Chapter 0042
Chapter 0042
Violet
A few moments of silence passed and I turned back to my laptop to pick up my work, discarding options and keeping others.
“Why would you want to build a college?” I set my jaw at the question. “The Academy’s not good enough for you?”
I took a deep breath and looked at him. I wanted to tell him it’s none of his business, but I refrained.
Maybe… Maybe if he saw that my stance on the issues of women’s rights and agency in Midnight wasn’t a new thing it might help open his mind.
I took a deep breath and turned back to my laptop.
“Given the alpha king’s overarching laws, there is only so much that women can do or be. Many young women–omegas and those who aren’t–want education. They want jobs and opportunities, but they can’t get that kind of higher education in Darkmoon. Their families either won’t pay for it or won’t let them go to the Academy or anywhere to pursue it.” I glanced at him. “They’d rather keep them in the territory and going to mating balls instead.”
His expression shifted slightly, a mix of guilt, but it was short lived.
“I understand that being the alpha’s daughter gave me a certain amount of privilege, so I’m using my position to make it accessible as much as I can.” I shook my head. “I want to give all I can a better chance of standing on their own, so they aren’t forced into bad situations simply because they don’t have the means to better themselves. This college would provide them a chance to stand on their own, to learn and grow in ways that would empower them.”
“Your mother was a breeder.”
“And she was highly educated,” I said, cocking an eyebrow. “What’s your point?”
He winced. “That’s… unusual for a breeder.”
“My mother was from beyond the borders.”
His eyes widened. He looked down. His eyes shifted from side to side.
“Have you ever gone to where she’s from?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why do you ask?”
“Curiosity.”
“Yes,” I said. My lips twitched. “I went there several times before she died.” I sighed. “I haven’t been able to in a while with all the changes going on, but I plan to make a trip soon.”
Theodore hummed. “You really think they care all that much about college?”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0042
“I think they care a great deal about not being at the mercy of whatever man is deemed good enough for them.” I replied, my voice steady with conviction. “Education is the key to independence. Independence can lead to choices, and I can’t conceive of a world in which a woman having choices about how she can live her life could be a bad thing.”
He looked out the window. “You feel strongly about it.”
“I think most women do, but they don’t have the platform to say it. They deserve to.” My eyes stung a bit. “I always thought that if I had a daughter, I would want her to have all the freedom I had and more.‘
Theodore nodded slowly, clearly mulling over what I had said. “It sounds like a noble cause, but it’s not going to be easy. You’d need the alpha king’s permission to open a university.”
I scoffed. “No, I don’t.”
He frowned. “I’m pretty sure the law says that you do. For accreditation to be applicable in other territories, you need the sanction of the alpha king.”
“Or…?” I asked, staring at him expectantly.
He frowned, blinking. “Or nothing.”
I sighed. “A college is designated a college, fully accredited and established if at least half of the professing staff were educated and accredited at the Werewolf Kingdom Royal Academy.” His eyes widened. “If a majority of a class of the college can test into the Werewolf Kingdom Royal Academy’s graduate program, the college will then become a collegiate university.” “But you can’t get half a college’s worth of professors in such a short time frame.”
I smiled at him. “Can’t I?”
He blinked. “You can’t.”
“If you say so.” I chuckled. “But you’re wrong.”
The carriage jolted slightly as we hit a bump in the road, but I held my laptop firmly and took- another note.
“There’s no way you can convince upwards of thirty graduates to come teach at your college for a bunch of people that barely got out of high school.”
I glared at him. “Darkmoon’s women have a 95% graduation rate with an above B average, and I don’t need to explain my plan to you.”
