Celestine Vox

In the city of Skylien, the Vox family was dying. For generations this was a merchant family, derived from the main family, Skylien.

However, Vyldia family rose to prominence despite being one of the eleven noble families, whereas Skylien was one of the three high noble families.

Vyldia's merchants took over the major businesses. Due to poorer support from the Skylien family, Vox was on the verge of vanishing.

During such an existential crisis, a girl took birth in that family. Lord Vox looked at her and saw the waves of sky in her hair, peace in her eyes and his joys in her giggles and cries, and thus he named her, “Celestine Vox”.

Somewhere deep in his heart, he believed that his firstborn will revive the family.

*****

Celestine was growing up as her father predicted. In a year she became the heart of the household. Relatives flocked to see the beautiful child.

She had a calmness to herself. Not crying much. And when she smiled, people would have a very happy day.

Her father often took her to his studies. She would sleep in a crib set there, and he would silently work, not to wake her.

And when he felt tired or demotivated, he would see her face and start working again.

By the age of two, she could speak fluently. People hailed her as a genius.

Her crispy thin voice filled the house. She loved talking with her father. Often disturbing him at work, “Father, what is this?”, “I want to sit on your shoulder!”, “Go out!”.

She would pull on his finger with her hand and take him around many places.

By six, she aided her father in his calculations. Lord Vox was outsmarted by her mathematical talent. She cut the household's costs tremendously.

She tried dipping her head in their drowning family business, but that was beyond just calculations.

She was stubborn, so she racked her brains for hours but still couldn't bring in progress. Her father already knew that Vox was doomed. It was not a new occurrence. Every year some small noble families were destroyed.

Lord Vox still had one wish—his children growing up as nobles with all its privileges and luxuries. Especially for Celestine he wished so. Till she is married off to a good family.

A good family would see their wealth and status, and also the girl they would take as bride. He was keeping the businesses alive using his saved money and by selling off assets.

He also taught his beloved daughter everything he knew. He procured some books for her and she studied them all happily. He himself taught her Vox Blade Arts, a martial arts of the Vox family, for her self-defense.

During training she had to wear pants. However, ever since then she took a fancy in wearing pants on more occasions. Her way of talking became firmer, closer to him. Her posture straightened like a man's. Lord Vox realised her daughter was imitating him as a role model. Or maybe she wanted to take off his burden by leading the family.

He thought with time her boyish days would end. But he was severely wrong. The girl grew to be breathtakingly beautiful, with sky-blue hairs and deep blue eyes. She looked more mature than her age, but her boyish attitude remained.

To let her be married in a good family, she needed to be feminine at least. Lord Vox had one more worry then, alongside the dying Vox nobility.

He pulled a few strings and sent her daughter, several months before turning fourteen, to the house of Skylien.

It was an old tradition of Vyldymya to send a young girl of a household to a higher nobility's house so that the girl can take in manners and attitude of the higher noble ladies of that house.

Celestine was against this arrangement.

“My dear daughter, please keep this one request of your old father. Please go to that house.”, he pleaded to her.

“But father, I want to stay here and help you!”

Lord Vox would rather sell everything he had than see his daughter frown so much and be worried so much, but that was also why he needed her to be married in a good house.

He clasped her hands on his.

“Dearest daughter, Celestine. I beg you, please go. I want you to learn proper manners of high nobility. Can I not wish to see my most beloved child adorned in the highest of manners?”

“Is it because I wear men's clothes father? Then I will not wear them! So please don't make me leave.”, she cried.

“Ok dear daughter. If that is what you wish.”, he smiled, with teary eyes.

Celestine didn't like that look of her father. She didn't want him to lose to her. The next day she met him again.

“I will go, father.”, she was already in her old clothes.

“What? Where are you… So you will go?”

“Yes. But I'll return soon! And when I do, I will help your business!”

He hugged her tight.

“Yes, dear daughter. I will be waiting for you.”

Lord Vox had other intentions too. He had to properly put an end to many of their ventures and educate his sons about what awaited them in the future, and he couldn’t do any of that if Celestine stayed near. And above all, he now had to start groom hunting.

*****

Celestine started living in the Skylien castle. Lady Lisa Skylien herself helped Celestine in how to clothe and behave. The family warmly welcomed her. She was the only such guest in the house.

She had an ambition in the house, I will establish a good relation with someone high ranking in this house so that they may later help our family businesses.

Her attitude was still uptight. She had seen only one other girl of her age from the nobles in the house, and that was a black-haired girl. Celestine could never manage to initiate a conversation with her.

Sometime later an opportunity came to her. She saw Lord Celkebar talking rather angrily with Mr. Torrens. She neared them.

Seeing her, Celekbar asked, “What is it Vox?”

“Greetings, my lord. I was just walking by and then saw you. May I help you in any way?”, She looked at the parchment on Torrens’s hand.

“Torrens was showing me the growing expenses of the house. You can not possibly help me with that.”, he said, rather irritated.

She felt embarrassed herself to barge in other people's businesses, but she also needed powerful people's backing so she couldn't hesitate.

“I have handled such management efficiently before, my lord.”, she said excitedly. Her eyes glowed beneath the nervousness.

“Show her Torrens.”

She took a look at it.

“My lord, I can cut off 15 silver coins and 40 bronze coins.”

“Oh? And how will you do that?”

Celestine cut off the number of servants, and suggested ways with which the remaining workers can divide their works. She cut off quantities of goods too, and suggested reusing the same things for multi-purpose.

She introduced the idea of efficiency and small compromises which saved a lot of expense. Torrens was hooked.

“Will this plan work, Torrens?”

“The way Lady Vox has planned may work, my lord. I need to try to say for certain.”

“So it may work.”, he said excitedly loudly.

Celestine also had a nervous smile.

“So you can prove your claims, Vox. I am impressed.”

“My lord, may I please request something?”

“Yes.”, he looked intrigued.

“I wish to oversee the household finances to cut the costs even more.”

“Torrens, will that be a problem?”

“No, my lord.”

“But what do you gain from doing this, Vox?”

“Experience, my lord. This experience will help me in my father's businesses someday, I believe. And… if I show promise in myself, then you may someday show interest in our Vox's businesses when I am involved.”

He laughed lightly.

“You are certainly one clever girl. Your father unnecessarily showed concern about you. Take on the work of this household and if you impress me, then I promise to reward you accordingly, little girl.”

“Your praises are enough for me, my lord.”

She was extremely happy. Her goals were coming together.

But she halted very soon. The root of Skylien household's problems was its poor funds. And no matter how efficient she gets, funds are needed, which are becoming less every month. Torrens let her know nothing could be done.

Funds came from Skylien's businesses and taxes. But it had multiple challenges. The rising merchant houses of Vyldia and the unpredictable onslaught by Red Sky Horses. Both of these had no solutions. Notorious people were taking shelter here due to Skylien growing weaker.

Living here she realised Vox wasn't the only family drowning, Skylien was too.

She still had to keep doing her job. So she started going into the servant's rooms to inspect if they were stealing things or if the costs could be cut off even more. In this raid, in the last room she went, she met a rather unusual slave. He had the trademark hair variation of Skylien like herself. His white hair was a shade of grey, hers were a shade of blue.

The boy looked sleepy. He was very pale too. She did her search.

And then she met the beast she only heard or read about—Red Sky Horse. The beast was looking straight at her.

In that moment when her body refused to move, she saw the two boys near the window, showing their back to the beast. She wanted to save that slave. It was an instinct. She jumped on him.

Her lips crushed on his so hard, her teeth cut his lip. She was lying on his body and trembling from fear.

When she feared for her life, the face that stayed by her side was his, and she couldn't forget it.

But a bigger problem was the indecent way she saved him. She wished that both of them could just forget about it. But her desire came short, she met him just a few days later in the garden, and her face burned redder than a setting sun.