"What's wrong with you today? You hurriedly brought Ajelina to my place for breakfast early in the morning, and you looked restless."
On Sunday morning, at the Carina Manor outside the city, the Duchess sat on the sofa in the study with a cup of tea in her hand, frowning as she looked at Lesia across the coffee table.
The princess pursed her lips and said nothing, tilting her head to look out the window, as if there was some beautiful scenery there, and her face was a little uneasy. So the witch teased again:
"You look like someone put a bean under the sofa cushion. If you're uncomfortable, how about I ask Tifa to get you another cushion?"
After she finished speaking, the black-haired maid was about to prepare the cushions, but was stopped by Leicia:
"No, I just..."
She was too embarrassed to talk about what happened at Xia De's house last night, nor was she able to explain what "phantom pain" was - it wasn't actually painful. Instead, she asked:
"Have you decided on a time to go to the Green Lake area?"
"Yes, the negotiations have already started for half a month, and it's time to leave. Today is Sunday, and the plan is to leave before the weekend of next week. We have a lot of people accompanying us, so we will move slowly. When the time comes, there will be many people to see us off, and this kind of treatment is not always available."
She smiled at her two nieces and grandnieces:
"Lecia, you can't go to the Green Lake area with me. Your father won't allow it. But Ajelina, do you want to go with me? Just to broaden your horizons."
The little princess was a little tempted, but she still looked at her sister. Leisia didn't care:
"It's up to you to decide, but if you really go along, it's definitely not for you to have fun."
As the ladies of the Cavendish family were talking, the maid outside knocked on the door to inform them that Shad was coming to visit and had already entered the courtyard in a carriage.
A bright smile suddenly appeared on the red-haired Duchess' face. She stood up and asked Tifa to check her clothes, then she went downstairs to greet Shad with a smile.
Leicia and Ajelina sat there without moving. Five or six minutes later, they came back together. Tifa was holding the roses brought by Shade and hugging Mia, while the witch was holding a small gift from Shade - a gradient red rose made of metal.
Made from eight metal pieces from relic derivatives, the gift isn't very valuable, but it's unique enough.
Although Leicia knew yesterday that Xia De was no longer so angry, she still felt a little worried and guilty when she really saw Xia De at this time. She stood up from the sofa, pursed her lips and didn't know what to say. After Ajelina greeted Xia De, she hesitated and said:
"Good morning, Shade... Sorry."
The witch who walked to the sofa with Shade raised her eyebrows and looked back and forth at the two of them. Shade also looked at Leicia:
"What did you promise last night?"
"I won't do that again. Even if I have to do something rash like this, I will tell you in advance."
She said, and Shade walked up to her and hugged her gently. This action worked better than any words, and the red-haired princess finally breathed a sigh of relief:
"Absolutely, absolutely there won't be a next time."
Shade asked Resia and Ajelina to come here last night, not to let Carina, the elder, scold Resia again, but to confirm whether Ajelina Cavendish, who was on the verge of awakening, would go to Zarath Academy of Literature or follow the witch. Resia and Miss Carina had already discussed this, and also asked for Ajelina's own opinion.
"It's the first time since the founding of Delarion that the royal family has two ring sorcerers in the same generation. From my perspective, I don't really want Ajelina to become a witch. Although it means power, it also comes with a price."
Miss Carina said, still looking at Shade and Leicia with great interest, wondering what happened yesterday.
Leicia sat opposite Shade, with Ajelina beside her. The sadness on her face since she came this morning finally disappeared, but her behavior was still strange at this time. She blushed when she saw Shade. But except for the two of them, no one else here knew why.
She also said to Shade:
"Ajelina herself also wants to become a witch. After testing, it was found that she does have unique talents. But the problem now is that Great Aunt Carina said that all the great witches have no plans to recruit apprentices."
Xia De looked at Ajelina. The seventeen-year-old princess, who was wearing a sky blue dress, had a look of disappointment on her face.
Miss Carina explained:
"For a great witch, a formal apprentice means a possible successor in the future. For example, I have been training Tifa. Unless something unexpected happens, I will not recruit a second apprentice for decades. Other great witches are in similar situations. They either do not plan to train new apprentices or are not suitable to be Ajelina's teacher."
She shook her head.
"Sylvia is the youngest Great Witch, and she doesn't have any apprentices right now. I asked her, but unfortunately, Ajelina's math grades are not good, at least not at an excellent level according to Sylvia's standards. The Great Witch of Space doesn't want an apprentice who is not good at math. What's more, it is difficult to judge whether she has a talent for space now."
"So, you plan to enroll Ajelina in Zarathus Academy of Arts?"
Shade asked, pointing to the sky, which represented the floating city.
Leicia nodded:
"Yes, after she officially awakens, let her enroll in the Zaras Academy of Literature. However, although she cannot become a witch apprentice for the time being, she can become a witch's follower and give her some of the witch's power."
Possessing the power of a witch is not without cost. Leicia has never considered this, but Ajelina seems to be ready.
"Her Excellency the Speaker agrees with this approach. She believes that it is a good thing to maintain a connection with the royal family. Since Ajelina wants to be close to the parliament, the Speaker is also happy to do so. Besides, it will be easier to contact the power of the witch upon awakening, and the cost will be less."
The Duchess continued, and Leisia was thinking of something else:
"When Ajelina officially awakens, father will no longer worry so much about her marriage. After all, the value of a ring wizard in the family and an ordinary princess is completely different. Ajelina, the things you have been worrying about are finally over."
"Sister, I don't want to go to school in Zharas. Can I stay in Tobesk?"
Ajelina was of course happy about this, but she didn't want to leave just like that. She glanced at Shade while she spoke. Leisia could certainly understand her sister's thoughts:
"Of course you can. You can become a correspondence student like Shade. I didn't want to stay in the academy forever, so I chose to switch from a formal student to a correspondence student. After all, being away from Tobesk means being away from the political center. But you have to think about it. That floating city is really great. The experience of living with alien races and classmates is not something you can always have... ... That's all for the future. After all, you haven't officially awakened yet."
"We'll make plans for the future later. I think this is good enough now."
The witch pointed to the door and said in a commanding tone:
"Okay, we've finished talking about your business. Leicia, Ajelina, let's go back to the city now. The weather is so nice today, girls, don't stay here and waste your spring time."
She held the hand of Xia De who was sitting next to her, with a big smile on her face:
"Shad is here to date me today, so don't waste my time. I won't be able to see him again when I leave for the Green Lake area next week.
The expressions on Resia's and Ajelina's faces were very similar at this moment. Resia was reluctant to leave Shad before saying goodbye. Her and Dorothy's reckless behavior last night had left a deep lesson for the two girls. In Shad's opinion, this was a good thing. At least there would be no next time. He was sure of this.
As for Leisia's fear of being disliked by him, he could understand her anxiety. But in a few weeks, this matter would be completely over, and there would be no unsolvable conflicts in the family.
As for the date with the witch this Sunday afternoon, it lasted until about three o'clock. The Duke of Carina Cavendish, who had been busy recently, also needed to adjust her state. After driving away the princesses, seeing that the weather was good today, she took Shade and her maids out for a horseback outing.
Although the area of the Carina Manor is limited to the walls, in fact, most of the nearby farms, orchards and land belong to her.
The Duchess took Shade to confirm the boundaries of her land, race horses on the forest paths in early spring, take walks in the orchard, and return to the estate at noon for a picnic on the grass in the courtyard.
In the afternoon, they read books together in the study, talked about new topics in their lives, and planned their action plans in the Green Lake area. Even the arrival of Yin Luna, who came to study every week around 1:30, did not disturb the witch's good mood.
When Yin Luna pushed the door and entered the study, she happened to see Xia De sitting on the chair behind the desk, and the witch sat on his lap and kissed him, which made Yin Luna a little unhappy. But looking at Yin Luna's expression, she no longer had the hesitation and panic when she suddenly visited Xia De on Friday afternoon. She had completely returned to normal.
The witch did not postpone Yin Luna's class today because of her date with Xia De. Xia De happened to be there, so she instructed Xia De and Yin Luna to practice against each other. Of course, this was no longer a cold weapon fight between Xia De and Sister Defulin, but a real battle between spellcasters.
Both Xia De and Yin Luna held back and didn't use any powerful magic, but the afternoon training was still very effective. Yin Luna also taught Xia De how to attack with "giantization" again, and the witch also gave her own ideas and suggestions, which were very useful.
However, at about three o'clock, the eunuch of the Jodel Palace brought a letter asking Miss Carina to go to the city to see His Majesty the King:
"There's been a lot going on lately."
Even though she was reluctant, she still had to leave. So Miss Carina arranged for Yin Luna to complete the new witch secrets learning task she left behind in the manor, and then let Shade walk around the manor or take a rest in the bedroom. The date would last a whole day, and Shade couldn't leave now. She didn't take Tifa into the city with her, but asked her head maid to take care of Shade and Yin Luna in the manor.
When the Duchess and the other two maids left in the carriage, and Yin Luna took the parchment containing the new witch secrets to the basement to prepare for the ceremony, the black-haired head maid gently tugged at the corner of Shade's clothes at the door of the manor house:
"Shad, what are you going to do next?"
Shade turned and looked at her. Tifa's smiling dark brown eyes were very beautiful.
He thought for a moment:
"I wonder if Mia has woken up from her nap. Or maybe it would be nice to go to the study and read a book until Karina comes back."
Tifa's beautiful eyes continued to stare at him, but there was a hint of hesitation and charm in the depths of her eyes:
"Any other plans?"
She playfully winked at Xia De with her left eye, and Xia De also blinked:
"you mean... ... "
She smiled, then took Shade's hand and asked him to follow her. The two soon came to the second room on the right on the third floor, which was very close to the master bedroom. It was Tifa's room. Although she was a maid, she did not live with other maids, and Miss Carina never really regarded her as her own maid.
The layout of this room was very similar to the guest room that Shade had stayed in before, except that it had some decorations that were unique to girls' rooms. The interior decoration was not that luxurious, but simple yet had Tifa's own style. The desk was very tidy, and her apron was draped over the back of the chair pushed into the middle of the desk. There were some landscape paintings on the wall, and the only photo was a photo of Tifa and the Duchess, who looked no older than 13 years old.
There was a special fresh scent in the room that was not in the corridor. It was the first time for Xia De to enter here, but he did not observe the room more carefully. The maid in black and white maid dress stepped back, smiled at Xia De, and used her body to close the door.
Her face was glowing with a rosy red glow, a color more seductive than any makeup. She looked at him with her big eyes, one hand behind her back, deliberately pausing to let him see the slight movement of her shoulder, then she locked the door with a click, and raised her other hand to unbutton the first button under her collar:
"Since the Duke is away for the time being, we..."
All in all, it was indeed a fun, relaxing spring weekend afternoon.