Work Text:
Feyre waved back to an excited child as she walked down the cobbled streets of Velaris in the direction of the bank. She needed to withdraw some of her paycheck from Rhys before heading to the Palace of Thread and Jewels to pick out a new sweater. Her previous one had ended up victim to her fledgling fire magic.
It was a shame really, it had been a very comfortable sweater. One of her favorites in fact, so she hoped she would be able to find a similar one. She’d even made a point to ask Cerridwen and Nuala where they had found the one she’d had before. They’d given her the name of a shop, and that was where she would be heading after the bank she had just reached.
Stepping inside the marble building, she saw the rows of High Fae tellers sitting behind oak desks. Some helped other people; others had no customers. Walking up to one of them, the female behind the desk gave her a polite smile, “Hello, how can I help you today?”
Feyre returned her warm smile as she responded, “Hello, my name is Feyre Archeron, I’m here to see what my current balance is and make a withdrawal.”
“Alright, Miss Archeron, give me just a moment.” The female flicked her wrist and a binder appeared before her. She could only assume it held ledgers, probably sorted alphabetically by name. She ran a finger down the page for a moment before stopping over a specific line. “Here we are! Miss Archeron, can you verify the account number for me?”
She pulled out a folded slip of paper that Rhys had given her with the account information when she had said she wanted to swing by so she could get a new sweater. She rattled off the number and the teller was quick to check it against her own ledger.
“Perfect! Miss Archeron, your current balance is one-hundred fifty-seven thousand, four hundred twenty-five marks.”
She had read the number as if it was nothing out of the usual. Still at the moment, it was all Feyre could do not to let her jaw hit the floor at the number, “C-Could you repeat that for me?”
“Yes…Your current balance is one-hundred fifty-seven thousand, four hundred twenty-five marks. Is that incorrect?”
Feyre took a deep breath, hoping she didn’t sound as shocked as she felt, “I’m not certain…I need to speak with–” Feyre paused briefly, not wanting to just announce to the bank that she was technically working directly for their High Lord. “Speak with my employer to make sure he didn’t make a mistake when transferring the money to my account, because that sounds like far more than I’m supposed to be making.”
“If you believe there is an issue, that is certainly a good place to start. Do you still wish to make a withdrawal?”
Still reeling from the number she had just heard, Feyre was stunned that anything she said was coherent, “Yes please. Could I withdraw two hundred twenty-five marks please?”
“Would you like those in gold pieces?”
“Could you make one-hundred fifty of them in gold, fifty in silver, and the other twenty-five in bronze?”
“Certainly, give me just one moment to go get that for you Miss Archeron.”
Feyre nodded as the female got up from her seat and headed through the building to where the vault must reside. While she was gone Feyre ran over the number in her mind again and again. There had to be some mistake. She knew Rhys had said her salary would be lavish, but there was no way he was paying her that much. What was she even supposed to do with that much money?
Shaking her head she decided just to assume for the time being that he had misplaced a decimal point somewhere or added an extra zero that he hadn’t intended. It calmed her mind enough to focus back on her tasks for the afternoon. She would talk to him about it when he got back from his meeting with the Palace Governors this evening.
Just as she made her decision, the teller returned with the money she had requested. She counted out the marks in front of Feyre to make sure there were no mistakes. As she did, Feyre learned that the gold represented ten marks each, the silver represented five, and the bronze represented one respectively. She was glad she had paid attention to the teller’s counting, because she hadn’t even considered how much each coin was supposed to be worth. This would be her first time using actual money in Prythian, before now, everything had been bought for her.
When the teller pushed them across the desk to her, Feyre took them gently from the table and placed them in the pouch at her waist before looking back over to the teller. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“No problem. Is there anything else I can do for you today, Miss Archeron?”
“No thank you. Have a great day.”
The teller gave her another polite smile, “You as well!”
As Feyre walked out of the bank, the pouch at her side felt foreign. Never in her life had she had so much money on her person. Back in the human lands, she’d never carried a coin purse as she never had enough to justify bringing one with her. She’d just put what meager earnings she got from selling her furs and game in her pockets. More often than not she’d just handed it directly to her sisters so they could use it for whatever frivolities they insisted they needed.
Shaking off the thoughts, Feyre stopped by one of the cafes that sat on her route to the Palace of Thread and Jewels. From it she bought a cup of jasmine tea and a type of butter cookie that the baker had told her was called koulourakia. Feyre was fairly certain she would never be able to pronounce that correctly.
It was a crumbly cookie that wasn’t too sweet, something she was thankful for as a lot of sugar still made her feel nauseous with her newly enhanced fae senses.
Feyre nibbled on the cookie and sipped at her tea as she walked, weaving through the crowds of people going about their own days. At one point a young boy with skin the color of summer leaves bumped into her. He apologized profusely when his mother chastised him for not watching where he was going.
Feyre accepted his apology with a smile, waving at the mother who dipped her head in thanks for the kind response as she passed. Other than that one interaction, the rest of her journey was relatively uneventful.
When she finally reached the Palace of Thread and Jewels she had finished her cookie but continued to sip at her tea as she looked around for the shop Cerridwen and Nuala had told her about.
It took her about twenty minutes to find it. Once she did, she stepped inside, slightly overwhelmed by all the colors and fabrics folded neatly on tables or hung on racks that filled the building.
Thankfully a High Fae female with dark brown hair and chestnut eyes made her way over to Feyre, “Can I help you find anything today ma’am?”
“Yes please, some friends of mine told me this would be a good place to get a new sweater.”
“We certainly have a lot of comfortable ones here.” The female smiled, “Are you looking for a sweater to wear as a shirt or one to wear over top of your clothes?”
“One to wear over top of my clothes.”
“Perfect!” The female turned on her heel, “Those are just over here.”
Feyre followed her over to the far wall, along the entirety of which hung sweaters of all colors and sizes. Some had zippers, others had buttons, and others were similar to shawls with no fastenings whatsoever.
“Is there a specific yarn you want it to be made of or a specific color you want?”
“I don’t know the type of yarn other than the last one I had was buttery soft. As for color, I was looking for either a darker blue-gray or deep green.”
The female nodded, she looked Feyre over once before speaking, “Do you want it to fit snugly or have it be a bit loose?”
“Loose please.” Feyre preferred not to feel constricted in her clothes, and she knew she was still gaining back her weight, so it would keep her from having to buy another one as soon. That was if she didn’t burn it again.
Once again the female nodded, “Alright, I’ll pick out a few I think you’ll like and bring them over to you.”
Feyre dipped her head, “Thank you. I appreciate your help.”
“No problem at all! That’s what I’m here for!”
The female bustled off to get the sweaters, leaving Feyre to glance around at the other clothes surrounding her. As she browsed her eyes snagged on a pink blouse that she knew Mor would love. She was fairly certain she remembered her friend’s size, so flipping through the blouses, she found the one she thought was correct and checked the price. It was thirty marks, so Feyre pulled it from the rack, and held onto it to purchase after she picked out her own sweater.
A few minutes later, the sales assistant came back with a few sweaters draped over her arm. She led Feyre over to a table where she could put them down so Feyre could get a better look at them. All of them were stunning, the exact colors she had been looking for. She took the sleeves of each in her fingers, feeling them to try and find the one that was the most similar in texture to the one she’d had previously.
Eventually she found one that felt and looked almost identical. The assistant had pulled both a blue-gray and green one from the rack, they were both soft and looked quite warm. They had simple buttons, silver on the blue-gray one and brown on the green one. It was hard to pick between them as both looked so pretty.
Turning back to the assistant, she pointed to the sweaters, “How much are these?”
“They are forty marks each.”
Feyre had to fight against the conditioning in her mind that the price was too high. When she was human, she had rarely even held forty marks in her hand at one time. Still, she knew if she went back to the others and told them she hadn’t bought the sweater she wanted or had chosen between them because of the price, someone else would end up buying them for her. That or they would buy the one she hadn’t chosen both to prove that it wasn’t necessary for her to be so strict with her funds anymore and to make her happy.
Ignoring the nagging in her mind to save her money, Feyre looked back to the female before her, “Can I get both of these.”
When she gestured to the two sweaters that she liked best the sales assistant smiled, “Of course!” She swiftly folded the others back up and placed them aside before picking up one of the ones Feyre had chosen. “Try this on and let me know if you like it or if you want me to get you a different size.”
Pulling on the blue-gray sweater, Feyre practically melted into it. It was the perfect size, and just as comfortable as the one she had burned. Taking it back off, she dipped her head to the assistant, “It’s perfect.”
“Wonderful! Both sweaters are the same size, but you can try the other one on if you want to make sure you like it as well.”
Feyre shook her head, she was certain it would fit, so the assistant picked up both sweaters and led her over to the checkout counter. When she placed them down, Feyre added the blouse she had picked out to the stack.
The assistant blinked at it, “That looks rather big for you.”
Feyre chuckled, “It’s not for me. I have a friend who I think will love this blouse, so I’m getting it as a gift for her.”
Nodding in understanding, the female added up the price of all three items before looking back to Feyre. “Tax is included in the price, so that brings your total to one-hundred ten marks.”
Pulling the pouch from her side, Feyre counted out the gold and placed it on the counter. The assistant double checked her math before turning and placing it in the register. She wrote out a receipt but spoke before handing it over. “Since the blouse is for a friend would you like me to make a copy of the receipt so she can bring it in and exchange it just in case you haven’t gotten the right size?”
“That would be a good idea. I’m pretty sure I know her size, but just in case I would appreciate two receipts.”
Dipping her head, the female filled out another receipt and handed them over to Feyre. After that she made quick work of folding up the clothes and placing them into a paper bag. Sliding it across the counter towards her, the assistant beamed, “Here you go! I hope you like them!”
“I’m sure I’ll love them.” Feyre picked up the bag, “Thank you again for your help.”
“No problem! Please come back any time!”
“I probably will, you have a lovely selection here. I’ll have to bring my friend with me next time. She’d probably buy over half the things in here.”
The assistant giggled as Feyre started for the door, “We would be happy to help her too. You have a great day ma’am.”
“You as well!” Feyre called over her shoulder as she reached the door.
—
The walk back to the townhouse had been relatively uneventful save for a brief stop to admire a mural painted on the wall of one of the buildings she passed. When she got back, she quickly took the new clothes up to her room and removed the tags from them. Placing the green sweater on the hook in her room, she put the blue-gray one around her shoulders. Taking the pink blouse in her hands, she folded it back up before placing it in the bag once more.
It wasn’t fancy wrapping like what had been around some of the gifts she’d received, but it would serve its purpose.
Just as she finished she heard the front door open from downstairs followed by two voices. Rhys and Mor were back from their meeting.
Taking the bag in her hand, Feyre made her way down to the sitting room where the cousins were discussing the meeting.
“I swear they talk slowly on purpose!”
Mor flopped down dramatically onto one of the sofas as Rhys shook his head with a chuckle. Taking his place in the armchair closest to the fireplace he responded in turn, “All of them are over a thousand years old and sticklers for tradition.” He rolled his eyes, “They insist on speaking slowly and clearly when talking to royalty.”
“Ugh!” Mor leaned her head back over the arm of the couch, opening her mouth to continue whatever she had been ready to say, but grinned when her eyes landed on her. “Feyre! Is that a new sweater?”
Rhys looked over to her, glancing over the article of clothing in question with approval, “That color looks nice on you.”
Flipping over onto her stomach, Mor nodded excitedly in agreement, “It matches your eyes! Where did you get it? I want to get one like it!”
Feyre knew she should have seen that coming, “I got it at a shop in the Palace of Thread and Jewels. I can take you there sometime if you want.”
Mor beamed at the offer, “Ooo! Shopping trip! Count me in!”
Rhys gave an ever-suffering sigh, “Is there even room for you to live in your apartment anymore, or is it just filled floor to ceiling with clothes?”
Mor shot him a vulgar gesture, “Don’t come between a female and her clothes, cousin.” She turned back to Feyre now, gesturing to the bag in her hands, “What do you have there?”
“Something for you actually.” Feyre walked over, taking a seat on the free arm chair, “I saw it while I was shopping for the sweater, I thought you would like it.”
Mor sat up at that, smiling brightly as Feyre handed over the bag. Opening it, Morrigan squealed as she pulled the pink blouse from the bag. “Cauldron Feyre! This is beautiful!” She jumped to her feet, turning in the direction of the bathing chamber, “I’m gonna go try it on!”
Before either of the others could so much as speak, she rushed off with the blouse. Rhys snorted, “You certainly have Mor’s style nailed.”
Feyre shrugged, “It just looked like something I could see her wearing. It’s too fancy for me, but she seems to like fancier clothes.”
Rhys nodded, “She certainly does.” He looked over to her with a small smile, “Glad to see you’re finally using some of that paycheck I’m giving you.”
Feyre chuckled, “Then you’ll be happy to hear that I actually got myself two sweaters. I couldn’t choose between this one and the green one, so I got them both.”
Placing his feet up on the coffee table, Rhys gave an approving hum, “Good. What shade of green is it?”
“A forest green.”
For a moment he took on a thoughtful expression, “That sounds like it would go well with that light brown tunic you like to wear so much.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Before Feyre could say anything else, Mor came rushing out of the bathing chamber, wearing her new blouse, “This is so pretty and it fits perfectly!” She did a little twirl to show it off, causing the breezy fabric to flair out slightly. “Thank you so much, Feyre!”
She accepted the hug Mor gave her, “No problem. I’m glad you like it.”
“Like it?! I love it!” She ran her hands over the ruffles that accentuated her curves well, “I’m absolutely wearing this to dinner with the others later!”
“It looks nice on you, cousin.”
“Right! It matches so well with my complexion!” Mor bounced up onto her toes for a second before gasping, “I have to go back to my apartment and get the right shoes and earrings to match!”
Giving Feyre another hug and round of thanks, she waved to Rhys before winnowing away. Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Rhys chuckled to himself, “Mor and shoes…”
Feyre snorted at the comment, “I’m just glad it fit her. I guess I can throw away the gift receipt I got.”
Rhys nodded, “Certainly seems like it to me.”
They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments before Feyre remembered what had happened at the bank earlier. “Rhys, I had something I wanted to ask you.”
He blinked over to her, “And what would that be, Feyre Darling?”
“Did you accidentally deposit more money into my bank account than you intended?”
His brow furrowed in confusion, “I don’t think so…” With a wave of his hand, a ledger appeared and he read over it swiftly, “No, I deposited the amount I intended to.”
Feyre stared at him for a long moment before finding her voice, “By the Cauldron Rhys, how much are you paying me?!”
“Like I said before, the same amount as the others. I pay you–” He stopped, realization dawning in his gaze, “Ohhh I know where the confusion is coming from.”
“Please explain, because my jaw nearly hit the floor when I went to the bank earlier to withdraw the marks to buy my sweater and the female behind the desk told me how much money was in my account.”
“Not all the money in your account is from your paycheck.”
Feyre blinked at him, trying to figure out where the rest of it could have come from, but she couldn’t think of anything. “Then where did it come from?”
Letting out a breath, Rhys rubbed the back of his neck, “You’re gonna hate me for this.”
“Rhys…where did it come from?”
“It’s the money I made from betting on you in your first trial. I didn’t feel right keeping it when you were the one who actually earned it.” He sighed, “I actually made you an account and deposited it there not long after I got back to Velaris. I knew you would be coming to the Night Court on the bargain eventually, so I went ahead and set it aside for you.”
Feyre’s mind was reeling from what he had just told her. Not only was the amount of money in her account not a mistake, but it had been in her name for months. It took her a few tries to find any words, and when she did she didn’t even try to hide her shock, the question she ended up asking a ridiculous one. “Just how much did you make from betting on me?!”
He shrugged, “Well considering I was the only person who bet on you surviving the fight with the wyrm, I essentially took that entire cursed court for all their money.”
“Well I knew that part…but how much money?”
Chuckling, Rhys spoke once more, “One-hundred forty-eight thousand marks or so. I don’t remember the exact number now.” Feyre began to do the math in her head, but before she could complete the equations, he continued, “It’s also been in that account for roughly six months now with quite a high monthly interest rate, so not everything else in your account came from your paycheck either.”
Feyre wasn’t sure how to process just how wealthy she now was, “By the Cauldron…I can’t accept that much money from you.”
“I’m not taking it back.” Rhys summoned a decanter which had both the amber liquor he seemed to favor as well as a bottle of wine. He poured her a glass of the wine, handing it over to her before pouring himself a glass of the liquor. “Like I said, as far as I’m concerned, you earned that money fair and square. Especially since it wasn’t right for anyone to be placing bets on your life to begin with.”
Feyre gave him a playful scowl, “ You were one of the people betting on my life.”
“True. However, I didn’t start them, and I knew you could do it. Equally, while I didn’t need the money…” He smirked at her, “I knew it would be rather satisfying to royally piss off everyone in that horrid place by playing them for everything they were worth…Amarantha included.” He leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of his drink, “And I was right.” He snorted now, “I wish you could have seen the looks on the faces of Lucien’s brothers when they had to hand over their marks. It was priceless!”
Feyre shook her head, huffing lightheartedly, “I’m not too sure I would have been able to enjoy it at that moment. I was a little more concerned about my broken arm.”
Rhys gave a conceding tilt of his head, “That’s fair. Still, it might have taken some of the sting out of getting injured.”
Feyre shrugged, but thought back to the number she had been told earlier and her voice grew soft, “What am I supposed to do with that much money?”
Rhys took another sip of his drink before answering, “Whatever you want I suppose. It’s not like you need to worry about ever going hungry again. The funds are yours to do with as you please. It will be good for you not to have to worry about how much you’re spending on every little thing anymore.”
“While I admit it is nice to know I don’t have to worry about food, or clothes, or even lodgings anymore…I don’t think I could ever use that much money.” Feyre shook her head, “I would have been able to live comfortably without the lump sum you got from betting on me.”
Based on his blaise expression, Rhys wasn’t too concerned about the surplus of funds in her account, “You don’t have to use all of it, just keep it as a rainy day fund or something to that extent.”
Feyre rolled her eyes, “I can tell you’ve never had to worry about money.”
Rhys quirked a brow at her, “How so?”
“Because, having money isn’t overwhelming to you. I could barely process buying a sweater that cost forty marks, and only let myself get two of them because I knew one of you would buy the other one for me if I told you I didn’t get it myself.” She chuckled, “I doubt you’ve ever even batted an eye at a forty mark price tag.”
Rhys opened his mouth to correct her, but paused muttering to himself, “No that was Cassian…” After another moment, he shook his head, “No, I guess I never have.” He looked back to her after a long moment, “Regardless, being wealthy isn’t something to fret over, Feyre Darling.”
“It’s not being wealthy that has me so taken aback. It’s adjusting to an entirely new lifestyle while knowing that others don’t have enough to put dinner on the table.” Feyre’s mind wandered back to all the nights she, her sisters, and her father had gone to bed with growling stomachs because Feyre hadn’t been able to catch anything. Others in their village had more than enough to help them, but never even glanced in their direction.
“Charities.”
Feyre blinked up at the word, “Pardon?”
“If you’re not comfortable having that much money in your own account, there are multiple reputable charities in Velaris you could donate to. They help the neighboring villages and towns that weren’t protected like Velaris was. They range in everything from making sure growing younglings have new clothes to distributing food and other basic necessities. Some of them you can also volunteer your time to help rebuild any damages to the buildings and roads. Others you can volunteer as a tutor or childcare worker for the families that both parents are working to feed their kids and need someone to look after them in the afternoons.”
It certainly sounded like a better idea than letting the money just sit and collect dust in her account. “I assume you have a list of these reputable charities?”
A snap of his fingers and a piece of paper appeared in Rhys’s hand. Giving it to her he spoke once more, “All of those are reputable, the ones with stars next to them are the ones that I personally donate to.”
The list was expansive with far more options than Feyre ever could have come up with on her own. Next to each name was a short description of where the funds would go. There were the charities that Rhys had already mentioned, and far more. There was a charity for those with disabilities to be able to see a healer regularly and pay for any medications or medical equipment they needed. There was another for children who had less access to an education to be granted tutors or access to the city of Velaris to attend the highly acclaimed schools within its borders. Some helped struggling artists to purchase materials to make their crafts while still affording their basic necessities.
Already Feyre was facing a new dilemma, who to give to and how much. Immediately she decided to rule out the ones Rhys was already donating to since she was certain that with his wealth, he was more than likely single handedly keeping them running. That left her with almost half the page to work with.
A few drew her eye however. Especially one that assisted children with learning disabilities get through their schooling. Making sure they knew arithmetic and literature. It was something that hit close to home for her since she had only recently learned to read herself.
“Could I borrow a pen?”
Rhys summoned one without question and handed it over. Feyre made a notation next to that specific charity as well as one that helped families with food insecurity. She put her notations next to a few others before turning the paper back to Rhys to see what he thought of her decision.
He glanced over it and gave an approving nod, “Good choices, also quite a good idea to donate to the charities that aren’t already under my wing since they won’t need nearly as much.” He read a little down the page, and she watched his eyes soften, “I wondered if you would choose that one.”
“Which one.”
“The Children’s Learning Disability Foundation.”
Feyre felt a small blush creep onto her cheeks, but chose to ignore it, “Something like that would have been amazing for me when I was that age…something I’m sure you already know.”
Rhys dipped his head but didn’t comment on it, “They do a lot of research as well, looking into the best ways to teach children with different learning disabilities and what aids work best for them.”
Feyre certainly liked the sound of that, “Well I definitely want to put some of my money towards that.”
“A solid choice, as are all the others you’ve chosen.” Glancing over the options again, he turned back to her, “Would you like some help deciding exactly how much to put towards each?”
“Shouldn’t I just split it equally?”
Rhys shook his head, “Not necessarily. Some of these charities get official grant’s from taxes paid by the citizens of Velaris. Every few years they have the chance to vote on where some of the funds they pay taxes for go. A lot of it goes into the upkeep of the city itself, but the rest is left to a vote. Moreover, imports and exports to and from the Night Court are also taxed, so that’s even more money that can be distributed. The vote was most recently taken right after I got back to Velaris. Therefore, as it stands right now, the charities that help the surrounding villages and towns have the tax funding since it is one of the more pressing issues, so they won’t be struggling as much with funding.”
Feyre’s head spun with the information, she knew the people of the Night Court didn’t pay a tithe like in Spring, but now she knew how they actually contributed to the Court. Not only that but they had some say in where their money went. It was actually quite a clever system. “In that case I wouldn’t know where to start…”
Rhys chuckled, “Well, thankfully I have quite a bit of experience with it and just so happen to know exactly how much each charity is receiving from tax grants. One of the benefits of being High Lord.” He held his hand out for the pen he’d given her and she gave it back just as readily. He made a few notes on the paper and handed it back to her. “I’ve marked which ones you’ve selected that get money from the taxes in order from which receives the most to the least. If you give me access to your bank account, I can help you pull the exact amounts I think would be appropriate from it to donate.”
“Don’t you already have access to my account?”
Rhys shook his head, “Only to make deposits since I’m technically your employer. Your name is the only one on the account and thus only you can make withdrawals unless you specifically give someone else permission to do so.”
“I suppose that makes sense…”
Feyre looked back to the paper, the original words and both of their notes were beginning to blend together, her still fledgling reading skills struggling to keep up. Rhys must have seen something change in her expression because with a snap of his fingers the paper duplicated. One held just the names and descriptions of the charities. The other held only the charities she had selected and beneath it was both of their notations written in neat bullet points that were far easier to read than the jumbled messes they had been in the margins.
“Thanks…”
“Not a problem. It was getting confusing for even me.”
Feyre felt a bit of gratitude that Rhys wasn’t just singling her out for her illiteracy, but taking some of the reasoning onto himself. It helped her not feel as incompetent.
“If you would like, I can also teach you how to use a ledger, it will help you keep track of just how much you’re spending and what that money is going towards.”
She liked the sound of that, it would be another way for her to have control over her own life without depending on others to do the math for her. Looking up she nodded more eagerly than she had intended.
Chuckling, Rhys got to his feet, “Let’s go to my study so we can work at a desk.”
Gathering the papers, Feyre quickly followed him.
—
It was a few hours later when Feyre leaned back in the chair sitting across the desk from Rhys. He hadn’t just helped her figure out how much to donate to charity, but also helped her to budget what she would be making in her position as Emissary to the Human Lands. It was still far more than she knew what to do with, but he helped her decide how much she wanted to put towards new clothes, food, and miscellaneous expenditures.
He’d also promised that in the morning he would accompany her to the bank and help her set up a savings account that she could deposit some of each paycheck into. It had a higher interest rate and had more hoops for her to jump through to make a withdrawal to dissuade her from taking money from it unless absolutely necessary.
When they had decided on an amount to put into the savings account, Rhys had pulled out his own ledger, one that held the salaries each person in the Inner Circle made and where that money went. He’d divided her line from a single lump sum into two separate lines. That way when he made the deposit for her paycheck, the allotted amount would automatically go to her savings account, saving her a trip to the bank.
Another thing they would be doing at the bank the next day would be another choice of expenditure she’d made. A part of her savings would be donated bi-annualy to the charities of her choosing. That way Feyre would be able to give a sum of money to them every six months instead of going back and forth to all of them every time she got paid.
Rhys smiled as he glanced over the papers in front of them, “You have a way with budgeting. It’s going to be nice to have someone in the Inner Circle that isn’t hemorrhaging marks left, right, and center.”
Feyre couldn’t help but giggle, “Well, I had to learn fast or not at all. Every mark was the difference between life and starvation if I wasn’t careful.”
There was a brief shadow that crossed Rhys’s eyes, but it vanished before she could decipher its meaning. “I’m sorry you had to learn that so young, but rest assured, your finances will never be that tight again. Not if I have anything to say about it at least.”
Feyre felt another flush of gratitude, something that had become commonplace throughout their conversation. Yes, having money was nice, but it was the independence that came with it that she was truly thankful for. No longer did she have to ask someone else for things she wanted. All she had to do was take a quick stroll to the bank, withdraw the money she had set aside for the budget in mind and head to the shops herself.
She controlled when things would be purchased, what they were, and how much they cost. It was another piece of freedom she hadn’t realized had been stripped from her. One Rhys had given her without question. In fact he had seemed rather eager for her to learn it. She wasn’t being kept on a tight leash here. There was no leash at all. She made her own choices now, and decided her own future.
Feyre couldn’t stop the small sigh of relief she gave as she sank further into her chair, one that drew Rhys’s attention. “What was that about?”
Feyre smiled softly, “Just realizing how much of my freedom I’ve been missing out on, and how thankful I am to have it back.” When he gave her a confused glance, she explained further, “I didn’t realize just how stifling it was to have everything bought for me, to have no idea how much was being spent, and having no say in what was purchased. Now I have a bank account of my own with budgets in place that I had a say in making, and I get to choose exactly what those marks go towards within a specific budget.” She shook her head with a scoff, “I will never wear another frilly dress as long as I live!”
Rhys let out a long breath, “You manage to make any dress look immaculate…but I must agree elegance suits you far better than tulle and lace.”
Their eyes met and she knew they were both thinking of that gods-awful wedding dress she had been wearing the first time she’d been brought to the Night Court. Both of them started to snicker until they were outright laughing, and Feyre was barely able to choke her words out. “C-Cauldron! That thing w-was atrocious!”
Rhys ran a hand through his hair, trying to reign in his own laughter, “Gods Feyre, you looked like a puffball!”
“I-I did!” The comment sent them roaring again, “P-Please tell me you burned that thing!”
“I misted it the first chance I got!”
“Good!”
The pair of them took a few minutes to regain their bearings which by the end had them both wiping tears from their eyes. After a deep breath Rhys looked back over to her, “In all seriousness, no one here is going to force you to wear anything. Mor might give quite a few suggestions, but you always have the right to decline.”
Feyre smiled at that, “It’s greatly appreciated, though I trust Mor’s style choices far more than Ianthe’s.”
“I don’t blame you in the slightest. Was that dress her idea?”
Feyre shrugged, “A mix of her and Tamlin. Something about it being traditional for a bride of Spring to wear something like it.” She shuddered, “I hated it from the first time I saw it.”
Rhys shook his head, “Understandable. I knew you certainly hadn’t picked it out.”
“Gods no!” Feyre rolled her eyes, “I tend to agree with your assessment, elegance is more my style if I need to wear something fancy.”
Rhys glanced down to his own immaculate tunic and jacket, “I may be a bit biased, but I personally think elegance is the height of fashion.”
Feyre snorted, “I never would have guessed.”
Rhys paused for a moment before speaking, his voice a bit softer than before. “Had you been allowed to choose…I hate even saying that.” He looked disgusted for a moment before continuing, “If you had been allowed to choose, what would you have chosen for your wedding dress?”
Feyre had to think about it, she had been so mentally broken at the time that she hadn’t given it much thought. Before that she had never really imagined herself getting married or would have had the money for anything lavish, and thus hadn’t been the type of girl to fantasize about her dream wedding dress.
“Well, I guess I’ll start with elegance. Something that fit more closely to my body…perhaps half sleeves. No lace, but a simple pattern stitched on the bodice to add some texture. Other than that I wouldn’t have the first clue.”
Rhys nodded, clearly trying to imagine what she had described, “I can say this much, what you just described would suit you far better than whatever that abomination was that Tamlin and Ianthe chose for you.”
Feyre’s tone was dry, “Anything would suit me better than that.”
“True.”
Rhys opened his mouth to say more but the front door opening downstairs cut him off. A moment later Morrigan’s voice rang through the townhouse, “Are you two coming to dinner or not?!”
The pair of them shared a wide-eyed glance before looking at the grandfather clock in the corner. They had been so wrapped up in the ledgers that neither of them had noticed the time slipping away.
Rhys grimaced before calling back, “On our way now!”
Feyre could hear Mor grumble something but couldn’t make out what it was as the door opened and closed again. Rhys got to his feet and Feyre followed suit.
“Well, we should get up there before Mor and Cassian come to drag us up to the House of Wind.”
*****
Feyre nodded in agreement and followed Rhys up to the roof, allowing him to pick her up before he summoned his wings and flew them up to where their family had been waiting for them.