I wake up still shaken from all of last night's experiences, but I still wake up. I get to my feet and get dressed before heading to the kitchen where the cook is making something that smells wonderful. I wipe my face in the sink basin in the kitchen wiping all the tiredness and bad emotions away with it. I still won't be one hundred today, but at the very least I won't be all mopey and volatile.

I sit down for breakfast and eat the food slowly and methodically enjoying each bite. All the while I am thinking hard about what to do moving forward. I will absolutely see the princess again today, so I have a choice. She isn't one to really give a shit or care about me since we just met not a week ago so I can't try to play any sympathy cards. I could lie and say I suddenly felt sick, I'm sure my reactions looked quite ill. The right course of action though is, to tell the truth. Simply let her know that I and Margret share a very horrible past that I have yet to fully overcome the trauma from. Just simply say I cannot be anywhere near her due to the things she did to me. Either she will respect that or make fun of me, either way, it doesn't matter I'm pretty much stuck doing whatever the princess tells me to do due to social rankings.

After finishing my meal and thanking the cook I head out to class. I walk across the campus to the usual place I get my ass kicked in front of an entire class of students. I arrive early per usual and take my normal seat. To my surprise, the princess is up early as she usually shows up just a little late. She stands next to the desk with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. She then asks me,

"What was your deal yesterday? I asked Margret and she wouldn't answer."

I give a humorless laugh and reply,

"Oh yeah, I was freaking out. She's a wicked bitch. Tortured me for fun for a few months while I was a slave back in the day. I still haven't really recovered and it caught me off-guard, sorry about that if I embarrassed you or something."

She gets a thoughtful look and nods a few times before answering,

"Eh, it's whatever. I don't really care what the daughter of a marquis thinks anyways. You just let me get bored by backing out of that dinner."

I nod happily, this whole conversation went well. I then ask her,

"Alrighty. Well, we probably can't have a fight again, at least for a while because your guards will try to stop us. Any ideas on how we can be rivals?"

She laughs at this and thinks for a moment before responding,

"Well... there are the university-sanctioned competitions coming up next month. Basically, just ways to redo school rankings in a competitive situation. I think it shows a far more truthful version of a student's abilities than some interview and a test."

I nod along and ask,

"Well, what kind of competitions?"

She takes another pause to think and answers,

"Well there are the fighting tournaments one for each category like casting magics and body modifications stuff, then there is the anything goes tournament where any type of magic is permitted so long as it isn't banned by the kingdom. Then there are the boring academic ones where you have to write papers and take tests.

Everyone is already put into all of these tournaments but you'll be asked which ones you are capable of or want to do at some point. I get first priority on my picks as will you and the other high nobles' kids. But you do have to participate in at least one."

I nod along to her explanation, I do like competition. I guess I'll do a few of the academic ones and maybe the anything-goes tournament. Then the princess asks me,

"How the hell do you not know this already? Don't you have sisters who graduated here already?"

I shrug and answer,

"I've only been a Hasslerouge for less than a full year and I am only on friendly terms with two of my "siblings". I have no clue what's going on most of the time. I just do as they come."

She laughs and responds,

"See, that's exactly the mindset I admire. Just going along and getting it done as it comes to ya."

I laugh lightly but before our conversation can continue class starts and I have to go help Violet with instructing class...

In the afternoon I return to the villa tired from today. I worked hard at the forge today. I think I've gotten a somewhat grasp on rune crafting. Maybe not exactly but I'm slowly beginning to understand the nuances of creating functional runic enchantments. In a few more months and I'll surely be able to create some impressive works. With the hard work came a catharsis from my bad mood. I simply poured all my woes into working harder, even if it didn't help fix my problems I at least was distracted from them and overall my mood brightened considerably.

I enter the front door and shout into the villa jokingly,

"Honey! I'm home!"

No one laughs as expected, but the villa is also strangely quiet. Even the cook who normally is cooking dinner by now isn't cooking in the kitchen, or at least I can't smell it. I hesitantly move out of the entry hallway and into the large central room and unfortunately for me and my work toward having a better day Margret is sitting on one of the couches across from Zandra and her sister. I feel my blood run cold in initial shock but take a few deep breaths. My hands still begin shaking slightly and I say in a low voice with a desperately forced smile,

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"Ah. Lady Beller. How... nice to see you."

I feel sweat slowly begin forming at my hairline and under my arms but I quickly move to behind the couch across from Margret behind the two girls. She gives me a pleasant smile her eyes staring somewhere in the distance. The swordswoman looks toward me for a second but her eyes stop on my hands which are gripping the headrest of the couch. My knuckles bright white and the wooden frame letting out light creaks from the force of my grip. She quickly looks forward at the guest, confusion and slight fear in her eyes. Suddenly Margrest gaze returns back to us and the predatory look I remember returns to them as she locks eyes with me.

She then speaks in a tone as if she were superior to us in any way,

"Hello there... Isa it is so great to see you once more. Your sisters had just unfortunately gotten done explaining to me that you are not for sale... nor are they willing to... share you with me. They are quite greedy wouldn't you agree?"

I shake my head and somehow steady my voice when I reply,

"No. They are not. You are the one who is simply too greedy and way too far above her station. I would strongly recommend watching the tone you use when addressing me and the other member of our household in the future... Lady Beller"

I notice a slight twitch come from the side of her mouth and she swallows hard for a moment. I notice multiple nervous reactions come from her as she looks at both of the girls and then back at me. She then directs a question toward the girls,

"Well... I don't see much of a problem talking with you in such a way. I mean Isa is MINE by right as I never sold him myself. My father merely stole him away. So what's the problem with the way I talk to him?"

Zandra facepalms and the other sister then speaks, standing up in outrage,

"How dare you speak as if you own a member of the Hasslerouge family! It does not matter in this situation or any situation what his past ranking or role was. Our father officially adopted him into our family and has blessed him with our family name. You will not speak down to him in any way. Do you understand me, Lady Beller?"

Margret recoils back sharply and looks toward me with begging eyes. Her expression tells me she refuses to believe what was just told to her and is looking to me to confirm her suspicion. She pleads to me,

"Please do not say you forgot what we had!"

I catch myself from shouting and grit my teeth loudly. I manage to calm myself down some before I speak in a very strangely steady voice once again,

"Yes, I remember. You made sure of that. That is why I strongly wish for you to leave before those memories have me kill you. I do not wish to ever see you again if I can help it. Now. Go. Never return and if my name is to ever cross your lips again, thank your father for freeing me from you."

I point toward the door doing my best to keep my face calm. She stands up with tears in her eyes before leaving the villa without another word. When I hear the door shut behind her I move from behind the couch and sit in one of the armchairs in the main room. With an exasperated sigh I say,

"I really need a drink after that. Do we have any alcohol in this house?"

I rub my eyes as my nerves slowly begin to wind down. The girls simply stare at me and then Zandra asks,

"What was that about? That is incredibly...odd. A lower noble comes in and requests for the enslavement of a family member of a higher house. Isa, please explain to us what that was about."

I hold out my empty hand like I'm holding a cup and say,

"My hands are empty and my throat is dry."

My other hand is still rubbing my eyes and I hear movement around me. Suddenly a glass of some fluid is placed in my hand. It's quite warm and judging by the glass shape it's wine. I then say with a sigh,

"Neither of you has ice magic available?"

There is a pause then suddenly a quiet voice says,

"Lesser Frost..."

The glass is chilled and I take a swig without smelling it first and instantly put into a coughing fit, but quickly calm down and slam the rest of the glass. That was straight distilled white alcohol. I guess it works. I clear my throat and explain to the girls my history with Margret. I keep it PG-13 as best as I can but I make it absolutely clear what happened to me was horrific. I also explain the strange perceived romance we had despite it being a literal victim and abuser situation. I'm honestly surprised I didn't go insane or something and start enjoying that shit.

As my story goes on Zandras normal stoic demeanor breaks as she has a look of pure disgust and horror on her face. The other sister covers her mouth and I actually can see tears form in her eyes at certain points. In the end, I properly traumatized them with a watered-down version of the true events, and I let them know I censored it heavily for their sake.

When my story is done Zandra looks over at her sister and asks her,

"Zindri, how... how am I supposed to act here?"

I take note of hearing the swordswoman's name for the first time, despite knowing her for a few weeks. I also take note of how the three full sisters all have names starting with "Z". Zindri then replies to her sister,

"I don't think there is a proper... or even a good reaction to a story like that... I don't know what's proper here."

The servants at this point have come out of hiding in the other rooms and the cook begins making dinner. One of the servant girls takes the empty glass from my hand and brings me a new one filled with what I assume is mead judging from the taste, smell, and color. It still tastes like shit, but with enough in me I'll stop caring about taste. Due to my empty stomach and the lack of drinking I do, my head quickly begins spinning and my face goes numb.

The sisters keep having hushed conversations with one another, most likely trying to come to terms with what I told them. I gulp down my fifth glass and decide to step outside for a while. I go out the back door and onto the patio. I step off the cobbled patio and into the grass beyond. The sun is setting and paints the sky in beautiful shades of orange and purple. With thin whispy clouds adding to the beautiful canvas. A gentle but cool wind blows across the floating island helping me cool my head. Booze is not a healthy way to calm down, I know this, but it keeps me from thinking too hard about something for too long. A bad habit, but I can afford to do this just once.

After hanging outside for a while my hunger takes over and I head back inside for dinner. It's a good meal as always, but quiet. That's unfortunate but it's whatever. I would say it was completely silent but Zindri speaks up out of nowhere and tells me,

"I will be writing to father and we will cut ties with the Beller family, especially that girl. I will denounce her whenever I can."

I nod not really caring what she does at this point, but the thought is nice. I simply remain seated eating my dinner staring a thousand yards ahead attempting to change my thoughts. I have to find something else to focus on or I'll be bothered for the rest of the night. I decide to focus on the upcoming competitions. I switch my thinking and I begin deciding what type of competition I'll participate in, and how I'll prepare for them.

Once dinner is over I go to my room and drop to the floor on my belly. I begin doing my daily pushups, but tonight I double them. This might work, achieving and working toward a goal is the perfect catharsis...