1.15 KMAS: Lady Magnus

Emily left after closing the drawing room door behind her. Tilly was now alone. A little distance away, on the balcony, sat Lady Liriel Magnus. Tilly's feet refused to move at first, but after some self-chastisement about facing her punishment with dignity, the fan club president slowly started walking towards the lady of the house.

Tilly had never seen Lady Magnus in person, except maybe from a distance. But she had always heard that Lady Liriel was very beautiful; some people even considered her to be one of the most beautiful women to have ever lived. Tilly had seen her paintings and her illustrations in paper and comic books, but she was not ready for the real deal. The closer Tilly got to Lady Magnus and the more defined her features became, the Appreciation Society President found it utterly impossible to take her eyes off of the great lady. Her delicate elven ears, her sculpted yet soft and rosy cheeks, her perfect nose, and her supple lips all conspired to make her look like a divine spark that had found its way into this imperfect world to uplift it from its plight. Lady Magnus was utterly and heartbreakingly beautiful. But it was not just her beauty one noticed; she was also refined, elegant, and dignified. She looked like a woman who had come out of the ancient tales, and she perfectly fit Tilly's mental image of what a mighty queen was supposed to be like.

As Tilly came closer, Liriel sensed that her guest had arrived. She got up and walked towards Tilly with a warm and gentle smile. Tilly stopped dead in her tracks as Lady Liriel came closer and started shaking slightly without realizing it.

"Ms. Butterfield, thank you for accepting my invitation. I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble. I am really glad that we could have this meeting."

Tilly tried to say something, anything, but her throat ran dry and no words came out of her mouth. She bowed thirty degrees for three seconds and bowed once more, giving Liriel the full horizontal bow this time. One more thirty degree bow later, she fell on her knees and started crying.

"My lady, please forgive me. I did not mean to disparage you. I am an idiot. I curse the moment I put those words into ink. I should never have had that panel or that poll. The meeting itself was a mistake. Please forgive me, Lady Magnus. I will never again do something so shameful and evil. I will reflect on myself. But...but if you wish to punish me, I will accept my punishment. I deserve it for being a horrible person. Waaaaah....Waaaah!"

Liriel was utterly dumbstruck by this display. The capable businesswoman who dealt with cunning and crafty business associates on a daily basis was left speechless for a few seconds.

She quickly grabbed Tilly's shoulders and gently pulled the young woman up. "Ms. Butterfield, what are you doing? This...this is quite embarrassing for both of us. I assure you that you are not in any trouble. Moreover, I do not have the legal authority to get you in trouble. I think there has been a massive misunderstanding here. I did not invite you here to scold you or punish you."b

"You didn't?" Tilly was now on her feet, and she looked very surprised.

"Of course not. I loved the Appreciation Society meeting, especially the play. I invited you here to present you with a publishing deal."

"Huh...what?!"

Liriel offered Tilly a handkerchief and gently guided her to the chairs on the balcony.

"Please sit down. Would you like some water?"

Tilly sniffed and nodded her head. Liriel poured a glass and offered it to the crying girl. Tilly took it with both hands and gulped it down, while Liriel gently stroked her back.

"Are you feeling alright now, Ms. Butterfield?"

"Yes, my lady. I am sorry...for getting emotional."

"It's alright, it was just a misunderstanding. I am glad that you are feeling better."

Tilly tried to give the handkerchief back to Liriel but realized what she was doing and apologized once again.

"Do you think you are well enough to continue the meeting. Ms. Butterfield? If not, I don't mind continuing our conversation at a later date."

For a brief moment Tilly's fan brain took a back seat, and the woman who ran her own small business took the reins. "No, my lady. I am ready. Let's...let's do this now."

There was a knock on the door, and Emily entered carrying a tray with two cups of tea and snacks. She placed them on the table in between the chairs and left the room after giving Liriel and Tilly a nod.

Liriel sat down. "Please, have some tea," she said. "And try the snacks as well. Our head maid Aunty Mabel makes them; they are very good."

Tilly tried the tea and a few snacks. They were indeed very good; she helped herself to some more while Liriel joined her.

"So, Ms. Butterfield, I had the opportunity to watch your play. The production was amateurish, and the acting a bit clunky, but I cannot deny that it touched me deeply, as I am sure it did many people."

Suddenly Tilly realized something. "You...you were at the meeting, my lady."

"Yes, I got curious and decided to see what Kyros' fans get up to."

"My lady, I am so sorry." Tilly stood up and bowed once again, almost knocking the cups over. "If we had known that you would be there, we would have made accommodations."

"Ms. Butterfield, please, sit down. There is no need for the bowing. And no accommodations were necessary. I had a very good time. And I am sure the fans wouldn't have enjoyed the meeting as much if they knew I was there in person." Liriel smiled and continued. "And I am sure the results of the poll would have been vastly different."

Tilly sat down and looked sheepishly at Lady Magnus. "I...I apologize for that, my lady."

"No, no, I am not complaining. To be honest, it was quite funny. And I enjoyed the rest of it as well, especially the play. So, here is my offer to you, Ms. Butterfield, Tilly. Do you mind if I call you Tilly?"

"No, my lady, please do."

"Thank you. And please, feel free to call me Liriel. So, you might be aware that I own a publishing company, Everbloom Publishing. It's been part of my portfolio for quite a while, but I have not had the time to pay proper attention to it until now. In fact one of my subordinates has been running it with very little interference from me. Lately, I have been thinking of expanding this publishing business." Liriel lifted her cup of tea and took a sip. "I will be honest with you; Everbloom Publishing is not a leader in the industry. They have a few notable titles in their catalog, but most of it is highbrow literature. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that, but if we want to increase our readership and market share, we need to publish more popular literature. That's where you come in. Your subject matter is already popular, and you have an established core audience in Kyros' fans. And I am sure since it's about Kyros, it will have much wider appeal beyond the fan base, especially considering that it's a dramatization of real historical events."

Liriel stood up and walked into the drawing room. She came back a few moments later with a thick document and placed it on the table. "This is the contract," she said. "The deal is primarily for the Vermithrex play, with options to expand it for two to three more plays or even novels if you have the time or inclination." Liriel sat down and asked Tilly, "So, what do you think?"

Tilly was feeling a bit overwhelmed. "I...my lady, this is...an amazing opportunity you have given me. But I...I am not a playwright. I only write for fun. I have never written anything professionally."

"Tilly, don't sell yourself short. I have read your newsletters..."

"You have?!"

"Yes," Liriel smiled. "I have, and you are good. You do have the talent. If you are not confident but still wish to pursue this, we can provide you with other forms of support such as writing classes, networking opportunities with other authors, and even a co-writer if you wish it."

"But...but I am just a seamstress?"

"So what? Is there a rule that says that seamstresses cannot write plays?"

"But what if people don't like it?"

"Then we will consider it a failure and move on. You don't have to worry. If you take a look at the contract, you will see that in addition to the royalties from sales, you have fixed compensation that I think is very competitive. And more importantly, what if people do like it? If you never try, you will never know the answer."

"My lady, but why me?"

"Tilly, first of all, you are not the only recipient of such an offer. As I told you before, we are expanding, and the publishing house has already provided such contracts to many other authors and will provide them for many more. These contracts range over a wide variety of genres. And it would be foolish of us to not capitalize on Kyros' fame and publish stories about him. So, who better to write them than someone who likes him and who can already write?"

Tilly had exhausted all of her excuses and hung her head in defeat. But now, a new fire burned in her eyes.

"So, what do you think, Tilly?" Lady Magnus asked.

"I...I think I would like to try, my lady."

"Wonderful," smiled Liriel.

"Where should I sign, my lady?" Tilly asked, opening the contract.

"What are you doing, Tilly?"

"I will sign it right now, my lady."

"Girl, no, no, no. You should take a look at the contract first and read through it properly, preferably with your attorney."

"But it's you."

"Doesn't matter. Never sign anything before reading it thoroughly. Do you have access to representation?"

"Yes, my friend's brother is a lawyer."

"Is he any good?"

"Yes, I have heard good things about him."

"Good, ask him to take a look at the contact, and if it suits you, to even represent you during negotiations. We will iron out the details before signing anything."

"Okay, my lady."

By then Liriel and Tilly had both finished their tea and most of the tasty snacks.

Liriel handed the contract over to Tilly. "When you are ready to discuss the contact, please send a message to the Estate. And if you want to discuss anything, please feel free to come by. If I am not present, then my Senior executive assistant, Master Ironhammer, or one of my other secretaries will be available to talk about any questions or concerns you might have.

"Yes, my lady, I will."

Both women got up and Liriel led Tilly out of the balcony and into the dressing room.

"By the way, I really like your dress. Did you make it yourself?" Lady Magnus asked.

"Umm...yes, my lady. It's my profession."

"You have quite the talent, Tilly. Would it be okay if I placed a few orders? I would like to try out your handiwork."

"My...my lady, of course. It would be my honor."

"I will send one of the girls over later with the material and measurements."

"I will get it done as soon as possible."

"No, no, there is no need to jump ahead of the line. Let's take it at a regular pace."

"Umm...as you wish."

Suddenly, Liriel stopped in the middle of the drawing room. Tilly, who was following Lady Magnus, also came to a halt. Liriel then turned around to face Tilly.

"By the way, Tilly. I forgot to introduce you to someone."

"My lady...who?!"

"Please turn around," Liriel said.

Tilly did as Lady Magnus asked.

Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of light.

Tilly closed her eyes for a brief moment.

When she opened them again, standing before her was,

KYROS MAGNUS.