The Mechanical Era

Lisa was sitting at a table all alone in the library, surrounded and sealed from any outsiders by the tall thick wooden bookshelves that surround her. Not that there were that many of them there anyways. The children of the northern kings soon found out that, in the treaty that Rose and the Northern Kings signed, they were denied meeting up with their children, meaning they were not allowed to go back home until they can be fully integrated into the Aceaton Empire.

As a result, a lot of the students in the academy were nowhere to be seen, with most of them residing on the grounds, playing and chatting. On Lisa's hands, was a clean black book, the same one given to her by Professor Campbell. Her eyes were fixated on the text, which detailed every wrongful action the angelisist church had ever done throughout its long and complicated history. The further she read, the more her hatred grew.

"Good morning, Princess Lisa. Are you enjoying the book so far?". Her attention immediately changed away from the book to the man standing in front of her. The tall man, with curly hair, and dark brown eyes on his diamond-shaped face. Lisa, immediately recognizing his face, stood up and smiled.

"Good morning Professor Campbell! Yes, I am enjoying the book so far. I am very thankful that you gave it to me." Campbell smiled.

"That is wonderful Lisa. Say, tell me. What have you learned so far?" he asked. Lisa started by reiterating what she had read in the book, in vivid detail that even surprised Campbell. Yet, he felt a little proud, seeing that she was absorbing the material so quickly.

"... and that is about it, sir."

"Wow. Well done, Lisa. You are getting the hang of it!"

"Thank you, professor Campbell." He smiled, seeing that she appeared to be happy.

"Say, Princess Lisa. May I ask you a question?"

"Of course! What is it, Professor Campbell?"

"You see, I have noticed that you and Sofia haven't been getting along, and I am afraid that this would cause a rift between you two. Would you mind telling me what is happening?"

"Oh... that... Well, Professor. It is just that... there is this somebody that I didn't like that she is meeting up with."

"Really? Who is this mysterious person? Is the person a bad influence?"

"I... don't want to him his name, but..." Campbell picked up the term 'him'. He immediately identified this person as a boy.

"So it is a boy? Is there anything wrong with him?" Campbell interrupted. Lisa, after hearing the professor speak, felt a little stupid for using that term.

"Well... he is fine. I have managed to work with him on a project and found out that he is a really sweet person..."

"Is it Prince Friedrich? The boy I assigned you to be a partner with?"

"Yes. Him. It is just that... I might have had a skewed perception of him beforehand. It led to some arguments between us. I want to apologize to her but... I feel a bit awkward doing so," Lisa explained.

Campbell, who had listened carefully, pulled in a wooden chair and sits down. Using his hand, he prompts Lisa to sit down with him.

"You know, Princess Lisa. You and I are both alike. We both take academics seriously. Both read many books on similar subjects. We both have to face people that are far less... academic than us. Don't you agree?" Lisa nodded.

"Well, one day. A long time ago. I had a sibling. Like yours. Now, we weren't twins. I was about 2 years older. We had a pretty good relationship between us, until one day, there was a... conflict, that bridged us apart.

Now, ever since then, I realized that I was in the wrong. However, I took a long... long time to build some courage to speak to him about it. However, by that point, even if I managed to apologize, it would have been too late..."

"What happened, sir?" Lisa questions, a little intrigued.

"Oh, you don't want to hear about it. What you need to know is that I acted too late to apologize to my sibling, and I wouldn't bear on standby, watching it happen to my favorite student." Campbell took a deep breath.

"Now, Princess Lisa, I want you to listen very closely. I want you, to go back to your sister, wherever she is, and go apologize to her. Maybe even start a conversation, and repair that special bond you two share together. Trust me. It will be worth it." Campbell said.

"And what if it goes wrong?"

"Then at least you knew that you tried. Won't that be better?"

Upon hearing the wisdom that the professor provided, Lisa nodded and closed the book. She stood up, placed the book inside the satchel bag, and turned to the professor once again.

"Alright. Thank you, professor. I will head to her see right now." Lisa bowed to the professor and leaves the library.

...

Sofia was all alone in her garden, tending to her flowers. Ever since Friedrich left once the war had ended, she had been rather alone, with nobody to talk to. Of course, if her other friends were present, she would be sticking up a few conversations right now. However, even the ones who remained, unfortunately, had some tasks assigned to them.

As she tends to the flowers, she eyes the patch of white tulips, with the singular black tulip. She stares at the flowers before she continues to move on.

She soon finishes tending to her flowers and goes on to grab hedge sheers. Sofia had spotted new abnormalities in her sleek hedge statues. She starts cutting and cleaning it up. As she was cutting the hedge, her ears picks up the sound the creek made by the gate.

She immediately dropped what she was doing, and headed straight towards the gate to find out who it was. Her mind came up with several people, all of which were her friends. Along the way, she brushed off any dirt on her gardening clothes.

As she turns around, Sofia sees Lisa wearing her black gown, closing the gate. Her enthusiasm wears off and starts to feel a little awkward. Lisa turns around and sees Sofia standing in front of her. The two stare at each other in silence, waiting for the other to start speaking.

"Hi, Lisa. What brings my dearest sister here?" Sofia spoke first. She was always the one good at initiating talk. Lisa's head turned down a little.

"Hi... Sofia. I... uh... came here to talk. Would you mind?"

"Oh of course! Just follow me." Sofia brought Lisa towards a clean wooden bench, painted white. The two sit down and face each other.

"So. What is the topic which we will discuss?"

"I... uh... I came here to apologize," Lisa said. It caught Sofia off guard by a little.

"Oh! About what?"

"Well, you see. I have been wrong about... you know..."

"Friedrich?"

"Yes... him. I would like to apologize to you for... trying to stop you from talking to people that you like. I have recognized my selfishness might have caused you stress and harm." Lisa replied. She then turned her head up.

"Will you forgive me?" Sofia, after thinking it through, made a little smile.

"All is forgiven. Want a hug to go along with it?" Sofia asked while extending her arms. Lisa accepts and hugs her sister back.

...

From the distance, hidden in the watchtower, Campbell looks onward from his spyglass and sees the two sisters hug each other. A smile on his face as he places it down. She walks down the tower to the academy, and the library once again. He gets a sheet of paper, a bottle of ink, and a quill, and walks over to the table. After placing the sheet of paper on the table, he writes down 'It is done.' in black before handing it to a messenger and delivering it to the queen.