The sun rose and Selena woke up groggily. Her eyes were a little red from her turbulent emotions from last night. She was unsure why she felt so uncomfortable after hearing Allen's and Damien's words yesterday.
She got up from her bed and stood there in a daze. Her thoughts were muddled for a while as she slowly thought about her experience in this campaign. She will never forget the things that happened here.
She sighs and starts to wear her clothes. After thinking about things carefully, she discovered that the focus of her thoughts leaned far more on Fiona than they did on Lance.
"I guess having a reality check that Fiona beats me in almost every category destroyed my self-esteem" Selena mutters to herself.
"It's also a shame about Lance but thinking about it seriously, I never wanted to be an empress. I don't think I would be a good fit for me either so it's fine if that position is left to Fiona", Selena says to herself after careful consideration.
"And having an empress be bullied and outclassed by a Marquis' Daughter? Good lord, I might die of shame," she says as she slightly shudders at the thought.
"I'm fine just sticking with my research and helping carry out my mother's dream", Selena says as her spirits rise again.
She then finishes dressing up and heads outside. The three commanders are discussing how they would handle the last few details of unifying the southern region.
The role of the graduating class has now been fulfilled and the remaining stuff are political issues that the military has to handle. The three groups of classmates gathered together and started conversing.
After a while, the commanders came up to everyone and informed them that they would be departing back to the academy. There is no remaining danger so the class representatives are in charge of the students' safety while on the trip. The class and the commanders begin to say their goodbyes as they head out.
"Selena..." A familiar voice rang in Selena's ears.
Selena turns around and sees Lance slowly approaching her.
"Hello Commander, did you get everything settled yesterday," Selena asked.
"Yep, Yep, I now have full confidence when heading back to the palace. It's been so long..." He says while staring at the sky with a face full of nostalgia.
Selena smiles, "That's great, I hope everything works out for you"
Lance smiles back at her, "Selena, remember when you said you will be on my side? Do you still feel the same way", he says in a voice much quieter than usual.
Selena stares at him softly and says "Yes, you have done so much for me during this campaign. I owe you a big favor honestly, If you have any wishes in the future, I will gladly do it", she says in a reassuring tone.
"Really?" Lance says with some excitement. "Anything?" He says with a teasing gaze.
"Not actually anything, as long as it doesn't cross any lines or put me in an awkward situation, I'll gladly do it" Selena answers.
"Hmmm, I understand, I'll have to be careful with how I use this favor then," Lance says with a smile.
"There will also be a celebration banquet hosted by the Palace for the Military's victory in this campaign. The students of the graduating class are naturally invited to join. Will you attend" Lance asked inquitively.
Selena pauses and thinks about it carefully. She never had been too interested in going to balls and banquets back in the academy but now that she is participating in campaigns and graduating, she should take this opportunity to break out of her shell.
"Yes, I should be there" Selena confirms.
"Great," Lance says with a big smile, "I'll see you there then" He says as he waves goodbye and heads back to the camp.
Selena looks at his departing back, unsure what emotions are circulating through her, and then shakes it off and heads to her class to prepare for departure.
The class was still very lively, no one died and they witnessed making history for their empire. Their names will forever be remembered in the academy as the graduating class who won a war.
During the ride back to the academy, the class had a great atmosphere and everyone enjoyed each other's company. Most of the classmates saw each other as competition but outside of the bickering between the three class representative groups, most of the class got much closer to each other than before.
The Journey was long and eventually, the class arrived back at the Academy. Upon arrival, they saw a group of many adults waiting for them at the entrance.
"Mom?"
"Dad?"
The collective voices of many of the class screamed out in unison. Many kids ran forward and hugged their parents.
In One Corner
Ivory recognizes two figures and runs over to hug them.
"Mother, Father, How are things at home?" Ivory said with a tone full of joy.
"Who cares about us? How are you, my dear? Did you get hurt?" Ivory's parents asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, I did well in the war too. Commander Zenat also taught me a lot" Ivory says in an excited tone.
"Oweing that guy a favor really makes things troublesome," Mr. Mandeline said while rubbing his head.
"What do you mean Father, Is there something going on with Our family and Mr. Zenat?" Ivory asked in confusion.
Mrs. Mandeline lightly slaps his shoulder and says "All you know how to think about is politics. Your daughter's safety should take precedence over everything!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, forgive me, honey," Mr. Mandeline says in an apologetic tone.
"Don't worry about your father, dear, It's good that you can learn from Mr. Zenat, keep following your path, and don't worry about the complicated matters" Mrs. Mandeline says with a soft smile.
Ivory smiles and decides not to overthink the meaning behind her father's words. A sense of safety and assurance rises in Ivory's heart as her parents continue to show her love and care.
In Another Corner
A grown woman and a smaller woman stand side by side while maintaining complete silence.
After a long time, the younger one says, "Hello mother, I hope you had a safe journey here".
Mrs. Flamor looks at her daughter and then says, "It wasn't bad, if you weren't graduating, it wouldn't be worth it to come here".
Fiona half smiles and says, "Thank you Mother for making the trip".
The mother doesn't answer but a growing smile appears on her face.
"Is your useless father still fighting in wars again? He doesn't even remember he has a wife waiting for him at home" She says in a cold tone but her face is full of worry.
"Father did very well in the war Mother, He was one of the pillars of this campaign, I'm sure our family will be rewarded well by the royal family," Fiona says.
"I also heard you did quite well, it seems that you aren't shaming our Flamor name," Mrs. Flamor says while looking her daughter up and down.
"I would never bring shame to our name, Mother, I will become the greatest mage this empire has seen," Fiona says with determination.
Mrs. Flamor smiles, "Good, Good, It seems like you have grown up well. I can now rest assured," she says as her body relaxes.
"And... Father didn't forget about you, mother. Here" Fiona says as she hands over a bouquet of flowers that only grow in the Southern Region.
"It was quite embarrassing trying to hide this from my classmates but luckily I managed just fine," Fiona says.
Mrs. Flamor's heart fluttered violently as she stared at the bouquet. She grabs it quickly and turns around. She stares at the bouquet and takes a small sniff.
Another small smile appears on her face. "That foolish man, I hope he didn't get hurt trying to collect these. I'm too grown to care about flowers!" She mutters to herself while her smile never leaves her face.
Fiona rolls her eyes and she waits for her mother to finish enjoying the flowers.
In One Other Corner
Selena walked up to two figures. "Mother, Father, Glad to see you again," She says as tears start to roll down her face.
It's been so long since she has seen her parents. In this academy where she is not very well-liked, her parents mean the world to her.
"My dear daughter, how have you been?" Mrs. Jobaine says in a caring tone.
"Mother, I have been well!" Selena responds.
"That's great, your mother and I have been worrying, I was scared that you wouldn't be able to defend yourself in the campaign," Mr. Jobaine said.
"I understand your fears Father but your daughter isn't that weak! I made it through and even showed off a lot of Mother's magic" Selena said with a confident smirk.
"Really?" Mrs. Jobaine said in a happy tone.
Mrs. Jobaine's study of non-offensive magic is mainly limited to research. She feels like she's too old and out of her prime to dedicate all her time to mastering the spells so she leaves all practical application to the new generation.
"Yes, I even ended up purifying the lake that was poisoned, no one can talk bad about your magic now, Mother. Even that Fiona said it wasn't useless" Selena said with pride.
"The Flamors huh?" Mr. Jobaine's eyes shined with a cold glint. "I'm surprised you got their proud daughter to say such a thing. I still don't like them very much but we can't deny the fact that they are great to have as teammates" he says with a heavy sigh.
"I've wronged you dear, maybe if I had chosen offensive magic instead, we wouldn't have a Marquis house be so problematic for us," Mrs. Jobaine says with a bit of sadness.
"Don't say that Dear, don't forget your research is why we got our title. And I have always supported your way of life, I won't stop now just because of other people" Mr. Jobaine said in a reassuring tone.
"Oh, honey," Mrs. Jobaine said with eyes full of love. She then leans over towards the face of her husband.
Selena coughs loudly, completely interrupting the couple who is trapped in their own world.
The couple froze and quickly collected themselves.
"How about we head inside, there are a lot of things I want to you about Mother," Selena says with a soft smile.
"No problem dear, let's head back to the reception hall. You guys will be graduating tomorrow and then we will have to head back while you finish up your post-graduate procedures".
The students and their parents walk back into the academy while catching up on some missing time.
The night slowly falls and the new day arrives.
The students were all dressed in their graduating gowns. They all looked like proper scholars.
With the support of their parents, everyone was in a good mood. For safety reasons, nobody but direct family was allowed in the graduation room.
The Dean begins his speech.
"For the past five years, we have carefully groomed these young magicians to become stellar mages our empire can be proud of. For the first time, we had a different style for our graduating exam. Due to an unfortunate miscalculation, the campaign turned out to be a little more dangerous than we expected but instead of suffering under adversity, the class triumphed over it all. This class is full of talents we won't be able to see again for a long time. As part of the older generation, I would like to express my gratitude for the efforts you have given to our empire" the dean says while giving a slight bow to the class.
The class got flustered getting such praise and respect from the oppressive dean and before they could tell him not to mind, he continued.
"You have helped suppress the insurrection in the southern territory which helps our empire completely unify the southern lands. Now our three-front war has turned to a two-front war. This is an achievement that we will have to tell future generations about and it was your class that made it happen. Never forget what you have been through and move towards your future with pride and confidence" The dean says in a majestic and powerful voice that fills the entire audience with vigor.
The parents and students all stood up and clapped. Some were crying, others were very emotional. For five long years, they have been training vigorously and now, they achieved the best start to their careers and futures that they could possibly imagine.
As the graduation ceremony died down, many students went to say goodbye to their parents. They will have to stay back and arrange for what they will do now that they graduated. Whether it's staying within the empire or going out to join the military with other campaigns, everything is up to them.
Selena approached her mother who was about to leave and told her quietly, "Mother, about what I asked you last night. You dodged the question but I really need to know. Who is my Fiancé?" She says in a firm tone. She won't allow her mother to dodge the question.
"I was thinking about whether or not to tell you. I have wronged you, my dear daughter. We stay out of politics so we can focus on our research but I never knew the situation in palace got so complicated while I wasn't aware." Mrs. Jobaine started to say.
"Seeing how you did so well in the war campaign despite not having offensive magic shows that you at least have what it takes to handle tough obstacles. All I would say is that my best friend was also the person who granted us our Duke title" Mrs. Jobaine slowly whispers to her daughter.
She sighs deeply, "It wasn't supposed to be like this but alas..." she mutters under her breath.
Selena, who was frozen in place, didn't move even after her mother kept trying to get her attention. With another sigh, Mrs. Jobaine left the room.
Selena does not know how much time has passed. The room slowly died down and it was just her left with Ivory and Fiona.
"Hey, where will you go after graduation? There won't be any more lakes for you to take advantage of so you better not bite off more than you can chew" Fiona says in a cold tone.
Selena snaps out of her daze and looks at Fiona. After a while, she says, "Don't worry about me, I will most likely stick to researching and inventing. I'll create something that would cure every lake in this world" Selena says sarcastically.
"Who's worrying?" Fiona snorts. "When I destroy the Thorkell empire, I will become a mage that can even rival the first emperor," Fiona says with a confident smile.
Ivory and Selena look at Fiona in shock, "this woman is way too ambitious, right?" they both think to themselves.
"It's too violent over there at the border of the Thorkell empire. I think the Voraine empire will be easier to ally with if we play our cards right. Conquering isn't the only way to establish peace you know" Ivory says while rolling her eyes.
"Isn't that the words of cowards? No allies last forever, only conquering guarantees future safety" Fiona argues in a tone of a superior.
"This isn't the time to argue about ideologies," Selena says while changing the subject. "I take it you two would be at the celebration, right?
"Of course, aren't we the stars of that campaign? We don't have a choice" Fiona says in confirmation.
"Yes, I'll be there, Selena, It might be the last time we would meet for a while," she says while hugging Selena.
"Me too, I'll miss you very much," Selena says while hugging Ivory back as tears begin to fall.
After a while, They look over and smile. "Surprisingly, I think I might miss you too Fiona", they both say.
"Hmph, There's nothing to miss, I'll come back soon enough as the hero of the war," Fiona says while flicking her hair.
"I'll be heading back now," she says as she turns around and walks away.
"That woman is so confusing sometimes" Ivory mutters.
"Tell me about it," Selena says while giggling with Ivory.
After the two talked some more, they both headed their separate ways.
She arranged with the Dean to stay in the capital to continue to practice and research her non-offensive magic.
The days pass by slowly but peacefully. She was spending another day immersed in her research until a golden letter arrived in her manor. She opened it and discovered it was an invitation to the celebration banquet this weekend hosted in the royal palace.
Ever since her mother's words, she tried not to think about her situation too much. Deep down, she knew just how likely the chance of Lance's mother vs the Empress granting her mother a duke title would be.
She sighs, "I can't keep running away from this though," she says to herself as her determination rises.
This weekend will finally be the day she meets her mysterious Fiancé.