The next day began with a deceptive calm. The sun barely peeked through the windows, and María, exhausted from the previous day's events, shifted under the covers, still caught in a state of semi-consciousness.

What she didn't expect was the shock that would abruptly jolt her out of her rest.

As she opened her eyes, her heart stopped for a second.

Right in front of her, leaning over the bed, was Esmeria, staring at her intently with those cold eyes, similar to Aria's, though María had grown accustomed to the latter’s gaze by now.

María let out a blood-curdling scream, her heart racing.

"Aaah!"

The noise woke Aria, who opened her eyes slowly and, in her usual calm demeanor, asked while rubbing them:

"What happened?"

Unfazed by María's scream, Esmeria stepped back and clasped her hands in front of her chest, bowing slightly.

"My apologies for waking you, Miss Aria. That was not my intention, but I would like to see as soon as possible what spell you've learned."

María, still trembling, took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

The scare still echoed through her body, and she felt her heart pounding in her throat.

'How long was Esmeria standing there?' María wondered, a chill running down her spine.

Despite the lingering panic, she slowly got out of bed, searching for the wand she had stored in a nearby wooden drawer.

Aria, on the other hand, still half asleep, stretched and sat up slowly.

She hadn’t fully grasped what was happening, but her serene expression showed none of the tension that filled the room.

Finally finding the wand, María handed it to the girl, her hands shaking.

With surprising ease for someone who had just woken up, Aria took the wand.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, focusing, and soon enough, the same spell she had practiced the day before with Hugo began to take shape.

The wand glowed, first faintly, then with a blinding intensity that filled the entire room.

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María, her eyes wide open, felt the light sting her vision and quickly covered her eyes with her hands to protect them, but it was too late.

"Ouch! My eyes!" María exclaimed as she rubbed her eyelids, trying to soothe the pain.

Esmeria, on the other hand, appeared entirely unaffected, even though it was clear the light had done some damage to her.

It seemed the magician had played a cruel joke on her, but right now, that didn’t matter.

A wide smile formed on Esmeria's face as she watched Aria.

Esmeria stepped forward and, with a graceful motion, scooped up the girl in her arms, lifting her with a surprising gentleness for someone with such a cold demeanor.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Esmeria, her voice brimming with excitement, "You're a prodigy, Miss Aria!" Her smile widened as she hugged Aria tightly to her chest in an almost maternal embrace, though for Aria, being so close to Esmeria was anything but comforting.

The little girl swallowed hard, feeling her body stiffen.

She could sense an overwhelming energy emanating from Esmeria, an invisible pressure surrounding her as if she were being enveloped by a greater force.

'This energy... no matter how much she tries to hide it, she's quite dangerous,' Aria thought as the hug continued.

Esmeria loosened her grip just a bit and, her eyes filled with anticipation, asked with a warm smile:

"So, Miss Aria? What would you like as a birthday present?"

Aria, still recovering from the close contact, hesitated for a few seconds before responding.

"I want a good meal."

Esmeria chuckled softly, shaking her head, clearly amused.

"Oh, Miss Aria, that's obvious. There will be excellent food at your birthday party, but you must ask for something more special. Come on, think... What would you like the most? You can ask me for anything."

Aria rubbed her eyes with her free hand, processing Esmeria’s insistence.

She then remembered something she had read in one of Hugo’s books, and that...

"I'm not sure..." Aria murmured.

Esmeria, however, wasn’t about to give up.

"Well, if you need ideas, I can help," Esmeria said with a suggestive look, as if she already had several options in mind. "You could ask for a new mansion, with new staff and everything you'd like. Or perhaps something more practical: money, jewels, a lovely new dress... Just tell me."

Watching Esmeria's enthusiasm, Aria felt a strange discomfort. Her eyes locked onto Esmeria’s, unflinching, as her sharp mind analyzed every word being offered.

That’s when she made her decision.

She was going to use that technique she read about in that book.

Then, with a soft but firm voice, Aria asked directly:

"Can I ask for a replacement for you?"

Aria knew that what she was asking for was rather outrageous, but this was only the first phase of the technique.

The air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment. Esmeria stopped smiling, staring at her intently.

The silence was almost deafening as María, still rubbing her eyes, barely processed what she had just heard.

Aria held her gaze on Esmeria, waiting for a response.

Finally, Esmeria smiled again, though this time more restrained, her gaze sharp but not angry.

"If that’s your wish... yes. You can ask for it," she replied, her tone cold but controlled.

'So, this isn’t crossing the line yet... well, I’ll move on to phase two anyway,' Aria thought silently.

"I see... then, how about you tell me exactly who you all are? And who do you take orders from?"

By making an unreasonable request at the start, Aria hoped Esmeria would concede to this question, as it wouldn’t cost her her job.

Tension filled the space once more, as palpable as the air they were breathing.

Esmeria kept her smile, but she didn’t respond immediately.