Disciple of War Disciple of War (Art of the Adept #4) - Michael G. Manning Page 0,22

Selene seemed to have almost fully adapted to the second compression.

In her mind, this meant she was ready to attempt the third, but Will was still reluctant. According to the guidelines that Arrogan had given him, she was likely to succeed since she had adapted to the second compression after roughly three months, but there was still risk.

“Too bad,” she told him. “We have four or five months before we leave for the army. If I’m to be ready by then, we need to start soon.”

They were eating their evening meal on a Friday close to the end of his first month back at school. Will stiffened at her words. “We leave for the army? I don’t recall anything about you coming with me.”

She smiled broadly. “I don’t trust you alone with all those big, burly soldiers.”

“Huh?”

“They’re perverts. You’re too pretty to be left alone with them.” Selene enjoyed his confusion for a moment before adding, “That’s what you always say about your cousin, Sammy. I think the rule applies to you as well.”

Will laughed, then studied his reflection using the flat of his butter knife. “You have a point,” he admitted with a wink. Then he turned the knife on its traditional enemy, slicing off a pat of butter for his bread. The gesture underscored his response. “I won’t refuse your flattery and sweet words, but no matter how you butter me up, I’m not bringing you along.”

Selene sighed. “It’s too bad I’m a princess and you’re only a duke, then. I don’t have to do as you say.”

“And what of my authority as your husband?”

She held up one finger. “First, there was no such vow during our marriage, not that you’re a proponent of such things. Second, according to Terabinia’s laws, only a direct descendant of Lognion the First can rule, so if I were to ascend to the throne, you wouldn’t become king, you’d be the prince-consort. If my authority would exceed yours then, it should also exceed yours now.”

“Did you study law before going to Wurthaven?”

“No, but raised as a royal, my entire childhood was an education in the law and its application. Don’t try to distract me from the topic at hand.”

“There’s always the heart-stone enchantment,” he teased.

Her face darkened. “Don’t even joke about that.”

“Don’t worry. I swore I wouldn’t use it against you except for your training, and I won’t betray my word.”

“Good. Then there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” Before he could respond, she switched subjects. “I need to borrow some money.”

Will’s jaw dropped. “Do you mean from the bank?”

“No, I meant from you.”

He activated the limnthal. “I think I still have four or five hundred marks stored away, but I can’t imagine you needing such a small sum.”

Selene began laughing and waved her hands at him to stop. “It’s for Laina’s charity. They need more, and she won’t accept anything from me at present.”

He stared at her blankly.

“Ten thousand marks should be a trivial amount for you.”

His mouth fell open again.

She frowned. “Have you looked at your accounting ledgers yet?”

“I have account books?” He had a vague memory of Blake mentioning something about the Arenatas’ estate, but he hadn’t been paying close attention at the time. His focus for the past few months had been almost entirely on Selene’s training.

The smirk on her face told him what she thought of his remark. “I’ll show you after we finish. They’re on the right-hand bookcase in the study.”

A feeling of unease passed over him. “I should look now. It’s been months since your father made me a duke. There could be problems I need to address.”

“There were,” she said in a tone that was probably meant to reassure him, though the answer did the opposite. “I went over them when it became apparent that you were preoccupied.”

“What sort of problems?”

“Nothing serious. Some of the taxes weren’t being collected properly, and the accounting system was outdated and obtuse. I’ve clarified it since then.”

Will frowned. “When did you do all this?”

“Mostly before you started torturing me with the compressions. Since then, Blake has been managing the monthly necessaries.”

Will frowned. “Blake?”

“He’s a butler, Will. That’s his job. He’s been doing the heavy lifting for my accounts since I was a girl. To be honest, he taught me more about the subject than I learned from my tutors.”

“But…”

“You have a seneschal who manages things at the estate. He’s just sending the summary reports and important documents along for you to look at. Blake can handle those,