Serene Valcoura quietly closed the door behind her, then walked towards the table in the middle of the room.
She pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Anna Forster without hesitation, sitting upright, her hands clasped on the table, her gaze steady.
She said quietly,
"It's been a long time."
Anna replied, looking at her fondly,
"Longer than I expected."
A short silence ensued… but it was uncomfortable for both of them.
Then Serene said,
"You haven't changed much."
Anna replied lightly,
"And you've stopped having adventures… That's a big change."
Serene smiled faintly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, and she touched her dagger.
"I've stopped traveling, but I must maintain my skill."
Anna's eyes moved toward the dagger at her waist.
"I see that."
Serene sighed slightly, then leaned forward.
"I heard you're taking my daughter with you."
Anna replied:
"If you agree."
Serene raised an eyebrow.
"You think I'm going to stop her?"
She paused for a moment, then added,
"She's more like me than I want her to be."
Anna spoke calmly with a slight smile on her face٫
"Then I don't have to worry about her."
Anna noticed Serene's sad expression, which she didn't usually make.
Then she reassured her
"Don't worry, as long as she's with us, we won't let anything happen to her until we get to the academy."
Serene looked at her old friend.
"Thank you."
Anna scratched the back of her head, looking a little embarrassed.
"No need to thank me. Besides, we have a boy in her age who moves in with us, so I don't think she will be lonely."
Serene said awkwardly,
"Well, my daughter is very embarrassed in front of people, so I don't know if that will help her."
A neutral expression appeared on Anna's face.
'Didn't she say she looked like her?'
She opened her mouth to say something, but a knock on the door interrupted her.
They both looked towards the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Mr. Aleth entered first, with calm and confident steps… and behind him was Elisa.
Elisa paused at the door for a moment, looked at the room, then at Anna…
'Who is she'
Elisa paused at the door for a moment, looked at the room, then at Anna, but immediately felt the weight of the atmosphere.
Alith looked at his wife and said calmly,
"I think the time is right to tell her."
Serene looked at her daughter; her expression remained unchanged, but she was watching her intently.
"Come here."
Elisa slowly stepped forward and stood next to her father, then looked at Anna again.
Elith introduced Anna to his daughter
"Elisa, this is Anna Froster."
A surprised expression appeared on Elisa's face.
'Anna Forster, the Ice Princess'
Anna gave her a quick, appraising look.
Then she said,
"You're coming with us to the academy."
Elisa's eyes widened slightly…
Then she glanced quickly at her mother.
Serene didn't smile.
She simply said,
"This is what you wanted… isn't it?"
Elisa paused for a second… then nodded.
"Yes."
A wide smile spread across her face; she was happy. For months she had tried to convince her parents to let her take the entrance exam for the Element Academy, but they had always refused.
'Why did they change their minds?'
It was strange; her mother was someone who didn't change her mind easily.
'Does it matter now? The important thing is that they agreed.'
Anna smiled.
"You seem very happy."
Elissa was surprised.
"Ah!"
She was so happy that she didn't notice the huge smile on her face.
Alith smiled, patted his daughter's head, and said jokingly,
"Aren't you very happy to be leaving the house? This makes me sad."
Elisa looked at her father with a determined expression.
"Dad, I don't even know if I'll pass the entrance exam."
Then he patted her head to lift her spirits
"If my talented daughter doesn't succeed, who will?"
Elisa blushed with embarrassment.
"Do you think so?"
Then he confirmed it.
"Of course."
Then her mother looked at her sternly.
"Even if you are talented, it doesn't mean you will succeed. You have to know how to use your abilities, and you also mustn't stop practicing, even during your journey."
Elisa lowered her head and looked at the ground.
"Yes."
Anna observed the mother-daughter bond and smiled slightly, then looked at Serene.
"You haven't changed at all."
Then she turned her gaze to Elisa.
"Pack your things because we're leaving tomorrow or the day after."
She shook her head and turned to leave to gathering her things. At that moment, her father said,
"Anna, the child you brought with you seems to be very rude."
Then she stopped