Chapter 19

I stood in the practice field with Mr. Tressum, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement.

“You figured out you’re third attribute, you say?” I could feel the expectation in his gaze as I readied myself. During all of our lessons, we tried multiple different ideas on what it could’ve been, but neither of us could have predicted it.

“I did! Just watch!” I pushed my mana into the shadow of a nearby tree, bringing it under my control as a spear shot from the ground. I twirled the shadow around myself before sending it back.

“W-What was that?!” my teacher exclaimed when I was done, and I couldn’t help but grin at his reaction.

“It’s night magic!” Honestly, the name sounds a little ominous, but Lydia said it would be fine to tell him. He paused and stared at me, and I could feel the sweat start beading on my face. After a few tense moments, he finally spoke.

“T-That sounds amazing!” relief flooded my system as he started to ramble. “Is it just shadows you manipulate? What else can you do?”

“I can also move through them, and it’s much faster than even running!” To demonstrate, I ran under the same tree I used earlier and sunk into the ground. Mr. Tressum shouted in surprise as I appeared behind him, rising from his shadow. We continued to gush over my new magic as I showed him different attacks and techniques. “I only just discovered it the other day… so I’m not all that proficient with it yet.” I scratched my cheek sheepishly.

“Ah, when the assassin…” he trailed off, and I nodded my head.

“The assassin used shadow magic, which I feel is different, but I’m not sure how yet…” I had been replicating techniques I saw him use or that the other girls told me about. But I could sense that the two magics were fundamentally different.

“That’s because night magic is a more advanced form of shadow magic and is exclusive to my guardians.” I jumped in surprise as Aurora’s voice echoed in my mind.

“W-Woah! Aurora?!” I reflexively shouted, which in turn startled Mr. Tressum. I raised my hand in apology and turned away from him.

“Sorry, Audrey! I didn’t mean to scare you!”

“You nearly scared me to death! Since when can talk directly? I know you mentioned we’d be able to, but I hadn’t figured it out yet…” I whispered to myself, shooting my teacher a glance with a shy smile.

“Ah, you don’t have to speak aloud; just direct your thoughts at me. The connection has been established since the attack.” I heard her take a breath before continuing, her voice a little more awkward. “I wanted to wait until everything had settled down, but then I couldn’t find a good time… then I heard you discussing your new magic and…” I couldn’t help but giggle as she trailed off. It was almost as if I could see her wringing her hands together.

“I see, but what changed?” My memories of that night were a little spotty, but I know I lost control of my power and passed out for a while.

“Right, you probably wouldn’t remember… Don’t worry about it too much. Just know that the connection was forged during your outburst of divine power.” I mentally shrugged my shoulders at her.

“If you say so.”

“Audrey? Are you alright?” Mr. Tressum’s voice broke me out of my conversation with the goddess, and I turned toward him, flustered.

“Ah! I apologize. It just seems I’m able to talk directly with my goddess now! She just chimed in suddenly about the magic, and it scared me.” I explained in a hurry. His eyes widened in shock, his mouth hanging open.

“Y-You mean to say you can converse with a deity? Anytime you want?” And I nodded my head in response. “Most divine guardians can only do that in concentrated prayer…”

“It’s because we’re super compatible!” Aurora said smugly, even though I was the only one who could hear her, and I couldn’t help but smile. Mr. Tressum seemed to be having an existential crisis, so I walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I wouldn’t think too hard about it.”

“Y-Yeah, It’s not like you haven’t surprised me like this before.” He shook his head violently to clear his thoughts. “But if you can discuss it directly with a goddess, then it seems I won’t be able to provide anything substantial to your training anymore.” I shook my head in a panic at his words.

“That isn’t true—” He stopped me from speaking and laughed.

“Honestly, your talent for magic surpasses even the princess. I’ve long felt that I wouldn’t have much more to teach you.” Tears began to well in my eyes as he spoke.

“Are you saying you won’t be my instructor anymore?”

“Only in magic, I believe your goddess will be more fruitful for you to learn from now. But I’ll still be in charge of your other lessons. Unfortunately, your magic prowess does not translate to etiquette or the arts…”

I grimaced at his observation. “I also believe it would be a good idea for you…” Not you, too, Aurora…

“That sounds… fine.” I sigh in resignation.

“With that being said, I think I’ll go prepare for your next classroom lesson.” He said he turned to walk away. After a few steps, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder. “Ah, but I still want to see any new techniques you develop.”

I beamed at him as I waved him off. “Of course!”

***

“Good work today, everyone,” I say as I shuffle some papers together and set them on my desk. With the tournament over, the student council has a few weeks before the next big event starts to flood us with work again.

“Your Highness, if I may?” I look over Sasha and smile. Yuzuki and Brandon were already on their way out but paused at the door. I gestured for them to go ahead, and the room was left in silence with just the younger girl and me. Leah stood against the wall, quiet as usual.

“Is something wrong?” Sasha didn’t usually talk to me unless Audrey was around, and even then, she was pretty reserved.

The brown-haired girl played with her bangs and looked away. “Not really… I was just wondering where Lady Audrey has been. She hasn’t been attending any of the council meetings recently.” Ah, I get it now. I couldn’t help but smile at her embarrassed expression.

“Audrey was only meant to be a temporary member to help us sort through the workload of the tournament.” I looked out the window towards the field where my girlfriend usually practiced at this time. “I imagine she’s running some drills in the practice field behind the detached building right about now.”

Sasha grasped at her skirt, her face morphing into sadness as I spoke. “I haven’t seen her since the tournament… could it be Lady Audrey doesn’t want to see me?” The fear in her words ripped at my heart, and I was once again reminded that she was only twelve. I stood, moving around the desk to put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. The younger girl didn’t try to move away and only continued to stare at the floor.

“Of course not. Audrey was just telling me this morning how she was going to drop by to see you… But you know how she gets absorbed in her training…” My words didn’t seem to cheer her up at all, so I invited her to go with me. “I was heading over there after this. Would you like to join me? I’m sure she’d love to see you.”

Sasha finally met my gaze and nodded. “I’d love to.” With that, we headed out together. This was really the first time it felt like I was talking with the real Sasha. I do want to get along with her. She may be my sister-in-law eventually…

“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell? Your face is red.” She inquired as we walked out of the building.

“O-Oh! I’m fine. I just had a weird thought, is all!” I waved my hands frantically and tried to change the subject. “So, it seems like you really like Audrey, is that right?” What a dumb question!

“Is that how it seems?” she asked again, twirling her hair with a finger. “I-I guess so… It's more that I miss my sister, and Lady Audrey gives me the same comfort my Audrey did.” I had to stop myself from blurting out that they were the same person. If she were any older, we may not have been able to fool her… Though deceiving her was still necessary for now, It pained both Audrey and I to do so.

“Of course, I think you mentioned that before.” Sasha’s face flushed. “You know, you took to calling Audrey by name, but you still use my title. I’d really like it if you used my name as well.”

“You do realize our families are politically opposed, right? Or is this some ploy to win over house Rose?” She asked defensively.

“I won’t lie and say bringing your family to our side isn’t a goal.” I heard her breath hitch. “But more than that, I just want to be your friend, Sasha.” I stopped and grabbed her hand. The urge to tease her welled in my chest, and I couldn’t hold back. “Besides, you’re aware that Audrey and I are dating… being around her means being around me too.”

“O-Of course I'm aware of that!” she snapped, her face flushed crimson. She shook my hand off and began walking again. “Fine… but only in private, Lady Lydia.” I squealed in happiness and jogged a bit to catch up to her.

“Aw, you didn’t even stutter! Now let's go stop Audrey from running herself into the ground!” Sasha shook her head, but I didn’t miss the slight smile playing on her lips.

“Seriously… Are you sure you’re royalty?”

I cocked my head to the side in mock confusion. “That’s what I’ve been told.”

“It was a rhetorical question…”

After that, we walked in silence, but it wasn’t full of tension like our usual interactions. I’m quite happy with this development. A few minutes later, the practice field came into view. Audrey stood in the middle with her eyes closed.

“She seems to be focusing. Maybe we shouldn’t interrupt her right now?” Sasha asked, her eyes glued to the redhead. I nodded my head in agreement but then had a thought.

“No… we should definitely—” My words were cut off as Audrey lurched forward, launching a massive blade of darkness toward the practice target. Not only did it cut straight through the target, but it even disrupted part of the protective barrier. My girlfriend raised her hands in celebration and spun around. Then froze as her eyes landed on us. I couldn’t help but rub my temple in exasperation as Audrey lowered her hands slowly and turned her gaze away.

Sasha’s eyes were alight with excitement as she ran towards Audrey, who caught her in a hug. “What magic was that?! It definitely wasn’t water!”

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“O-Oh… it was…” Audrey pleaded for help with her eyes, but I only shook my head with a sigh

“It’s alright, just tell her the truth,” I said.

“Alright.” My girlfriend nodded at me. “You see, Sasha, I have a special attribute called “Shadow Magic.” Thank goodness she understood not to tell her everything.

“Really?! What can it do?” The younger sister asked.

“Well, as you saw, I can launch hardened shadows as an attack.” Audrey broke away from her sister and smiled impishly. “I can also do this.” She sunk into her own shadow and disappeared.

“L-Lady Audrey?” Sasha whipped her head around, looking for Audrey. Yet, for some reason, I could still sense her presence. Audrey slowly rose out of the ground behind me, and I could tell she was wanting to scare me, so I let her do as she pleased until the final moment. Right when her hand was about to touch my shoulder, I whipped around and grabbed her wrist.

“Ah!” I couldn’t help but smile at her shocked expression before it morphed into a pout. “How did you know?”

“Please, I am your partner, after all.” Both our faces melted into warm smiles as we stared at each other, only to suddenly jolt away from each other when Sasha cleared her throat.

Her face was a little flushed as she spoke. “W-Well, if you had such amazing magic, why didn’t you use it at the tournament?”

“I’m trying to keep it a secret.” Audrey knelt down in front of Sasha and patted her on the head. “So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it to anyone else.”

Her sister beamed. “I would never!” She schooled her expression and laughed a little. “Ah, but you should probably be more careful then, so nobody sees you like I did.”

“I was also thinking that.” I seconded. Audrey paused for another moment before muttering.

“All three of you? Really?” Three?

“Anyway, you both came to get me, right? Shall we head back to the dorms?” Sasha and I exchanged an amused glance as she changed the subject.

***

“I promise to visit the council room more,” I said as Sasha moved to enter her room.

“Really?” she asked, hopeful, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty about my absence.

“I swear it on my name.”

She giggled cutely. “You don’t have to go that far.” We shared a smile for a moment before Lydia and I turned to walk down the hall.

“We’ll see you later, Sasha. Have a good night.” I said with a wave.

“You as well, Lady Audrey. Lady Lydia.” and with that, she closed the door. I nudged Lyida with my elbow a few steps later.

“Lady Lydia? When did that happen?” I asked. A smile appeared on her face as we continued to walk.

“Just earlier today, actually. I’m pretty happy about it myself.” I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Is that so?”

“Of course! I mean, she is your sister… a maybe someday she’ll be mine as well…” The blonde girl trailed off, her face burning as the words she just said hit her.

“You know this is why you’re an easy target for the other girls, right?” I said with a smile. Lydia hung her head, staring at the red carpet.

“I know.” She said, dejected. I managed to keep my composure on the outside, but my mind was in turmoil.

“She meant that as in marrying me, right?!” I mind-shouted at Aurora.

“I do believe so…” my Goddess responded.

My happiness soared as we made it to our dorm room.

“Like… Cute wedding dresses and vows and all that?!”

“That’s what weddings typically entail, yes.”

“Spending our whole lives together? That's what she’s thinking?!” I swore I heard Aurora sigh at me.

“Is this what having a daughter is like?” I saw her smile and shake her head in my mind. “I guess it’s not all bad. I know you are excited about that, Audrey, but a wedding would still be years away… and you're going to give your goddess a headache if you keep shouting like that.” I smiled sheepishly at her in my head while I moved to sit on the couch.

“Sorry. I love you too.”

“As do I, but I think you should probably focus on who’s next to you.”

I refocused on my surroundings and gasped in shock as Lydia's lips met mine. My eyes drifted shut to enjoy the moment, but then she pulled away from me.

“Well, that got your attention.” She folded her arms angrily. “You were thinking of another girl, weren’t you?” She accused.

“H-How’d you know?!” I said before slapping my hands over my mouth.

“So you were?!” My girlfriend seemed just as shocked as I was at my confession. Well, technically, I was thinking to another girl…

“That excuse isn’t going to work…” The goddess in question said, exasperated.

“N-No! It isn’t what you think! I promise!.” I floundered, desperately trying to calm Lydia down. Lucia and Leah had already been in the room, and I shot a glare their way as they snickered to each other.

After finally managing to get her to relax, I began to explain everything I’ve discovered about my new attribute and my newly opened connection to Aurora to them.

“I understand,” Lydia said. I opened my mouth in relief to speak, but she cut me off. “But I’m still angry.” She turned her head, and I hung mine. Moments later, she peaked at me, her frown twitching into a smile. “I'm kidding, Audrey.” I glanced up at her to confirm she was telling the truth. “Just be more careful. People will question your sanity if you space off constantly, even if you are talking to the gods.”

“Of course…” I said.

“Really, I wish I could say I'm amazed, but it seems I’ve just gotten used to these things,” Lucia said from her position behind Lydia.

“I quite agree,” Leah said as she placed steaming cups of tea in front of us. Then she clapped her hands together as if coming to a conclusion. “But she still hasn’t bested you in the sword yet, right, Lucia?” I clutched at my chest as the lady-in-waiting’s words cut at me.

“I suppose so. At least we know she isn’t perfect.” The knight agreed, which even got Lydia to laugh as they made fun of me. In a desperate bid to earn their admiration again, I raised a hand.

“I still haven’t shown you my newest ability yet!” I said as I grabbed the cup of tea. A small circle of shadow appeared next to me, undulating and twisting. I shoved the cup inside of it, and it disappeared along with the portal.

“What did you just do?” Lydia asked, and I grinned as if showing off my prize possession.

“My goddess taught me a skill that allows me to create pocket dimensions!” my girlfriend choked on her tea, and the room sat in stunned silence.

“Did you say… dimensions? As in…?” She trailed off, and I nodded happily.

“That’s right! I can create localized spaces to store things only I can access!” She was staring at me in disbelief, so I opened the portal up again and withdrew the cup. Steam was still rising from the liquid inside, even though we had been talking for a few minutes and the other drinks had cooled down already. “The best part is that time moves differently in my pocket dimension, so I can store food and all sorts of perishables for long periods without them expiring.”

“S-So you can you store living things in there?” Lydia asked hesitantly. I tilted my head in thought before answering.

“I could, technically. My goddess told me a day in my pocket dimension is about a year in our time, so it wouldn’t be recommended.”

“That’s a shame. I was thinking that it would be nice to hide out in there from time to time…” She said.

“Seriously? You see this groundbreaking magic for the first time, and that’s what your only thought?” I ask.

“W-Well, I just thought it’d be nice to be alone together with no chance of interruptions…” Her idea sent me into a conversation with my goddess.

“Aurora.”

“No.” and I groaned in disappointment.

“Is that so, my lady?” Leah said, her eyes flashing with evil. “And do tell me, what would the two of you do while in such a situation?” From there on out, the rest of the night descended into chaos before we finally settled for bed well after midnight.

***

The next day, I sat with the other council members in the office, working on the normal paperwork. I scanned a budget report from one of the many after-school clubs and noticed a discrepancy.

“Brandon, will you follow up on this? It’s probably just a clerking error, but we should make sure.” I said as I handed it off to the only boy in the room. Being the son of one of the most prominent trading companies means he’s excellent at that kind of work.

“Of course, Prez.” He said, then moved toward the door. He paused for a moment and cleared his throat. “Uh, about what you said before… about recruiting more guys. Can I ask if you have any prospects?” I looked up at him, having already moved on to the next document.

“Ah, I forgot,” I said with a sweet smile.

“Y-You forgot?”

“That’s what I said.” Sasha and Yuzuki both looked up from their work at the exchange, and I couldn’t help but see the slight amusement in Yuzuki’s eyes.

“You’re going to get me murdered…” he complained as he left the room. I sighed and looked at the foreign exchange student.

“Do you know why he’s so worried about it, Yuzuki?” I asked.

“I believe it’s for the same reason he mentioned before, but the jealousy from the other boys has only intensified since Lady Celestine has been appearing more often.” She replied with a smile.

“Oh, well, I guess it can’t be helped, then. Audrey is a beauty. Brandon should really be more grateful to me for surrounding him with so many girls…”

“I don’t believe he sees it that way, Your Highness.”

“I guess not.” I shrugged it off and began working on the documents again. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and it opened to reveal Audrey. She entered with a smile, nodding at Yuzuki, who returned a smile of her own.

“Lady Audrey! You came to visit!” Sasha said ecstatically as she rushed to her side. With Yuzuki present, she held herself back from a full-force hug, but it was still obvious how much the younger girl admired Audrey.

“Of course I did; I made a promise.” my girlfriend replied, brushing her younger sister's hair with her hand.

“I didn’t think you’d show up the next day! What about training?”

“Ah, well… I’m sort of on a self-enforced regiment right now, so I decided to take a break today.” I couldn’t help but smile as Audrey nervously pushed some scarlet hair behind her ear. It was a habit the sisters shared whenever they lied. “So I thought I'd come to see if the council needed any help.” She met my gaze, and I shook my head.

“Honestly, we’ve managed to stay on top of the current workload, but I’m sure that will change again in a few weeks,” I said.

“Because of the formal gala, you mentioned?” Audrey asked. “It’s a dance like the homecoming ball, right?”

“Exactly, but this one is bigger and is the only event where true, noble etiquette is expected.” The gala takes place during the final quarter of the year, and many students look forward to it. Anxiety flashed across her face since etiquette was still something she struggled with. That was to be expected, considering her past.

“I see… I assume you’ll want my help again when the work picks up then?” The redhead asked. The only reason she wasn’t a permanent member of the council was so she would have plenty of time for training and her other lessons.

“Most likely. Though it shouldn’t be as hectic as the tournament, we’ll have to do a lot of detail work.” Audrey nodded in understanding, having sat down next to Sasha.

“It doesn’t feel like I’ve been here for almost 6 months… Time flies.” She said. “I’ll be sad when the year ends, I think. I would’ve loved to get the whole academy experience…” she trailed off, and I could see the sadness on her face.

“You won’t be doing another year?” Sasha asked timidly, and Audrey shook her head.

“Unfortunately not, but I will be staying at the castle for the foreseeable future.”

“In that case, We’ll still get to meet during the social season then!” the younger sister said, causing my girlfriend to smile.

“Hopefully so.” There were only three months of the school year left, but I didn’t know what my family was planning on doing with Audrey after that. It’s likely we’ll have to announce her status as a divine guardian, at least…

The room descended into an awkward silence after that. I cleared my throat and did my best to dispel the atmosphere. “We still have plenty of time until that happens, so let's just focus on the present and make sure we enjoy the remaining events!”

The other girls nodded in agreement.

“Of course!” Audrey said with a grin.

“I’ll do my best for you, Lady Audrey!” Sasha said, which made Yuzuki giggle.

“Don’t forget, We all need to enjoy it as well!” Yuzuki said.

Audrey took some work from her sister, and we all enjoyed a pleasant conversation while we worked. And as the sun started to set, we all set off for our rooms.

Later that night, as we lie next to each other, Audrey asked me a question.

“We’ll get to dance again at the gala, right?” She looked into my eyes as she spoke. I could drown in her gaze… “I had so much fun last time.” Her cheeks flushed as she thought of the homecoming dance.

“Of course we will. There’s nobody else I’d have.” I replied.

“What clothes will we wear? I’d love it if we matched again… but it would also be fun to contrast.” Her enthusiasm was contagious as we discussed our potential wardrobe.

I drifted off that night with countless ideas to make Audrey shine even brighter.