Utumn Starling had secured five days of rest for Aurora Starling, and during this period, aside from eating and sleeping, Aurora was under the rigorous "tutelage" of Heron.
In a tightly shut room, Aurora Starling, dressed in a thin layer of clothing, sat cross-legged on the bed, her body drenched in sweat, and her rosy cheeks glistened with beads of perspiration.
"In just five days, your Furyflame has reached the fourth level, and your magical power has reached the third. For a human, it's passable at best," Heron's voice remained cold.
Only the heavens knew that Seraphina Starling had been training in Arcanergy since childhood and had only reached the fifth level, while Phoenix Starling's Furyflame was also at the fourth level, which had already pleased Arcanus Starling. Aurora Starling, however, had achieved this level in just five days, ascending from the status of a "waste" to her current level. Such astonishing speed, if made public, would surely shock many.
To master both martial and magical arts in just five days, reaching the fourth and third levels respectively? What a revolutionary existence!
Ordinary people would be considered geniuses if they could achieve such levels in one art in five years, let alone the taboo practice of dual cultivation. Yet to Heron, this incredible pace was merely adequate.
Aurora Starling's understanding of the levels of Arcanergy and Furyflame in this world was limited, so she naturally assumed that her training speed was just so-so, without much surprise at Heron's lukewarm commendation.
"That's enough for today. I have a tough 'battle' to face tomorrow." Exhaling deeply, Aurora Starling collapsed onto the bed, the result of her extreme training leaving her physically and mentally exhausted. She could barely muster the energy to move her fingers now.
Tomorrow, she would face the head of the Bennu family, Arcanus Starling. It was unlikely that Arcanus would let her off easily for trespassing into the forbidden area. After all, she was a dependent, an idiotic waste surviving on the mercy of the Bennu family, and Arcanus Starling had no reason to show her leniency.
For the time being, Aurora Starling had no intention of revealing her complete transformation. Given her current situation and abilities, revealing her hand too soon would be unwise. Even if Arcanus Starling might look upon her favorably, those of her own generation would hardly be pleased to see a new competitor emerge.
Among the third generation of the Bennu family, who wouldn't want to win Arcanus Starling's favor to increase their chances of inheriting the family? It was precisely because Aurora Starling had been a fool that some of her peers had paid her no mind, save for the cruel whims of Seraphina Starling and her brother. Aurora Starling's position was not dangerous.
But once she revealed her abilities and her dual cultivation, which was considered taboo, they would undoubtedly be forced to take action against her. Moreover, with her parents deceased and no strong backing within the Bennu family, she would become an easy target for those uncles and aunts supporting their own children for the position of head. They would not hesitate to eliminate this budding sprout.
Aurora Starling might not know much about Arcanergy and Furyflame levels, but she was well-versed in the darkness of human nature.
The strategy of hiding one's capabilities and avoiding confrontation was still within her grasp.
However, playing dumb was one thing; she had no intention of becoming a scapegoat for Seraphina Starling and Phoenix Starling when she met Arcanus Starling tomorrow.
Contemplating the situation she would face the next day, Aurora Starling narrowed her eyes, a sly smile curling at the corners of her lips.
Even idiots have their uses!
...
If Seraphina Starling and her brother had made Aurora Starling aware of her lowly status, then that status had just been further degraded.
Early in the morning, two maids in their late teens rudely kicked open her door, roughly dragging her from bed while she was still trying to catch up on sleep, treating her not as a young lady but as the lowest servant in the Bennu family.
"You're old enough to dress and wash yourself, yet you still expect others to wait on you. Do you think you're a real lady?" The harsh-looking maid roughly pulled off Aurora Starling's thin clothes, roughly dressing her in a relatively clean outfit, her hands devoid of gentleness, her face showing immense displeasure.
"If it weren't for the master wanting to see her today, who would bother serving her? I really don't understand what the master is thinking, keeping such an idiot in the mansion. It's a disgrace to our Bennu family," the other maid tugged at Aurora Starling's hair, carelessly comb.
It was more torture than service as the maids dressed and groomed Aurora Starling.
"Who would say otherwise? It's a waste of food and resources. And after causing such a big scandal this time, I doubt the master will let this idiot off easily."
"It's best to deal with this shame as soon as possible. You don't even know, people outside are secretly laughing at this idiot, mocking our household."
The two maids grumbled incessantly, showing no regard for discretion.
Throughout the Bennu family, except for the head, Arcanus Starling, who still valued the bloodline that Aurora Starling carried, everyone else regarded her presence as a burden. They wished for the disgrace to the Bennu family to disappear sooner rather than later, so as not to tarnish the sacred and inviolable status of the family.
The harsh words continued to reach Aurora Starling's ears, but the fourteen-year-old's face remained expressionless, her somewhat bright eyes wide with apparent confusion as she watched the two maids who showed no respect for hierarchy, as if she didn't understand the insults, they were hurling at her.
After a round of harassment, Aurora Starling was finally dressed, and the maids promptly dragged her towards the main house of the Bennu family.
All the way there, Aurora Starling allowed them to pull her by her clothes, showing no resistance. But beneath her seemingly naive gaze, a crafty glint flashed.
Upon arriving at the entrance to the main house, the maids quickly dumped this hot potato into the hands of the door guard and left without a backwards glance.
No one noticed that, in the moment the maids turned away, two small, palm-sized pouches had moved from their waists to the sleeve of a certain young mischief-maker.
Aurora Starling silently pocketed her first "earnings" in this world, quietly following the stern-faced servant who led her into the main house.
As she stepped inside and the door closed behind her, the echoing screams of "Where's my money pouch?!" were cut off by the heavy thud of the door, sealing the cries outside the main house.