Chapter Text
A week has passed since that conversation. By the way Squall behaved, it seemed that it did not exist at all. During all this time, he never said a word about Maud, his past, or the rest of the Wundersmiths. Although he still sometimes mentioned them in class, but nothing more. Morrigan wondered if he had told Jupiter and the Elders about it. The answer was probably no, judging by their rather ordinary behavior. Well, as far as it was possible, considering everything that was happening.
Morrigan was sitting on a deckchair, thinking about telling Jupiter about everything herself, and he should decide the matter with the Elders himself.
"I'll have to go to him" - Morrigan said thoughtfully.
"Go to whom?"
Morrigan jumped in surprise and stared absently at the person standing in front of her. It was Anah.
Today Squall gave Morrigan a day off. Although he wanted to teach her everything necessary as soon as possible, but it would be extremely wrong of him to overdo it. Therefore, today Morrigan decided to invite her entire Unit to Deucalion to go on water slides. After all, summer was in full swing.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You just looked so detached" - Anah's face showed concern. Morrigan was amazed at how Anah's attitude towards her had changed. She was no longer afraid of the Wundersmith, now she saw in Morrigan just a person, a girl like her, who, like everyone else, deserved friendship and love.
"I'm fine, don't worry" - Morrigan smiled. - "It's just that I need to go to Jupiter a little later. I need to... uh... discuss something with him" - she faltered slightly. She didn't know if it was worth letting them in on all this. She didn't want to get them into any more trouble.
"Some secrets again, huh?" - Thaddea came up to them and crossed her arms over her chest, staring intently at Morrigan. - "It usually didn't end well, so come on, tell us what's on your mind. Should we be worried?"
The whole Unit gathered around Morrigan. Hawthorne's expression made it clear that he absolutely did not like the fact that he was interrupted from riding the water slide. The same could be said about Arch and Mahir.
"What's the gathering about?" - asked Hawthorne.
"Morrigan is hiding something from us again" - Thaddea nodded at the girl.
"Again?" - Cadence raised her right eyebrow.
Morrigan rolled her eyes.
"Nothing like that".
"Well, if that's the case, then tell us" - Thaddea grinned. - "We are all listening to you carefully".
All eight pairs of eyes looked searchingly at Morrigan. She sighed. "A little more and they will start torturing me" - thought Morrigan.
"Okay" - she moaned. - "It's about Squall. He told me something, and I don't know if I can share it with you, but I just can't keep silent anymore".
Morrigan told them everything that Squall had told her a week ago. She tried to describe everything in as much detail as possible, without missing anything.
"In general, everything is much more complicated than anyone ever thought" - Morrigan summed up. - "To be honest, I do not know whether to fully believe Squall, but it really looks like the truth" - she shrugged her shoulders.
"I think it's still true" - Lam said quietly. - "But there are things he doesn't intend to talk about with anyone at all".
Everyone understood what she meant.
"So war cannot be avoided?" - Francis asked weakly.
"You're trembling like a flower, you know?" - said Thaddea mockingly.
"Tell me we don't have a reason" - Francis's voice sounded sharper than usual. - "I don't want anyone to get hurt, let alone my family".
"Stop it!" - Cadence shouted at them. - "Each of us has something to lose, so stop these attacks on each other" - the guys frowned, but remained silent. - "That's better. We should work together, we will not let Maud capture Nevermoor, only over our dead bodies".
"I agree with Cadence. We will stand to the end if we have to. And now we need to stop quarreling and start thinking about what to do next" - Arch's face was resolute.
"I can search the archives for something about Maud's knack. There cannot be such a thing that there is no information about it. It's just probably well hidden, and most likely by Maud herself. As I understand it, she is very smart and cunning to keep this in a prominent place" - Mahir suggested.
"Hmm, that's a great idea" - Morrigan said.
"I can help with the search" - Lam suggested.
Mahir smiled at her gratefully.
"You really should tell Jupiter everything. He should know. If not from Squall, then from you" - Cadence said firmly, turning her head to Morrigan. - "So..."
"I think he'll find out soon" - Lam interrupted and smiled weakly, also looking at Morrigan.
"Did your visions tell you that?" - Morrigan asked, letting out a light laugh. - "Well, since we've decided everything, then let's put the bad thoughts out of our heads and just relax. I'm already tired of worrying about everything" - Morrigan jumped to her feet and shouted. - "Who is the first to the top?!"
The others rushed after her, laughing merrily. They really should have rested.
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Jupiter was sitting at his desk in his office, tapping on documents with a pen. Having signed the last sheet, he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes tiredly. For more than a week they have not advanced a single step, but on the other hand, the Republic has not done anything. And that was the most unnerving thing. Jupiter considered it a calm before the storm. Something is coming.
The door to his office opened. Jupiter groaned, only one person could come in here without knocking.
"Now is not the best time to talk" - Jupiter said in a tired voice.
"I won't take up much of your time, Captain" - Squall sat down opposite Jupiter, crossing his legs. - "Or don't you want to hear about how Miss Crow's training is going?" - Squall raised an eyebrow mockingly.
"I could have asked her myself" - Jupiter said.
"But you haven't asked yet, so I, as her mentor, am simply obliged to report to you about her progress".
Jupiter opened his eyes a crack to see Squall looking at him expectantly.
"It would be better if you would like to tell me with the same insistence why Maud is so dangerous, since even you are terrified of her" - if Jupiter were less tired, he would be wary of talking to the Wundersmith like that, but now he didn't care.
But judging by the expression on Squall's face, it didn't bother him in any way. On the contrary, it seems to have amused him even more.
"Do you and Miss Crow cross paths anywhere at all? Or will you find out everything by accident?"
Jupiter straightened up in his chair and stared angrily at Squall.
"What do you mean?"
"The fact that she already knows everything perfectly well, and I should admit, I'm a little surprised that she hasn't told you anything. After all, as I understand it, she trusts you completely" - Squall, on the contrary, leaned on the back of a chair.
"So it is" - Jupiter said confidently, although a lot of thoughts flashed through his mind about why Morrigan didn't tell him anything. And, to be honest, he was upset by this fact. - "Don't torment me. Tell me everything in order".
"As you wish" - the corner of Squall's mouth went up.
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After seeing off her friends, Morrigan went to Jupiter. They needed to talk.
Knocking on the door, she cautiously looked inside. Jupiter was not alone, Squall was sitting opposite him, and they both looked as serious as possible.
"Oh, Miss Crow, you've come at the perfect time" - Squall turned to her. Morrigan couldn't tell if he was looking mocking or serious… or both.
Morrigan closed the door behind her and sat down on the second chair.
"I see you already know everything" - Morrigan clasped her hands in her lap. She felt herself a little awkward.
"Yes, I know now" - Jupiter squinted at Squall. - "The question is, why didn't I learn this from you?"
"Well..." - Morrigan bit her lip. - "It just happened. I'll say in my defense, I didn't say anything to anyone at all. Only this morning I had to do it, otherwise the guys would have eaten me alive. Believe me, they can".
"Okay, we'll talk tonight" - Jupiter said seriously.
"But..."
"I said we'll talk tonight" - Morrigan had never seen him so serious, so she decided that now was not the time to argue.
She gave Squall a withering look.
"About Miss Crow's studies" - Squall decided to speak, not paying any attention to the girl's dissatisfaction. - "She's making great progress. I am pleasantly surprised by her results. Especially in Veil and Masquerade. Not to mention the fact that she works hard and doesn't complain. At least in plain sight. I hope she will continue in the same spirit" - Squall spoke, surprisingly, sincerely. This did not escape the eyes of Morrigan and Jupiter.
"Well, she'll try" - Morrigan muttered.
Jupiter's lips twitched. He allowed himself to relax a little. Morrigan had mixed feelings about Squall, but at the moment she mentally thanked him for clearing the air. Now she hoped that the conversation with Jupiter would go much better.
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Morrigan went up to her room after a hearty dinner and lay down on the bed, enjoying the silence.
This blissful moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. Morrigan raised her head slightly and saw a shock of red hair peering into the room.
Jupiter came in hesitantly and walked over to the bed.
Morrigan got up, swung her legs off the bed and patted her hand next to her, inviting him to sit next to.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away. I didn't know if I could trust him. In addition, too much information was received that I needed to digest properly. I really wanted to tell you everything, just a little later. In general, I'm sorry again" - Morrigan rattled almost in one breath.
"Stop, stop, stop" - Jupiter laughed. - "I didn't understand half of what you said, but I think I got the gist right" - he became serious. - "Yes, I'm upset, but I'm not mad at you. I just want you to be honest with me. At least when it comes to such important things. Whether Squall is lying or not, let's figure it out together. Besides, he's telling the truth this time. I can tell you that with complete confidence. Maybe he really wants to help us".
"Time will tell" - Morrigan shrugged. - "But I'm already starting to trust him more than before".
"Well, I guess so too" - Jupiter smiled slightly. - "So, do we have a deal?"
"Deal" - Morrigan impulsively hugged Jupiter, who almost fell out of bed from surprise. But, catching his balance, he hugged her back.
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"Chancellor Crow, a letter has arrived for you" - Right showed the letter in his hand and put it on the table in front of the Chancellor, and then left the office.
Corvus Crow looked up from his papers and looked at the envelope. It had the President's seal on it, which immediately caught his attention. He put aside all the documents and began to open the envelope with a stationery knife.
After running through the letter with his eyes, he put it aside and left the office, while giving the order to Left to find him a carriage. The path was not close, but no one in their right mind would ignore the President's invitation. Besides, it was a chance for Corvus to show himself. Certainly, she wrote to him for a reason.
When Corvus arrived at Chancery of Ylvastad, he was shown into a rather cozy meeting room. There were already two people sitting there. He recognized the President immediately, because he had seen her at many official receptions, and besides, her photos hung in almost every building. But he had never met the second woman before, and unlike the President, she sat stiffly, and there was anxiety in her eyes.
"Madam President" - Corvus bowed slightly. - "You wanted to see me?"
"Chancellor Crow, glad you've come" - she tilted her head in greeting. - "Sit down. The conversation is going to be long" - she pointed to the chair opposite her, an official smile froze on her lips, not a gram of sincerity.
"Let me introduce. Elodie Bauer, my personal assistant. There is no more obedient worker in the whole world" - the President put much more meaning into the last words than it might seem at first glance.
"Glad to meet you, Chancellor Crow. I've heard a lot about you" - her voice was melodious and pleasant to the ear.
"To be honest, I've never heard of you before. Do you prefer not to advertise your work with the President?"
"I can't stand prying eyes" - Elodie said, her lips drawn into a thin line. Which meant that she was either lying or hiding something, but Corvus didn't care. After all, he didn't care who the woman was.
"Perfect, isn't it?" - the President smiled. - "Well, let's get down to business. You didn't come here to have small talk. So, I need a second assistant. I have an awful lot of things to do lately, more than usual, and I'm afraid it's hard for Miss Bauer to manage on her own. She won't admit it herself, her pride won't allow it, but I can see everything without it".
Corvus was puzzled that the President decided to discuss this issue in the presence of Miss Bauer herself, who was clearly uncomfortable in their company, but she tried not to show it and just looked at the interior of the room with an indifferent look. Corvus could only assume that either the President didn't have any secrets from her assistant, or she just didn't want to let her out of her sight. He was still more inclined to the latter.
"If you accept my offer, of course, you and your family will have to move to Ylvastad. But believe me, it will be worth it" - the President switched to an insinuating whisper. - "Decent salary, high position, fame, respect. You're so hungry for it. I am sure you and your family will quickly get used to the new environment and surroundings".
It really sounded tempting.
"Excuse me, Madam President, but why did you decide to offer this position to me? You have a lot of employees from the inner circle. For example, politicians and deputies from the party, whom you have known for much longer and with whom you work hand in hand every day" - although Corvus was eager to get this post, he was suspicious of this proposal.
"Good question, Chancellor Crow. Let's just say that you were personally recommended to me by the very politicians and deputies that you just talked about yourself. They said that over so many years of service, you have established yourself as an excellent political figure, even despite some difficulties that have arisen because of your eldest child. Morrigan Crow, am I right?" - she was watching his reaction closely.
Miss Bauer's gaze also shifted to him. For the first time since the beginning of the meeting, there was at least some emotion in her eyes other than anxiety. And it was curiosity.
Corvus Crow tensed. He hadn't heard that name spoken in his presence in three years.
"Yes, she was on the register of cursed children and died three years ago".
The President's eyes flashed with mocking fire, making Corvus flinch.
"Are you sure of your words, Chancellor Crow?" - she drawled.
Elodie Bauer closed her eyes and shook her head, turning slightly pale.
"What do you mean? I saw with my own eyes how she died. There was a funeral. You must have heard about it!" - he said sharply.
"What if I tell you that your daughter is alive and perfectly well?"