Layla was alone in the Duke's castle for the first time.
She went out of her way to prevent this, but unavoidable circumstances could occur at any time.
Layla's only goal was to ensure she was not caught alone in the castle.
Layla had gotten much better at magic and politics than when she first arrived, but she was still lacking compared to the older kids.
Age and experience have been barriers that Layla has not been able to overcome for some time now. And as for hard work? Well, all the kids who were being sponsored were hard-working.
That was the only way these kids could survive in such a harsh place.
"I should feed the dragon egg now. I would need to get more supplies for the egg as well. It is starting to feel restless."
The egg was eating more and more mana stones each day, which likely meant it was about to hatch or something. But that 'soon' could be a few days to even years.
