Tori Transmigrated
Chapter 217: You Have a Lot of Pent Up Aggression

“Then each room can have the temperature changed in accordance with the guest?” the Emperor’s sharp eyes looked at Tori from across the table.

The central courtyard of the Lunar Pavilion almost appeared as a different space the morning after Piers’ new year ball. The banners and most of the other decorations had been taken down. The numerous tables, chairs, tablecloths, and centerpieces were gone.

The morning light was rather gentle coming in, and due to the high walls all around, the center courtyard would not be directly illuminated until about midday; the rest of the time there was usually a nice shadow that kept the courtyard shaded. The pale walls allowed for light to be reflected in and if it was too dark, there were light crystals.

In the morning, the climate-controlled courtyard was allowed to go back to its natural temperature, but carnelian heat lamps similar to the outdoor patio heat lamps at restaurants in Tori’s original world had been placed around to keep specific areas warm, such as the small cluster of square tables around the center fountain.

Breakfast was being served to the imperial family, who had stayed the night in the few furnished flats at the pavilion. Tori and her friends stayed in the lower level inn rooms, in two of the completed guest rooms that she planned to tour business associates through.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Tori replied as Piers sat to her right. The Empress was seated on her left and across from her was the Emperor, who was eating a breakfast burrito he ordered with a fork and knife.

“And the device that changes it will be installed in each room?” the Emperor asked. Tori nodded. “Is it a large device?”

“No, but the system to heat and cool the room is built into the it,” Tori told him. “Rather than the mounted devices we can install on to existing carriages and structures, this system is built into the rooms during reconstruction.”

The silver-haired man nodded. “I was told by young Mr. Skuldsen that examples of the three Lunar Inn guest room styles are available for viewing. I would like to take a look.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Ilyana and Henrik have prepared a walking tour of the completed portions of the Lunar Pavilion. They will also take you through the lower level mall, the cafe and the restaurant, and to the baths, which are currently under reconstruction,” Tori replied. “But we did have a model of the plans created to help guests visualize what to expect.”

The Emperor swallowed the food he was eating and narrowed her eyes. “You had the baths restored?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Even in my grandmother’s time, the baths were nearly condemned, and she would not allow us to use them,” he said with a slight frown. “When will they be ready?

“We are hoping that they will be ready for guests by mid-next year. The baths are an ancient relic of this pavilion and our team is being very careful to ensure they are in working order and have not lost the ambience of the past.”

The Emperor looked at his wife, who gave him an approving nod as she ate the same garlic fried rice with egg that Tori had decided on that morning. “A year isn’t a long wait at all considering how much work must need to be done.”

“When it is completed, I will of course invite you both before we open to the public,” Tori said. The Empress smiled and reached over to pat Tori’s hand affectionately.

“There is no rush. It is better to get it done right the first time than rush and have to make repairs later,” she said.

“Tori is very busy. The Lunar Pavilion will be renovated at its own pace,” Piers said. His parents gave him irritated looks.

“No one is rushing Tori.” The Empress gave him an indignant look. “And I know she’s busy. She still has her final project at Lycée, her businesses, and the delta.”

“There is also the project she is working on with her crystal master and the Anlar Navy,” the Emperor said. From the sound of it, he put more importance on that than the others, but Tori didn’t question him.

“What project for the Anlar Navy?” A young man’s voice asked behind her and Tori remembered that Gideon had spent the night, as well.

Piers didn’t look up from a folio he was reading. “It does not concern you.”

Gideon frowned. “Why not? I’ll be joining the navy in the fall.”

Piers’ eyes rose a bit and narrowed. Gideon lowered his head at once.

“The Countess is assisting her cousin, Marquess O’Tuagh in some research with crystals that could be of use to the navy,” the Emperor told his son. “It isn’t something to concern yourself with as it is mainly engineering in nature. It will be some time before there are any useful results.”

Gideon furrowed his brows, but appeared satisfied with his father’s answer. He went to join Fabian, who’d come with him the night before and stayed at the pavilion, at another table.

“Piers, I’m going to Viclya next weekend. Master Ramos called this morning and told me he wants me to see something,” Tori said. “Do you want to come?”

Piers let out a small, agreeable nod. If it were Instructor Ignatius or one of the other crystal masters, he wouldn’t agree so quickly, but if it were Master Ramos, it was almost certain to do with the ship building.

“When is Axton coming back?” the Empress asked. She frowned as she looked across the table at Piers. “You told me that he was going to Osten on an errand for you after he left.”

“He went to Buchenberg to see Uncle’s daughter.”

Piers’ answer irritated the Empress further. “Then I could’ve sent a gift for my niece with him!”

“Beloved, you already sent gifts to Buchenberg for the baby and the mother,” the Emperor said in a placating voice. His wife huffed.

“I found something else to send.” The Empress returned to her meal, still somewhat annoyed.

“What will an infant do with a plush bear the size of a person?” the Emperor asked, a bit exasperated.

“The black bear is a symbol of my family!” The Empress scowled at her husband. “I had it custom ordered at the delta....”

Tori pretended she didn’t see the Emperor or Piers looking at her. The Empress had money to burn, why couldn’t her villagers take it for a product?

After breakfast, Ilyana came to give the imperial couple and Prince Emil and his wife a tour of some of the completed and in progress restorations. Prince Emil had given a lot of help in providing detail of the palace from his childhood and was pleasantly surprised by all the additional advancements the rooms had.

They had all the standard crystal technology being used in the other Lunar Inns. In addition, these rooms had small cooling boxes, or as Tori thought of them: mini fridges. She always found them valuable when she traveled in her original world as she could keep beverages and snacks chilled.

The ensuite baths for the higher tiered rooms had showers with nozzles coming from the side, adjustable water pressure that was temperature controlled, towel warming racks, and the new hair dryers Lions Gate was planning to release.

“Why did the apartments not have these?” the Empress asked.

“Your Majesty, the apartments completed so far are for rent and these features can be installed later. Those who have paid to reserve an apartment are allowed to customize their apartment with everything that is offered by request. For instance, Duke Axton, I mean, Duke Alvere’s apartment has multi nozzle shower rooms with an overhead shower head that has three different settings, warmed towel racks, a private laundry suite, and custom lighting,” Ilyana told them.

“What is the cost for staying at one of the grand suites?” Prince Emil asked.

Ilyana smiled and instead of replying, handed them a folio. “This is everything the Lunar Inn at the Lunar Pavilion plans to offer once it is completed. Estimated completion dates are noted. Tori asked to give these to you.”

The Empress happily looked through the folio. “Lady Ilyana, how far in advance can we book?”

“Once we are open, several months in advance, but until then, we have not settled on a date.”

“Will you have another soft open?” Princess Vivian, Prince Emil’s wife, asked.

“Yes, Your Highness. All Lions Gate VIP will be invited.”

Princess Vivian looked almost smug as she closed the folio and gave Ilyana and Tori, who was trailing behind the group observing their reactions, a satisfied nod. She was one of Lions Gates premier members and had access to everything. “Since we cannot always go to Viclya, this will be a nice, local retreat.”

“It’s just across the palace, Your Highness,” Tori encouraged.

“Great Aunt, I have reserved a three-bedroom apartment here,” Piers said. “Should you and Uncle wish to go on retreat and the pavilion is full, you are welcomed to stay at my apartment’s guest room.”

“It has all the luxury furnishings and crystal technology we’ve seen today,” Tori added. Piers wouldn’t let anyone sleep in his room, but he could spare a guest room and they were not lacking.

Prince Emil looked pleased as he stepped forward and put a gentle hand on Piers’ shoulder. “Thank you, Piers. Your Great-Aunt and I appreciate the offer. I expect the Lunar Pavilion to be quite popular once it opens. I feared being unable to get a reservation.”

“Of course, Great Uncle.”

The Emperor let out a small cough. Tori looked over at him and saw him eyeing Piers. Piers didn’t respond and his father coughed once more, a bit louder.

“Matthieu-Philippe, do you need some water?” Prince Email asked with furrowed brows.

The Emperor frowned as his face reddened. He let out another cough. “No, Uncle. All is well. I’m just clearing my throat.” He looked at Piers again. “So, you reserved an apartment?”

“Yes.” Piers gave him a nod, but didn’t say anything else. The Emperor continued to look at him, appearing to wait.

Tori drew in her lips. Piers wasn’t paying attention to his father, and she almost felt bad for the Emperor, who obviously wanted his son to also offer his apartment to him and his wife. Tori looked at Piers. Part of her was sure he was ignoring his father on purpose.

“Your Majesty.” Tori put on a smile and stepped forward, taking the Empress’ hand in hers and gently cupping it. “I also have an owner’s apartment here.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice, but everyone could still hear her. “It is still in the design stages, but I plan to put as much crystal technology for comfort and convenience in it as possible, including a miniature thermal bath that won’t be available in other apartments. When it’s completed, you are welcomed to be a guest if no other rooms are available.”

At once, Empress Monica’s face softened and she cupped Tori’s cheeks in a warm, familiar action. “So, thoughtful. As expected of Toni’s girl.” She brought Tori closer and embraced her. Tori caught the sneer on the Emperor’s face as he looked at Piers. His own son might have been neglectful, but the pavilion’s real owner wasn’t. The Empress stroked the back of Tori’s head. “When your mother visits, we’ll stay here and play!”

The Emperor’s face fell at once. Tori averted her eyes and pretended she didn’t see the betrayal on the Emperor’s face. His wife would rather bring her best friend than him? A slight snort was heard, and Tori saw Piers turn his head to the side. She caught the slight upturn on the corner of his lips.

Tori let out a small sigh. She was sure that the next day, Piers would be saddled with even more work.

“He needs to stop bothering you all the time.” Ilyana’s annoyed voice reached Tori’s ears. Tori sighed to herself. That was what Ilyana always said whenever Dimitri approached. And whenever she was with Ilyana, Dimitri approached with caution.

At the moment, he was several paces away, having come to a stop and stood in place with a look that silently called to Tori. His face had lit up when he saw her, and from the folders he had in his hand, he had some questions on his project. However, Ilyana was at her side as they walked back to their dorm room, and Dimitri kept his distance.

“There is no need for him to stand so far away when he sees you. You’re not going to attack him on sight.” Tori gave a small shake of her head and heard Ilyana huff.

“He is right to be scared.”

“Ilyana has a lot of anger in her,” Albert said from Ilyana’s other side, as if it were an explanation.

“I don’t have a lot of anger!” Ilyana glared. “I just don’t like him! You know why!”

“Okay, anger isn’t the right word. It’s more like aggression. You have a lot of pent up aggression, and you don’t like him.” Albert seemed quite confident in his assessment.

Ilyana continued to glare at him, but pursed her lips. “All right, I’ll give you that.”

“I don’t mind helping him with his project. I think he’s learning, which is good for his development,” Tori told them. “He still has a lot of potential to be a useful person to help the people of the empire.”

“Such practical thinking,” Albert said with a nod.

Ilyana huffed once more. “I’m going back to the room to pack my things for this weekend.”

“I don’t know how long it’ll take to review his work. Go to pick up our snacks from Cafe Fortuna without me,” Tori said. The two nodded and Tori walked in another direction to get to Dimitri. “Mr. Guthry.”

“Good afternoon, Miss Guevera.” He greeted her with a warm smile and gave Albert a nod as Albert and Ilyana headed away. Ilyana ignored him and he averted his eyes, knowing Ilyana still held a grudge.

“Are those the latest reports for your project?” she asked. He nodded, enthusiastic as he held them out to her.

“Do you have a moment to review them?”

“I have a few minutes-”

“My lady!” Another voice shouted behind her and she turned around to see Alessa trotting towards her with a bright smile. “Do you have a moment to look over the final draft of my annual operating plan before you leave tonight?”

Dimitri’s hopeful expression fell, and his expression tightened. He held a neutral look as Alessa reached them. Tori tried not to pay attention to the annoyance coming from him as she turned around and gave Alessa a small nod.

“I still need to go over Mr. Guthry’s, as I hadn’t had a chance to review them since before winter break,” Tori said. “I can bring your annual operating plan to the delta and make notes, if you can wait until we start classes next week.”

Alessa nodded. “That’s fine, as well! I’m almost done and just want to make sure it meets your suggestions. There is time to spare.”

“Great, then we’ll do that.” Tori gave her a smile and extended her hand to take the folio Alessa eagerly handed her.

Alessa looked at Dimitri and gave him a hesitant smile. “Dimitri, how have you been?”

“Faring well enough,” he replied. He returned her smile, but Tori recognized it as the same type of ‘business’ smile she used when dealing with people she didn’t want to bother with. “You’re almost done with your project?”

Tori glanced at his hands and noticed his grip tightening around the edge of his papers.

Alessa’s face bloomed, and she nodded, excited. “Yes! I’m almost done! It took some time to reorganize, but Countess Guevera gave me a lot of guidance. It’s not exactly what I planned, but the children are getting the education they deserve.”

“That’s wonderful.” Dimitri’s voice didn’t fluctuate despite the heavy tension around him. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Tori was sure he wasn’t. After all, they both had a heavy hand in the orphanage ceiling collapse. Yet, Dimitri was doled out a heavier punishment and had to re-start his third year, putting him behind, as well as also having to reassess his failing project. Alessa was a few months from graduating Lycée and she was almost done with the very project that caused the collapse.

How could Dimitri not carry some bitterness?

Tori slipped between them and smiled as she held Alessa’s papers against her. “I’ll make sure to take notes, but if you’ve followed what we discussed before, I don’t think there will be much to do. I’ll be sure to have this ready at the start of class next week.”

Alessa met her eyes and nodded. “Thank you, Countess!” She bowed her head and Tori gave her a nod before turning around.

“Let’s go over your project. I have some time before the carriage arrives.” Tori motioned her hand to one of the study rooms nearby and Dimitri nodded. He gave Alessa a curt nod with a neutral smile. As soon as he turned around, the smile disappeared. Tori didn’t say a word and led him to the study room. She ushered him in and closed the door before taking a seat across the large table and could sit six students. Across from her, Dimitri sat down with a clenched jaw and placed the papers in front of him. “Don’t dwell on a situation you can’t change and focus on what you can.”

She reached forward and dragged the papers towards her. Dimitri shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “It is difficult not to feel left behind.”

“You got time,” Tori said as she began to speed read through the first page. The corner was pinched between her fingers and she flipped to the next page easily. “Time is invaluable.”

He lowered his eyes, but said nothing else as he waited for her to look over his report. “What is the annual operating plan she talked about?”

“It’s a three year plan to be followed after her project is completed on her end,” Tori said. “We discussed planning for this, as well, but I didn’t call it that.” She raised her eyes as she neared the last few pages. “Yours also works with the guilds and the delta.”

Dimitri’s shoulders relaxed. “I will try to ensure that there are no negative effects to your delta or the guilds.”

“You should ensure that there are no negative effects at all,” Tori replied. She read the final page and nodded. “Good work. Keep up the monitoring of the students’ progress and the reports from the instructors. Around the Spring Festival, start to discuss with the instructors about giving the students some experience at the delta over the summer. Not large or detailed jobs, but mundane, repetitive ones that they should master before they advance. They will be able to arrange it by skill level.”

Dimitri nodded and took the papers back. “Yes, my lady. I’ll do that.” Tori gave him an affirmative nod and pushed her chair back, about to stand. “By the way, my lady, I heard about His Imperial Highness’ promotion to Crown Prince. My parents attended the ball.”

Tori nodded. She knew that. She’d chatted with Madam Guthry for a bit during the event. Both she and Mr. Guthry congratulated Piers, but seemed to look at her with some disappointment and Tori couldn’t figure out why.

“Is everything all right with them? Do you know how they feel about Piers’ promotion?” she asked.

“My father is a firm supporter of His Imperial Highness. He speaks highly of his abilities and has been impressed for some time,” Dimitri replied.

Tori tried to hold back her confusion. If Dimitri’s parents were satisfied with Piers, what was with the disappointment on their faces? “That’s good to hear.”

“So, congratulations, as well.” Dimitri smiled at her, but it didn’t seem to reach his eyes. Tori cocked her head to the side.

“Oh...thank you, but I didn’t prepare the ball by myself. Ilyana and Henrik-”

“No, about your engagement.” Dimitri continued to smile and she saw that same subtle glint of disappointment in his eyes that his parents had at the ball. “I heard that His Imperial Highness plans to make you Crown Princess.”

“I never said that.” Piers paled and denied the statement at once. “Tori, I didn’t say that.” There was strain in his voice as he looked at her with a pleading expression, as if desperate for her to believe him.

Tori looked up from where she was eating breakfast in her tent. She had a long day ahead of her at the ship research island and had left a message with the knights to tell Piers to meet her in her tent after his breakfast so they could go to the island that morning.

She was still finishing her croissant and Alexander was still furiously munching away at his cat food when Piers arrived. As soon as he did, she asked if he knew that a rumor had spread that he was going to make her his crown princess.

The color on his face drained.

“Yeah, I know,” she said, relaxed. “You wouldn’t dare say it.” Especially not without her knowledge. She reached forward to drink some juice. “I’m just saying that there is a rumor.”

Piers swallowed hard and lowered his eyes. “Are you going to deny it?”

“Of course, I’m going to deny it. We’re not engaged.” Tori rolled her eyes. “But, I’m well aware that since we’re always together, the rumors won’t die down. I’m sure everyone will simply assume that while it isn’t official, it’s only a matter of time.”

Piers nodded his head. “Are you upset?”

She shook her head and shrugged. She stared ahead of herself with resignation. “Honestly, at this point, I’ve kind of disengaged myself from the situation. People will think about what they want and we can’t do much to stop them, so why bother? We have more important things to deal with. Besides, this does keep any potential suitors at bay.” She paused and took another sip of her juice and narrowed her eyes. “At least potential suitors for me....”

“I don’t like anyone else.”

“I know that, Piers.” She gave him a dull look and motioned for him to take a seat while she finished her breakfast. Alexander rubbed his head against Piers’ leg. He had been in SIG One when it came to pick them up at Lycée the night before, but Piers was coming separately.

As expected, his father had given him more responsibilities as Crown Prince and for not offering his Lunar Pavilion apartment.

After breakfast was finished, Tori led the two on to an awaiting boat to the research island. As they approached, Tori saw a small boat already on the water. It was a small fishing boat that she knew they were using for tests and it could seat at least twenty people. It wasn’t very large by her standards, but it was large enough for fishermen.

A group of people were waiting for her at the newly built transport dock, with Master Ramos standing at the head of the group. Her boat approached and as it was docked, one of the knights with them helped her out.

“Good morning!” Tori greeted the group with a bright smile. “How is everyone?”

“Good morning, my lady. Good morning, Your Imperial Highness.” Several people dutifully bowed their heads, more so to Piers than to Tori. Except Master Ramos, who had taken her arm in his and was leading her into the island.

“I didn’t think these boat fanatics would figure it out so quickly,” the old man whispered to her, as if conspiring. “But it took only a few days for them to get a working model of the propeller and they managed to use carnelian to boil water and create steam, as you suggested. They’d been working in shifts every day, but the progress has been quick. Shockingly quick. I’m almost afraid something will explode with their impatience.”

Tori held back a laugh. Master Ramos didn’t have any room to criticize considering how they on Anahata Island were constantly doing mad scientist-like experiments with crystals and as a result, were both producing and improving various crystal technology at an alarming rate.

“When I was here last week, I was told that there was progress, but the fine details were still being worked out,” Tori said.

“My lady, we’ve progressed to an experimental vessel!” The head engineer was almost bursting with excitement and Tori nodded.

“Then, lead the way.”

While she was excited, Tori still had no idea about the mechanics of ship building, so she could only nod her head as they brought her to the work room and showed her the various diagrams.

First, there were the theoretical blueprints, the scaled down models of propellers, a crystal-based steam engine, and then a boat. Master Ramos didn’t have much interest in the mechanics, either, so he let the ‘boat fanatics’ do the talking.

Tori was able to grasp the basics of the process, and the trials and problems that the research crew and the builders had to go through in order to get to an actual working model.

“My lady, this is our first successful model.” She was led to a large pool and inside was the same wooden model boat that Tori had seen when she first came to the island. The masts and sails had been removed and the hull had been modified to have two propellers; the kind that she was familiar with back in her world.

She watched as one of the engineers placed a carnelian in a metal slot beneath a small wooden door on the deck. The crystal was small, about the size of her index finger, but it didn’t take long to heat up the metal tank. Tori watched with interest as the propellers began to move and the ship was moved forward.

Her eyes widened and she smiled, satisfied. “It didn’t take long to start up.”

“The tank on the model is rather small, so the water doesn’t take long to boil and for steam to be created,” someone told her. They watched the ship pick up speed and cross the pool in a steady line.

No one stopped it and it ran into the other side with a thud. Luckily, some small tree branches wrapped with cloth had been placed around the sides of the pool to act as a buffer for collisions.

“As the crystal is unable to ground, we cannot control the speed at which it heats the water, nor can we stop it once it starts,” Master Ramos said. “However, the speed of the propeller can be controlled by controlling the amount of steam produced and allowed to power the engine.”

“We are unable to do that on the model boat, but this can be manually controlled when we are on the test vessel,” the head engineer told her.

“Is the test vessel ready for viewing?” Piers asked. He’d been standing beside Tori, watching in silence, and paying attention to everything they told him. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ Nʘvᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

The entire group seemed elated that Piers had inquired.

“Yes, Your Imperial Highness! In fact, we’ve prepared the test vessel today to take you around the islands.”

Tori raised a brow. “It’s ready for passengers?”

“Yes, my lady, we’ve been testing it this past week.”

Piers kept a serious look on his face. “Take us to the vessel.”

Their small procession was led back to the dry dock, where the dock extended out into the water, past the barn-like building built around it, jutting from the shore. At the far end was the test vessel they’d seen and four people were already waiting. Two were naval engineers and two were sailors in the Anlar Navy that were sent to accompany the research staff.

They directly reported to Marquess O’Tuagh and were respectful to Tori when they met her. After all, while a Guevera in name, she was still O’Tuagh in blood.

She, Piers, and Master Ramos boarded the ship along with the head engineering and head ship builder. Tori looked towards the small cabin near the center of the ship. It was where the captain steered and where the controls for the engine were. She and Piers were brought in to watch as the captain used a crystal and metal dial to control the carnelian.

Unlike the model, the test vessel’s carnelian wasn’t a singular solid piece. It was basically waste crystal from the nearby factories that built heating plates, stoves, ovens, and heaters. They were placed in removable metal cylinders that would heat up and boil the water in the tank below, which created steam.

To change the crystals and charge them, the cylinder that contained them was removed and switched out with another cylinder with charged crystal. The used crystal would be dumped onto a large charging plate on land. Then, once charged, returned to the cylinder for reuse.

“How long does each cylinder last?” Tori asked as the test vessel moved away from the dock. The captain and his first mate seemed to have been very experienced, as the movement was smooth and there was no hesitation on their part. They also seemed to have adjusted to the controls and valves.

“As of right now, my lady, there are three cylinders in the tank, which can be heated independently. To get the water to a boil quickly, all three are activated at once, then once the water is boiling and the flow of steam steady, two are deactivated.”

“Then, we’re running on one cylinder for the most part?” Tori asked.

“Yes, my lady. We are still evaluating the duration of a single cylinder under these circumstances,” the head engineer said with a wide, almost gleeful smile. “You see, we have been using the cylinders for a week and a half and the one we are monitoring still has energy.”

“The amount of energy used for carnelian to heat up is minimal,” Master Ramos told her. “From my estimation, a single cylinder the size of one below, under these circumstances, will last a month.”

“A month?” Piers spoke up and looked away from the controls with which he was fascinated. “What about the speed?”

“We have been testing it at a moderate speed. One that is comparable to most medium sized vessels, Your Imperial Highness. At its top speed, from a test two days ago, from here, we can reach the mouth of the bay in fifteen minutes.” The captain couldn’t contain the look of pride on his face as he told them. Tori’s eyes widened.

It took a normal merchant vessel about an hour to enter and get to Embarkation Island, which wasn’t far from the research island, at all. Fifteen minutes was incredibly fast. She bit her lip.

“Take us to the mouth of the bay,” she said in a firm voice. “In as fast, but steady a pace as possible.”

The two sailors looked excited to hear her order. “Yes, my lady!”

“Tori, put on your life vest,” Piers said, handing her one of the cork and coarse cotton vests.

“His Imperial Highness is correct,” the head engineer said with a slight laugh. “And you may want to sit down. At a high speed, the journey even in calm waters, is turbulent.”

Tori was almost shaking with excitement and she tied on her vest before taking a seat along one side of the boat. She held onto the railing. Piers sat beside her, one arm around her back and also gripping on to the railing while the other arm went over her stomach to keep her in place.

He gave the captain a nod. “Go.”

Several dials were turned, and a lever was slowly pushed. The air that was already a nice breeze around them picked up and suddenly, her hair was whipping around her face. The test vessel cut across the water, bouncing as it hit brakes and occasionally caught air with its speed. It was bumping and the wind kind of hurt her face, but Tori’s heart was racing and she couldn’t stop smiling.

“Isn’t it fun!” she shouted towards Piers over the roar of the wind and the sound of the waves.

Pier’s eyes were narrowed as her hair that had escaped her bun hit his face. “Fun.”

She laughed and leaned back against him, putting her other arm over his hand to keep him secure. Master Ramos was seated in front of her, also holding on to the railing, though he was keeping time on his watch.

At roughly a little over fifteen minutes, they reached the mouth of the bay and the test vessel slowed.

Tori was laughing and looked around. “That was amazing! To get this far so quickly!” It was exhilarating.

“We are doing estimates to prepare for a larger test vessel, my lady.”

“Have you informed my cousins?”

“Yes. Captain O’Tuagh is escorting a naval vessel here to modify and then test.”

“We have begun to apply for approval to use the main dry dock on the east shore,” Master Ramos told her. “The naval vessel is a cruiser and will require a larger space than we have available.”

Tori nodded. “I understand. This is fine. I’ll approve it when it gets to me.”

“Is this technology applicable to merchant vessels and transport ships, as well?” Piers asked.

“Of course, Your Imperial Highness! We are certain this can be applied to any size as long as we can get a suitable engine installed,” the lead builder assured him.

Piers stared out at the open ocean as they drifted in between the large space between the east and west watch towers. He squinted his eyes and Tori could see a glint of satisfaction in them.

“Good,” Piers said. “If there is anything needed to accomplish this, inform me at once.”

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