"A decent house for your parents?" Selphira repeated. "How good?" "Something in the city would be nice," Ren responded. "It doesn’t need to be anything special..." "Ah," Selphira smiled shrewdly. "Do your parents deserve just something ’decent’? Or do they deserve the best?" Ren’s mushrooms pulsed with greater intensity as he processed those words, their light reflecting his deepening thoughts. "The best," he finally responded, conviction growing in his voice. "They deserve the best." "Then aim higher," Selphira nodded with approval. "You know? You could get one of the best houses in the city." "With the potion?" Ren asked. "No, no," Selphira shook her head. "Well, maybe with the potion or with enough money you could get a favor to obtain a large house near the center... but you’d still have to keep your head down with no status." "Why?" "Because respect isn’t bought so easily," Lin intervened softly, her voice carrying the weight of experience. "No matter how much money you have, without position..." "Exactly," Selphira nodded. "If you want a truly grand house, one where your family can walk with their heads held high, you need to be at least noble." "And for that," she continued as they resumed walking, "you need to reach at least gold student rank." "How long would that take?" Ren asked, his curiosity piqued. "You need to get perfect marks in all your units. First advance to bronze 1 next semester, bronze 2 the following one, silver 1 and so on until reaching at least gold 1," Lin explained, counting off the steps. "Minimum three years, you could be there upon entering your fourth year if you’re a perfect student," Selphira responded. "But it’s not easy. Being realistic, most students never achieve it." Ren’s mushrooms pulsed with determination. "If my parents will get the respect they deserve... I’ll do it." "And you still insist on giving the potion to Lin?" "Of course," Ren smiled. "If I’m going to be noble, I’ll need strong and cool allies, won’t I?" Selphira burst out laughing while Lin blushed slightly. "Clever," the elderly woman nodded with approval. "Although..." she turned to Lin, her expression growing more serious. "We’ll have to be discreet about this..." Lin seemed to shrink into herself. "Aunt, I..." "As long as he doesn’t find out," Selphira sighed, "I won’t have to punish you for this." Ren looked between them, confused. "He?" "The succession happened years ago," Selphira continued, ignoring Ren’s question. "It shouldn’t be a major problem now." "Succession?" Ren insisted. Lin avoided his gaze while studying the ceiling with sudden interest. "Some families," the elderly woman finally responded, "have very specific rules about who can be their leader and who cannot." "But you..." "It’s complicated," Lin interrupted softly. "And it’s not important now." Her eyes pleaded with him to drop the subject, so Ren nodded, though curiosity still burned within him. "What’s important," Selphira resumed her cheerful tone, "is that you’ve started thinking bigger. That’s good." "A noble house," Ren murmured, imagining his parents walking proudly through the city. "A huge house," Selphira confirmed. "And much more, if you play your cards right." "My cards?" "Oh yes," the elderly woman smiled. "You already have some very interesting ones: double tamers, a unique beast, the support of a certain princess..." "And a terrifying teacher," Ren added, looking at Lin. "And a terrifying teacher," Selphira laughed. "Though," her eyes sparkled with amusement, "if I were you, I’d be more afraid of the aunt than the niece." Lin coughed to hide a laugh as they approached the room where Ren’s friends waited. "After all," Selphira added casually, "not just anyone can turn princes into little birds." ♢♢♢♢ The door opened without prior announcement. Sirius Starweaver stood in the threshold, his imposing figure partially blocking the hallway light. The nine girls in the room fell silent instantly. The guards exchanged uncomfortable looks while Luna, who had been conversing softly with her cousins, visibly tensed. Sirius said nothing. He simply made a gesture with his hand, summoning his daughter. Luna rose slowly, her usual elegance shadowed by an unnatural rigidity. She crossed the room under her companions’ worried gazes and stepped into the hallway. The door closed behind her with a click that sounded too loud in the silence. The atmosphere in the room remained tense until new knocks on the door broke the moment. Julius and Victor entered, bringing with them a less oppressive though equally authoritative air. Explore stories on freewebnovel "Larissa," Julius smiled at his sister. "You’re free to leave here now, but..." "Liora," Victor addressed their cousin. "Your grandmother came to see you. If you want, you can go find her." Liora looked at Larissa, understanding the unspoken message. When her cousin nodded slightly, she stood and left the room. "Well?" Larissa looked at her brothers once the door closed again. "What do you want?" "Your friend Ren spilled everything," Victor smiled maliciously. "You’re in trouble." Larissa burst into laughter that surprised the guards. "Really? You still can’t fool the mana detection, you know?" Julius sighed. "Alright, you caught us. You’re free to go, but..." "The ’seekers’ will stay with you until the ring matter is resolved," Victor completed. Larissa sighed dramatically. "Fine," she shrugged. "Though I warn you they won’t find anything." "Don’t be so sure," Julius smiled. "In fact, I specifically asked one of them to ’watch over’ our friend Ren." Larissa’s cheeks puffed up in an adorable pout that made some guards have to contain their smiles. Victor let out a laugh. "What’s wrong, little sister? Upset because we’ll discover your tricks?" "No," Larissa crossed her arms. "I’m upset because I had just gotten the chance to watch him and now you’re taking that away." The brothers exchanged a meaningful look. "Larissa," Victor knelt before her, his voice turning serious. "You’re too young for foolish ideas." "What foolish ideas?" she protested. "You’re a princess," Victor continued relentlessly. "There’s no place for common interests like those. Forget it." "Common interests?" one of the guards murmured, earning an elbow from her companion. "He’s just a commoner who got lucky," Victor insisted. "Exactly," Larissa nodded. "Don’t you find that fascinating?" "What I find," Victor growled, "is that you need to focus on things more appropriate for your position." "Like learning to lie better," Larissa smiled innocently. "Or is that not appropriate either?" Julius had to cough to hide a laugh while Victor developed a tick in his eye. "The seekers stay," Victor declared firmly. "And you’ll keep away from that boy." "Of course, dear brother," Larissa smiled sweetly. "I’ll stay as far away as you stayed from the castle maids." This time Julius couldn’t contain his laughter. "You were almost a baby then," Victor protested. "How can you even..." "Liora’s grandmother tells great stories," Larissa winked. "Especially about a certain little bird prince." Victor turned toward the door, muttering something about "gossipy old witches" and "princesses too clever for their own good."