After bantering with my mother and Aunt Soya, it seemed Aunt Claire still not accepting the situation.
While she was highly proficient in magic, Aunt Soya still held the advantage when it came to teaching experience. I could sense Claire's disappointment.
"Fine, but I'm teaching her about noble etiquette," Aunt Claire decreed, her chin high with pride.
"Bah, over my dead body you'll teach my daughter etiquette," my mother retorted, a look of disdain etched on her face.
"You can't even maintain a semblance of manners at a noble party," my mother added, her laughter mingling with her words.
"Oh, I purposefully defy convention, you know. The nobles can't keep their eyes off a single, sexy bachelorette like me," Aunt Claire defended herself, a smug expression crossing her features.
Despite that, my mother remained resolute, "For heaven's sake, you broke a man's leg while dancing!"
"That was... an accident. Yeah, an accident," Aunt Claire stuttered, her previous confidence waning.
"Hahaha, 'accident,' really? Do you remember what happened to our family reputation after you crippled that poor man?" my mother teased relentlessly, "He bawled like a baby, and you earned the infamous title of 'The Waltz Wrecker' from the other nobles."
"Alright, alright, no need to remind me," Aunt Soya huffed, her cheeks maroon from embarrassment.
"At least I can teach her History and Mythology. I'm the family expert in that field," she declared, reclaiming a shred of her pride.
"Fine, but keep it moderate, you oddball," my mother relented, her laughter signaling that she was aware of my aunt's quirky ways.
"Yay, now we can spend even more time together!" Aunt Claire's face brightened as she turned to me, her embarrassment forgotten in the light of excitement.
Almost instinctively, I knew there was a tale she could recount about their past. I chuckled softly, watching their playful argument.
"As the discussions continue, let's commence our lesson," Aunt Soya intervened, changing the topic smoothly.
"Today's lesson will be more general magic craftsman since it's already afternoon," she clarified.
"Now then, can you show me how to retract your wings?" she challenging, assuming her role as my mentor.
I obliged and began focusing on my wings, attempting to retract them into my body. They diminished from sight for a mere few moments before reappearing abruptly.
"Fascinating," Aunt Soya murmured, examining my half-cloaked wings with a curious eye. "They don't entirely disappear, they merely camouflage. And it appears it requires mana to maintain this illusion."
She reached into her bag and retrieved a beautiful necklace. Its centerpiece was a hypnotic pendant, embellished with glimmering gemstones.
She then unveiled a box, drawing an intricate circle onto a piece of parchment. I remained mesmerized as she artfully connected each symbol with enviable precision; time became irrelevant.
With a satisfied nod, Aunt Soya combined the necklace with the parchment inside the box. She then activated the charm by infusing it with mana. The necklace absorbed the parchment as the previous transparent gemstone now boasted a symbol of wings.
They shimmered and danced in the light, a captivating illusion of translucence, elegantly detailed with embedded gemstones studded to perfection.
Aunt Soya's face glistened with perspiration as she beheld the crafted necklace with a satisfied, radiant expression.
"My apologies, I seemed to have overlooked teaching you the crafting process," she chuckled, revealing just how engrossed she becomes when engrossed in interests of her own.
"Permissions aside, the process involves embedding a magical spell within the gemstone, which can then activate autonomously," she explained thoughtfully.
She continued with her explanation, pointing out how the magic circle transformed into the illusion of wings within the gemstone, breaking down the mechanics of magic craftmanship.
"Now, try on the necklace and channel your mana to activate the illusion," she instructed.
As I donned the necklace and tunneled my mana to animate it, my wings vanished definitively. However, I could still feel their presence, their flapping, as though they had simply slipped from sight but remained tethered to me.
In that moment, joy overwhelmed me. The possibility of venturing outside without fear now tangible.
"Thank you, teacher," I murmured, hugging her tightly.
"Hey, that's not fair. I need a hug too!" Aunt Claire complained, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. Unable to suppress my laughter, I threw my arms around her and mom too.
With nightfall upon us, I found myself alone in my room. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't help but ask, 'Who's this infernal beauty?' I chuckled at my own quip as I admired my reflection. 'Of course, it's me.'
Energy coursing through me, my imagination was starting to run wild.
"Flight mode, activate," I shouted, striking combat-ready poses as I watched my reflection in the mirror.
No, that wasn't quite right... "Magical girl, manifest!" I twirled around, resting my finger against my cheek while flashing my brightest smile.
Damn, this was... I struggled to find the right words. After all, it's quite embarrassing. My laughter broke the silence as I continued to watch myself in the mirror. Suddenly, there was a faint creaking sound.
I glanced towards the door but there was nobody in sight. Probably just my imagination, I reasoned. Positive vibes only. With any luck, there was no one watching my cringe-worthy solo performance.
Slowly, unease prodding me, I approached the door to peer outside. To my surprise, there was someone lurking after all.
"I didn't see anything," Mother claimed, laughter threatening to escape her as she crossed her heart, trying and failing to look innocent.
"Liar!" I retorted loudly, my cheeks burning from embarrassment. This was beyond mortifying.
"Do it again?" Mother pleaded, her eyes wide and shiny. She was pulling the puppy dog eyes card.
"No, Mother. For crying out loud!" My words tumbled out. This was too much. I sprinted back to my bed, pulling the blankets over my head as a makeshift shield.
As the night progressed, tranquility washed over me. Overcome by weariness, I slowly succumbed to a deep, blissful slumber.
As the night progressed, a gentle warmth embraced me, and the soft rays of sunlight began to filter through the curtains, accompanied by the pleasant chirping of birds outside.
I heard my mother's voice, filled with affectionate impatience, as she tried to rouse me from my slumber. "Hey there, sleepy head, it's time to wake up."
With a drowsy expression on my face, I mumbled in response, "No, Mom, just five more minutes, please."
She chuckled softly. "Alright, five more minutes it is, but don't make it more."
I snuggled deeper into my warm bed, enjoying those precious extra moments of rest. However, the persistent chirping of the birds grew louder, urging me to wake up.
As if sensing my internal struggle, my mom playfully added, "You know, the birds are saying, 'Come on, lazybones, wake up!'"
I couldn't help but laugh, feeling both amused and slightly guilty. "Okay, okay, I'm getting up,"
With a stretch and a yawn, I threw off the blanket and put it nicely.
With a newfound sense of energy, I turned to my mom and said, "Alright, Mom, I'm up! What's on the agenda for today?"
She smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Well, we could start with a delicious breakfast, and then maybe we'll go to shopping. How does that sound?"
I grinned, feeling grateful for the simple joy. "Sounds perfect, Mom."