As it turned out the monster from the morning wasn't so scary after all, though the noble had exquisite control over his mana, she managed to get a read on him once she was inside his spell, as he started leaking some mana when casting a spell. After he left she returned to her meal as if nothing had happened.
“What did he tell you?” everyone around her asked her excitedly.
“I promised not to tell!”
“Oh come on I won't tell anyone else.”
“I promised!”
“You’re no fun at all!” they tried everything to persuade her, even though her friends knew she always held her promises, they still tried to change her mind, to no avail though.
After finishing his walk the noble went back to Andra and after a brief discussion they left the mess hall, the until now subdued talking instantly got louder. It was the first time in her life a real noble visited the orphanage and understandably everyone was excited.
After breakfast they went to the courtyard immediately, having learned all Nandelia wanted to teach them only two weeks prior. For the next hour they played several games, though no one was paying all that much attention. Shortly after lunch, Mary was called in Andra’s office by Nandelia.
She was expected by the Baron, Andra and Nandelia, she was sure something was up, as she knew she hadn't done anything deserving punishment today. She decided patience was the key here and waited for the adults to start talking first, somehow people always got uncomfortable in silence. It didn't take long until Nandelia broke the silence.
“Don't you want to know why we fetched you Mary?”
“I figured you’d tell me when you are ready!”
Nandelia seemed really happy, having obvious problems of staying demure. Nandelia started to look as if she was about to explode, starting to slightly bounce up and down repeatedly. Mary had to quirk an eyebrow at that, her caretaker had a bubbly personality, she normally had better control of herself. A minute afterwards Nandelia lost against herself, abandoning her position next the the other two who had a bemused expression on their face, and ran to her embracing her tightly.
“I’m so happy for you! But I’m also sad because I wont see you anymore! Make sure to write me sometimes! I’ll miss you!”
Mary looked at the other two with a confused face. “I chose to adopt you.” The Baron clarified.
“What! But I don't wanna go.” That exclamation caused confusion in those around her.
“Why wouldn't you, you will never get a chance like that again?”
"I’ll miss my friends and they will just run into trouble without me!” She started crying, she really didn't want to leave, she liked it here. Nandelia embraced her a little more tightly.
“Don't cry, you know it was the most likely outcome, you are the smartest here after all!” she sniffed. “But that's it, I don't need any help i’ll be successful anyways!”
“And why are you so sure of that?”
She looked at her seriously. “Because I’m a sorceress!”
“If that's true there is another point to leave, being a noble can get you in magic schools nobody can get into.”
She sniffed another time and then reigned herself in.
“I really don't want to go!” Nandelia looked at her seriously.
“You have to!” Visiting a magic school would really be nice, she had to admit that, but she still didn't want to leave. She looked directly at the noble. “Take Taliven instead, he is a good leader and would surely be happy!”
“Because you let him, we both know you’d be better at it than he is by far, from what I saw through the window just today I knew you just didn't want to lead.” Her shoulders sagged, the noble was far to observant.
“Can I say goodbye to my friends?"
"Of course, take as much time as you want. We’ll wait for you in here.”
She ran down the stairs into the courtyard and spotted her friends waiting for her near the entrance so she quickly joined them. Somi came forwards first, embracing her.
“I’ll miss you!” Afterwards everyone came forth and joined them. Mary looked at them and her tears came again. “How did you know?”
“You always were the smartest, the moment Andra said he’d be taking one of us we knew it’d be you. Especially after he talked to you.” Taliven answered. She nodded, the others retreated a bit.
“Promise me you will take care of them and stop them from doing stuff I wouldn't do!” He grinned at that.
“I will try my best!”
After another round of farewells, Mary left her friends feeling a little better and went upstairs to face her future.
After another tearful goodbye with Nandelia she left the orphanage for the second time in her life. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw now. Two huge animals waiting for them, obviously content to wait for their owner a whole day. They had four legs, shiny brown fur and their heads shot up whenever someone looked at them, who they proceeded to glare at.
Mary abandoned her place next to the Baron and ran towards the beasts completely unfazed by the stares they sent her way, they wouldn't be here if they were dangerous after all. Arriving there, she did what any sensible child would do, she touched it. At first it looked like it wanted to bite her, but as she reciprocate the stare it stopped it's aggression and seemed content to let her pet it, which was hard because it was way bigger than her.
“And I thought they were exaggerating when telling me you were reckless! Do you know how dangerous these are when they don't know you!”
“It obvious, not at all, though don't you think they are awfully big?” The Baron just shook his head.
“Let's get going.” The carriage was really strange, it was solid, yet you could see through it from both sides, that meant the tons of mana she could feel stored in several central points were supplying all those illusion spells, she tried making a few of the shapes which worked surprisingly good, though most shapes were only components and had no use without adding more. She combined one of the unknowns with her simple light ball, resulting in some kind of glowing leaf forming in front of her. Before she could experiment more, the carriage started moving, so she abandoned her experiments and enjoyed the view.
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It wasn't long until they arrived at her new home, a huge mansion surrounded by a beautiful park. The mansion was surrounded by a few rows of trees, that while not overly high were just right to stop any outsider from seeing the house. The rest of the garden was enclosed by hedges stopping her from seeing anything from the carriage. She could hear water splashing somewhere though. As they cleared the trees, she could fully see the mansion for the first time in her life, it was grandiose, standing at only three stories tall it was shorter than the orphanage, but that didn't change anything about it's impression.
She could see the front from her vantage point, a facade of expensive marble, not the white one so commonly used in most buildings, but several different colors intermixed with expensive looking wood. The walls were mainly of two different kinds of marble a light brown one with darker veins crisscrossing it. With that marble as a base, there were layers of other colored marble added, for example a deep black with silver veins oder an emeralgreen one which veins were out of a deeper green.
The layers of marble showed landscapes unknown to her, the view from a mountain or into a cave. She didn't know how long she stood there, admiring the craftsmanship and longing to see these lands herself, when she was gently interrupted by the Baron.
“Time to meet your new family, you can look all you want later on!”
She didn't even notice they exited the carriage, though they had as it was nowhere to bee seen. They then entered the mansion through huge wooden doors, which were she noted, now that she had herself together again, full of magic again. Behind the doors was an entrance hall, as beautiful as the exterior, though now the walls were warmer and instead of formed marble landscapes, the walls were adorned by paintings of all kinds of things, people, landscapes, buildings, ruins and monsters all of which she had never seen before. The window’s curtains were made of incredible fabric.
She was led through a series of stairs and hallways, until they arrived in a room as big as all the rooms she had shared with her friends so far, though it only had one huge bad. They were awaited by a girl only slightly older than her there which was introduced to her as her personal maid. She was told the maid would help her bathe and dress, which was stupid, she wasn't old so she didn't need help to do so, which she promptly told them. It was to no avail though and she was left alone with the maid soon after, told to let the maid lead her to dinner. The maid who was called Elaine showed her everything, and then really wanted to bathe her, she wouldn't have that though, and after getting all the strange thing in the bathroom explained was promptly shoved out of the room. After a quick bath, just as she wanted to dress again, she saw Elaine standing in a corner she definitly wasn't in before, pouting at her.
“Why did you do that young miss, I am here to help you after all! You didn't even properly bathe!”
Two could play that game so Mary pouted back.
“I already told you to call me Mary! Nobody helps me do stuff like that, I’m no old woman after all. And I did, I even used one of these strange smelling concoctions you told me about.” She searched for her clothes, but they seemed to have vanished, she eyed Elaine suspiciously.
“Where are my clothes?” I threw the rags you were wearing in the fire, no lady of house Falconbridge should wear something like that!”
“And what should I wear instead?”
Elaine guided her to another room adjacent to hers which was full of fabric, Mary stared at all the clothes in front of her, mouth open. Elaine went over go her and closed her mouth.
“A lady doesn't do that!” There was something missing here, she eyed Elaine again.
“Why are there no pants?”
“Because a lady doesn't wear pants!” She spat out the last word like some kind of course, Mary had a dark suspicion where this was leading.
“You want me to wear a dress then?” She made sure to pronounce it like Elaine had before.
Sadly even so she protested loudly and often Elaine was unrelenting, and the older girl had her dressed in some stupid yellow dress in no time. At least she could do something about the color, so she did just that, calling up her magic and wanting it to envelop her dress letting it glow softly in a dark green she remembered from the trees outside.
“When do we have to be ready Elaine?” She asked, after receiving no answer, she looked at her maid and so her staring at her open mouthed. Mary went over to her and shut her mouth.
“A lady doesn't do that!” She told her with some satisfaction. That seemed to snap Elaine out of her stupor though. “How did you do that?” Or maybe not as she seemed to have forgotten her stupid speechpatterns.
“I cast a spell, duh!”
“Of course he'd find someone like this!” Elaine muttered softly, than seemed to get herself under control again, we still have some time, are you sure you can keep this up for the entire evening?”
“Of course, my mana comes back fast enough to keep it up all day!”
“Very well, may I show you the grounds then, young miss?” And Elaine was back, really sad she liked the other Elaine more. Something to work at later on, she had a huge house to explore after all, but way more important there was an even bigger garden outside.
An hour later when they arrived at the dining hall, Mary was in love. Elaine had offhandedly explained there was a library behind a door they passed so Mary had insisted they go take a look. The library was one huge room, filled to the brim with all kinds of books and what was best it was near her room too.
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Diane Falconbridge was sitting in the dining hall waiting for her new daughter to come, Elaine had informed them she would show the girl around but they would manage to be on time. Branston and her had arrived here first waiting for all others to come, today they would eat in the private dining hall, together with her two sons and the newest addition to their family. Her sons arrived early too, as interested as she was.
Soon they could hear a girls voice talking happily to what seemed to be Elaine. She had to smile, you could hear the strain in the young girl’s voice, the child’s energy wearing down her patience. A minute later they arrived in front of the door.
“We have arrived young miss, remember what I told you.”
“I’m not allowed to climb the stairs upside down?” One of her sons let out a snort at that, the girl obviously annoying the strict maid on purpose, Elaine was a sticker to the rules, her employment in their house starting only a few weeks ago.
A knock came afterwards, Elaine entering followed by a girl in a glowing dark green dress, midnight black hair and a slightly darker skin like honey. Diane idly wondered where she got that dress, it definitely wasn't in the ones she bought when she was told Branston would adopt a girl. Upon entering the girl suddenly glared at Branston opening her mouth to say something when she was interrupted by Elaine.
“The sirs and lady are Baron Branston Falconbridge, Baroness Diane Falconbridge and their sons Decius and Reynold Falconbridge.”
Before Elaine had a chance to introduce her she spoke up. “I’m Mary!” Bringing smiles to their faces.
Branston spoke up for the first time. “Thank you for bringing her here Elaine, you may leave now!” After he left he addressed the girl directly.
“Did you have to do that, intentionally annoying Elaine, she is a good maid!” The girl pouted.
“Your fault, our deal didn't involve I had to wear stupid clothes! And she was mean to me, she dressed me in a really uncomftorble yellow dress and wanted to forbid me everything fun!” Diane turned to her husband raising a brow, asking the unspoken words ‘what deal’. Later he answered.
“You aren't wearing a yellow dress now.” One of her sons interjected.
“I do, but you can't see because I cast a spell that is directly above the surface emitting a better color.” That caused a stir among those present, except Branston, who just shrugged when she looked at him.
“Come sit with us and let's eat.” Completely unfazed she was in the presence of nobles the girl came over and sat down in the only remaining chair. Unlike all other children so far, she didn't immediately wolf down the food, instead waiting for them to do it, copying them to the best of her ability.
Obviously she liked the food though, hardly surprising as the cooks always gave their best on days like this. After dinner the girl seemed placated, she even proved to her sons she actually was a magician, shortly dispelling the spell on her dress, recasting it immediately, they in turn showed her some magic as well. Diane was sad her other sons were somewhere else, they were sure to like the girl, but they were out and about, visiting other continents to see the world. An hour after dinner it was getting obvious the girl needed to rest, the days emotions and excitement finally claiming her.