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She closed her eyes, replenishing her depleted energy.
Rustle. Rustle.
Ayla, half out of it, tilted her head with a puzzled look.
She heard a strange noise coming from somewhere in the room.
Looking around, she soon identified the source.
'I think the egg just moved?'
But as Ayla looked at the egg, it became still as if nothing had happened.
Ayla narrowed her eyes and carefully examined the egg.
'…I've been too busy with exams to notice, but it seems to have grown a lot bigger than last time. The color is also darker.'
Turning her head, she noticed the stack of books on one side of her desk.
They were rare ancient books that she had asked Peony to get for her recently.
Ayla had been collecting information about Dragon eggs, searching every nook and cranny.
She couldn't rule out the possibility that this egg was a Black Dragon egg.
But there was a limit to the information she could find in the academy library, so she had no choice but to ask for Peony's help.
'I guess I should look through those books.'
To clear her cluttered mind, Ayla turned on the Mana lamp and sat down in her chair.
Then, she quietly began to turn the pages.
She flipped through each book, quickly checking the contents, but it took some time to find the information she wanted.
'Is it not enough with just these books after all…'
She was about to close the book, pondering, when suddenly, the words "Black Dragon egg" caught her eye.
Her eyes widened, and she began to read the sentence.
[Black Dragon eggs are very difficult to hatch. That's why they leave their eggs in Drake nests.
Dragon eggs are sensitive to temperature and must be kept in a place with abundant Mana.
Also, when the egg's color darkens and it begins to grow larger, the egg must be placed in a place with good moonlight and sunlight to receive the energy of nature.
If the egg does not receive enough sunlight and moonlight, the Dragon egg will not hatch.
And it's always good to talk to the egg. Dragons are superior creatures and can understand everything you say to them while they are still in the egg.]
Ayla's face became serious.
No matter how she looked at it, her dormitory was not a good environment for hatching an egg.
It had a large window, as befitting a good dormitory, but it didn't get much moonlight.
'Come to think of it, there is a good place…'
Recently, Professor Jacy had given Ayla a small Greenhouse for her personal use.
It was a space provided for growing herbs, but there were no regulations against using it for other purposes.
Ayla looked down at the silver key, pondering.
'Is it okay to use this for personal purposes…'
She was worried, but it was true that keeping the growing egg in the dormitory was becoming a burden.
According to the dormitory regulations, unauthorized pets were not allowed to be kept inside.
Besides, she couldn't just leave a life about to hatch unattended.
'…Maybe I was destined to take responsibility for this child.'
Ayla clenched the key in her hand.
She was already struggling to take care of herself, but she didn't want to waste the affection she had poured into the egg.
'Okay. Let's hatch it in the Greenhouse.'
Her eyes shone with determination as she made up her mind.
The academy, ahead of the Autumn Festival, became even busier and more boisterous.
Thanks to the Faculty of Magic, which put more effort than ever into building decorations and landscaping.
The fountain in the central garden bubbled and filled the surroundings with colorful soap bubbles.
The bubbles scattered, creating small rainbows in the air, and colorful flowers that could not be seen in this season were in full bloom in the flowerbeds.
Not only the garden but also the academy buildings underwent several changes for the festival.
Students' trophies and paintings were hung on the marble walls, and the candelabras decorated in the hallways dyed the interior of the building as cozy as an autumn evening.
It was as if the entire academy had become one giant festival venue.
Peony's face was filled with excitement at this wonderful sight.
Last year, she was too sick to participate in the festival at all. In fact, even if she had participated, it wouldn't have been much fun.
At the time, she had no friends, and the festival wasn't much fun to enjoy alone.
But this time it was different.
'I have Ayla!'
And Felix, who was tagging along, was going to look around with them.
'We'll watch performances together and go around to the shops!'
Peony's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Nobles looked down on commoners, but they also showed a strange curiosity about their culture.
Perhaps that's why opening stalls and watching performances like a commoner's festival was one of the important traditions of the festival.
'I'm really looking forward to the fireworks on the second day, but what I'm most excited about is the ball!'
On the last day of the festival, a large-scale ball involving all the faculties was scheduled to be held at the academy.
That's why Peony had been worried a lot lately.
'I want to match pretty dresses with Ayla, like close friends!'
Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
The event that students looked forward to the most at the festival was, of course, the ball.
But ironically, there was no place where each other's status was more clearly revealed than at the ball.
The gap in family environment was clearly revealed from the prepared dresses.
And at this ball, Ayla would have the opportunity to dance the first dance.
'The student who takes the top spot in the academy gets the chance to dance the first dance.'
Felix is the top student in the Swordsmanship Department. Then, of course, the two of them will dance the first dance together.
Felix's clothes will be prepared by Duke Argenta's Noble house, so she didn't need to worry about him.
The problem was Ayla.
'I think I can match it with mine, but I don't know if she'll accept the gift willingly.'
Ayla wasn't interested in this kind of thing in the first place.
So, she had to consult with Felix in advance and prepare clothes that would suit Ayla.
'Hmm. The dress design should be similar to mine, and only the colors should be unified with the partner.'
Peony had already almost planned the dress to put on Ayla.
A dress made of soft Imperial silk that emphasized the slender waist would surely shine even more when Ayla wore it.
She was confident that she could make a dress that suited Ayla better than the one she wore when she was Princess Consort Blanche of the Blanche Noble house.
'Ayla will be the star of this ball!'
That's what Peony was thinking as she clenched her fists when she returned to her dormitory room.
Lona, who had taken her coat after she had finished her outing, immediately held something out in front of Peony.
"Princess Consort, a letter has arrived from Prince Darian."
Peony's smile faded rapidly at the unwelcome news.
She stared blankly at the letter presented in front of her, then scanned Lona with sharp eyes.
Lona treated Peony with more respect than before.
This was because Peony had shown a cold reaction whenever she acted familiarly, crossing the line.
"Why don't you nag less, Lona? I know my body better than you do."
"B, but… what if you keep overdoing it and collapse like before?"
"It's better to just die than to do nothing while being so careful. Oh, and about the medicine I take every day. I think I can reduce it a bit now."
"Yes…?! What do you mean, Princess Consort? The doctor told you to take your medicine regularly."
"My body has become much healthier these days, so I don't think I need to take it as often as before."
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