*Sigh*

I felt my shoulders slump as I stared at a half-finished piece which was counted and logged by a collared servent. I wasn't good at enchanting, I'm not good at anything really but I needed to give back something to my family...

My throat began to hurt as tears began to well up around my eyes. Trying to avoid anyone seeing me I closed my eyes and faked a yawn before lowering my head as the yawning began to draw for far too long. Beside my head, a paper crumbled causing me to almost jump out of my seat.

Did I destroy it?

I stared at a small package with an imprint on my forehead in utter horror. Even the tiny bowtie holding the thing together was slowly untieing itself, finding endless ways to prolong this show.

I can give this to her!

I wanted to run away but I found myself blocked in by the giant queue of students trying to leave through the small door at the very front. A funny feeling crawled onto my back sending shivers down my spine. I knew where her Ladyship dar Blackworm was, she and Lady Junker had passed by me at the beginning of the class. The feeling of being watched pulled on my neck like reins on a horse, wanting me to turn my head around and to satisfy this odd sense humans had.

I can't! Once our eyes meet there is no way I can say no to her Ladyship! How could I give her this after what she had already done for me?

In one moment the backs of fellow students filled my view alongside my pathetic attempt at enchanting and in the next the world became blurry with two glowing orbs of sun and moon piercing through the tears.

"Lady Aoife, are you feeling alright?" Her Ladyship's guide spoke up sounding concerned. "You look rather devasted by something."

Ohh no, now I can't escape.

"Yes, everything is as it should be," I stood up to meet the two, attempting my best to hide the crumbled present behind me. I tried my best but while Lady Sofia watched me, Her Ladyship dar Blackworm leaned to the side, balancing on one leg trying to see what was behind me. "Lady Siri I wanted to give you this cake as an infinitely insufficient show of my appreciation...But I crumpled it..."

The pale princess didn't even wait for me to finish as she snatched the box from me, seemingly unconcerned by the fact that the cream cake had been squished into a mould of my forehead.

"I don't think she cares about such things." Lady Sofia said into my ear as out of nowhere a silver spoon rippling internally with magical fire appeared in Lady Siri's hand.

Does she keep ancient relics in her sleeve?

"Yeah, I would get used to seeing ridiculous things when near Siri." She said pushing my jaw upward and closing my mouth.

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"You're talking as if I will spend time with Her Ladyship."

"I don't see a problem with that Aoife Milliantel, we intend to take a break for a bell and you're welcome to come with us." The blond-haired angel stood there for a moment watching me before turning around to minister on Lady Siri, giving me a little wave as they began to leave.

I wasn't sure why I followed the two, recalling the events of the last time I met with Lady Siri made me cringe from embrassemt of my mistakes. Not only did I make a fool of myself and harm her, Lady Siri was honestly scary. The way she could stay perfectly still and simply mutely watch defying all unwritten rules of noble meets had a bone-chilling effect. There was being rude and not uttering a single word and there was the aloofness of the perfect noble radiated knowing how far down we were from her. The difference between a high noble and the next closest rank was immense. Unlike other nobles who needed to combine to become a power which the crown needed to respect, an individual high noble house was one of the keys to power the monarch needed to sway to their side to keep the throne.

I could feel the cold sweat gathering on my skin as the petite high noble in front of me turned around to see if I was following her. That woman's family held as much power as other of the country's entire estates of clergy, commoners and nobility.

I sort of wanted to stop and wait for them to pass, seeing if they would even notice my disappearance. I needed to get to work on my homework to not disappoint my parents and I wasn't even a true-blooded noble, I'm certain that they wouldn't miss me for even a second.

"Lady Milliantel could you sit here, I'm going to tell Annette to prepare a tea for three." Lady Junker said pointing to a seat right next to the Firmusian.

"I-" My voice tried to leave me, trying to protest her decision but the Junker exited and I was left solely alone with the ice-cold noble.

Is this some kind of trap? Will she be amusing herself by watching me somehow fail?

"You look like a carcass ready for an autopsy."

"Huh?" I blinked as I tried to wrap my mind around the strange sentence I wasn't sure I heard right.

"Your eyes are wide open and hazy while your lower jaw slowly opens by its own weight pushing it down."

I stared at Lady dar Blackworm for a moment before I sat down. I must have been accidently staring at her... wait she spoke up to me.

"Appologise Lady Siri." I wasn't quite sure if I should be surprised by the morbid comparison the delicate-looking noble gave me or that she said something without half a bell of awkward silence.

"Annoyi..." A quiet grumble brushed against my ear but I couldn't make out what she said.

"Y-you said something, Lady Siri?"

"I was grumbling. Do you have more deliciousness?" She leaned closer to me with a ravenous hunger burning in her glowing eyes.

"No my lady, I only brought that cream cake for you."

"Ohhhhh." The Firmusian on the edge of her seat deflated before lazily slumping onto the backrest.

"I might be able to buy more cakes for you once I finish my homework." I responded causing the painted-like woman to jump out of her gloomy painting. Does she really like cake that much?

"Homework?" Lady Siri said cocking her head to the side in a rather adorable way.

"Yes, the thing our lecturers assign to us at the end of each class."

"Lady Siri is far too quick to have any homework left," Lady Sofia emerged from the door and sat down opposite to me. "I envy her ability to work so fast, although she does make mistakes sometimes. "

The blond turned her emerald eyes onto the damestar raven-like girl who gained a confused frown before nodding at her own failure for some reason.

"We are all humans." I whispered fiddling with my fingers trying not to look at Lady Siri and her stainless clothes.

"Exactly, and since we all make mistakes we easily forgive," Sofia continued while her maid began to pour tea for us. "So, Aoife do you have anything to talk about?"

"Me?"

"Well, yes. You see Lady Siri usually contains reading books or napping so having another person is a welcome change."

"I don't think I have anything interesting to say. I spend my days trying to pay attention in class." I took a sip of the bronze colour tea letting its spiced taste spread all over my tongue. "I really don't think I fit in here with the likes of Lady Siri. Even my homework is far less advanced than anything you can do in class.

"That's not true." The Junker said as I pulled out the sheet I had written all the homework I was given which included writing a ten-page write-up.

"Deliciousness." Without any warning, the pale shadow flanking both of us leaned toward me and snatched the page out of my hands.

"Lady Siri?"

"I will finish your homework and you can give me tax."

"Tax?" I asked and saw Lady Sofia shake her head.

"Lady Siri you can't just demand everyone give you cake, it's unhealthy to eat only sweet things." The Junker wagged her finger at the high noble a sight I thought I would never see in my life. The girl's eyes became so wide as she seemed to plead with her guide.

"It's fine Miss Junker, I don't want her Ladyship to do my homework but-"

"No, Siri is doing it again. Please you can't do someone else homework both of you can get into trouble."

"Hmmm," The strangely active winter scion tapped her chin with her finger, her face still frozen in the very serious expression she always wore. "But I can help, and if I help that means she can pay tax faster!"