Awakening Domination System: But I'm a Slave?-Chapter 245: The Maids [1]

Alaric sat at his desk, a letter spread before him with the academy’s seal—a phoenix rising from a book—was broken, the wax still faintly warm.

He scanned the contents...

"To All Students of Pheonix Academy,"

"The winter concludes today. All students are required to return to campus by evening. Classes resume tomorrow."

"Evaluation exam results have been posted. Students are assigned to their respective Houses based on performance."

Alaric’s eyes moved down to the next section.

"House Placement Announcement"

"Student: Alaric Glimor

House Assignment: Silver Crown"

He smirked.

Silver Crown. The top house.

Not surprising, given his performance. But satisfying nonetheless.

He continued reading. Which were the privileges of being from the top house.

"Priority access to the Advanced Training Grounds and Essence Chambers. Extended library hours, including restricted sections (with appropriate clearance)."

"Monthly stipend of 500 gold for personal use. Private quarters (single occupant). Access to specialized instructors for advanced techniques. Quarterly resource allocation: Rare essence crystals, alchemical elixirs, enchanted equipment."

His smirk widened. The Academy spared no expense for its top performers. These resources would accelerate his growth considerably.

Though the next section caught his attention.

"Students of Silver Crown House are permitted to bring ONE personal attendant from their household, subject to Academy approval and security screening."

"Alternatively, students may request an attendant from the Academy’s staff. Academy-provided attendants are trained, vetted, and assigned based on student needs."

"Please submit your selection to the House Master within three days of term commencement."

Alaric leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming thoughtfully on the armrest.

Bringing someone from outside versus accepting an Academy attendant. Both had advantages.

Knock! Knock!

"Young master?" A maid’s voice came from the other side of the door. "Breakfast is ready."

Alaric glanced at the letter one more time, then set it aside.

"I can think about this later," he muttered, standing and stretching.

His muscles were pleasantly sore, last night’s activities catching up with him.

He left his room and made his way through the corridors to the dining room.

When he entered, Selene was already seated at the head of the table.

She looked... radiant.

More so than he’d ever seen her. Her dark hair was perfectly arranged, her morning dress immaculate, but there was something different... a glow in her skin, a softness in her expression that hadn’t been there before.

The moment she saw him enter, her cheeks flushed pink.

She immediately looked away, focusing intently on the empty plate in front of her. Her hands folded primly in her lap, but he could see the slight tremor in her fingers.

Trying so hard to maintain her composure.

Alaric pulled out the chair beside her and sat down, a smile playing at his lips.

"Good morning, Aunt," he said warmly, his voice carrying just a hint of teasing.

Selene nodded stiffly, still not meeting his eyes. "Good morning."

The door opened again.

Elina entered, looking significantly worse for wear.

Her scarlet hair was disheveled, clearly hastily brushed at best. Dark circles shadowed her golden eyes, and her movements were sluggish, exhausted.

She dragged herself to the table, pulled out a chair with minimal grace, and collapsed into it.

"Good morning, Mom," she mumbled.

Selene’s expression softened immediately, concern replacing her flustered state. "Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah." Elina said, reaching for the water pitcher.

Alaric leaned forward slightly, his smile widening. "And where’s my greeting, my dear—"

"I’m not your sister," Elina cut him off with a hiss, shooting him a glare that could have melted steel.

Her eyes were bloodshot but no less fierce.

"Such hostility so early in the morning," Alaric said, feigning hurt. "And here I thought we were getting along so well."

"We’re not," Elina snapped, pouring herself water and drinking it in one long gulp. "We’ve never gotten along. We won’t get along."

"Elina," Selene said gently, though there was a warning edge to her tone. "Please."

Elina grumbled something unintelligible but subsided, slumping back in her chair.

Servants began bringing in breakfast, warm bread, butter, honey, eggs prepared various ways, strips of bacon, fresh fruit, and steaming tea.

The meal was set out efficiently, and the servants withdrew.

An awkward silence settled over the table.

Selene picked at her food, still avoiding Alaric’s gaze. Elina ate, eyes half-closed. Alaric helped himself to eggs and bread, completely at ease.

After a moment, Selene turned to her daughter.

"The notice came from the Academy today?" she asked gently.

Elina nodded, swallowing her bite of bread. "Yeah. Classes start tomorrow."

She paused, then glanced at Alaric before turning back to her mother. A grin spread across her tired face.

"I got placed in Silver Crown," she said proudly, sitting up straighter.

Selene’s face lit up with genuine pride and relief. "Congratulations, dear! That’s wonderful. All your hard work paid off."

"Thank you, Mom." Elina’s grin widened, radiating satisfaction.

Then Selene turned to Alaric, her expression politely inquiring. "And what about you?"

Elina’s smug grin intensified. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms, that self-satisfied look plastered across her face. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation, daring him to answer.

"Go ahead," her expression said. "Embarrass yourself. Tell us which mediocre house you ended up in."

She was clearly expecting him to say Iron Talon at best, maybe even Bronze Shield or Copper Thorn. Anything to knock him down a peg after all his insufferable confidence.

Alaric took a leisurely sip of his tea, letting the silence stretch just a moment longer than necessary.

Then he set down his cup and looked directly at Elina.

"Silver Crown," he said simply.

The smug grin froze on Elina’s face.

"What?" she said flatly.

"Silver Crown," Alaric repeated, reaching for more eggs. "Same as you, actually. What a coincidence."

Elina’s jaw dropped. Her golden eyes went wide with disbelief. "That’s... you’re lying."

"Am I?" Alaric pulled the Academy letter from his pocket and slid it across the table toward her.

Elina snatched it up, scanning the contents. Her face went through several expressions—shock, denial, anger, and finally bitter acceptance.

"This has to be a mistake," she muttered.

"No mistake," Alaric said cheerfully. "The evaluation results are quite thorough."

Selene looked between them, a small smile tugging at her lips despite herself. "Well. It seems you’ll both be representing House Silver Crown. How nice."

"Nice?"

"Now, Elina—"

"He’s going to ruin everything!" She gestured wildly at Alaric. "He doesn’t take anything seriously! He’s going to embarrass us!"

"I’m wounded," Alaric said, placing a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "Here I thought we’d make excellent teammates."

"We’re not." she slammed the letter down on the table. "I worked my entire break studying, practicing, preparing, and you just waltz in and—"

She cut herself off, breathing hard, clearly trying to regain composure.

Alaric smiled pleasantly. "And I what?"

Elina glared at him, her fists clenched on the table. "Nothing. Forget it."

She went back to her food, stabbing at her eggs with unnecessary violence.

Selene cleared her throat. "Well. Regardless of... house dynamics... you should both be proud. Silver Crown is quite an achievement."

"Thank you, Mother," Elina said stiffly.

"Yes, thank you, Aunt."

Selene’s cheeks colored again at his use of "Aunt," and she quickly busied herself with her tea. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The rest of breakfast passed in tense silence, broken only by the clink of silverware and Elina’s occasional muttered complaints.

Alaric ate peacefully, thoroughly enjoying every moment.