I was interested in what Madam Serene meant by the Academy but it didn't seem like they wanted to elaborate on it. If it was anything like the academies I knew, it just meant school, perhaps a specialized one considering she was training in Magic and a noble's daughter.
Running off the excitement by her first successful spell, Kyra continued practicing with me "Kwooing" her on. Most of her spells didn't conjure properly though, exploding in front of us, but she picked herself up and was able to conjure spells fully two more times.
She never hit the training dummies but that came with more practice. This was already a big step for her and I couldn't help but feel a little proud myself. I'm sure I gave her the encouragement she needed to pull it together.
I continued to listen to the adults chat as I sat next to Kyra and watched her practice until she dropped. One thing I garnered from their conversations was that Kyra was a lonely child. Despite having many siblings, she was the youngest by a big margin and none of her siblings shared the same mother as her.
If it was anything like the medieval sort of world I was beginning to think this world was, it wouldn't be uncommon for nobles like her father to have a wife and concubines. Not only was her mother not of noble birth, she also passed away not long after her birth, leaving her by herself in the dangerous world known as the aristocracy.
If I knew anything from novels and games, it was that the 'different' child, always got left behind and looked down on. I couldn't help but pity her, she was just a kid. She had no knowledge of how bad aristocratic society might be, judging by the smile I could see on her as she danced around, she only wanted to have fun.
I don't know what exactly I want to do with my life as an 'armored raptor,' but I guess for now I can stay here and keep her company.
Eventually, Butler Herald said it was about time to get ready to greet the Lord so Madam Serene said her goodbyes while Herald and Mary picked up Kyra and I respectively. Kyra woke up from her short nap partway back to her room and threw a fit.
She didn't seem to want to get dolled up but after a bit of back and forth, she agreed and went back to her room with Mary to change while I was taken back downstairs to one of the staff rooms and given a good scrubbing.
Somehow I was getting roped into meeting the Lord now, in exchange for Kyra's compliance, so I had to be as presentable as possible. Since I sat so low to the ground and mud had been created on the training grounds from all the Waterball explosions, my underside was a bit crusty.
Herald left me to another maid who constantly complained after the man left. I could hear all the curses she gave him, me, and other people, and she was a bit too rough with my cleaning to boot. Don't worry lady, one of these days I'll learn to talk and then you'll get fired since you hate this job so much, heh.
Once I was done, A towel was thrown on me and I was left to dry myself. Around the time I finished, Mary came and picked me up and took me back to the stairs leading to the second floor where we met Kyra.
"Rollie! You're all clean!" She jumped the last few steps, making the maids following her all suck in their breaths, heaving a sigh of relief when her dress and shoes weren't ruined. Kyra was quite the tomboy it seemed but she was also just as cute dolled up in her puffy dress.
It fit her perfectly, full of colorful frills and bows, as well as matching braided pigtails. They bobbed up and down as she grabbed my shell and began carrying me to where they needed to go. She changed her grip on me, trying to go for a princess carry like Mary had been carrying me like, and I could feel her grip on me tighten as we got closer.
Her happy attitude quickly disappeared as we entered the main hall where dozens of servants lined up in perfect rows along the path of the grand main doors. I could see a number of fancy artifacts and statues that lined the walls of this hall, even with the giant skeleton of a massive creature hanging above us, letting visitors know of the greatness of the Sivillion Household.
Kyra's father, Lord Sivillion, was apparently coming back for a few days to grab some stuff before leaving again. At least according to the gossip I had heard from the maids. It seemed normal for him to be gone from the main home for most of the year, leaving Kyra to fend for herself against her siblings and stepmothers who did stay at the home.
I knew she was the youngest, but I didn't realize how many siblings she had until we walked up to the side of a young man, dressed completely different from the rest of the servants, with another 5 fancily dressed men and women of ascending age. The young man directly next to her had silver colored hair and icy blue eyes that glared at Kyra as she approached, making her flinch.
"You're late Kyra, get in line quickly before Father enters." He scolded her before looking straight ahead again.
However, he turned back in the next second and scowled as he looked at me.
"What in God's name is that creature? Get rid of it this instant before Father sees."
Kyra looked forward and down, fidgeting with her feet and avoiding her brother's eyes.
"B-But B-Brother Kyle, Butler Herald said it was okay as long as he was clean..." She trailed off at the end.
Her words only earned a scoff from this man, maybe a decade her senior, and even I couldn't help but curl into a ball more. I may have a pretty strong shell but with magic being real, there was no telling just how strong this grown man would be. Especially since Kyra was able to carry me with no problem despite her young age.
"Are you saying that old servant's word is worth more than mine?! How dare you-" Kyle seemed infuriated by her words but was interrupted by the doors opening.
He was forced to quickly stand back up straight and face the doors, not forgetting to glare at me one last time. Kyra looked forward as well, but her gaze was on the floor like she was afraid to look elsewhere so I watched for her to see four fully armored guards flanking the doors and lining up with impeccable timing.
"Lord Sivillion has returned!" One of the guards called out loud and clear as another guard opened the doors, letting am imposing man through, followed by a woman in a gaudy dress.
They stood straight for a moment, correcting his martial coat before holding his hand out for the woman to hold as she stepped out of the horse-drawn carriage. As this happened, all the servants bowed deeply, while Kyra and her siblings also bowed or curtsied slightly. They all called out "Welcome home Lord Sivillion" in perfect unison.
Kyra dug her make up ridden face on my belly, sighing heavily. I could only imagine how much stress this must be for her, considering her older brother Kyle looked ready to hit her just for her comments on Herald.
In my opinion, it was more realistic to take the words of an elder more than a young spoiled brat like Kyle, but in this world I'm sure it was based on status, meaning her brother had more authority than Herald could ever have even if he was just a sixth son.
I nuzzled up to her, and gently licked her which made her giggle a little before quickly covering her mouth. She straightened herself out just as I caught Kyle glaring at her again and couldn't help but chuckle to myself.
It would have been fun to continue messing with him but I didn't want Kyra getting in trouble, there was no guarantee that she was even allowed to hold me to meet her father like this even with the Head Butler Herald's permission.
Everyone was in sync when they raised themselves again and the Lord, and presumably his wife, entered the hall and stopped a few yards in front of 'their' children. I had no idea how many of Kyra's siblings were actually the Mistress' but I assumed Kyle might have been one of them by the way they both acted.
Her chin was pointed high as she held a fan in her hand with her other arm around her husbands. She wore a large, ballgown dress that practically dragged on the ground and held its enormous bowl shape against her body. The dress accentuated her curves to the extreme and I wondered if she could breath at all in that, as it led up to shoulder-less sleeves.
The whole dress was decorated in a number of glittering silver gems of various sizes and white fringes. Her color palette made its way up to her head with her wearing a large red gem on a necklace with a number of similarly expensive rings and bracelets decorating her hands.
Her silver hair was tied up in a high bun, decorated with more jewelry that drew a miniscule amount of attention away from her heavy makeup. While it was my preference for natural beauty over artificial, she was still a beautiful woman. Even though her icy blue gaze was that of your classic haughty noble, a perfect match for Kyle it seemed.
The way she looked down upon all of the children it seemed showed me how little she probably cared about them in reality. The bright smile she had on her face was a perfect mask for noble society, and she was a good contrast to her husband, Lord Sivillion.
"I'm home." The heroic looking man said simply.
Yet his words felt powerful enough to kill me in an instant, making me shiver in fear.