"She's not coming again?" Leon said impatiently upon seeing Viola without her twin again.
"You said it was urgent that we come here. Now spill it." Viola snapped impatiently.
"Did you finish the summer homework?" Leon asked,
"You didn't finish your homework?" Viola groaned before face palming, "Of course, you didn't."
She then tossed her finished homework to them and sat on a couch to rest. The others haven't arrived yet so she can only wait for them while the boys began copying their summer homework.
"What is up with Amaryllis? Did something happened to her?" Rufus asked.
"Amy is ill. No one knows why but she has trouble sleeping for a while now. It has begun to negatively affect her health. I've never seen her this tired." Viola answered. She wouldn't dare say the whole story of her condition. It is both painful to describe and affects her reputation if spread.
"She should try some of my replenishing potion then." Leon said with an air of haughtiness in his tone. It seems that he isn't tired of the fame yet.
Viola slammed her hands on the table, glaring. "Do you remember the last time she drank your stupid potions?"
The boys looks begrudgingly guilty.
"She was hospitalized for an entire month." Rufus said.
"Look, she did that on her own accord." Leon defended.
"And she regretted it." she said with a seething tone. "Besides, she has been getting treatment." Her tone slowly turned sad. "Mother and father told me that she will not return for term."
The boys looked shocked to hear that.
"WHAT!!"
"She's not coming back?" Rufus said.
"Until she makes a recovery. She's not well enough to return. They think that returning back to school will only make her health worse."
The doors open to Melissa who looks up with mild surprise. Her dreamy expression is quite unique and difficult to read.
"Oh wow, you came quite early this time."
*
She could feel herself talking with some people as negotiations went smoothly and now the shop is open for business.
Don't worry. I will find this person.
*
Amy woke up to the dull pain in her head. It is no nightmare, but Alabaster has been spamming his thoughts into her head more than ever in order to combat the oncoming nightmares. Apparently, he thinks it will keep the nightmares away. She temporarily cut her thoughts from Alina who voiced her concerns on the lack of information on her end. She then turned to look at the misty figure. All she could make out from it is that it has hair.
"Hel-lo," it greeted her. The voice sounds robotic but the tone seems gentle.
She didn't answer. She is afraid that if she did then she will really start going mad.
It is easy to just close her eyes and pretend it isn't there but the same happens even if she closes them. She can still hear them.
"Are y-ou in pain?"
No answer.
"You mu-ust be. You lo-ok like you a- are suff-ering."
This is quite annoying. Even though she had Temporal Disease, the timing is off. Temporal Disease is the side effect of time traveling. It is unpredictable and came a few months later than usual. Like Alabaster, victims go through mania but in rare cases, it can be avoided but only if the person's magic is powerful enough to withstand the effects. It is like a ship in a stormy sea. Alabaster sacrificed his magic to get him to the past but by doing so, he succumbed to the disease though he is able to delay it by taking the brain power of other living beings.
You are just a mirage. You are not real. She thought before looking at a box. Alabaster gifted her some materials to work and tinker with while she is stuck at home. She made sure to teleport them to the workshop before anyone takes notice of it.
Amy looked outside to see an oncoming carriage, immediately recognizing it and hiding everything.
She went down to see their guests and the doors open to Rosalina strutting in with servants carrying her luggage. Both came in for the night after traveling for hours to the royal academy. Unlike her from a year ago, she is wearing casual wear although she decorated it with so much lace, almost to the point of appearing tacky.
"Even in casual wear and travel, you like to appear vain, don't you?"
Upon seeing Amy at the top of the stairs, she smirked. "Well, aren't you excited to see me?" She says sarcastically.
Ignoring her, she led her to the guest room.
"I haven't heard anything about your school and much of your social life. You must be disappointed." she said after sipping some tea.
Rosalina didn't respond for a moment. "Did you know that Prince Leon would be going to the magic Academy last year instead of the Royal Academy like he was supposed to?"
Amy smiled faintly which goes unnoticed. "I suspected it because he hates the nobility. And going to school full of anticipated, brown nosing kids who wish to establish a connection with the heir of the kingdom is not on his to-do list."
Rosalina looks extremely angry but is holding back a retort. "You're not going back this year, aren't you?" Rosalina asked.
Amy was taken aback on how almost sincere she sounds.
"You look terrible."
"You probably heard that I'm ill."
"Yes," she answered modestly.
Funny enough, hers and Rosalina's relationship is no longer hostile as it was a few years ago. Instead, they mostly give snide remarks, talk about gossip and insults with no personal attachment. Rosalina sure got humbled after she scared her and also failed to intimidate her. Rosalina may be annoying but she is an excellent source of gossip.
After getting themselves comfortable in the sitting room, Rosalina finally spoke up.
"The nobility were in an outrage when they have heard that the prince is enrolled in the magic academy and I'm not talking about the kids. Many people looked forward to the year he enrolls in the royal academy. Many young eligible women were looking forward to getting acquainted with him if you know what I mean." she said with a slightly naughty remark.
Amy rolled her eyes in response.
"They tried every trick in the book to get him back but they stopped after the King himself announced that they put the matter to rest after the Prince created his very own potion. That potion recipe became royal property now. It's crazy."
Amy smirked, remembering how she had to manipulate Leon's memory by forgetting about Alabaster and the Labyrinth and thinking he created the potion that she invented.
"Can you really blame him? You can imagine what this will do for his reputation. And it's creating a trend. Now that everyone knows he's gonna stay in the Magic Academy, many others will join in."
Amy scoffed in response. The inequality between the the nobles and the lower class are sometimes defined by the academy they attended so that information sounds rich coming from her. Furthermore, noble children all attend the Royal Academy for qualification and certainty to inherit their parents titles, land and rank. It isn't just the heirs but this includes the spares so this is quite unusual.
"Did they think coming into the Magic Academy is gonna be this easy?"
Rosalina tilted her head in confusion.
"Isn't it? Almost all its students aren't nobles."
"That's just it, isn't it? The students there aren't entirely made up of nobles. All the nobles who are Magic Academy students are serious about studying magic and have the talent for it even if they aren't true mages. It is after all a dangerous profession if one intends to take this subject. The commoners see the academy as an opportunity to grow in strength and wealth once they graduate. Nobles do not have much prestige to gain in magic unless they intend to join the military and win some glory."
"Does this mean you wish to risk your life?"
"Hah! You think I want to risk my life. I just want something more to life than you apparently."
"What's wrong with living a life of glamour and wealth?"
"You're already living it."
"But it could be even more better once I marry a handsome, great nobleman."
Amy stared at her from the tea cup she is drinking from. "I know where you're going with this. The Prince is off limits, Rosalina. He is already engaged."
"You are friends with the prince and are a student in the magic academy."
"Just because we're not hostile anymore, doesn't mean you can ask me for every favor. We give each other gossip and advice, that's it. Besides, you don't have a shred of magic in you. The examiners will reject you faster than you can reach the gates, which are of course made of magic." she said in both a serious and yet humorous tone.
Rosalina did not seem pleased. "You are not attending the academy which means you'll be unable to see the prince for an entire year and be held back."
"Not really? Unlike the Royal Academy, the magical academy has ways for letting me continue my lessons without lagging behind."
"How so?"
"I cannot tell you. It is a secret." she said with a brief smile.