Letty has been earning points at an astonishing rate. She collected 5,000 SP in just two months after buying the Massage skill. Over time, the massages yielded less and less SP because I got accustomed to them. After two months, it dropped to 75-100 SP from 100-150 SP. It's still fast, but I think that the system expects us to make use of more skills, rather than repeating the same actions. Letty upgraded my Talent to B-grade.
Well, it's not like we need to worry about leveling and progressing anyway. We can progress at our own pace, there is no need to hurry needlessly.
We estimated the time required for Letty to collect 10,000 SP for our next goal, which is upgrading my Talent to A-grade to be about four to five months (accounting for the drop in SP). And sure enough, it happened. In these 7-8 months, I made sure to pamper Letty as much as possible. We played, went on outings with Miss Nora, bought cute outfits, and spent most of our days together.
I also exchanged a bunch of letters with Sophia and Beatrice. I didn't want to be related to Beatrice in any way, but if I outright ignored her letters, she might come looking for trouble. So I replied while maintaining boundaries through my words. Sophia, on the other hand, seemed pretty genuine about wanting to be friends with me. She often wrote about her daily life and about her brother. She was a closet bro-con, always writing about how she wanted to follow in her brother's footsteps and become a strong swordsman. She seemed pretty confident about awakening a swordsman/knight Talent. I'm worried about what she'll do if she doesn't awaken such Talent. Well, she's half a year younger than me, so we'll find out soon enough.
***
The night before Aria's tenth Birthday,
Even though I know what's gonna happen, I'm still unable to fall asleep. I can't help but feel scared- what if it doesn't work? I look at the moving figure beside me.
"What happened, Aria? Can't fall asleep?" Letty groggily asked.
"Yeah, I'm just lost in thoughts. Moreover, Dad is hosting a ceremony in the evening. Things better go as expected" I said while looking at her smiling figure. Looking at her calm face gives me a sense of peace as well.
"I'm sure it'll all go as you are expecting. Don't overthink it. Here," She said while extending her hands outward.
I accepted her embrace lightly.
"I'll sing you the song that you sang for me back then" She said, referring to a lullaby I sang years ago to make her fall asleep.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star…" Oh my sweet, sweet Letty, to think I might have to leave you for some dumb academy.
Her singing helped me take my mind off tomorrow. Soon, I fell asleep in her arms.
***
I woke up and instantly called, 'Status'.
==============
Name – Aria Ernius
Level – 1 (0/10 EXP)
Sex – Female
Age – 10
Class – Scholar (Magic Engineer)
Talent – A
HP – 10/10
MP – 10/10
--------------------
Stats –
STR – 10
AGL – 8
INT – 13
DEX – 10
CHA – 12
==============
'Phew, the skill worked!'
"How is it?" Letty asked.
I gave her a thumbs up, and she leaped in for a hug.
"I'm so happy for you, and a very happy tenth birthday, Aria" She said with a cheerful smile.
"Thank you, Letty. It's all thanks to you. Thank you so much for coming into my life" I can't thank her enough. Without her, I would have been a no-name. With Letty here, I can do whatever I want. Do I even deserve her?
"Let's go. Lady Martha and Sir Baron must be waiting" She snapped me out of my thoughts.
I got dressed quickly and made my way to the dining room, where I could see them waiting for me.
"Mom, Dad. It worked! I awakened an A-grade Talent as a Scholar!"
"That's great news, Baby" Dad said while carrying me in his arms. "And happy birthday, my baby" he kissed my cheek.
"Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from my daughter" Mom tried to act cool. But it won't work if you can't control your expression, dear Mom. Hehehe.
I hugged them both.
"Happy birthday, dear" Mom said. "I hope you won't mind waiting until tomorrow for your present"
"Thank you, Mom. Of course I don't mind" who cares about a birthday gift anyway.
Then she picked me up, just like Dad did and kissed me twice on both cheeks. I swear, I saw her sneer at dad. Nah, why would she do that? It was probably my imagination.
She let me down and we settled on the dining table.
"Be prepared for your awakening ceremony, okay Baby?" Dad said.
"She will be alright. She's a smart kid" Mom replied in my stead.
"But still. People might try to belittle you for awakening as a Scholar. But don't mind them, we are very proud of you and will support you in any decision you make" Dad said.
Scholar is jokingly called the 'old man's Class'. That's because most inventions or discoveries take a long time to research and develop. Especially with the lack of communication methods in this world, sharing knowledge is solely based on papers and books. That too is controlled by the kings of each kingdom so as to prevent foreigners from benefiting from your work.
"Yes Dad, I won't let anyone provoke me. Now let's eat, before the food gets colder"
***
Currently I am sitting in front of the mirror in my room while Mom is standing right behind the maids who are doing their job. She's kind of pissed at me for refusing the maids in my room.
Am I wrong, though? Why would I willingly become a dress-up doll for these maids? They have been going at it for an hour already and are still not showing any signs of stopping. God, I hate heavy makeup and dressing.
I wore a dark-blue ballgown with heavy make-up. I had my hair tied upwards. If I were to be honest, I looked absolutely gorgeous.
"Mom, enough already. I'm ready, let's go" I pleaded.
"Sigh, we are running out of time anyway. That's enough maids, you can leave" She dismissed the maids. "Aww, my daughter looks so adorable. If not for the fear of ruining your make-up, I'd bombard you with kisses already"
"Stop. I hate it. And when will Letty come here?"
"Yeah, yeah, you and your Letty. Hah, she'll join us on stage. I asked the head maid take care of her attire" She said.
"Really? Thank you, Mom"
I walked out to the ceremony hall with Mom and Dad holding each of my hands. Letty walked right behind us. She wore a simpler blueish white dress, complementing my attire. She looked really pretty as well. She can easily pass for my sister. We walked through the hall amid a huge round of applause from various nobles. A lot of people came for the ceremony. I spotted Sophia in the front, standing beside her father.
The huge hall was divided in the middle by the red carpet that we just walked through. A moderate level of lighting was maintained by the huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Soft music was playing in the background, muffled by all the talks of various nobles. The hall easily housed the over fifty people present in it, with each family having a small table reserved for them. For a ceremony hosted by a baron, this number is already huge. But Dad probably only invited the important people. Or else, there is no shortage of people trying to get favors from Dad, due to him being, well, 'him'.
On the stage, my dad started his speech,
"Welcome to each and every lady and gentleman present today to celebrate this wondrous occasion of my daughter, Aria Ernius's awakening ceremony. Thank you all for your blessings and good wishes. In a few moments, the Grand Priest of Swindfort Church, Priest Hermon, shall grace us with his presence to check my daughter's first Status. Until then, I hope you enjoy the grand feast and wish my daughter a great future"
"Cheers!" He held out a toast, and everyone responded.
A few minutes later, as announced, the Grand Priest arrived, performed the ritual, and cast a small blessing on me. He then proceeded to use the Appraisal Stone and announced my Talent and Class.
Upon hearing A-Grade Talent, everyone was shocked, but as soon as they heard my Class, they all gave the expected reaction.
Some pitied me for having a near useless class, some ridiculed my Class by calling it 'Old man's class', while some were happy that the Ernius household didn't birth a prodigy. Even the Grand Priest showed me a pitied look and left.
Dad broke the ice by clapping, and soon the entire hall followed.
It didn't bother me a lot, but it did bother Letty. She was frowning hard at those who laughed at my Class. I held her hand and said,
"Easy there. Don't mind them, I'm okay" I calmed her down.
After that, we sat on the stage while people came to our seats one by one with their families to give their regards.
After a few rounds, I was already bored of maintaining a fake smile throughout the conversations. Some of them even introduced their sons as potential suitors. How dare they? Hah, control~ breath in, breath out. Just smile.
After a few more rounds, Sophia arrived with her dad. Her father is a bulky, huge muscleman, contrary to her small and frail appearance. They wished me good luck and Sophia said,
"It'd be alright. You can still attend the Royal Academy with your A-Grade Talent, if you try hard enough. If you are sad, please allow me to stay here" She apparently misunderstood.
"I'm not sad about my Class, in fact, I love it. But thanks for worrying about me" I told her, giving her my genuine smile.
"Really? That's great. I'm so happy for you and happy birthday!" she shook my hand.
"Thank you so much"
She left the stage with her Dad and the rest of the people continued greeting me one by one.
After what felt like a lifetime, the ceremony ended. Even Letty was tired, and she doesn't get tired easily. I got seven different marriage proposals. Much to my surprise, two of which were girls. But I rejected everyone instantly, making it clear that I have no intention of choosing a marriage partner.
After everyone left, an official from the Royal Academy arrived and handed me an invite for the entrance exam, which is to be held in a week. He said,
"Lady Aria Ernius, please don't be discouraged by the words of the other nobles. Scholar is a very respectable Class. As the number of seats in the Academy is very limited for Scholar, the entrance exam may be too hard for you. Please don't give up and keep trying, until you eventually get in. Most of the people are able to get in by their fourth or fifth try" He pleaded.
"Ridiculous. My daughter will easily pass the entrance exams on her first try. She is a genius after all" Mom said. Hah, so much pressure on little-old me.
"Lady Ernius, please don't joke around. In the entire history of the Royal Academy, the youngest person to ever get admission was thirteen years old. And he was the Great Asmador, the inventor of the stable magic circuits, now used in almost every magic device. Please don't slander our Academy, with your absurd claims" He said.
"And what if she does? I bet you 1,000 gold coins that she'll pass on her first attempt. What's your wager?" She challenged him. Hearing her words, his face changed from frowning to contemplating.
"Mom, please stop. You are putting too much pressure on me" I said.
"Betting is unbefitting for an educator. But tell you what? If you manage to get in on your first try, I'll do any favors you ask for, Aria Ernius. How about it?" He asked me.
"Why though? I don't want to. If I fail, I fail. I'll try next time. What's the rush?" I asked, both Mom and him.
"I know Lady Ernius always keeps her word. So if she has so much confidence in you, I don't mind doing favors for a prodigy. If you miraculously pass, find me for your favors. My name is Lewis Kieston"
Saying so, he left.
I glared at Mom for causing the scene. She just ignored it and started walking.
Dad looked at me and said, "Don't worry, Baby. She gets defensive if someone talks bad about her loved ones. Especially after listening to those nobles chatter"
But what about the pressure she's just dumped on me?
Hah, I'd be fine. Whatever happens, happens. I won't be sad.
Thinking about the invitation, the exam will be held in exactly a week. And it will take around three to four days to reach the capital city by carriage.
So that's all the time I have left before departing. Sigh…