Absolute Mana Dominion: All My Talents Are SSS

Chapter 57: 57 - Change of Routine

- Margaret’s POV -

Days earlier — Valebrand

Morning came early inside the Royal Castle, though Margaret had no intention of getting out of bed until the first grey light slipped through the curtains.

Her bedroom was large even by noble standards, decorated mostly in gold and grey, the two colours she had chosen herself years ago. Gold was obvious enough. Her hair was gold, her eyes were gold, and she happened to think the colour suited her perfectly well.

Grey was different. Margaret pushed the blanket aside and sat up, looking toward the window as she slipped her feet into a pair of soft slippers.

She liked rain. Maybe her Aqua Affinity had something to do with that, considering Water was one of the Aspects she could use, but she had liked rainy mornings for as long as she could remember.

After changing out of her nightgown, Margaret picked something closer to her usual style. Noble enough that nobody could complain, fitted well enough to stand out, and expensive without looking as though she’d spent an hour deciding what to wear.

There was little point in being born pretty if she was going to make an effort to hide it.

Margaret picked up a comb and opened the large window beside her bed. Cool air entered immediately, carrying the damp smell that usually came before rain, and she sat against the wide windowsill while working the comb through her golden hair.

Heavy clouds covered Valebrand from one side of the horizon to the other.

”Looks like it’ll be a good day.”

A soft sound came from behind her, and Margaret glanced over as an orange cat jumped onto the windowsill. He turned twice before curling up beside her as though the entire space had been prepared specifically for him.

”Nimbus.” Margaret ran her fingers over his head. ”Did I wake you up?”

Nimbus answered by closing his eyes and leaning slightly into her hand.

”I’ll take that as forgiveness.”

The cat was her Summon, one of the reasons Margaret’s training schedule was more complicated than most Mages’. Having two Paths sounded impressive whenever someone else said it. Living with it mostly meant having twice as much to learn.

Her mornings had settled into a routine because of that: breakfast first, then study, followed by training and whatever royal obligations somebody decided to throw at her afterward.

Being the Third Princess had taught Margaret something fairly early. Nobody was going to hand her strength because she carried Valleroy blood. If she wanted to improve, most of that work would have to come from her.

After breakfast and an hour spent going over several spell structures, Margaret finally decided she’d had enough of sitting indoors. Nimbus followed her into the corridor, keeping close enough that servants instinctively stepped around him.

The Royal Castle felt completely different without Oathday filling every hall with visiting nobles. There were fewer decorative carriages outside, fewer servants rushing after important guests, and considerably more Crown officials moving between offices with documents under their arms.

Margaret preferred it this way. Unfortunately, a quieter castle also made certain people harder to avoid.

She had almost reached the stairs leading toward the lower gardens when she saw the King’s first wife approaching from the opposite direction.

’Wonderful. Exactly who I wanted to see this morning.’

Turning around now would be too obvious, so Margaret continued until the woman stopped in front of her.

”Margaret. You’re wandering around rather early today.”

Margaret offered the appropriate greeting. ”Good morning. I was under the impression I still lived here, so I thought I’d take advantage of it.”

The woman’s mouth tightened slightly. ”You know what I mean. I rarely see you involved in anything particularly useful around the palace.”

Margaret folded her hands loosely in front of herself. ”I’ve already studied and trained this morning. I thought I could probably afford half an hour outside without damaging the kingdom.”

”You might be better served spending that time observing your brother. Aurelian was already involved in matters of state when he was younger than you. Whatever else one thinks of him, he understands what being born into this family requires.”

Margaret smiled pleasantly. ”I don’t think trying to become Aurelian would help anyone. One of him already makes this castle difficult enough.”

The woman’s expression cooled. ”That attitude is exactly why people struggle to take you seriously.”

”Really?” Margaret tilted her head slightly. ”I thought it was because I’m third in line and half the people here decided which prince they supported before I was old enough to understand what that meant.”

”You should be more careful with the way you speak, Margaret.”

”And perhaps you should be more careful telling a princess that nobody takes her seriously.”

That bought her several seconds of silence. Margaret had spent enough years around the Royal Family to know exactly how far she could push before a conversation became genuinely dangerous. The trick was getting close enough to the line that the other person knew she’d seen it.

She adjusted one sleeve and offered another polite smile. ”Anyway, forgive me. Someone is expecting me, and I’d rather not keep them waiting.”

Nobody was.

The lie worked perfectly well.

Margaret walked past before the woman could decide whether continuing the conversation was worth the effort, while Nimbus followed several steps behind her. She didn’t relax until they reached the lower gardens.

’What a lovely start to the morning.’

The gardens bordered one of the main approaches into the castle complex. Even from there, Margaret could see Crown soldiers stationed around the entrances while officials checked people moving between the administrative sections.

The clouds overhead had grown heavier since she’d opened her window. The air had that dull, cool weight that meant rain probably wasn’t far away.

Margaret followed one of the garden paths while Nimbus wandered wherever he pleased beside her. Life inside the castle was considerably more boring than people outside probably imagined.

Having half the building constantly watching for weakness made things a little more interesting. At least it meant she had to pay attention.

She had nearly reached the far side of the gardens when raised voices carried from one of the nearby entrances.

Margaret slowed and looked over. Arguments happened constantly inside the castle, but people generally had enough sense to keep them quiet around Crown officials.

Curiosity won.

By the time she reached the entrance, she could already see what was happening. Two Crown guards were holding a man by the arms while an administrator stood in front of him.

The stranger looked exhausted. His clothes carried several days of travel, and he looked as though sleep had become optional somewhere along the journey, but he was still arguing despite having two armed men restraining him.

”Please, I’m asking you to let me deliver the message myself.”

The administrator held out his hand. ”I’ve already explained how this works. You can leave the documents with me, and I’ll make sure they reach the appropriate office.”

”I can’t do that. I was specifically told to place them in the hands of someone with enough authority to act on them.”

”Then you’re making this harder than it needs to be.” The administrator’s patience was clearly wearing thin. ”If you leave them with me, I can make sure they’re processed properly.”

The man pulled slightly against the guards. ”They’re from House Clairmont. This is urgent.”

Margaret stopped walking.

’Clairmont?’

There weren’t many things that came to mind anymore when someone mentioned that family, but one person came immediately.

Adrien Clairmont.

Margaret still remembered him perfectly well.

The administrator stepped closer to the stranger. ”Then all the more reason to let me handle it. Whatever House Clairmont sent can go through the proper channels.”

One of the guards reached toward the man’s coat.

Margaret started walking again.

”What’s going on here?”

All four men turned toward her.

The administrator’s expression changed the moment he recognised her. ”Your Highness. It’s only an administrative issue. We’re already dealing with it, so there’s really no need for you to concern yourself.”

Margaret stopped directly in front of him.

”That’s an interesting way to speak to a princess.”

The man’s face shifted immediately, but Margaret’s pleasant expression disappeared before he could recover.

”Kneel.”

”Your Highness, I didn’t mean any disrespect. I was only trying to—”

”I wasn’t asking what you meant.”

The administrator lowered himself without another word.

Margaret turned toward the two guards. ”You can release him. He’ll come with me from here.”

One of them hesitated. ”Your Highness, we haven’t confirmed who he is yet. If he’s carrying something dangerous, we’d rather make sure before allowing him farther inside.”

”That’s reasonable.” Margaret glanced toward the stranger. ”But I heard him say he has a message from House Clairmont, and I’d like to hear what it is myself. You can stay close if that makes you more comfortable.”

That was enough. The guards released the man’s arms, though neither moved particularly far away.

Margaret waited until he had straightened his clothes before speaking again.

”What’s your name?”

The man looked directly at her and gave a respectful bow.

”Vikir, Your Highness. I’ve come on behalf of Adrien Clairmont.”