For the past three days, every morning and evening, Romaden's residence has been filled with loud noises and screams. This has been happening in the field where the soldiers usually train. Since the day Violet accidentally strangled those naughty girls, Noah has been keeping her locked up. More precisely, he has forbidden Violet from attending classes at the academy.
"Ayaaah," Violet whined.
Noah didn't respond; he simply sat by the field, watching his daughter run back and forth—avoiding Master Cocaine's attacks.
"Don't make me a disobedient student, Master!" Violet screamed.
Cocaine just laughed until his eyes narrowed. He attacked Violet again with a burst of fire from his palm. Violet moved her hands, intending to create a defensive barrier. Unfortunately, she had forgotten the spell she needed to recite.
Edgar, seeing the panic on his fiancée's face, immediately dashed over and pulled Violet away from the danger. The two rolled on the grass.
"I forgot the spell," Violet gasped.
"It's okay."
Both of them stood up, Violet's heart pounding. Not because she had rolled around hugging Edgar, but because she had nearly become roasted meat just now.
She ran toward her father and took a thick book given to her by Nalina at the time. Inside were the history of Azeroth and the royal family's genealogy. There were also basic spellings of spells that Violet could practice. She searched for a spell to create protection.
"Barelion," Violet muttered.
"Actually, you can do it without a spell." Violet turned her head and looked at her father, who was now looking at the book too. "Prince Roger is an expert in this, or you could also ask Master Brown."
Violet chose the second option, preferring Master Brown to Prince Roger because her heart would slow down so much that she was afraid she might faint on the spot.
Then, the Monday Violet had been waiting for arrived. She wore black pants with elastic at the bottom, a white sleeveless shirt, and her green cloak. Her hair was tightly braided by Rona.
Noah stood outside his daughter's room, knocked on the door, and said, "Violet, Edgar is waiting for you downstairs."
"I'll go with Nalina instead, Father."
"You're engaged, Violet. Remember that!" Noah turned to leave, but then remembered something and looked at his daughter again. "I won't be home for a few days. If you feel lonely, you can stay at the academy. Later, have Tere prepare your clothes."
Better that way. Staying at the academy meant she'd rarely be with Edgar. Just seeing his face made Violet sick.
Noah's carriage was the type pulled by four carefully selected horses. It was box-shaped with silver accents on some parts. Violet wanted to ride in it, but seeing how her father strongly supported Edgar's presence, she abandoned the idea and reluctantly sat beside Edgar—inside the carriage.
While Violet grumbled incoherently throughout the journey and wore a sour expression, Edgar couldn't stop stealing glances at Violet. The girl was usually very cheerful and talkative, but why did she seem different now?
"You could get diabetes if you keep staring at me like that, Ed," Violet said without turning her head.
Edgar coughed once, darn it, he was caught!
Finally, they arrived at the academy gates. When Violet stepped off the carriage and looked toward the gates, her mouth opened for a few seconds. This time, there were two guards carrying spiked iron clubs. Violet wasn't sure where this type of guard came from because their bodies looked like they were made of stone—or maybe they were actually stone because there was moss on their feet.
"They're Orcs, fully loyal to Azeroth," Edgar explained.
"I didn't ask," Violet replied.
The corner of Edgar's mouth twitched at Violet's response, which silenced him. Especially now, as the girl walked ahead of him with her chin raised and her gaze straight ahead.
From a distance, Prince Roger witnessed it all. As he watched Violet walk, he whispered to Miranda—the Headmistress of Equestria Academy—"Has Violet's room been prepared?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Have you also placed my pet there?"
Once again, Miranda nodded in agreement and bowed respectfully. Lately, the prince had been spending more time at the academy, and only in the past two days had he learned the reason—it was because of Violet. Yesterday, Queen Kinda had sent a letter asking her son to return home, but Prince Roger had ignored the message.
The Equestria Academy did not restrict its students from returning home, even if it was every day. However, new students at the first level had to stay at the academy for one month. This was because the initial lessons were basic lessons that were very useful for practicing their powers.
Violet herself should be in the first grade. Although she has been enrolled as a student at Equastria for years, her magical abilities are extremely poor. Unfortunately, once again, her parents' influence allows her to take private lessons at any time. Of course, no one dares to refuse Noah's wishes. The man was very rigid and did not accept refusal. Especially with his position as Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Azeroth, Noah could kill many people in a matter of seconds, or those who refused his wishes might end up on the list of 'personal enemies of Romaden.' The connections and loyalty of the soldiers to him made Noah a respected figure.
The girl immediately headed to Master Brown's room, with Edgar as her guide. When the brown door opened, a handsome adult man greeted Violet's arrival. Is this Master Brown?
Brown's room was quite unique, with several knitted items or macrame works neatly displayed on the walls. Violet began to wonder how much those items would be worth if sold. Brown tapped the table four times, which managed to divert Violet's attention from the walls.
The man held out his hand, causing Violet's forehead to wrinkle. After a few seconds, the girl realized what Brown was asking for. Hurriedly, she handed him the dark brown paper her father had given her earlier. Brown read it quickly and nodded in agreement. After placing the paper in a drawer, Brown immediately took Violet to the training field.
Violet's smile widened, and she couldn't stop praising Brown. This man was very taciturn, and every movement he made showed the muscles clearly defined on his body. Whether intentional or not, Violet definitely liked seeing that.
However, the admiration Violet had felt in her heart earlier seemed to have to be thrown into the sea and left to sink. The reason was that Brown had a terrible sense of humor. Earlier, when Violet said his haircut was very nice, he immediately threw Violet with such force that her body collided with a pine tree trunk.
Even a child could tell that the man had no hair, or was bald. There was a little bit, but it was probably only an inch long.
Brown sighed softly, calming himself by imagining a vacation in a pleasant place after successfully educating Violet. So, he approached Violet, who was now his private student, with a gentle expression.
The two agreed to forgive each other and begin training immediately.
Brown cleared his throat softly and began explaining a few things. "When you attack, aim the menna at the body part you want to use as a weapon or when you want to defend yourself. Shape the menna in a specific part or throughout the entire body." The man demonstrated a few movements as examples. "It's easier this way; when acting offensively, imagine the menna as a weapon and aim it at the enemy. And when acting defensively, make the menna into a shield or a fortress."
Violet practiced what Brown had said, moving both hands to the right and left, then quickly snapping them forward. This produced large thorns that immediately pierced the ground. Amazing!
The girl's lips curled into a smile, her eyes narrowing like a crescent moon. Then she also practiced the shield-forming movement, which made Brown proud.
"You're quick to catch on, Violet. Good!" Brown praised her.
Today's training focused on how to control menna effectively. Good menna control allows our minds to connect directly with the magic we possess. With this, Violet could control anything she wanted as long as it was related to nature, even without a spell.
After finishing the training, Brown asked Violet to enter his room. The man snapped his fingers, and a small black branch lying on the table, adorned with special carvings, moved skillfully across the paper on its own. Meanwhile, Brown took a thick book and placed it in front of Violet.
"This is your reading material," said Master Brown. He also handed her the paper he had written on earlier. "This is your schedule," he said.
Violet studied the schedule carefully. Over the next seven days, there were four days of training with Master Brown and two days with... Prince Roger? The girl shifted her gaze to the man who was smiling sweetly at her.
"You want to ask why there is a study schedule with the prince, right?" Violet nodded enthusiastically. Even though she tried her best to avoid meeting the handsome man, it seemed that fate had other plans. "The prince will teach you how to use weapons," he added.
"But, Master, my father can do that too," Violet objected.
In her opinion, Master Brown's reason didn't make sense. Why bother the prince when she had Edgar, who was skilled with a sword? Ah, Violet had to put that aside because it seemed better for her to think about how to walk from the master's room to her own. Her body ached all over.
When she felt she needed a cane to walk, Edgar's presence outside Master Brown's room surprised her. She never thought Edgar would bother to come pick her up. Violet was deeply touched by that.
"Come on, I'll take you to your room," Edgar said.
"But I think I have a broken bone," Violet replied.
Edgar closed his eyes and sighed briefly. He was very tired today; if it weren't for his father telling him to pick up Violet after practice, he would have already gone to sleep. "So?"
Violet's eyes suddenly lit up, "Carry me?"
Edgar's eyebrows raised; he thought he must have heard wrong. When he asked Violet to repeat her request, her answer was the same—she wanted to be carried.
"No!" Edgar refused firmly.
After saying that, the man immediately turned around and left Violet alone, her face contorted in sadness. Prince Roger, who had been watching from a distance, immediately moved toward Violet, wanting to help the girl. However, his steps halted when he saw Edgar returning with Tere and Rona.
"Let them carry you to your room," Edgar said.
The journey to Violet's room was quite far if traveled on foot. Tere said that if they used a flying broom and entered through the window, the journey would feel faster. Unfortunately, the two servants couldn't use magic because they didn't have magical genes.
The three of them entered a box-shaped room that Rona called a lyfta. Just like an elevator in the human world, but this one had transparent glass on all sides. When the elevator stopped on the fourth floor—where Violet's room was located—there was only a long corridor five meters wide.
On the right and left sides were doors with the owners' names carved into them. Tere and Rona continued to carry Violet until they reached the door with the number 129.
The door bore the engraving "Violet Evanthe." After Tere swiped a purple card with the same engraving, the door opened. The two attendants gestured for Violet to enter, and Tere said sadly, "We can no longer accompany you, Miss Violet. We must follow the academy's rules, but we will come here once a week to collect your dirty clothes."
Violet nodded, not the least bit bothered. The girl was used to living independently and doing everything on her own.
After Tere and Rona left, Violet closed the room door and locked it. The room was quite large, with a bathroom on Violet's left, right behind the door. There was also a fairly large bed, a desk, a mini-fridge, a wardrobe, and a fairly large window. It seemed like Violet would buy flower seeds to plant near the window.
Violet's eyes narrowed toward the space under the bed. Was something watching her, or was it just her imagination? She moved slowly, crouching down and bending over to look. However, it seemed like Violet's strategy was wrong because an animal suddenly charged at her, causing her to fall to the floor.