[SCENE: CAELIA’S BEDROOM - EARLY MORNING. THE CURTAINS ARE DRAWN SHUT. CAELIA IS CURLED UNDER THE COVERS.] 

MAID (knocking, urgent):
“Your Grace! You’re being summoned to the discussion room.”

CAELIA (groggy):
“The what now?”

MAID:
“It’s where they plan improvements for the kingdom. The king’s engineers, architects, and logistics teams. They… they asked for you specifically.”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Ugh.. I got a bad feeling about this…

[SCENE: THE DISCUSSION ROOM - A CIRCULAR TABLE WITH OLDER MEN LOUDLY DEBATING. SCROLLS, QUILLS, AND MOGS OF TEA ARE SCATTERED. CASSIAN STANDS AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE.] 

MAN 1 (grumbling):
“—If we move the granary west, we’d shave off transit time by—”

[The door creaks open. Caelia enters. The room falls into a heavy silence.]

MAN 2 (whispers):
“That’s Duke Ardent’s daughter…?”

[Cassian looks up and meets Caelia’s eyes.]

CAELIA (cautious):
“Why was I called here? Didn’t realize butlers meet in the discussion room…”

[Cassian walks toward her and lays down a parchment on the table — her blueprint.]

CASSIAN:
“This. Where did you learn to draw like this?”

CAELIA (steady but guarded):
“It’s… a new interest. A hobby, really.”

CASSIAN (archly):
“A hobby that includes accurate math and stress tolerances? …With a doodle of a happy sun in the corner?”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Fuck! I still have the habit of doodling while I’m deep in thought. That’s so embarrassing… 

CAELIA (deflecting while embarrassed):
“M-Maybe the engineering sketches already existed and I drew a cute sun in the corner but besides - why is a butler so interested in engineering sketches?”

[A beat. Cassian doesn’t respond. Before either can speak again—]

MAN 3 (scoffing):
“Why would a noble lady waste time on engineering? That’s men’s work. She should be preparing for courtship, not construction.”

[Caelia’s gaze darkens. Her fists clench at her sides.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
There it is again. Just like before.
Every time I reached beyond what they allowed me.
They told me I didn’t belong.

[In Caelia’s head: Flashbacks of boardrooms, meetings where others took credit. Cold stares. Her silent tears in bathroom stalls.]

CAELIA (deep breath, fist in her hand):
“With all due respect, sir… the buckets don’t care if a man or a woman lifts them.
They’re just heavy.
What does it matter who came up with it, man or woman?”

[Silence. The room is stunned. Then—]

CASSIAN:
“She’s right.
And for the record, these sketches are more detailed than anything I’ve seen from my staff this month so I know no one on my team did this.”

[The board room sneers at each other after that comment.]

[Cassian turns to Caelia.]

CASSIAN (gentler):
“And by process of elimination and just seeing you next to these drawings, I can assume you were the one who drew these. 

Sorry I lied in the library. I didn’t want to intimidate you. I’m the new Head Engineer overseeing repairs and modernization of the palace for the next year.”

CAELIA (dryly):
“So not a butler, then. But how would you intimidate a noble?”

CASSIAN (smiling slightly):
“Not exactly a butler. I also didn’t want to scare you, I saw you drawing at the library."

CASSIAN:
“Your pulley system — it’s smart. I’d like to possibly implement it for the maids. But I need your input. Your lead, actually.”

CAELIA:

“My lead? I must assure you sir, those drawings are just a fluke! I’m not interested in engineering whatsoever. I’m sorry but I am going to take my leave.”

CASSIAN (slyly):

“Ah, well this blueprint lying around must mean that it’s my design to take?”

[Caelia gets visibly angry]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOUGUE:

Goddamn it, he knows exactly where it stings. 

But what should I do? My plan wasn’t exactly to get involved with others. 

And besides… this Cassian guy or whatever, is he even trustworthy? 

I’ve always worked alone but this might be a good chance to get my foot out the door!

CAELIA (arms out, surrendering): 

“Fine, you caught me. Let’s go try it out.”

[Cassian outstretched his hand to Caelia for a handshake.]

CASSIAN (sly smile):

“Pleasure working with you, Lady Ardent. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.”

[Caelia looks at Cassian and then at his outstretched, unclenched hand. She takes a moment to pause before returning the handshake.] 

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Eh, what could go wrong with this?

This is just to get my foot out the door.

Kind of like an initial internship before opening up my own firm!

Nothing more, nothing less.

CAELIA:

“Same to you.”

[SCENE: LATER THAT DAY AT THE PALACE STAIRWELL. WOOD FRAMES ARE BEING FASTENED. ROPE PULLEY SYSTEMS ARE HOISTERED. CASSIAN’S TEAM IS FOLLOWING CAELIA’S LEAD.]

CAELIA (to the men):
“We’re mounting the bracket at a thirty-five-degree angle. Distribute the tension along the stud joints here—yes, here. Try again with the second rig.”

MAN 1 - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Tch. Why do I have to listen to a woman, much less a noble, about this?

[Man 1 looks at the plan Caelia drew out and decides that he was not going to listen and give her a hard time.]

[Man 1 creates the pulley wheel but cuts the holes and joints too large on purpose so that the pulley system will ultimately crumble in on itself with heavy weight.] 

[Caelia walks over to observe the man’s work.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Seriously? I ensured I wrote out the correct dimensions for these. What is he thinking of sabotaging me for? It’s so obvious that the holes and divots are too large.

CAELIA to MAN 1 (stern):

“Hey, I know that you feel some type of way with a woman of nobility telling you what to do, but having the joints punched like this could be a major issue. What happens if it accidentally crumbles mid transport and the bucket hits the maids?” 

[Cassian looks over at the two of them fighting.]

MAN 1 - INNER THOUGHTS

Wait, h-how did she…

CAELIA (threatening look):

“Don’t do this again. That is an order.” 

MAN 1:

“Y-yes your grace!” 

CAELIA (to whole team, manic):

“In fact, if any of you guys try anything stupid, don’t expect to have your hands to build again.”

[Everyone in the entire room besides Cassian shivers.]

EVERYONE in unison:

“Y-Yes your grace.”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Wow! I actually felt like a true villainess there! I bet my glare was DEADLY! Man, I wish I had a mirror so I could see that. 

[Trial. Error. Adjustments. Then—success. A full bucket is pulled smoothly up the staircase by one maid using the pulley system. Applause breaks out.]

[Cut to the palace halls – Maids whisper excitedly, watching the pulley system in action.]

MAID 1 (beaming):
“I don’t have to haul water up those stairs anymore!”

MAID 2:
“This is truly amazing! We don’t have to break our backs anymore!”

[Final scene: Caelia leans over a railing, watching the last pulley being tested. Cassian approaches, arms crossed.]

CAELIA (overjoyed):

“I can’t believe it’s working! It’s truly working!”

[Caelia gets giddy while observing the mechanism in action while Cassian looks at her.]

[SCENE: Next Day - CAELIA’S BEDROOM - EARLY MORNING. THE SUNLIGHT FILTERS IN THROUGH THE CURTAIN.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
The pulley system works.
It actually works.

Take that you fucking loser (Man 1)! A woman led a team full of engineers and successfully made a product. 

[Caelia sits up slowly, stretching, a rare small smile on her face.]
And Cassian initiated everything.
(beat)

[She places a hand over her chest, then quickly shakes her head, blushing.]
Get a grip. It’s just the novelty. He’s helping me out cause I’m a high noble.

[SCENE: PALACE STAIRWELL - MAIDS ARE USING THE PULLEY SYSTEM WITH EASE. BUCKETS OF WATER RISE SMOOTHLY.] 

MAID 1 (cheerfully):
“This saved me a trip and a backache!”

MAID 2:
“I finished my rounds early today. Cheers to the engineers!”

[Cut to Caelia standing nearby, observing quietly.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
This… This is what engineering is.
Solving problems. Easing burdens.
Not spreadsheets and stolen credit.

[Flash of past life – dim office cubicle. Someone else presented her project. She’s clapping along, fake smile glued on.]

It’s nothing like before.

[SCENE: Hallway outside the stairwell. Cassian walks up to Caelia.] 

CASSIAN:
“Are you busy?” 

CAELIA (sarcastically):
“Oh yeah, I’m always busy as the next Empress-In-Waiting or EIW”

CASSIAN (smirking):
“Oh really? I was hoping you’d join me for an inspection around the palace. The pulley system was a success so maybe we can implement more.”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

I have to work with his team again? They literally tried to sabotage me!

Fuck this, I wanna work on my own! They’ll be fine without me.

CAELIA (lying):
“Eh, I’m not sure. That was kind of a one-off thing. Didn’t really have much fun.”

CASSIAN (blunt):

“You’re a very bad liar, do you know that?”

[Caelia looks off to the side.]

CAELIA (scoffing):

“Will that group of men with fragile masculinity be there?
You know, the ones that think I should be sewing curtains instead of sketching torque equations?”

CASSIAN:
“No. I’ve dismissed them.”

[Caelia stops mid-step, blinking.]

CAELIA (shocked):
“You what?”

CASSIAN:
“They all were scared of you after you threatened to cut their hands off.”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Ah, that’s right. I did do that. 

Ah man, now I feel bad that I drove them off from their jobs. 

Who am I kidding? They were clearly sexist towards me!

But still… they probably have families at home that they need to feed…

And it’s my fault they don’t have a job anymore.

[Caelia looks visibly bothered.]

CAELIA:

“You call them back.”

[A silent pause. Cassian notices her sad expression.]

CASSIAN:

“Lady Ardent, they disrespected you because you are a woman who is interested in building. Although it’s unconventional, it doesn’t make it right for them to be mean to you. 

They were all incompetent anyways. Been meaning to let go of them.”

[Caelia looks at him quietly, a flicker of surprise behind her composed expression.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
(beat)
…No. Don’t overthink it. He just said they were bad at their jobs.

[She brushes it off and walks forward.]

CAELIA:
“So are you without a team now?”

CASSIAN:

“I mean, I was asking if we could work together? It’s hard working on these things on your own.”

[Caelia is reminded of her very lonely past. In her cubicle where she found no place to talk to anyone.] 

CAELIA (after a pause):

“I’ll work with you. Let’s work on the palace together.”

CASSIAN (sarcastically):
“I thought you were busy as the next EIW (empress in waiting)?” 

CAELIA (smiles, teasing):

“EIW can also stand for Engineer in waiting, no?” 

[SCENE: They Walk The Palace Corridors Side By Side. They Pause To Examine Cracked Walls, Slanted Floors, Moldy Corners.] 

CASSIAN:
“The structure's older than it looks. We’ll need to reinforce several beams, especially near the west wing.” 

CAELIA (scribbling notes):
“We could use a buttress-style support on the outer wall. I’ll draft something tonight.”

CASSIAN:
“You always sketch wherever you go?”

CAELIA:
“I have too many thoughts to store in my head so I always need to write.” 

[SCENE (Cut-to): Annalise watching from behind a curtain.]

ANNALISE - INNER MONOLOGUE:
She’s been acting weird since yesterday.. She hasn't come to torment me even once.. 

[Her eyes narrow.]

[SCENE: CUT BACK TO CASSIAN AND CAELIA.]

CASSIAN:
“You’ve got good instincts. You see the structure before the flaw. Most only notice damage.”

CAELIA (dryly):
“I’ve spent most of my life studying cracks.
It’s basically a survival skill at this point.”

CASSIAN:

“Most of your life? Are you always surrounded by cracks as a noble?”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Shit.

Nobles are known to not go to school.

CAELIA: 

“A-Ah yes! That’s right. You know, the flaws and crackheads in high nobility are no joke!”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Oh my god that was so lame. I almost did something that was out of character. Not that I haven’t already.. but do crackheads even exist in this world?

I LITERALLY could've said that I studied cracks and fatigue on my own. What was I thinking?!

CASSIAN (laughs):

“Crackhead? What does that even mean?”

CAELIA:

“Ah, you know, just someone who is flawed! Y-you probably shouldn’t use it that often ahahahahaha-”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Oh my god I hate myself! 

[Cassian observes Caelia whose face turned red and slightly smiles.]

[They walk on, their steps in sync, the palace echoing with quiet possibilities.]

[End of chapter 2]