[For the next couple of hours, Caelia and Cassian worked together to cut the pieces of wood into circles of varying diameters to limit test the loading. Throughout the hours, they mostly kept to themselves except for one moment while they were sitting down next to each other, sanding down the pulley wheels. As she is sanding down her wheel, she notices that her wheel was not getting smooth no matter how long she was sanding.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

My wheel is so ugly… It’s been so long since I’ve done something physical… I mostly just stared at the computer all day… 

[She then looks over at Cassian working. He is hyper focused on his craft, making sure his wheel is smooth- his looking infinitely better than hers. Caelia looks at his work with intrigue.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE: 

He seems so meticulous about his work… 

[Cassian then looks over at Caelia, catching her look at him. She gets embarrassed but he doesn’t pay much mind to it. He then starts up a conversation.]

CASSIAN (curious):

“Lady Ardent, if I may ask again, where did you learn to draw these sketches?”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

How do I even answer that… Should I even answer honestly?

CAELIA (half lying):

“In my free time, I like to practice engineering problems to keep my mind sharp. I kind of figured out the nomenclature and patterns from there.”

[Cassian is somewhat surprised at the answer not because it wasn’t believable but because learning engineering in that way is difficult.]

CASSIAN:

“You practice in your free time? Do you really like engineering that much?”

[Before answering, Caelia let that question simmer.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Do I like engineering…? I guess when I was younger, I was always enthralled by it.

But at the end of the day, I just ended up sitting at the computer working long hours- feeling isolated, useless, and like I’m wasting space in the world.

It lost all the magic that it first gave.

CAELIA (sadly smiles):

“I guess you could say something like that. How about you? Do you like engineering?”

[Cassian pauses for a brief moment, trying to find the answer. He then looks back at his wheel and continues to sand.]

CASSIAN (sadly smiles):

“I guess you could say something like that.”

[After a brief pause, Caelia lightly chuckles to herself after hearing his answer. He looks over to her out of curiosity.]

CAELIA (happily smiling):

“We both said the same thing.”

[Feeling understood, Cassian felt his heart move for a second and slightly smiled along with her.]

───── ⋆⋅⊹⋅⋆ ─────

[Ending up with pulley wheels of varying sizes smoothed and sanded, Caelia and Cassian decided to test the wheels in action. They would go up to the top of the staircase, set up the pulley wheel they were testing, feed the rope, and then add a load to the end. They tested to see how much load each of the pulleys could withstand. The smaller diameter pulley ended up snapping on the spot when the load was suspended. The medium wheel ended up snapping when the bucket was halfway up its ascent. The wheel with the largest diameter performed the best, being able to haul up a large bucket of water. From the top of the staircase, Caelia admired the large bucket of water gradually getting higher and higher.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

YAY! It seems to work! It’s not the smoothest but what else could we do to it…?

[From the top of the staircase, Caelia jumps excitedly and yells to Cassian who is pulling the rope.]

CAELIA (yells down):

“It works but it’s not smooth!”

CASSIAN (yells back):

“We could add another pulley and make it a two-pulley system!”

[She pauses, feeling incompetent and shames herself for not thinking of that sooner.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

How come I didn’t think of that…? 

CAELIA (yells):

“Oh, yeah, let’s do that!” 

︶⊹︶︶✧︶︶⊹︶

[Off in the distance, a couple of maids were watching Caelia and Cassian work. And they see Caelia jumping excitedly with a smile on her face, which is a complete contrast to what the maids were used to.]

MAID 1 (to Maid 2):

“Hey… Don’t you think Lady Caelia has been acting strange lately…? What is she even doing?”

MAID 2 (unfazed):

“It’s probably another scheme of hers. We should probably tell someone.”

[Maid 1 looks at Caelia admiring her work, noting that it is a side of Caelia she has never seen before.]

MAID 1:

“Maybe we should wait.”

︶⊹︶︶✧︶︶⊹︶

───── ⋆⋅⊹⋅⋆ ─────

[The next day, the two-pulley system was finished. Around midday, the maids were called to come over to see a demonstration of how to use it. Caelia was at the top of the stairs and Cassian was on the bottom, loading up the bucket. Maid 1 looks up curiously at the pulley system from above.]

MAID 1 (deducing):

“Oh, is this to bring up buckets of water upstairs?”

MAID 2 (whispering to Maid 1):

“That’s what you’re wondering? I’m wondering how Lady Caelia made this! Since when was she into building things?”

CASSIAN (announcing to crowd):

“Okay, everyone. This system is to make it easier for you guys to bring buckets of water up the stairs. This is how you load up the bucket of water. And now, if you pull this side of the rope, the bucket will travel upwards and reach the top.”

[Cassian pulls on the rope and the bucket travels slowly upward. The two-pulley system makes the travel smooth. The maids watch in awe as the bucket makes its way to the top. Once it reaches the top, Caelia, at the top of the staircase, grabs the bucket of water and rejoices.]

CAELIA (beaming):

“TA-DA! It's here now!”

[The maids slowly clap, some still a bit suspicious of Caelia’s motives.]

CASSIAN:
“Would anyone like to try?”

───── ⋆⋅⊹⋅⋆ ─────

[At first, the maids were hesitant to try but after the first set of people tried, the rest followed. In pairs, each of the maids tried using the pulley system, each one finding it significantly easier than hauling buckets up the stairs manually.]

MAID 1 (gleefully):
“We 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! I can’t believe Lady Caelia made this for us!”

MAID 3 (cheerfully):
“This saved me a trip and a backache!”

[Hearing the positive reactions from the maids made Caelia’s heart warm. She is overjoyed seeing the maids happy.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
Woah… For the first time ever… I feel like I did something in my life.

[She smiles from ear to ear observing everyone using the system she designed. Cassian looks over at her and notices her smiling.]

CASSIAN (praising):
“Good job today, Lady Ardent. Your design was great.”

[Caelia is taken aback a bit by the sudden praise, feeling flattered but starts to immediately feel insecure of herself.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

But… I didn’t do much… In fact, if he hadn’t offered the idea of a two-pulley system… It probably would’ve broken. I just helped out in the building process, that’s all.

CAELIA (low):

“...Thank you for helping me, Cassian. I’m glad the maids don’t have to haul water buckets up the stairs anymore! I feel happy right now.”

[His heart feels slightly warm hearing her happiness.]

CASSIAN (gently):

“I’m glad.”

───── ⋆⋅⊹⋅⋆ ─────

[The day after, Cassian was searching for Caelia around the palace and he ended up finding her in one of the corridors. He then approaches her.] 

CASSIAN (bows):
“Hello, Lady Ardent, are you busy today?” 

[Surprised by his sudden appearance, Caelia turns to face him.]

CAELIA- INNER MONOLOGUE:

Oh? Was he looking for me specifically?

CAELIA (sarcastically):
“Yeah. I’m busy just walking around and doing nothing.”

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 around the other staircases.”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Would I have to work with his engineering team…? I don’t necessarily want to do that after they ridiculed me yesterday… Besides, how much could I really help? I'm not necessarily that intelligent. I didn’t even do too much yesterday, I wasn’t the one who thought of the two-pulley system.

[Caelia looks off to the side.]

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

CASSIAN (teasing):

“But you were smiling ear to ear when the maids were using it.”

[Caelia starts feeling sheepish, feeling like she got caught.]

CAELIA (honest):

"I'm not sure how much I could realistically help you. Yesterday’s design wouldn’t have been as good if you hadn’t suggested a second pulley… And honestly, I also feel uncomfortable working with your engineering team."

CASSIAN (direct):
“For one, the design was heavily based on your design. And two, there’s no need for you to feel uncomfortable because I’ve dismissed them.”

[Stunned, her eyes widen and she looks back directly at him.]

CAELIA (shocked):
“You what?!”

CASSIAN (straightforward):
“They were all being mean to you, Lady Ardent. So I’ve dismissed them.”

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

He dismissed them because they were mean to me…? They were sexist towards me so it’s completely warranted…

But why do I feel bad about it? 

[She starts to spiral inside of her head, so much so that it became physically visible that she was bothered.]

They must all have families they need to feed and now they all lost their jobs because of me…

CAELIA (sad):

“You should call them back.”

[A silent pause appears between the two and he notices her guilty 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, I’ve been meaning to let go of them.”

[She looks at him quietly, a flicker of surprise behind her guilty expression. Her heart begins to warm up because of his actions that unconditionally support her.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:
They’ve been incompetent but the moment they were mean to me, he immediately fired them…

[She feels her heart beat but then she brushes it off.]

It might be because I am royalty…

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

CASSIAN (kind):

“If it’s okay with you, I think we should work together. 

[He averts his gaze to the ground and lowers his tone, becoming mellow.]

It’s hard working on these projects on your own.”

[Caelia is reminded of her very lonely past where she had always worked alone- sitting in her cubicle where she found no place to talk to anyone, just to go home and continue the isolation.] 

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

I’ve always been alone… I’m used to being alone all my life…

[She looks up at Cassian who is now looking at her with intent with not an ounce of uncertainty. Feeling undeserving, she feels mixed emotions and questions herself.]

Why is he so certain of me…? I barely did anything yesterday…

CAELIA (serious):

“Why do you want to work with me?”

CASSIAN (honest):
“Lady Ardent, I think you’re very intelligent. I also think we could help more people if we work together.” 

[Genuinely flattered by his compliment, heat rises to her face but she doesn't believe his nice words completely.] 

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

I’m not sure what the future holds for me… But…

[Remembering the maids’ positive reactions as they were using the pulley system, Caelia felt a true feeling of belonging and purpose.]

If the story has it so I die anyway… I don’t see what is wrong with having a short-term partnership to pass the time.

CAELIA (giving in):

“Let’s work together, then.” 

───── ⋆⋅⊹⋅⋆ ─────

[Throughout the day, they walked through the palace corridors side by side. They paused at various areas of the palace to examine the cracked walls, slanted floors, and mold corners. As they were examining the palace, Cassian explained key aspects of the infrastructure to her.]

CASSIAN:
“The structure's older than it looks. We’ll need to reinforce several beams, especially near the west wing. We can also add more pulleys at the other stairways.” 

[Caelia scribbles notes in her notebook as she is walking with him.]

CAELIA (repeating his words):
“Okay… Reinforce beams in the west wing… Add more pulleys…”

︶⊹︶︶✧︶︶⊹︶

[In the distance, Annalise catches Caelia and Cassian examining around the palace. Her eyes narrow in on Caelia, intently observing her every movement.]

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

︶⊹︶︶✧︶︶⊹︶

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

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

Running simulations 24/7 forces you to study common patterns of cracks and fatigue… But I can’t necessarily say that.

CAELIA (dryly):
“I’ve spent a lot of time studying cracks. I can call it a survival skill at this point.”

CASSIAN (seriously):

“I guess you could call yourself a crackhead if you’ve studied that much about cracks.”

[Caelia stands there for a moment, frozen in disbelief that someone called her a crackhead for studying cracks and fatigue. She tried to hold in her laughter but couldn’t.]

CAELIA (laughing): 

“PFFT! Did you just call me a crackhead?”

[Stopping himself, he looks back at her, genuinely confused.]

CASSIAN (confused):

“Yeah, you’re a crackhead- like you only think about cracks.”

CAELIA (laughing):

“I understand what you mean, but you probably shouldn’t use that phrase!”

CASSIAN (genuinely confused):

“Why not?”

CAELIA (continues laughing):

“Just don’t! Trust me!”

[She catches herself laughing and slightly stops after realizing something.]

CAELIA - INNER MONOLOGUE:

I think that was the first time I laughed in a long time…

CASSIAN:

“Can you explain to me what it means?”

CAELIA:

“Nope! It’s a secret!”

CASSIAN (annoyed):

“You’re going to leave me hanging, huh?”

[The two of them continue to bicker with each other and walk around the palace together, noting the damage around the palace.]

₊ . ⊹  ݁ ₊‧ . ‿⊱༻✶༺⊰‿ . ‧₊ ݁ ⊹ . ₊ . ⊹  ݁ ₊‧ . ‿⊱༻✶༺⊰‿ . ‧₊ ݁ ⊹ . ₊

[End of Chapter 2 Part 2]