His Hand In The Shadows

Chapter 12: Your'e Good Enough

Ayla stared at the board.

"You passed all classes," Stella gasped. The names of the top five in each class sat at the top of each list with stars next to them. Her placements seemed quite impressive compared to other villagers but other villagers hadn't been involved with forbidden magic. She wondered how impressive they would seem to the military, given her recent accusation of practicing black magic. She wasn't so sure this was good enough to overshadow that doubt. Would her country be able to trust her?

Stella pointed out Ayla's name on the board. "Three... four... five stars of the six."

"She skipped two weeks of classes but made top tier," a student whispered to another.

"She is a cheat."

Ayla turned to look at the Lady who stared right back at her with her hands folded over her chest, challenging Ayla. She had bright orange hair that featured loops of braids down the side of her face, that wrapped the root of her ponytail. Her finger was adorned with a ring bearing the engraved head of a snake. She reached to the top of the board and pointed at her name, 'Arell Euleus'. "Looseness lifts you only as far as 5th place, talent brings you here."

"And what tells you she cheated?" Stella interrupted. "Nothing but your own insecurities."

"And where might your name be?" Arell drew her hand down the board. "I fail to see how peasants will protect us. We are better off protecting ourselves." Arell turned to the others behind her, giggling.

Nothing good would come from fighting with a Lady of the House of snakes. Ayla would need to be the perfect student this semester. Impossible, but possible. Lacking the drive to argue, Ayla walked, Stella following close behind her.

"Did you hear of Sir Cormill's new fiancé?" someone asked.

Stella turned her head to the two passing her.

"Mother submitted my proposal to him months prior and received nothing back. Lucky is she."

"You should have submitted years back. I hear they do not bother with Ladies who send in requests so late."

Stella looked at Ayla. "Your prince is marrying?"

She sighed. "Fairy tales."

"Aren't you at least curious? I haven't seen you with him since you returned."

"He's busy." Ayla opened the door to their room and went straight to bed.

"For a week?"

"First were funeral arrangements. Now he focuses on the case. Lady Nas informed me. They have sent multiple requests to the Department of Patrol and received nothing back. They now wait on a response from the courts to reopen the case." Ayla squeezed her pillow to her chest.

"Then... why so somber?"

"Because..." her voice cracked.

Stella sat on Ayla's bed next to her and gave Ayla her full attention.

"Because I... fail to see why I couldn't do more for her." With a delicate quiver behind her words, she continued to speak. "Aimi didn't deserve that. No child deserves to lose a parent. No one deserves such... a death."

"How then..." Stella regretted the words before she said them but they needed to be said. "How do you feel then, knowing you weren't even the one to give her the coin? Or to find her there."

Ayla straightened. "I must give him space to cope how he does."

"Says the girl that hates more than anything to be alone."