The parade continued even after the royal family and the Drenswicks had entered the academy. Other noble houses from the capital that had sensed something strange from the actions of the two strongest families began to send in their children to Larsille academy, trying to follow the trend. Just in case it benefited them in any way.
So the different sigils belonging to these noble houses that usually couldn't be seen by commoners appeared one after the other. Although the further back they were, the less extravagant, but it was quite the sight for the commoners. Some business savvy people had brought carts full of food or drinks as an impromptu venture.
The guards on the street had no time to send the carts away as the manpower was used to blockade the streets, so that the nobles could pass through without any trouble. Leaving those cart owners very happy to earn quite a bit of money from their idea.
Isla and Sila hadn't been interested in coming from the start, but now they were even less so. While the crowds were still attracted to the spectacle of monsters and nobles, the two walked silently through the horde of people, back towards the residence they were given.
This didn't draw much attention from the crowd, but one of the carriages that had stopped inside the academy's gates opened the curtain revealing the faces of two stunning and delicate women.
Their eyes passed over the downcast twins walking further away from the excitement and into the quiet academy grounds.
"They really do look like aunt don't they?" one of the women spoke.
"Almost identical, only difference is that they look stronger" the other one replied.
"The others probably expected a man to receive the blessing of the old ancestor, but who would've guessed it was actually a pair of twins?" the first woman spoke again. A smile appearing on her beautiful face.
The other woman, who looked identical to her, rolled her eyes," Our family is known for its twins. Us, them, and our mothers. If it wasn't for our similarity to our aunt, and our age matching the requirements of Larsille academy, why would they ever let us leave the house?"
The first woman hummed in agreement, "It seems they're aware of the situation. Did you see how upset they were when they saw the cousins riding outside?"
The other woman said enviously "They must have inherited their thinking from aunt. She was always the more courageous between her and mother".
The conversation of the two didn't alert anybody else around the carriage. Not even the coachmen who was only one thin wall away.
A subtle magical membrane had enveloped the carriage where the two women had been chatting, refusing to even let a single sound escape.
Isla and Sila returned to their residence. After closing the door, they didn't even bother to inspect their new home.
The two slumped down on one of the beds, heads resting against one another.
Sila turned and pulled Isla into her arms, gently rubbing her back, whispering "It's okay, we knew what was coming. Remember what we said in Arqin? No matter what happens, let's just go with the flow".
Isla buried her head on Sila's shoulder, obsessed with the comfort she felt when wrapped in Sila's protective grasp. She replied "I know. But the moment I saw them, it was as if a shackle appeared on us. Chaining us to this family. If we were stronger, I wouldn't be so anxious, but as we are now, we can't fight against a family like that".
Sila understood Isla's worries. Even if she tried to play it off, but the difference in power between them and that noble family was too large. They wanted to come to the capital to try and grow stronger, but in the end they were involved in a situation that they could not have expected. Leaving them no way to escape.
Sila could only sigh, dropping soft and tender kisses on Isla's hair, "It's okay. No matter what they want from us, I'll always be by your side".
Isla held Sila tightly, trying to overcome the fear of the future. She knew she wasn't as brave as Sila. She had relied on her sisters comfort to get through many situations, but this time she just couldn't see the light at the other end of the tunnel.
Isla swore to herself at that moment that if they took her Sila from her, she'd drag as many of them to death with her as possible. It would be best if she could take them all. Hidden in the safety of Sila's embrace. Isla's eyes that were usually calm, were now burning with unbridled hatred.
The two didn't move from that position even once, finding solace in each other's warmth, and finally falling asleep from exhaustion.
The academy was incredibly busy all throughout the day and night. With the addition of so many noble children, where to place them so as to fit their status, as well as not to house them with opposing forces of the same rank gave the board quite the headache.
They also needed to know the aptitudes of the noble children, so as to know which classes they should be enrolled in. And lastly the old teachers that usually didn't bother with the academy had to be notified that there were new candidates for apprentices.
These teachers were the backbone of the academy, many of them were around the diamond rank, which is why the Larsille academy could still stand unharmed in the capital for so long.
They usually came out once a year to see if there were any students that could catch their attention. If there were then they'd stay and teach them, if not then they'd go back to their own solitary practice for another year.
Some of these teachers had lived for centuries and their connections with the nobles were not light, so although the children of noble families may look down on the level of the academy, they wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything drastic in the academy's own territory.
All in all, it was a very hectic day for the academy. Noise could be heard throughout the grounds, even until the light of the morning sun first appeared.