By the ti the following week dawned bright and noisy, Sienna was fully healed. She was also shepherding Soren, Kroton and her cousins towards the gates of Glory academy. It was supposed to be a simple enrollnt day, but of course nothing in her life was ever simple.
Behind her marched an intimidating entourage: her kids, husband, her grandfather Corven, her father-in-law Lord Marius, the queen and Mija!!
Her mother and Shalin had also tagged along, but in comparison to the beast group, they were nothing to fear. The beast n and won looked like they were attending a battlefield inspection rather than a school tour. And it didn’t help that the queen’s guards were in full armor and ard!
Their expressions were carved from stone, their eyes sharp, daring any student or teacher to even think of bullying the children in any way. The poor academy guards had nearly fainted when they they saw the group approaching.
The principal was personally giving them the tour!!
Sienna’s family looked less like parents and more like a conquering army.
"As you can see, our halls are very wide and spacious." Principal Adams, a bull beast man loudly shared with their group. The hall was wide, just like every other hall they had seen. It was decorated with flags of different beast tribes and portraits of successful past scholars.
Teachers lined up nervously, so bowing so low that their noses nearly touched the floor. Other parents waited for them to pass patiently. A woman fainted, causing a commotion.
Grandpa Corven muttered sothing about "weak spines" and Lord Marius coughed loudly, as if to remind everyone to maintain order.
Queen Serenya sent over a bottle of water, as if thirst was the reason for the woman fainting, not the pressure exerted by her lion guards.
Ali, however, had no interest in the grandeur, manners or dignity Mrs. Abernathy had tried to hamr into her head. After ten minutes of walking, she plopped down on the polished floor with a dramatic sigh.
Principal Adams was horrified. "What is this little ancestor doing?" He whispered. Who didn’t know how much she was dotted on by the crazy fox lord and her crazy mother? Was she about to complain about the heat or sothing? Would the fox lord close the school?
Eli sighed, cozying up to Lord Marius. "Here she goes." He muttered.
"Mama, my legs are broken. I won’t walk anymore." She wailed,
Sienna pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ali, we have barely walked three corridors."
"But I am dying." Ali wailed, clutching her chest like a tragic heroine. She looked every bit like Lady Cadelaria right now. Sienna would never curse her mother-in-law enough for passing on such theatrical behavior to the little girl. "Mama, carry or I shall die here. The school will have to build a statue in my honor. Big and gold, like the one grandma Cadelaria made for ."
Elias raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "You can stay there, I will begin ordering for the gold."
Sienna sighed and scooped her daughter into her arms. "Next ti, we are bringing a stroller."
Ali imdiately brightened, resting her head against Sienna’s shoulder with smug satisfaction. "I love you mama." She said coquettishly.
Sienna replied, "You are heavier than my regrets put together."
Everyone laughed and the little girl pouted. As they resud the tour Sienna’s thoughts drifted to her husband. He had not shared a bed with her since she revealed that she was not the original Sienna. He was behaving in the sa way when they were around other people. He was treating her carefully and taking care of anything she needed financially. He was polite. But, he was much more careful and less talkative. The distance gnawed at her, a silent wound.
At night, his side of the bed remained cold. The children were not allowed to sleep with her because he was afraid she would hurt her accidentally.
The care was still there, but deep down, she was feeling an ache of rejection.
The group turned a corner and ran into a squirrel beast man dressed in the red cloak worn by teachers of the academy. He was wearing spectacles that were perched low on his nose. He stopped Sienna, beaming at her as if she was a long lost treasure.
"Sienna Miller! Ah, it truly is you. You have Paris’s eyes. He told all about you!"
Sienna froze. Her grip on Ali tightened. Her father had told soone about her! The words hit her like a blade. The man had been part of a rebel group before his death. Why the hell had he been declaring their relationship to others when he didn’t take any responsibility on taking care of them? The man was dead, but his past was like a ghost clawing its way back into the present.
Mrs. Miller had also stiffened. Soren and grandpa Corven looked ready to spring into attack mode. Elias’s expression was unreadable, just like his father.
Only those who were not in the know remained normal.
The teacher, oblivious to the tension, continued cheerfully, "He spoke of you fondly. Obviously, he was saddened that you were born without a beast gene. He found it unfair that those without the gene were considered...a class below beast n. He spoke of his dreams for change, his passion for freedom and equality. Remarkable man!"
Sienna force a smile, though her heart hamred. The man had probably been using her existence as a recruitnt tool! "Well, I never really t him so I don’t know how remarkable he was."
The teacher’s smile froze.
Ali, with all the impatience in her bones whispered loudly in her mother’s ears, "Mama, is this man with big teeth making you unhappy? Should I bring the pan and knock them out?"
Sienna nearly choked on her own laughter, the absurdity breaking the heaviness. The teacher blinked, flustered, while Lord Marius barked a laugh that echoed down the hall. Even Elias’s lips twitched, though he quickly smoothed his expression back into ice composure.
The queen tried to control her chuckles, while Mija gasped and sniggered.
Principal Adams wiped sweat from his forehead. This tour would be the death of him! Hopefully, the queen of scandal was not about to make Glory academy trend for the wrong reasons.
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