Chapter 14
"Let's see, next on the list is Snow-san!" announced Ms. Nunnally as gracefully making her way forward was the famous Beauty of Winter. Standing expressionlessly in front of the cla.s.s and taking no heed to Ms. Nunnally's instructions, in a matter of seconds a sphere of water formed in her hand. Water which suddenly transformed itself into an ice globe, showing off her Bloodline Magic which was Ice Magic.
"Very good! Very good! Now let's see... Can I have Rosendrey-san come down next?" Maria felt nothing but nerves when she heard her name get called, though felt a little happy with the warm support Mai gave her. Maria was making her way up front just as Elsa was making her way back to her seat. Throwing cold glare at Maria back, who felt a s.h.i.+ver run down her spine for some odd reason.
"Okay, now clear your mind and concentrate on that tingling feeling you feel in your body. That tingling feeling is your magic and you need to draw it out. The only way you can do that is if your mind is clear and you concentrate." Maria listened to Ms. Nunnally's instruction, closing her eyes and clearing her mind as she began to concentrate on that tingling feeling she felt pulsing deep within her.
Sweat dripped down her brow as Maria had a hard time grasping that tingling feeling to summon forth. Everytime she grasped it, it kept slipping from her reach, making her frustrated. 'Alright, Maria, you got this! Calm down! Calm down! Calm down! Gotta keep your head clear and concentrate,' Maria repeatedly told herself, forehead covered in sweat, minutes pa.s.sing by until finally, Maria got a firm hold on that tingling feeling.
She cracked open her eyelids just in time to see a bright, s.h.i.+ny, red light emitting from the palm of her hand. In just a few seconds, the light vanished and Maria felt something warm lying in her palm. Bringing her palm up to her face, Maria was shocked to see a small, marquise cut, bright red jewel.
Basking in the light made it seem as if the jewel was on fire, pulsing like a heartbeat in the palm of her hand. Wide-eyed emerald eyes stared down at the jewel with utter confusion. 'A... A ruby?!' Maria mentally exclaimed.
♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️*♦️
"Whatever Celestial being you summoned seems to still be in its dormant state," answered Julian, who today wasn't
"I wonder what type of Celestial being it is. Hopefully something strong, big, scary, and tough looking!" suggested Mai as Maria and Julian couldn't help but have their imagination run wild, each conjuring a different image based on the description Mai listed out.
'Denied!' Just the image alone put a sour expression on Maria's face while Julian trembled in fear at the image he conjured. Wanting to get rid of such an image, Maria found her gaze pointed down towards the lolita doll Julian was clutching to his chest.
"What a pretty doll. Have you given her a name yet?" Maria asked Julian, whose cheeks turned a light shade of red, bashfully holding his head down.
"This is the first doll I ever created with my own two hands. Though she might not be perfect, she's special to me. So... I'm thinking of n-naming her MM..."
"MM? Why that name?" Mai stuffed a crispy chicken nugget in her mouth, while Maria took a bite of the strawberry shortcake that was placed in her lunch box.
"'C-Cause both of your names s-start with M-M and b-because you are the first friends I e-ever had." Upon hearing this, both Maria's and Mai's eyes instantly became watery.
"Ah, what a pure heart." Mai placed a hand over her chest.
"Such innocence. I must protect at all cost!" declared a crying Maria as s.h.i.+rone and Kuroka tried to wipe away their ojou-sama's tears. Julian felt bashful at their overdramatic reactions yet also very happy. Each was in their own little world that neither took notice of the shadow that loomed over the table beside Maria.
"Marichan, why are you crying?" Upon hearing a certain familiar voice, Maria's tears instantly came to a stop as she turned her head towards the direction the voice was coming from and saw Richard standing beside her.
"Richard-sama?! What are you doing here?" inquired Maria.
"Yes, Ri-chan, what are you doing here?" questioned another voice that Maria was definitely not familiar with. Simultaneously the group turned their heads towards their uninvited guest, seeing a boy around Richard's age whose feet were propped up on the table, leaning back in his chair that was standing on two legs, casually eating a piece of Maria's strawberry shortcake.
'Just when did he get there?! No! Scratch that! Just who is this guy?!' exclaimed Maria, looking a bit grieved to see that the uninvited guest had stolen a bite of her dessert.
"Akihito, I told you not to follow me!" Richard expressed an annoyed glance that was aimed towards the boy who was named Akihito.
'Akihito? Hmm, I don't think his name ever popped up in the original story,' mused Maria, only to have her vision blocked by a beautiful face. Emerald eyes made contact with obsidian.
"Ah, so you're Marichan! How adorable~!" Maria was not happy when Akihito reached out and began pinching her cheeks; luckily she was saved by Richard who s.n.a.t.c.hed Akihito away from her. Aiming a terrifying smile towards the boy, he said, "Akihito, please do not touch Marichan."
Seeing such a terrifying smile, Maria couldn't help but blankly think, 'Wow, so Richard-sama does have a dark side.' Maria was soon brought from out of her thoughts when she felt trembling fingers grasp hold of her hand and saw that they came from Julian.
'Ah, the little lamb must not be used to being in the presence of a big-shot like Richard-sama.' Grasping hold of his hand, Maria offered him a smile that soothed his nerves.
"Julian, this is my friend Richard-sama. Don't worry, he is very kind," persuaded Maria, feeling the precious lamb relax as he timidly shot a look at Richard, who in return offered a charming smile.
"Those who are friends with Marichan, I'll also consider as friends."
"Ah, so does that make me friends with Marichan? After all, I am your best friend!" happily stated Akihito, only to once again receive a terrifying smile from Richard-sama.
"Akihito, please stop yapping your mouth. Your presence does nothing but taint the innocence." Seeing their interaction towards one another brought forward a blank expression from Maria. s.h.i.+rone and Kuroka silently continued serving the youngsters juice or tea as Mai was happily stuffing her mouth with meat. From afar, a certain someone took in the sight of her beloved idol conversing with a group of first-years. Gripping the hem of her dress harshly, she vexfully muttered,
"Maria... Rosendrey."
At that same time, another person stumbled upon the group, narrowing his eyes on two people. The person standing at his side pushed up his gla.s.ses as he saw what had caught his friend's attention. "It seems that your cousin and Earl Rosendrey's daughter are quite close," spoke four-eyes as the raven-haired boy shoved his hands into his pockets and expressionlessly said,
"...Foolish."