The princess was left alone to her thoughts as she glided over to her desk, books strewn across its surface and some even in piles on the floor around it, and began to sort through them to try and jog her memory. She couldn't help but splutter as she repeated Rivalen's words to herself under her breath, "[i]Spoiled brat?![/i] Lord, that one is definitely a strange one. Or...is that really what the common people perceive us as?"
She lingered on the thought. Nobody before Rivalen had had the guts to own up to such a thought to her personally before, even if it had crossed their minds. They were all meek, the personal attendants she had before. Even the individuals stationed as guards and people of service throughout the castle wouldn't so much as dare to say such a thing to any of the royals. It might very well mean they would lose the tongue with which they said it.

Pushing one particularly worn book aside, Roxanne happened upon one of the books that looked as if she had written in them herself recently, and turned the cover over to look inside. Sentences of elegant, curving script in rigorously practised straight lines adorned the thin pages within, and she gazed upon them, with the thought suddenly clicking in her mind.
Her next class happened to be something she absolutely [i]loathed.[/i]

And as if the universe had picked up on her sudden realisation, there was a knock at her door and the gruff voice of an obviously older gentleman. "Your Highness, it is time for your tutoring in Accounting."
Roxanne couldn't help but sigh, rolling her eyes incredibly dramatically. If there was one thing she absolutely despised, it was working with numbers. Especially numbers of this state, where she would be taught about how to budget, and her mathematical proficiency, or rather [i]lack of[/i], would make itself very, very apparent.

With a willful stare at a volume on the left of her desk, the latest book she had been reading being a particularly racy romance novel with a haphazard slip of blank paper stuffed between the pages in desperate replacement for a proper bookmark, she tore her gaze away and sulked as she slowly trudged to the doors of her chamber.

---

Accounting was just as laborious as it always was, making Roxanne incredibly grateful it wasn't a class she took everyday. Her classes were spread out throughout the week, dabbling in different topics as to keep her attention, especially important seeing as four hours of her day would be spent taking classes alone. She did not particularly care for the subject, not so much because it was the numbers she had to deal with, but that Accounting itself was nothing but demoralising. The situations and simulations presented to her did not usually involve the kingdom of Miroin itself, as to test the young lady's reactions for future circumstances that might await her, but somehow, and in some way, the conversation always directed back to Miroin's current, failing state. Her tutor, an older gentleman perhaps in his mid-50s and the advisor to the king concerning finances, would always bring up his personal opinion on the kingdom's 'state of ruin', and pray that times would get better. For his age, he was partial to spending some minutes of class-time simply mulling over the state of the castle, as if always trying to find some way, some impossible [i]loop-hole[/i] through which its stance could be strengthened.
Time and time again, he turned up no answer, and sulked through the rest of teaching the young princess. She detested his demeanour though knew he meant well, from the heart.
...which was difficult to say about just all of her tutors. Her tutor on public speaking, one of the more [i]uppity[/i] women Roxanne was forced to deal with, seemed to have her own sadistic fun of recounting all the possible ways in which the princess might fail miserably, rather than motivate her by presenting situations in which she might shine.

---

The chiming of the clock as the hour settled on two startled the old man, as it usually did, and made Roxanne smirk a little at his disorientation. He furrowed his brow, pushed his tiny spectacles up further on his nose and coughed to clear his throat as he stood up, bowing comfortably to the princess who remained sat at her desk before gathering his belongings, two or three of his own books and some loose pieces of paper, his pen and ink-jar and moving to make his departure. "Farewell, Your Highness. I would advise looking into those problems for a while longer, if you have the time, of course."
"I will if I'm able. Goodbye, Marcus, sir."

The man hobbled to the doors, trying to keep all his belongings in check, turned the handle and made his way out, nearly bumping into the young man with the dark hair carrying the expensive-looking platter laden with edibles, and almost tripping, and tripping the boy in his surprise. "Oh, terribly sorry." he grunted, adjusting his arms to be able to carry the books and the inkpot with ease. He was shorter than Rivalen, and in his haste to find somewhere to put the items down, did not so much look the boy in the eyes for even a second. Though perhaps it was fortunate that he didn't, or else he would have been held up at the door itself, interrogating him as to his motives for the princess. As if the platter he held did not make it clear enough...

"Come in." a tired-sounding voice feebly came through the doors, signalling for Rivalen to enter.

The princess sat at her desk, her head in her hands and eyes intently focused on the material before her. The mixture of handwriting and occasional scribbling showed that her tutor and her had both written on the particular sheet, and it evidently strained her to so much as look at the sheet. It detailed the kingdom's expenses, and the income, and the numbers put down did not look in their favour. At this rate, they would have to tax the people of the kingdom higher, and Roxanne knew that was not a particularly clever move, seeing as there were already a few shows of protest against the rise in taxes, by the people. Of course, they were silenced with haste.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the large window that stood a little ways from where her desk was, bathing the right half of her figure, hunched over the desk, in a soft, white glow. She almost seemed fatigued.
...but of course, two hours of something like [i]Accounting[/i] would not end easily.

"Mm...m?" she grunted, finally looking up with tired eyes finding Rivalen, and her blinking twice before her eyes travelled down from the man's face to the platter and lit up at the sight of something to eat. It was reviving, to say the least.
"Ah, Rivalen." she spoke up, stronger and louder now, and surprised with herself for remembering the man's name. Though she fumbled with it for the initial five or so seconds of seeing him again, post [i]intensive mathematics[/i], it finally did come to her and she was proud. "Dinner, is it? Thank goodness, I thought I might just face an untimely death, with all due thanks to starvation and particularly exhausting classes."
She chuckled at her own joke before gesturing him closer, "Come."
She hesitated for just a second with a lazy thought crossing her mind, though she dismissed it with a tiny sigh, "...and close the door behind you. The kingdom is ever noisy throughout the day, and I have important things to tell you."

She sat up, grabbing a piece of paper she had written things down on earlier, perhaps the day before or that very morning, in anticipation for the personal attendant to be decided by the day's end, or the next day. It was decided much faster than she had initially assumed, but it was decided nonetheless.
"...I've got something for you here. Since you are my [i]personal attendant[/i], after all, it had occurred to me that, to wait on me in the most efficient fashion, you would have to know how I was placed throughout the day."
She squinted at the list before continuing, "I've made a little list if it's particularly difficult for you to remember, but seeing as you managed to have my dinner here on time, I don't think that will be too much of a problem. Thank you."

She offered the man a smile, leaning back in the elegantly crafted chair as she turned it sideways slightly to address him, "Err...you can put that down on my bed for now, thank you, Rivalen. I'd much rather you look at this just for the moment. My days in the castle are not as complicated as...someone who'd called me a [i]spoiled brat[/i]" her tone grew sour here, and she shook her head, clearly finding the taste of the words quite unappealing, "...would assume them to be. I rise at 6 on the clock, every morning, so breakfast would be best served by 7. The rest of my mornings after breakfast are spent with my father and my brother. It is in that time we are most able to discuss the affairs of the kingdom, and usually by half-past nine, we disband to spend our following free-time as we please. Midday is when my afternoon classes begin, and usually they end at two on the clock, like today. Dinner is served at 2 for that very reason. You...would not be able to believe the appetite one acquires after sitting through such long lectures, haha."
She stopped to smirk at the man, flinching a little when she realised she probably was overwhelming him with information as of the moment. Though she had no intention of stopping just yet.
"Following that, I have two more hours of time of my own leisure, where you perhaps most likely will find me reading as opposed to out on the fields during the mornings, and by 4 on the clock it is time for my second set of classes for the day. These end at 6, and supper is served at 7, and usually ends by half-past 8. Usually, following this, I retire to my chambers and..."
She paused, unsure how to address the following issue, "...err. Usually, after supper, every other day...I request an elaborate bath. Though...um. I don't believe I'm quite sure how we...will tend to that."

[i]Good lord, nobody said this would be [/i]this[i] difficult![/i]

Her next words came out in an almost-mumble, rushing by with her cheeks the palest hue of pink, "...Sunday mornings are spent at the church, which is quite close, seeing as it is the building that hosts the gracious clock - and bell - tower. Most mornings are when any officials who request to speak to father, Brandon or I make their appearance. Life in the castle is...fairly mechanical. Scheduled. Like a [i]clock[/i] itself."