"Mistress."
"Mistress."
"It's good to see that you girls are okay... I was so worried when I heard the news. I thought about flying out to look for you two personally, but I couldn't... It would only make the situation worse... I'm sorry, girls."
When the woman with blue hair came to the entrance hall of Avior, Felicia and Nendula immediately went to her. As they were instructed to stay here by Mom, they couldn't go to greet their mistress outside.
I think that's precisely the reason, as they are in a tight embrace. So, the woman with blue hair must be Lady Irina Alphar, their mistress. They seem to have a very close and emotional relationship, not just that of a teacher and students.
While they were having their family moment, I was observing the other woman, Lady Tatiana Petrova, with Cristhine.
"Mistress... Forgive me."
"Cristhine... I don't know what to say to you, Cristhine... I'm sorry if I had too many expectations, too much pressure on you... If I hadn't told you about that type of training..."
As soon as Cristhine saw her mistress, she could do nothing but kneel down and start asking for forgiveness. And almost at the same time, Lady Tatiana also bowed and began apologizing to Cristhine.
It was interesting to see both of them apologizing... as if each of them knew they had made serious mistakes and are blaming and punishing themselves for it. At the same time, you can see that their relationship is as good as the previous one.
"Mistress, please don't bow... Nothing that happened was your fault, absolutely nothing. I insisted on trying to challenge myself, to exceed my limits... I sought help to start a more serious training..."
"No, no, no... You're not to blame for anything, Cristhine... It was my duty as your Mistress to guide you and warn you about any dangers that might affect you."
When Cristhine realized that her mistress was bowing, she almost immediately ran to her mistress to stop her. From the surprise that Mom and Abigail showed, I think seeing Lady Tatiana bow is something very difficult to happen.
But this also shows that the relationship is a bit stronger than I thought. And at the same time, Lady Tatiana really cares and values her apprentice. Something that can be very useful for my future, as this is the woman Nala spoke so highly of.
"Even so, Mistress... None of this was a mistake. In fact, I felt completely capable and prepared to undergo the training. Felicia and Nendula were just as capable. But I couldn't foresee that... I didn't prepare enough..."
"And how could you? Even more experienced Dragon Ladies have succumbed to much less... Teaching and protecting children is the duty of adults... After all, when a child stumbles and gets hurt, no one in their right mind would blame the child."
At this moment, Cristhine was very close to Lady Tatiana, but because of the height difference, Cristhine was looking down a bit. But that didn't stop or embarrass Lady Tatiana, who started stroking Cristhine's face very slowly.
"When children stumble, we must catch them; when they are scared, we must encourage them; when they are hurt, we must comfort them... That is the duty of adults, but I didn't do my duty properly... I'm sorry..."
______________________________
"I hope the trip to Nenvia wasn't inconvenient. Our blood bear is a bit... undisciplined... But he has a long history with me, so I apologize for any inconvenience on the way here."
"No problem at all, Inessa, the journey was quick and smooth... By the way, that Blood Bear is a fine specimen, but I thought they only lived in Astanium."
"Yes, they only live in Astanium, Lady Irina. But I adopted Little Rib about 30 years ago when I was on an expedition with my students. In fact, nothing on that expedition went as I planned, Hahaha. It's a long story, I'd love to tell it later."
"Certainly, I would love to hear it... But before that, I don't see Lady Nala around; is she not here?"
"No, Lady Nala went to perform something important. She said she would probably be back today. By now, she should be on her way."
After a few good minutes observing that emotional reunion in the entrance hall, Mom finally decided to intervene and guide all the guests to the reception hall of the palace.
A place with several sofas and armchairs, much like the main recreation area, but here, there are many more luxurious decorations, shelves with beautiful books, paintings, a beautiful fireplace, and few windows.
It looks a lot like a place for social gatherings with several people, which must be the real purpose of this room. But what stands out the most in this room, besides the red chandelier, is the carpet in the center of the room, red with yellow details.
There are several symbols drawn, some figures resembling hieroglyphs, and details resembling flames. The golden details seem to be made of gold. It's really beautiful; I never get tired of looking at it, but I would like to know if it has any hidden meaning.
"So, Lady Nala decided it would be best for the girls to be under her custody while she performed another task. It's something she would do... since she normally doesn't like company while doing her tasks."
"I think that might be one of the reasons, Lady Tatiana, but I believe the main reason was to give the girls a little rest and comfort before they go to trial. It became very clear that Lady Nala found their willpower admirable and decided to offer a small 'reward'."
I wouldn't call this a reward... It's like the last meal for prisoners on death row. But yes, it's better than nothing.
"That's typical of Lady Nala, offering rewards to those she deems worthy. Too bad the reward this time isn't what they expected. Do they really have to suffer all the consequences?"
Lady Irina understands the situation the girls are in. Therefore, she seems dejected just talking about their possible fate. It's quite understandable, as two important people to her will probably die. And she can't do anything to stop it.
"The girls' situation is very complicated, yes, but that doesn't mean we should give up, Irina. We can do something about it; I bet Lady Nala can also help."
"I fully agree with you, Lady Tatiana. Lady Irina, the girls were strong and resisted for so long; now it's our turn to be strong and let them lean on us. You can count on my help and Abigail's."
In this room are Lady Irina and Lady Tatiana, Mom, Abigail, Aglaya, Marien, Sonia, and me. The two Great Ladies are sitting on a sofa, and Mom, Abigail, and I are on the opposite sofa. The maids are behind the sofa I'm on.
But neither Felicia nor the other two were allowed to participate in this meeting. Perhaps because this issue is a bit more delicate for them to get involved in since it deals with their possible death by the decision of the Supreme Council.
By now, Mom and Abigail have already told everything they know about the case to the other two. With all the details, both the ones Nala gathered and those told by the girls themselves.
"Now that we're all here... I think it would be a good time to thank you for the hospitality with our apprentices, Inessa. I don't know who would be willing to take such risks for some strangers, let alone wanted criminals."
Mom really deserves these thanks; Lady Irina knows very well that despite apparently being good people, the three women have committed very serious crimes. Just having them under the same roof is already dangerous.
"You don't need to thank us, Lady Irina. I've been through something similar... I know very well what it's like to be powerless in the face of circumstances and how sad it is not to have support when needed. In fact, I'm sorry for not being able to do more to help in this situation..."
"We know that, dear. But we appreciate you for taking them in, supporting them, and consoling them while we weren't here. It meant a lot to them, and we can't help but thank you."
"Tatiana is right; it meant a lot to them... And, coming from you, we know very well that you've been through something similar. The news about the incident three years ago spread everywhere... I don't know if it serves as consolation, but know that certain things happen to test us, as cruel and unfortunate as it may seem..."
Lady Irina said this very warmly, but I feel like she's trying to remind Mom of something. I've seen this a lot; she's trying to make Mom uncomfortable... But why?
"Thank you, Lady Irina. But recently, I learned firsthand that sometimes we can't overcome tests alone. That's why it's always good to have good friends and family to support us when we need it. Similarly, once in a while, something more than words is needed..."
++
I hope you can help me correct any spelling errors in the chapters.
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