Chapter 169: 169
House of Phloria Ernas, a week after Lith had left the academy .
After Headmaster Linjos gave the announcement about all the academy's activities being suspended, the students were left with two alternatives . Remain in the castle and self study, or return to their homes .
The Professors were busy helping with Kandria's situation, either by providing materials, magic ingredients or searching for Manohar, but the academy would remain open .
Its size was the same of a small city, many clerks and their families lived there, just like most of the kitchen personnel . Several students were orphans or had complicated family situations, hence once admitted, the academy would be their home until graduation or expulsion .
It was one of the reasons that galvanised all those of humble origins to give their best in their studies, to the point of overcoming their limits . Once in the academy, they would never again fear cold, hunger or the abuses from their relatives or caretakers .
For them bullying was a small price to pay, because at least in their rooms they were kings and queens . Before departing, Yurial had offered the girls hospitality in his home for as long as necessary, but they had politely refused .
Time, stress and the growth spurt had brought him to bloom as a man . Whenever he wasn't focused on his magic studies, Yurial would hit on girls, jumping from one to another like a bee dancing among flowers .
Phloria didn't like how often she had caught him staring at her legs and a*s, just like Friya couldn't stand how whenever they started a conversation, it seemed to be directed at her bosom, since his eyes would rarely move from such spot .
"My eyes are up here!" She would often repeat, achieving only a temporary truce .
Quylla was the most bothered of the three, since he would not give her a look, if not by mistake or for asking her advice about school subjects . She had stopped liking Yurial in a romantical way months ago, but his behaviour was aggravating nonetheless .
With his looks, charms and status, Yurial was a lady-killer, and receiving his attentions was a badge of honour for all girls, relegating the ones he ignored in the "Homely Girls Club", of which Quylla's cruel peers had made her a founding member .
So, when the opportunity arose, they all left the academy's toxic environment and moved to Phloria's house . Friya was determined to not follow her mother's plans anymore, to the point of sealing her communication amulet in a dimensional object to not have to hear from her again .
Phloria lived in a Duchy quite far from the academy, but thanks to the use of Warp Gates they reached her home in less than an hour .
The manor was surrounded by high white crystal walls, generating an array that prevented anyone to fly or Warp past its boundaries without the use of a special amulet . The park around the manor extended as far as the eye could see .
The air smelled of freshly cut grass, flower beds adorned the cobblestone paths that went across the front gardens .
Trees and bushes were all artistically trimmed to resemble mythical beasts, like unicorns and griffons . Even the benches, offering cool shades to the visitors, were made of white marble, engraved with runes that made them water and dirt proof, keeping them dry and clean no matter the weather .
The manor itself was bigger than Quylla's whole village, cultivated fields included . It extended for at least 3,000 square meters (3,588 square yards), divided into a main building, a left and a right wing forming a reversed U shape .
It wasn't anything special for Friya, her house was even bigger, but for Quylla was akin to the royal palace she had dreamed about as a kid . It took her a couple of days to recover from the shock of being served night and day, and being called "young miss" .
The academy was a spartan environment . Despite even a single one of its stones was more expensive than the whole park, in the White Griffon everything was designed without pomp . Looks held no significance for the academy's buildings, only practicality did .
Hence, despite being full of magical wonders, it resembled more a military boot camp rather than a mystical place where dreams could come true .
Quylla felt like a beggar suddenly admitted at the King's Court . Aside for her uniform, she had no other dress . The problem was quickly solved, since both the noble girls had plenty of unused clothes, that just like the uniform, were capable of shrinking to fit the wearer .
To make things worse, she had no notion of etiquette, so every meal was a nightmare . There were so many plates and silverware, which she had never seen before, that made picking the right one for each dish harder than opening a Warp Steps .
When she was first offered a bowl of water and lemon juice, a nobles' tradition for washing hands before a meal, she asked what kind of soup it was, making even the highly professional staff smirk for a split second at her blunder .
After that, they only consumed their meals in Phloria's quarters, to avoid Quylla further embarrassment and teach her the basics . Phloria provided them amulets, allowing the girls to spend most of their days practicing dimensional magic .
With nothing to worry about and the mansion's relaxed environment, Quylla managed to teach her friends how to open a Warp Gate in less than a week . The last thing they needed to pass Professor Rudd's class with flying colours was learning how to Blink .
During their stay, the girls were completely isolated from the outside world . Phloria would often receive dispatches, often getting pale after reading them and always burning them afterwards . She refused to discuss their contents, no matter how her friends insisted .
Between the rumours about a world ending plague, the slithering civil war and now the decree that allowed to confiscate everything from runaway nobles, unrest was growing in the Kingdom .
No one had predicted such a move from the Crown, crippling the old nobles' faction in one fell swoop . Along with their mansions and estates, the royal police had acquired many incriminating evidences, that was triggering a domino effect .
The noble faction was losing ground and influence fast, forcing their hand . They had to either speed up their plans or give up and submit, before it was too late to do both .
Phloria didn't want to alarm the others . In her mind, it was only a matter of time before they were conscripted and sent to the battlefront, there was no reason to spoil their last carefree days with such news .
Their peace was broken the day that Phloria's mother suddenly returned home .
Their relationship wasn't good to begin with, so Phloria had her friends dress up for the occasion, to not give a bad first impression to her demanding parent .
After they were summoned in her mother's chambers, Phloria instructed them about what to say and how to behave .
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