"They really did that?" Selphira couldn't contain her laughter, her slender but elegant shoulders trembling with each burst. "You're telling Larissa also jumped into the middle of the courtyard while the guards watched open-mouthed?"
Liora nodded, trying to maintain her composure, but her grandmother's laughter was contagious.
"And seriously..." Selphira continued between laughs, bringing a hand to her chest as if she needed to contain herself, "little Luna jumped from the shadows trying to stop an imaginary immoral act? Oh, by all the dragons, I would give half my fortune to have seen everyone's faces... even those of the castle guards when they saw you both appear in front of them and next to the poor boy, Taro you said his na was?"
"It was quite dramatic," Liora admitted, allowing herself a smile. "Especially because Larissa convinced them that everything was part of an elaborate prank."
"That girl!" Selphira exclaid, wiping a tear of laughter. "She has more of my Ashenway in her than many who bear our surna just for show."
The Ashenway matriarch finally regained her composure, though amusent still shone in her eyes, identical to Liora's. The family resemblance was striking despite the decades between them, the sa sharp cheekbones, the sa gaze, though Selphira's was tempered by years of political maneuvering.
The two were seated in one of the private rooms for noble guests, where the afternoon light filtered through ornate windows, projecting patterns of colors on the polished floor.
The incident of the disappearance and the decoy in the courtyard had caused more commotion than necessary. Within hours, news of their "disappearance" and dramatic reappearance had reached their families.
Poor Julius had lost more ti from his already busy routine due to the accumulated work, Selphira had taken the opportunity to escape her problems and present herself at the academy (telling her granddaughter that her son was driving her crazy, as always), and even Luna's father, Sirius, had made another rare appearance.
All for nothing.
"And Julius really thought it was a security matter?" Selphira asked, serving herself more tea with a fluid movent that betrayed decades of refinent.
"At first, yes," Liora responded. "With the recent attacks on the academy, any unusual behavior triggers all the alarms. The new guards thought we had been really kidnapped and overreacted in their reports."
"Understandable, I suppose," Selphira conceded. "Though excessive. As usual."
Since she had asked Liora to keep her inford about Ren, she wasn't entirely uninford about the most interesting events. Liora carefully filtered what she shared, of course, but she provided enough to keep her grandmother entertained. The latest developnts in the exams, being already public knowledge, were a free topic of discussion. Especially Zhao's one.
Selphira took a sip of tea, studying her granddaughter over the rim of the cup. Her eyes missed nothing, analyzing every micro-expression, every subtle shift in posture.
"So, this Patinder boy... He has really suggested a different cultivation to you?"
Liora nodded slowly, aware of treading on thin ice. The subject of Ren's thods was one she approached with calculated caution, even with her grandmother.
"His knowledge is... extraordinary. Assuming it's true, but I believe it is... We saw it in his eyes."
"Interesting," Selphira murmured, her eyes shining with that calculating intensity that had made many council mbers think twice before opposing her. "A common child with an apparently useless mushroom who turns out to have such talent for understanding beasts. Perhaps we should be more concerned with adding him to our family than Luna, don't you think? Life has a curious sense of humor, doesn't it?"
"Grandmother..." Liora's tone changed, becoming more serious. The shift was subtle but unmistakable.
"Why do we have to do that with Luna?"
Although she didn't specify what she ant by "that," Selphira imdiately understood. The playful expression abandoned her face, replaced by a mask of political pragmatism.
"Ah," Selphira set down her cup with a sigh. "I suppose it was my fault for ntioning it... Now we're talking about marriages."
She looked toward the window, as if she could see beyond the academy grounds, toward the future she was trying to weave.
"You must understand, little one, that I am close to stepping down from the podium. And that fool..." she shook her head with a mixture of resignation and annoyance, "that fool is incredibly insistent."
Liora remained silent, waiting for her grandmother to continue. She had learned long ago that patience was the only effective strategy with Selphira.
"I have worked for years to make him less of an imbecile," Selphira continued, the frankness in her words contrasting with her elegant tone. "But everything has a limit. Unfortunately, he is my son, and I cannot simply... get rid of him."
The statent hung in the air between them, neither completely in jest nor completely serious: the ambiguous space where true power often operated.
"Luna is still young," Selphira added, her tone softening slightly. "In a few years, circumstances could change. If I still retain enough strength and influence in the council..."
She let the thought fade away and then abruptly changed the subject.
"Now, about that impressive jump of yours into the courtyard along with Larissa," her eyes narrowed slightly. "I noticed you speak as if it doesn't matter too much."
Liora shifted uncomfortably, aware that she had revealed more than intended.
"There are so rumors about our beasts since no one has seen them manifested, but the vast majority believe the appearance was part of Ren's prank," Liora explained, guilt filtering into her voice. "I'm sorry if it was too risky."
Selphira dismissed her concern with a wave of her hand.
"Don't worry about that. I was already considering telling you to reveal your beast."
"Really?" Liora couldn't hide her surprise. After years of strict instructions to conceal her true capabilities, this reversal was unexpected.
"Indeed," Selphira nodded, leaning slightly forward. "These attacks on the academy have forced a change in strategy. We are moving from hiding to deterring by showing our power. Security will increase significantly."
A small smile ford on Selphira's lips.
"Which ans you can stop pretending and start kicking ass in the finals."
Liora's eyes widened with excitent, the possibility of finally unleashing her full potential tantalizingly close.
"You an...?"
"I an," Selphira leaned even closer, her eyes shining with intensity, "that I might even find ti to co see you using that fun beast I got you instead of my boring turtle."
Selphira's beast partially manifested on her body almost as if complaining about the insult.
The implications weren't lost on Liora. With permission to reveal the true capabilities of her will-o'-wisp, she would be a formidable competitor.
"Thank you, grandmother," Liora slightly inclined her head, the gesture respectful and genuine at once.
"Don't thank yet," Selphira warned, though her tone remained light. "Now you will openly represent the Ashenway na. I expect results that live up to it."
"And Ren?" Liora asked, unable to contain herself. "What do you think of him now?"
Selphira's expression beca unreadable, that perfect mask she had perfected during decades of political maneuvering.
"An interesting piece in the ga," she finally responded, running a finger along the rim of her cup. "I'm eager to see how he will surprise ... But whether he's a pawn or a King, that remains to be seen when his different cultivation thods bear fruit."
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