Rielen's face had definitely taken some damage there. Hyla had masterfully led her from the room. 'What is wrong with me?' She screamed into her pillow so Hyla wouldn't run into the room. 'You have already told him you love him. Why are you reacting like this?'
In fact, telling Eon she loved him was easier than expressing the physical attraction she felt for him. For seven years, all she had done was study, study, and study. She had no experience with this sort of thing. Half the time she spent with Eon was studying as well!
'I am a failure of a woman!' Rielen shouted silently at herself. Hyla came to check on her charge, and noticed she was still awake. "His abs were fantastic weren't they, Miss?" She decided to tease her. Another deep shade of crimson came across Rielen's face. "Was I really that obvious?" Rielen put her head in her hands.
"Being attracted to a man is a normal part of growing up." Hyla sat down beside Rielen and placed her arms around the girl. "I am almost 23. Most girls would have been married off by now!" she yelled. Hyla was rubbing her back. "I have watched you grow from a small little girl. You are just blooming a little late, like those flowers you take such good care of."
Hyla held her until eventually she fell asleep. Pulling the covers around her tiny little master, she felt content. 'She is growing up to be a wonderful woman.' Hyla felt like a second mother to Rielen. She was happy that her master hadn't been sold off like the other girls.
She got to experience her first love, and may even have the choice to pick who she will marry. She often helped the other girls as they were packing up to leave the Academy. The sense of dread they always showed frightened Hyla. She would then see an announcement of a marriage in the Nobility soon after with those girls' names.
She wasn't sure, but it seemed the girls in the Academy were just being used, as the horses her father raised were. Breeding stock. She began to learn more about the issue as she became acquainted with Greg. The dangers her master faced on a daily basis had stiffened her resolve to protect her.
That is why she decided that she would protect her master until the end. Giving minimal reports on her activities, and giving her more freedom. She knew Eon wasn't a threat to her master. She often thanked the young man in her heart for bringing such beautiful smiles to her master's face.
Rielen woke up with deep circles around her eyes. As she stared at the mirror, she groaned. 'Well, we must fix this.' It was not recommended to use healing magic on yourself, but Karla had made Rielen master the art. "You don't want to end up dead on the battlefield because you couldn't even treat yourself, do you?"
So Rie had put in the time to learn the techniques given to her by her teacher. It was this training that had given her such incredible focus. The idea was that if you could work through the pain of an injury to heal yourself, you could survive. Of course, she didn't know where she would end up once she graduated from the Elite Academy.
If she was chosen, then becoming the Queen was once a process. If she wasn't chosen, then she would most likely have to get married immediately. There were no houses created by females. They married into the houses. All of her friends had been married. Some even had children by now.
She was often invited to tea parties by Tryna and the others. The stress of new motherhood showed on all their faces. They would each beg her for information on what the Elite Academy was like. Who was the hottest in her class, and so on. Rielen would shy away from those topics.
Of course, they would immediately grab onto any topic, including Eon. Each of their husbands were at least a decade older than the woman. They often felt like their magical abilities were going to waste, running a household for men that were never home. Their only solitude was watching their young children grow up.
Rielen would often leave these parties feeling pity for her once ecstatic companions. In fact, she was the only one not married out of every girl she had spent time with at the Academy. Even those several years younger than her.
She often wondered why the King still left her at the Elite Academy. What could he possibly gain by allowing her to stay there? From his actions over the last few years, she was convinced that he didn't believe that she could become the next ruler. Clearly, he thought his son would take over for him.
It was actually expected that the next ruler to be chosen would be his son. Daisuke often spoke like he would be the next ruler. A lot of the students followed him around like they were already trying to get on his good side. "Pathetic" was the word that always came to mind when Rielen observed this.
All of them were supposed to be equal until after the ceremony of the third year. For the only ones to choose the rulers of the Autra Kingdom were the Spirits of the Kingdom. They had been taught this over and over. Rie knew that the only thing keeping her in the Academy was that the King hadn't decided who she was to marry yet. Meaning that the one he had decided on was not eligible yet. 'If I have to marry that foolish son of his… No,' she shook her head. It hadn't come to that yet.