Chapter 192: Shrinking Privileges

The royal family of New Florence, who are magnanimous and unwilling to settle in ordinary places, thus reside in valence, an estate with a long history, where seven generations have lived.

Beautiful birds sing in the estate, the trees provided shade, and the air was calm and peaceful.

Suddenly, a voice called.

It was Vivian’s voice, calling her sister Raven to wait a moment, because Raven was walking very fast because she was angry about something.

“Raven, wait! I’m sure there’s an explanation!”

“What explanation?!” Raven demanded as Vivian caught up, but almost slipped because she was wearing a long dress, the hem of which was often tripped by her shoes.

“Vivian, obviously disrespectful; no one wants us there. Why did you suggest we go there in the first place?!”

“The Prescott family is very close to us. We’ve been there so many times, so when we weren’t formally invited, I thought it might just be an oversight or that it wasn’t necessary at all!”

“But Father, Roselyn, and Adrian were all formally invited, weren’t they?” Raven countered.

Vivian lowered her voice and replied, “Yes. But—”

“Face it, Vivian. We’re like nobodies here now. Look how they treated us, as if we didn’t exist. I’m sure no one noticed we left early…”

Vivian scratched the back of her ear because anxiety and nervousness usually made her scratch the back of her ear.

Under the angry gaze of her identical sister, she felt she must take responsibility for putting them through such humiliation. So, for Raven to feel better again, she had to take the blame because someone needed to take the blame to explain why they were treated that way.

“I agree,” Vivian said. “I won’t make the same mistake again. Next time, I’ll make sure we go where we’re really needed.”

Raven sighed, “Sigh… Vivian, that’s good, that’s true, but that’s not what I’m angry about. What I’m angry about is that we weren’t treated as Silverbloods. Nobody greeted us, nobody even showed us any courtesy. When did this start?!”

Vivian looked up, her cheeks red, her jaw clenched, her eyes wide, because she was relieved that Raven wasn’t angry with her, and also seeing things from Raven’s perspective.

“Sister Raven, you are right… I never thought of it that way. Last year, at Hera Prescott’s naming ceremony, we organized the baby’s baptism, but today, no one is talking to us.”

Knock knock.

“How pronounced do you want it to be for you to understand?” Raven said, tapping Vivian’s head, implying Vivian wasn’t the brightest, then turned and walked into the palace.

A servant greeted, “My Lady, welcome back. How was Charles Prescott’s coronation?”

However, the servant was ignored, making her look like a fool.

The servant realized the situation was dire, so when it was Vivian’s turn, she simply bowed and shortened her greeting.

“Welcome back, my lady.”

“Thank you, Nora,” Vivian said, acknowledging the servant, although she looked tired and not as lively as usual. “Please prepare some food for Raven and me, and then tidy up our cultivation room so we have something to do before Father returns.”

“Yes, my lady,” Nora replied, starting to walk away but then stopping, anxiously saying. “Sorry, my lady, but I forgot to mention that the Matriarch said you and Lady Raven are forbidden from entering that cultivation room.”

“Ehh??? Why?”

Nora lowered her head respectfully and replied, “I do not know the reason, but if you insist on having me prepare the room, I understand.”

“Wouldn’t that jeopardize your service here?” Vivian said. “For now, let’s put it aside until I come to the bottom of this.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

***************

Kingsley Estate Temple. Vivian.

As evening fell, Vivian came to the Kingsley Temple as usual.

She knelt before her mother’s portrait, praying as always, surrounded by restless candles, the air filled with fragrance.

Unbeknownst to Vivian, her mother’s portrait became alive, looking down upon her with loving kindness and blessing her.

In fact, this happens often—but Vivian is unaware of it.

“I miss you, Mom, even though I never met you,” Vivian said, looking up at the portrait that is lifeless again. “If you were here, everything would be so different.

“Raven said I should stop being so devout, and I agree. I must be strong and independent to overcome every shortcoming, but sometimes, we need a pillar we can lean on. Even if you are not here, please don’t stop being my pillar of support.’

FWOOSH!

Vivian summoned a bush mouse that she caught, and she summoned her beast, the Seraph Leaper.

The bush mouse is still alive.

“Peaches, kill it!” Vivian instructed, and the Seraph Leaper gathered a blade of light and energy with both hands in front of its chest.

As the blade grew very powerful, the Seraph Leaper released it to the bush mouse, piercing and killing it.

Soon, the bush mouse pixelated and evaporated into Penelope’s shrine as a sacrifice.

This was Vivian’s 4,745th offering to her deceased mother since she learned all this at the age of five.

This small ceremony ended when Raven hurried into the temple.

Vivian tried to hide anything that would emphasise her quirky rituals, as Raven was a master of criticism, but Raven wasn’t there to critique her because they had more important matters to attend to!

“Vivian, have you heard? Rosaline has forbidden us from practicing in our own cultivation rooms,” Raven complained, her voice laced with urgency to act.

“Yes, a servant told me. I agree we must address this issue.”

“There’s nothing to resolve, sister. She not only forbade us from using her own cultivation room, but also tore down the walls of the room, connecting it to Adrian’s own, making his cultivation room twice as big, while we are left with nothing!”

“What?!” Vivian exclaimed, standing up, incredulous. “How could she do that?!”

Raven replied, “Because Father does nothing! Because he said we are just his daughters, nothing more. Roselyn’s control over us is stronger than ever, and no one can stop her. She is trying to suppress us in our own home.”

“Are you sure, Raven?” Vivian asked. “That’s too hasty a conclusion. Maybe Adrian selfishly wanted to expand his training room, and Roselyn took ours because she always gives him what he wants.”

Raven clenched her fists and replied, “I’m not guessing; this is true, and it will soon become obvious. If today is our cultivation room, then what else will she take from us next?”

Vivian stepped forward, reaching out to her sister’s shadow to comfort her.

“Sister, relax. Roselyn might try her best, but she cannot take away what we deserve. Unless she somehow got pregnant with two girls at the same time, the Kingsley family can’t diminish both of us. Now, come on. Remember, we have class today, and the teacher is Mrs. Ruth. Let’s get everything ready before she arrives so we can have dinner on time.”

“Agreed,” Raven replied, but she did not reduce her frustration.

The girls left the temple together, hand in hand, walking across the estate.

Despite their attempts to convince themselves that everything was fine, they didn’t feel safe in their own home due to Roselyn’s new arrangements.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the room where they train under Ruth’s guidance, but to their surprise, the door was wide open.

If the door was open, it must be the servants cleaning, or Madam Ruth herself arriving early.

Raven and Vivian walked in, only to encounter a very different person.

He was a tall man with copper-colored skin, wearing a floor-length alchemist’s robe, glasses, and bald.

The aura he exuded was one of high intelligence, wisdom, and a reserve of magic—everything you would expect from a good mentor, which meant he must be a mentor—yet Raven and Vivian didn’t recognize him.

The man turned around in a humble and respectful manner, slightly bowing to the girls.

“You must be Raven and Vivian Kingsley,” he said. “It is an honor to be here. My name is Mentor Gwendal Archimason from the Archimason family, which you may already be familiar with.”

Raven slowly stepped forward, inspecting some of the changes in the room, such as the reduced number of sofas and meditation mats—now only two mats instead of three—and some ancient books and bottles that Gwendal brought with him.

“Nice to meet you, Gwendal. Are you Mrs. Ruth’s replacement? Are you here to teach us?” Raven asked eventually.

Gwendal stroked his chin, trying to understand if there was a misunderstanding, because he was not anyone’s substitute.

It is not because he is a better mentor or because he is ranked higher.

Mentors with higher ranks can never be a “replacement” for mentors with lower ranks. It is the other way around.

So, Gwendal cannot be here to replace a lower-ranked mentor like Ruth.

It is because he was here on a different matter.

Gwendal said, “My lady, I believe you must be mistaken.” I am not here to replace any of your teachers, nor to instruct you—or your sister, Lady Vivian. I was chosen by the Matriarch to tutor Master Adrian, and she chose this room for our activities.”