- Age Fifteen -

- Loeth Residence -

It was early in the morning and the sun had yet to fully cast its light on the city of Daerin. At the back of the Loeth Residence, in a large garden littered with white carnations, was a wide stone circle. The shadow of a young lady was in the middle, performing an exercise resembling a dance.

“Elegance.”

Her form was elegant, her manner refined, and the loose clothes she wore for practice appeared stylish. Long red hair, cascading from her head, fluttered through the air as she moved.

“Exquisite.”

Held in her hands was a transparent, pale blue spear. Simple and unadorned but held an aura of exquisiteness. Incorporated into her dance, a sense of beauty was added to it.

“Graceful.”

Her figure, fluid as she moved, was dignified. From one step to the next, the spear's edge accurately followed along the stone circle's outline.

“Go-Good-looking! That counts as one word!”

The figure that had graduated from that of a young girl to a young lady, Celeste was doing her routine daily training. A puff of white smoke appeared from her lips as she exhaled, drops of sweat fell to the ground as she brought the tip of the spear to the face of the person that had just spoken.

“You lose,” Celeste said.

“W-what? I'm telling you, it counts as one word!” Elicia exclaimed.

Playing with a carnation she had picked from the garden, Elicia had one hand on her cheek and was laid down on one of the benches surrounding the stone circle.

Her black hair was slightly longer, with the locks past her ear neatly tied into a small ponytail. She was wearing the academy's uniform, a darker color indicating a student with senior status.

“That, you said. You lose.” Celeste smiled.

Elicia's eyes popped open and her mouth gaped as she realized. They were playing a game of words and she had just lost due to carelessness.

“Alright, I concede.” She raised her hands in surrender.

“So I take it that the one going to buy ingredients with me this time is the young miss from the Perid?“ Someone asked.

Patty, the Loeth House maid, was on another bench. She had her legs up and was sitting in a fetal position. The heels of her hands were propping up her chin as she listened to the exchange, anticipating who would emerge as the victor between the two. She was the one who spoke.

“Yup, though I already planned to go. I asked the old man at the stall to get me something, a special delivery. You'll see later.” Elicia grinned.

She walked over to the bench Patty was seated and took one of two baskets beside Patty.

“Young miss, your towel.” Patty yawned before she got up and approached Celeste, handing her a moisture absorbent cloth to wipe her sweat.

“Thanks, Patty.”

Patty never budged on referring to her as 'young miss'. Celeste did ask on numerous occasions to be called by name but alas, had no choice but to get used to the formality.

“We'll be right back Celeste. See you in a bit.” Elicia waved a casual goodbye and left the garden with Patty.

Left alone, Celeste's hand holding the cloth glowed a blue hue. Water had appeared out of thin air and entered the towel she was given and she used it to wipe herself down. After which she chilled the towel lightly, forming fragile frost around it before whipping it to the side to remove the frozen sweat.

She turned to the spear she had inserted in between the grooves on the ground. Grabbing it with her free hand, she wrapped the spear in her mana and starting from the base and the edge, the ice forming the spear slowly receded into Celeste's hand. With the ice gone, she unfurled her fingers.

On her palm was a 6-inch long wooden pin, a hairpin. She placed the hairpin in her mouth and proceeded to bunch her hair above her head. Taking the pin, she used it to hold her long hair in place. She then left the garden and entered the house.

“Good morning, young miss.”

Just before the stairs going up the second floor, Celeste briefly ran into the other maid of the Loeth House.

“Good morning, Ersha. Elicia just left with Patty to go to the market.”

“Is that so? Then I will be in the kitchen if you need me.” Ersha replied and gave a slight bow.

Celeste ascended the stairs and had a change of clothes in her room. On her way to Rivelle's room, she slowed her steps as she passed by a certain room. She opened the door as she decided to have a look inside.

A room filled with the belongings of a little boy. A familiar, bright, ornate red coat was hanging in the closet. Although the occupant wasn't around, Patty and Ersha regularly cleaned the room so there was not a speck of dust inside.

She stood inside the room and fell into rumination, only for a few seconds, before leaving the room and heading for Rivelle's bedroom. She gave the door a few gentle knocks.

“Mother? Are you awake?” She inquired.

“Yes, dear, come in.”

Celeste entered the room after hearing the reply. She glanced at an empty bed before shifting her attention to a dressing table at the side of the room.

“You're up early today, mother.” She commented.

“Well, of course, today's a special day.”

A blonde-haired woman with blue eyes, wearing a simple gown, was seated at the table. She was looking at her reflection in a large mirror, getting ready. The mature-looking woman was Rivelle.

“Celeste, dear, don't tell me you're going out like that! Your hair is a mess!” She turned around to face Celeste, stood up, and gestured for her to come closer.

Celeste was wearing the same darker colored uniform as Elicia, her hair was haphazardly held up with her hairpin. She approached and was sat down on the chair. Rivelle pulled out the hairpin, letting her long red hair unravel down her back, and asked Celeste to hold on to it.

“Don't you want to get a new one, dear?” She asked as she was combing Celeste's hair.

“I like this one. I don't need to change it.” Celeste answered.

She looked down lovingly at the wooden pin in her hands. It was well taken care of, looking as new as the day it was bought. The first present she'd received from Rivelle, it was given to her on her birthday, two years after entering the Loeth House. She had received a lot of things from Rivelle but this being the first one, made it all the more valuable.

“Speaking of which, wasn't it today?” She thought.

“Suit yourself, just let me know if you want to buy another one, alright? After all, today is your birthday.“ Rivelle said.

By special day, Celeste thought she was referring to graduation. Other than today being her birthday, it was also graduation day for senior students at the academy. Celeste and Elicia were at their fifth year and couldn't extend their stay any longer. There was only one thing left that they had to do before becoming full-fledged graduates.

“Has Elicia arrived, dear?” Rivelle asked.

“Yes, mother. She'd already gone out to the market with Patty.”

What was Elicia doing here? It was a normal occurrence nowadays for Elicia to be at the Loeth House. A few years ago, she'd started to come by, interested in learning how to cook from Sacha and Ersha. She'd frequent the house with Celeste after classes at the academy and over time, everyone had gotten used to her presence. Even after Sacha was called back to assume his duties at the wall, Elicia continued to visit as she enjoyed everybody's company.

“There we go! See? Isn't that much better to look at? It's such a waste of such beautiful hair if you don't style it properly.” Rivelle stated, taking pride in her work.

“It's not that I don't want to, I just can't do it as well as you can, mother.”

Celeste answered and smiled cheerfully. She always enjoyed having her hair done by Rivelle as it had made her look prettier. Looking at her appearance in the mirror, she felt she looked more mature.

“It looks perfect, mother. Thank you.”

By the time Celeste and Rivelle had finished and arrived at the dining room, Patty had already gotten back and was laying a few dishes on the table.

“So what will we be having for breakfast, Patty, dear?” Rivelle asked as she sat down at the table.

“Breakfast will be lavish, milady! The young miss managed to get a good deal off the grocer! She's in the kitchen with Ersha.” Patty said with excitement.

“Oh? She will be cooking for us today again? I'm looking forward to it.”

Feeling her stomach rumble at their words, Celeste was also looking forward to it. A few minutes later, Elicia had come in the dining room with Ersha, both carrying platters of food.

Celeste looked at the assortment and thought, “When Patty said it was lavish, she wasn't kidding.”

The aroma that was brought in with them was strong enough to whet her appetite, causing her stomach to growl loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Go ahead you two! There's a lot here so you don't have to hold back.”

Celeste proceeded to take food off the platters and quickly filled her plate. No longer willing to wait, she dug into her meal.

Eggs, the staple for any breakfast, cooked just enough for the yolk to become silky smooth. Slices of bacon, perfectly fried, juicy with a tender crisp. All placed on top of buttered toast, seasoned with salt, pepper, and thyme.

After she'd taken a bite, Celeste gave a mental thank you to whoever it was that got Elicia into cooking and continued to partake. She took another portion from the platter and was already halfway through the third when Elicia teased.

“Slow down, Celeste, this isn't a competition.” She smirked.

“Oh let her be, she smiles the brightest when she's eating,” Rivelle added.

Celeste blushed at their words but still continued to eat, although a bit more slowly.

“Celeste, try the drink, I guarantee you'll like it,” Elicia suggested, referring to a beverage prepared in a cup beside her plate. “It's the special delivery I got from the grocer this morning.”

As Celeste took the cup, she felt its warmth. It was hot. Looking at its contents, it wasn't tea. She was skeptical. Although it had an incredibly pleasant aroma, its appearance was like brown clay mixed with water.

“Come on, just try it.” Seeing the hesitation on her face, Elicia urged.

Giving in to her persistence, Celeste brought the cup to her mouth. After taking a small sip, her eyes lit up with surprise.