Chapter 128: Returning to School

“Does it still hurt?”

“Ula~” Zoya shook her head.

Seeing this, Aurora smiled and gently patted her head. “Zoya, you’re such a good girl.”

Something like this had already happened tonight, and with only about two hours left before school started, it was unlikely that anyone could go back to sleep now.

So, Aurora spent the early morning checking Zoya’s condition to see if the strange magic she had used earlier had caused any harm.

Fortunately, she found nothing abnormal.

After changing Zoya into a fresh set of clothes, Aurora went downstairs to begin preparing breakfast.

Since they were up so early today, she decided to make a hearty breakfast; seeing her little sister happy would definitely be worth it.

As she thought this, a sudden memory of what Leonora had said to her last night popped into her mind.

She would never believe such ridiculous words.

She shook her head to clear the chaotic thoughts.

“Hm, this should do.”

Looking at the table full of delicious food, she wiped her hands and glanced at the clock.

It was already seven o’clock. Normally, her sister would have been training with her sword by now, but there was no sound of sword practice today.

Had she already gone out early in the morning?

Instead of guessing randomly, she decided to just go find her sister.

She went upstairs and gently opened her sister’s room— “Sure enough, she’s not here.”

The room was empty, and her silver armor was gone. It looked like she really had left early.

Aurora felt a twinge of regret; after all, she had prepared such a sumptuous breakfast.

Miss Misha didn’t have the habit of eating breakfast, and as for Miss Azalea… she probably wouldn’t wake up before eleven in the morning, so it would just be her and Zoya eating.

Thud.

Downstairs, it sounded like someone had opened the front door.

Then she heard a familiar shout…

“Sis!”

It was her sister!

Good, she had returned; otherwise, this meal would definitely go to waste.

Aurora happily went downstairs and was about to greet her sister when she noticed her slightly anxious expression.

“What’s wrong, little sister? You look like you’re in a hurry.”

Upon seeing Aurora, Lorabel’s anxious look finally softened somewhat.

Her silver-white armor was stained with strange blue liquid, and even her fiery red hair had a few droplets on it.

The liquid looked vaguely familiar—she thought she had seen it on Albert last night as well.

“Where did you go so early? Why is there so much blue stuff on you?”

Aurora asked, but her hands didn’t stay idle.

She took a handkerchief and gently wiped the liquid from Lorabel’s face and hair.

“Sis, I…”

Lorabel stopped mid-sentence; it seemed she was hiding something.

This instantly made Aurora feel a little unhappy, but since she too was hiding something from her sister, the irritation eased somewhat.

“Hm? Little sister, is there something you’re keeping from me?”

Aurora switched to her big sister tone and asked Lorabel.

“I… I received a letter from the kingdom. There’s something I need to handle.”

This vague answer confirmed she was hiding something, but since it was work-related, Aurora didn’t press.

After all, it was work entrusted to her sister and might involve some kingdom secrets.

Aurora wasn’t the type to pry, so she nodded and dropped the subject.

“Did you see Albert last night?”

The sudden question made Aurora’s body stiffen.

She looked away guiltily and feigned indifference. “I was asleep all night. Who would go to someone’s house in the middle of the night for no reason?”

“That’s… true.”

Lorabel quickly changed the subject. “Come eat, I made a hearty breakfast today!”

“Mm.”

Aurora thought she had successfully hidden everything, but she didn’t realize her sister could tell someone had been there last night just by her scent.

Lorabel must have said something to her sister, causing Aurora to keep things from her…

That shadow lingering over her heart, she hated her sister hiding things from her—something she was nearly identical to Aurora in.

After finishing breakfast, Aurora put on the witch’s outfit Lorabel had bought for her. Holding Zoya’s hand, she stepped outside and headed to the academy.

Walking to school with a young girl in tow was indeed strange to onlookers.

They attracted quite a bit of attention; some students whispered, while others boldly stepped forward to ask questions.

“Hey, classmate, is that your child?”

“Hey, classmate, your kid is so cute! Can I touch her?”

“Uh… she’s not my child. She’s my familiar.”

…

There were compliments, surprises, and even some bold hands reaching out to touch.

Even though Aurora explained herself until she was hoarse, no one seemed convinced, so she stopped wasting her breath.

The morning passed quickly. What worried Aurora most was that she hadn’t seen Albert anywhere.

She planned to find Xia and asked around to locate her class, but there was no sign of Xia either.

“Xia Albert? She hasn’t been here for a long time.”

“Yeah… it’s been over ten days.”

“Over ten days…”

That was exactly from the day Aurora fell unconscious until her return to school. Could it be that she never escaped that day?

Thinking this, Aurora anxiously asked, “Do you know why?”

“Emmm, I heard someone saw her being scolded by Director Albert during that time.”

“So I think she might have been put in detention.”

“I also heard someone overheard their conversation. Apparently, Xia registered as an adventurer in town without permission and took a commission to exterminate monsters. They say she almost didn’t come back! Don’t know if it’s true or not…”

“Exterminating monsters…”

Recalling the scene from that day, perhaps Xia really had done something like that.

The classmate suddenly seemed interested, glanced around, and whispered, “Hey, do you know what kind of relationship Xia and Director Albert have? People say they’re mother and daughter, but I don’t believe Director Albert would have a husband.”

“Also, look, Xia’s surname is Albert, just like the director!”

To avoid confusing her with Director Albert, the students always called her by her full name, “Albert,” which sounded awkward.

Aurora didn’t want to get involved in gossip. She disliked talking behind people’s backs.

After replying, “I don’t really know,” she left.

After bidding farewell to Saga and Mo, she prepared to head home.