing up when Tulith appeared. She was on an evening shift, so this was the first he'd seen of her today.

"Master, there was a late-night Potts's Cast. I've done as you instructed and hired sssomeone to record them all for you."

Keith leaned back in his chair. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "What did it say?"

Tulith pulled out a small recording Cast Crystal he'd authorized for this purpose.

Hello, everyone, this is Madame Potts.

It's a little late, but I hope you'll excuse me.

The Peldeep adventuring guildmaster of Vitol stumbled upon a new dungeon around Thia Falls and is trapped on the sixth floor. He will die in nine days if rescue fails.

Thank you, this is Madame Potts signing out.

"Thank you, Tulith." Keith fiddled with the crystal in his hand. "Has anyone ever figured out who Madame Potts is?"

"No, but it's assumed she must be from North Sumbria," Tulith explained. "Sssince the Archwizard Jeffrey who created the Crystal-Cast Crystalsss lived there, it is thought that she found his Master Crystal and that is how she's making these announcementsss."

"Alright." Keith made a note to ask Grand Duchess Calisto when he went to this year's Spring Ball. He'd only gone once before, shortly after his coming of age, and he wasn't fond of the marriage-market aspect to the whole thing. Hopefully he could hide behind Henrietta's skirts this time. That was, if she chose to wear skirts. He should ask her what she was planning to wear so they didn't clash.

Keith knew he was going to be in his workroom late, so he dismissed Tulith early. She and Chikli were off the rest of the week, and there was no sense in keeping her late.

Then he got to work on an alligator-dog construct three times the normal size. Giant-sized creations were so much better.