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This was because she had to spend more time making Magical potions.
It took a considerable amount of time to make a day's worth of Temporary Cure.
On top of that, she had to make medicine for herself this time, so her schedule was twice as tight.
'Felix is taking the Duke's class, so I have to give it to him first. By now, the effects of the medicine must have almost worn off.'
As soon as she thought of him, Ayla's expression darkened slightly.
"Why is Ayla going this far?"
She didn't expect Felix to suddenly be curious about something like that.
She understood that he was worried about her because he was a kind person...
Still, she was so flustered that she drew a line more coldly than she intended.
The thought of his expression, which seemed hurt and hardened, made her feel uneasy.
Ayla looked down at the bracelet on her wrist and soon shook her head.
'It's over. What can I do? Let's focus on what I'm doing.'
Ayla wiped the sweat from her forehead as she faced the steam rising from the pot.
Every day, as soon as class was over, she locked herself in her room to make medicine, but there was a limit to the amount that could be extracted from precious medicinal herbs.
'Tears of the sky, laughter of the earth. Footprints of the moon.'
The ingredients for the Cure were grand just by their names.
If it hadn't been for Peony's help, she wouldn't have even dreamed of it, as they were so expensive.
Thanks to this, the speed of Cure production increased noticeably.
Originally, it took more than a week to make one, but with these herbs, it was reduced to three or four days.
'It took some time to get this much, but... at this rate, I'll be able to finish it well before the exam.'
There was less than a week left until the end-of-semester exams.
The Cure for Felix was already completed, and now all that was left was to make the Cure for herself.
Fortunately, it was about half finished.
The medicine, simmering gently over low heat, was a beautiful pink color.
If she added the medicinal herbs and simmered it for more than two days, it would turn a deep crimson color.
Ayla looked at the Cure with a proud face.
'If I take this, I can finally feel Mana.'
At that thought, a bubbly feeling began to fill Ayla's heart.
The words she had heard countless times while suffering from Mana insensitivity echoed in her ears once again.
"Didn't Irene commit some kind of wrongdoing?"
"A daughter of the Blanche Noble house with Mana insensitivity? What could be more shameful than this?"
She didn't care if they spoke ill of her. But people always belittled her mother as well.
This was because Ayla was the only flaw in Duchess Blanche's life.
The moment she thought of Irene, Ayla's heart ached.
She was reminded of her mother in the original story, who loved her to the end despite the persecution of her family.
So this time, she wanted to show Irene. No, she had to show her.
How great her daughter's magical talent was.
So that in the distant future, after she had finished her revenge, she could stand proudly before her mother as a daughter she was not ashamed of.
'So let's try a little harder.'
There wasn't much time left until the medicine was completed.
Ayla moved her hands again to make the perfect Cure before the exam.
Two days before the exam.
Ayla, who had spent more time in the library than usual, was heading to the dormitory with Peony.
"I can't believe the exam is in two days. It's awful."
Peony looked very nervous.
"I just hope I don't fail."
Because she often missed academy classes, Peony was having a hard time keeping up with the curriculum.
If Ayla hadn't helped her, it would have been too much for her to even review what she had missed.
"You'll do well, Peony. Don't worry."
"Yeah, but I don't think I'll fail thanks to you."
The two exchanged silly conversations and then turned to their respective rooms.
As soon as she parted ways with Peony, Ayla naturally quickened her pace.
'Felix's Cure was delivered a long time ago...'
Now all that was left was to complete her Cure.
She was planning to finish the Cure by the end of the day and practice before the exam.
'Then I'll be able to compete with Rosia for the top spot in the practical exam.'
Since she was a child, Ayla had studied Magic with bone-grinding effort.
Although it was useless with a body that couldn't feel Mana, this time it was different.
'If I take this medicine, I'll finally be able to see the fruits of my labor.'
Ayla's heart beat fast with anticipation for the future.
Her pace quickened without her knowing it.
Suddenly, someone was approaching from the other side of the hallway.
Ayla stopped in her tracks and gave a wary look.
The other person was wearing an academy uniform, but it was a face she had never seen before.
Could it be that they were in different departments and hadn't had a chance to meet?
But judging from the color of the name tag on her chest, it was clear that they were in the same year.
The female student's face had a somewhat blurry yet harmless impression.
Was that why? Her senses, which had been sharpened by sleepless nights, seemed to soften a little.
"Ayla."
Soon, the student came up to her and quietly called her name.
"Professor Jacy called you for a moment."
"...Professor Jacy?"
Ayla tilted her head in confusion.
The professors were all busy preparing for the end-of-semester exams.
"She said she has something to ask you about your Magical potion assignment."
"Really?"
Suddenly, she remembered what the professor had said during the last class.
'Come to think of it, when I submitted the last assignment, she asked me if I was interested in growing herbs. I wonder if she's going to talk about that.'
It was a busy time right now, but if the professor called her, she thought she could take some time out.
"Okay, I understand."
When Ayla readily agreed, the female student gave a soft smile and took a step closer.
"You don't know where the professor's lab is, do you? I'll show you the way."
"No, I can go alone."
The moment she said that, Ayla's brow furrowed.
Suddenly, an intense headache pierced her head.
Ayla vaguely felt it.
'This is a trap.'
But it was a trap she couldn't escape.
Her mind was blurry, and she felt like she had to follow the words of the person in front of her.
'It's Emotion Manipulation Magic.'
Judging that, Ayla mustered all her strength and uttered a word of refusal.
"I know where Professor Jacy's lab is."
"No, she recently changed the location of her lab."
Come to think of it, she thought she had heard something like that.
Ayla blinked her eyes. Her mind kept going back and forth.
But the thought that she couldn't stay still was clear.
'I have to let someone find me.'
The reason Ayla was barely able to stay sane was because of her firm belief that she shouldn't be affected by Emotion Manipulation Magic.
This Magic didn't work well when the subject had strong beliefs or values.
The tips of her fingers trembled slightly. But Ayla gritted her teeth and secretly unfastened the bracelet on her wrist.
Meanwhile, the female student continued in a kind voice.
"I don't have any other intentions. I just thought it would be less of a waste of time if I showed you the way. You're busy preparing for the exam anyway."
Ayla looked at her and hesitated for a moment.
Now that she had broken free from the brainwashing to some extent, she felt like she could get away from this situation.
But if she showed that she could easily shake off the Magic, it would definitely arouse suspicion.
'I can't let them know that I know the loopholes in Emotion Manipulation Magic.'
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