"Never," he said with certainty. "I must have an allowance."
She said, "Is that so? Then let me offer you a better deal. If you don't work with me, you can forget about getting more blood pills from me."
That silenced him.
It was her turn to chuckle smugly. "Do you think you're the only one who can threaten people to do your bidding? Now fall in line, young man."
He sighed and said, "Yes, mother."
The two of them walked elegantly towards the gate of the training facility. One of them had her head held up high while the other had a look of unresigned defeat on his face.
They made for quite a pair thanks to their matching red hair and black robes. Even the differences in their red hair only made them look good.
One of them was the figure of mature beauty. She had white, smooth skin and a bountiful figure blessed with curves. Her red hair flowed down in smooth waves from her shoulder to her lower back.
The young man beside her looked dashing too. He looked handsome as he had identical features as the woman, but his beauty was more wild. This wildness is all due to his hair.
His hair grows wildly and bushy on his head. It is long too, but it is also puffed up and unruly, so it looks like a lion's mane.
The two of them entered the training facility and went in the direction of the party.
The training ground for the third class was being used for the party. It had changed visibly for the occasion.
Carpets and rugs had been placed on the ground, and a large tent had been erected over it. Chairs and tables with food were arranged under the tent.
The tent was full of guests mingling and chatting. But the large area at the center of the tent had been left empty.
Arthur didn't like it, but he decided to follow his mother's lead. So he waited for her to pick a direction and followed her when she had picked one.
Lady Vena picked the one direction with one of the largest clumps of people. The people at the center of this clump were a beautiful woman and a young boy of five years old.
The woman had golden hair and was dressed in fine silks. She had a noble and elegant beauty compared to the seductive beauty of Lady Vena.
Her beauty was more in her face, clothes, and demeanor, whereas Lady Vena's beauty was in the fullness of her lips, the rise in her chest, and the bounty of her hips.
The five-year-old boy being carried by a maid beside this noble lady had blond hair and blue eyes. This boy looked very similar to Arthur's father.
Arthur rolled his eyes and thought to himself, "Predictable."
He found Lady Vena's actions predictable and a little hasty. It was clear what her intentions were for picking this direction as soon as she arrived at the party. It confirmed his suspicion about her goal for attending the graduation ceremony.
The five-year-old boy didn't appear to care about the people around him and the conversation they were having. He was looking around curiously, so he was the first one to spot Lady Vena and Arthur.
He was captivated by their strange red hair, so his eyes focused on them. Then he pointed at them and called out, "Rooster!!"
His call made everyone shift their focus to what he was pointing at. They finally noticed Lady Vena and her son.
Arthur didn't know what his mother thought about being likened to a red rooster, but he found it to be funny.
He thought to himself, "Not bad. It seems Tyson knows how to make jokes."
He found it so funny that he chuckled. But he didn't say anything. He let the adults do the talking.
Lady Delia saw the two of them and smiled like a blooming flower. Her pearly teeth flashed happily at the sight of them.
She said, "Welcome, Lady Vena. I didn't expect you to attend this event."
Lady Veba also smiled and replied, "My son attends this academy, so I thought to share in this pleasant occasion with the faculty and students."
Tyson called out again, "Two roosters."
His wet nurse had to shush him several times before he stopped.
Lady Delia nodded. "It is nice of you to show up. Your presence is highly appreciated."
Then she turned to Arthur and asked, "Who is this young man? Is he your younger brother?"
Arthur kept a straight face as his mother laughed and said, "That's not my younger brother. That's Arthur."
Lady Delia frowned and said, "Arthur? Isn't he only eight years old? How can he be this big?"
Lady Vena explained patiently with pride, "He is this big because he is at the sixth transformation."
Lady Delia shook her head. "Sixth transformation at eight years old? Impossible. When did he begin training? Two years old?"
Lady Vena replied with a smirk, "He didn't start at two years old. He was too weak then. He actually started when he was seven. That was a year ago."
Lady Delia laughed. The people around who were watching the show also laughed along with her.
She said, "So he achieved the second transformation at the age of seven and achieved four more transformations in one year. This is not a funny joke, Lady Vena."
She was smiling, but her eyes were cold. It passed across the message that she was not enjoying whatever was going on.
Lady Vena acted as if she didn't see the warning look directed at her. She covered her mouth and giggled shyly. It caused her chest to rise and fall rhythmically.
The sight made a lot of men swallow visibly, which only served to annoy Lady Delia even more.
Lady Vena said, "It is nothing as impressive as you make it out to be. He didn't make so much progress because of hard work or talent. His progress was all due to me."