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‌‌ Violet's ‌‌‌‌First Words - Episode 30 * * * Marigold had dressed herself with particular care to commemorate her first day attending the Academy. As she walked, countless eyes followed her with unmistakable longing. She had always ‌‌‌savored such attention, though at present her sole source of irritation was that foolish older sister who had abandoned the family home. 'No ‌‌‌‌matter how I think about it, I'm furious. So I'm supposedly illegitimate? How absurd. My mother is ‌‌‌‌the true wife now.' Why couldn't she simply suffer alone instead of stirring up family turmoil with her pointless rebellion? ‌‌‌'Father Marlon said she'd come crawling back once the money ran out. He said he'd let her struggle on purpose.' As a special measure, Father had attempted to send Violet to Bludin's household. Yet somehow, she had managed to slip through the grasp of the Knight Order commander. Moreover, for reasons unknown, Marlon had been avoiding contact with the Everdin Family Estate ever since that day. 'Father insists the Camelaine Family incident is nothing serious and that acquittal will come soon, but...' ‌‌Still, with the ‌Camelaine Family itself embroiled in scandal, even the ‌‌‌‌relatives hesitated to reach out first. 'Ugh, I don't ‌‌know. At least that idiot Violet attends the Academy diligently. I'll have words with her when we meet today.' With that thought, ‌‌Marigold knocked on ‌‌‌‌the Professor's Office door. Academy students were required to meet with their ‌assigned professor on the ‌first day of each term. Professor Sierra greeted Marigold with a radiant smile. ‌‌"Marigold, my most beloved student! Well then, have you prepared your training plan for this year?" Sierra welcomed Marigold with almost obsequious enthusiasm. "Good day, Professor." Marigold smiled in greeting and handed over her mana circuit ‌‌‌assignment. "Ah, you grow lovelier with each passing ‌‌‌‌day. No wonder he holds you in such special regard." Sierra accepted it while offering playful flattery. "Professor, really now. You shouldn't speak of him so carelessly in a place like this..." There was a reason for Sierra's demeanor. It stemmed from the relationship between Marigold and the Crown Prince. Marigold had first met Crown Prince Edgar last year at an alumni exchange event attended only ‌‌‌by elite students. Edgar had participated as an Academy graduate, and at that event, he had taken particular notice of ‌‌Marigold and summoned her privately. Though they had met only a few times, Marigold had swiftly fallen under Edgar's spell. Edgar had promised her that ‌‌despite being married at present, he would certainly marry her someday. As proof, Edgar had ‌‌‌arranged for Marigold to become a student of Sierra, one of his personal court mages. 'It's ‌‌all thanks to His Highness Edgar that I can live so comfortably at the Academy.' In truth, Marigold possessed little of distinction beyond being a rare spirit mage. Her ‌‌‌intellect was unremarkable, and she had never applied herself seriously to her studies. Yet Sierra made every effort to ensure Marigold achieved excellent grades. Though Sierra's efforts could not elevate Marigold to top honors, "I... ‌‌‌I want to graduate as top of my class. So I'm planning to work much harder this year." "Why bother? You ‌already have an excellent reputation. Your beauty stands out far more than your abilities, which ‌‌suits you perfectly." "Actually... the Crown Prince wishes for it." If she were known as a spirit mage brilliant enough to rank first in the Academy, ‌the royal family would welcome her warmly. That was what Edgar desired. "Hmm... If you've been diligently working on the mana circuit assignment, ‌‌there shouldn't be ‌‌‌any problems. Then I'll arrange for the final exam to be replaced ‌‌with a mana circuit submission instead of a practical test. Mana circuit creation is your specialty, after all, Marigold." "That would be wonderful. ‌‌‌I'm truly delighted!" Marigold beamed with a radiant smile. 'So that foolish Violet needs to come crawling back home soon. She has to complete my assignment for me, ‌‌‌after all.' Sierra observed Marigold's assignment with admiration. "You've done exceptionally well on this semester's assignment too. At first glance, the mana flow is remarkably stable and ‌‌‌delicate." "Thank you. ‌‌‌I gave it my ‌‌best effort." "At this rate, you'll likely be able to perfectly materialize a spirit before graduation. For now, you can only summon the spirit's form, but with continued training..." At those words, the corners of Marigold's mouth twisted slightly. The more exceptional a spirit ‌‌‌mage becomes, the more perfectly they can materialize spirits and accomplish ‌‌‌many feats—attack, defense, support, and more. Currently, Marigold could only faintly reveal a spirit's form before others. Spirit mage was such a rare talent ‌in itself that it held value. ‌‌‌‌But it was far from the level Edgar desired. "Yes, of course. I can achieve it through my own ‌strength." Sierra nodded, unaware of the shift in Marigold's ‌‌‌expression. "A good idea just occurred to me. Since it's the first day of the semester, why don't you display your assignment during class with not ‌‌‌only the Dean but several professors present? That would make it easier to give you a high score... or rather, it would ‌‌‌be ideal for that." "I would be honored." Marigold spoke with a slight shrug of her shoulders. And Sierra sent someone to the Dean's Office. Sierra's class had begun. Students from the Special Magic Department gathered, along with many from other departments who came to ‌‌‌‌witness the rare magical display. "Let us first observe the assignment of Miss Marigold, who presented work nearly flawless last semester. Manipulating and controlling mana circuits is both the beginning and the end. If we can skillfully move mana, we can unfold barriers, manipulate elements, and command spirits..." Sierra stood at ‌‌‌the podium and spoke. Marigold received Sierra's signal and stepped ‌‌forward, infusing mana into her assignment displayed on the easel. It was only a faint trickle of mana, but ‌‌‌sufficient to activate the ‌‌circuit. "The illustration is quite beautiful. ‌Such exquisitely detailed mana circuit art is rare." The professors marveled. Displayed on the surface of the mana circuit was an image of a blue bird soaring through the sky. The azure sky gradually darkened, and stars ‌‌‌began to shimmer around it. The stars traced constellations before eventually falling to the ground, becoming a single flower. And as the ‌‌‌‌flower shattered, ‌‌petals scattered in all directions. Exclamations of wonder erupted from various corners once more. Marigold was accustomed to such gazes. Admiration, ‌‌longing, jealousy—such were the eyes that beheld her. Then came the moment. The petals above the ‌‌‌mana circuit began to form the shape of characters. Soon the petals became distinct letters. Assignment Conception: Violet Everdin Mana Infusion: Violet Everdin Assignment ‌Creation: Violet Everdin Finishing Touches: Violet Everdin ‌‌‌I hereby certify that, like the six previous submissions, I have personally created this assignment with my own hands.> The handwriting was so unmistakably clear that misunderstanding was nearly impossible. Marigold's face drained of all color.

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