When Cael woke up the next morning, he didn't even bother to take a shower and just left.
Like that, still wearing clothes riddled with sleep and a much better expression.
"At least he's back on his feet."
I on the other hand performed my morning rituals, put on a suit and left for the training hall after releasing the doppelgängers to go and research everything about theatre.
Yes, after all the drama Cael had pushed on me I started thinking that maybe, performing arts held some kind of insight I was missing.
I also wanted to check if I could create doppelgängers with memories of characters from a play or I could only use my personal experience.
"There's so much to do and so little time?"
"What could you possibly need to do after that hell you brought onto us yesterday?"
I turned around to see a beautiful princess with long black hair and just as black bags under her eyes.
"Oh! Aurelia! I was just thinking about you!"
We were still walking towards the training hall so we were alone, but my announcement clearly shocked her.
"Me? Really? Aren't you and Cael an item already?"
That was unexpected and completely nonsensical.
"What are you talking about? There's not really anything between us, and you also know… it's not like I can make him pregnant."
"You can try?"
Aurelia was now smirking amused and I was starting to get slightly irritated. By the time she was able to stop the crackles we reached the training hall where people were already waiting.
"So what were you thinking of doing with me?"
She still held that smug expression.
"I was originally thinking about extorting every information you can disclose about mnemonic magic as payment for the mental training, but since you seem keen on the idea of having children, I suppose I could also accept that as payment."
Her smirk vanished like a thunderclap, everyone in the hall turned towards us and I felt a particular set of eyes burning through me, which I gallantly ignored.
I was waiting for an answer and she knew it. She knew I wouldn't allow her to escape the shitshow she initiated.
"Very well, I'll have my maid deliver everything we can to you later. Is that okay?"
"No, send your maid to the library as soon as possible, my doppelgängers are already there studying."
I turned around not even acknowledging the others and started running for a warmup. I hoped the message was clear to everyone.
I wanted to be paid.
After all the effort I put on the hall of illusions, there was no way I'd let people use it without giving up anything.
While I started my run, Yom and Seraph trapped Cael.
"Aren't you two sleeping together? Why would he say something like that in front of everyone?" -Seraph
"Did you fight? Is that why this morning you were running away from his suite?" -Yom
Cael was probably fuming and even if I could hear everything, I wished I could also see the expressions on their faces, but to avoid bursting out laughing I stopped myself from taking out my mirrors.
"First thing first, we are not sleeping together! Why I left this morning before him is also none of your business! And secondly, he probably said all that shit because Aurelia was making fun of him, he also probably wanted to make it clear that he expects to be paid for letting us use that demonic creation of his."
A smirk naturally played on my lips as I kept running, the boy knew me well, but after some time, my smile faded.
Nobody else was running with me, nor were the instructors coming to tutor us in anyway.
I continued to run either way, my body was probably the worst among the rich gang members and only stopped after the full two hours of running.
"Is it the weekend? Already?"
"Wow, you're finally accepting that you run for nothing!" -Juste
"And you still decided to stay in a group instead of going on a date with your man? Poor Niven."
"I…"
She decided to shut her mouth after that and I decided that if there really was nothing to do, I might as well try and recuperate the time lost yesterday on Cael.
"Well, since there's nothing to do I'll take my leave. See you back at the academy."
I had already begun planning my remaining time.
I was still waiting on the answers to the question I asked dad that day, especially the bloodline ritual, but I could also get to preparing prank traps for the other students!
I also needed to plan something to fool over 500 folks at once…
"Where do you think you're going?"
"To my room? I have stuff to take care of Yom, it's not like my presence is needed either way."
"Oh but it is dearest brother. I asked dad and we got permission to dive into a dungeon managed by our house."
There were three kinds of dungeons.
Instances, stables and immediate breaks. Of course what our family managed was a stable dungeon, nothing from there couldn't be bought with money.
"Why should I go? If it's from a stable dungeon I could buy whatever I need from there."
When I spoke, I was faced with judgement from all angles.
"What? Am I wrong?"
Seeing how nobody was willing to answer me, I just decided to leave and proceed with my plans, but a certain fugitive decided to grab my arm.
"Caelum, I swear to the gods, I'm really starting to get angry now."
"No! You're wrong!"
The fuck?
He continued without waiting for my signal to proceed.
"What you know is… the knowledge given to the commoners…"
He lowered his head and looked towards Juste for just a second. A second too long for me to not notice.
Then I noticed how everyone else mirrored his behaviour, like they were walking on eggshells, waiting for my outburst.
My anger was ready to jump at anyone, but seeing how Cael was getting smaller and smaller in front of me, I calmed down.
Unwillingly.
"Cael, let my arm go, I'm not angry."
He was clearly reluctant, but decided to obey. I then walked towards Juste with unnerving calmness.
"Call your mother."
"I can't just barge into her day without announcing! She is a busy woman!"
"Did I stutter?"
She immediately took out her mana phone and dialled her mom's contact, I didn't know at that moment, but my presence was slightly leaking and that's what prompted her to obey.
"Juste dear? What's going on? Is the duke making problems for the dungeon?"
[Pretender] "Oh no mother! His grace gave us his blessing but he said we'd only be allowed to enter if we included that adopted mutt he took in…"
Everyone in the room froze when they heard Juste's voice coming out of my mouth, especially because every nuance and even my tone was a perfect imitation. So perfect, that her mom didn't doubt for a second that it wasn't her daughter talking.
Yet nobody dared to speak up, not that it mattered since I casted [pretender] to even lock their voices.
"So what's the problem? Just tell him, he will surely follow you."
"He doesn't want. He says everything that comes from a dungeon he can buy with money…"
For a second silence fell over us all, even Juste's mother was shocked at that moment, until she remembered.
"Oh right, he was a commoner, just tell him the truth, Dionen wouldn't allow him to go against the law anyway."
"What if he gets angry like that other time? What if he asked why we don't share this information?"
"Then lie to him? Juste are you getting attached to that young boy? That charm he made for you all is not worth him knowing that whoever kills most dungeon monsters receives bound artefacts that can't be sold nor exchanged."
This mother fucking bastards, I'm sure they have someone from their side join every fucking team entering dungeons and…
Fuck, I was getting so motherfucking angry.
[Pretender] "Okay mother, one last thing!"
"Yes dear?"
"I sure hope you were able to replicate that little charm I made for your daughter, it'd be terrible if she was the only one without it."
I snapped my fingers and the sound of a mirror shattering echoed from Juste's pocket. It was loud enough that even lady law heard it.
"WHY WOULD YOU-"
I didn't let her finish and ended the call.
"It seems, Juste, that you still call me mutt when you talk with your mother, that she doesn't try to correct you and that you are permanently banned from training in MY hall of mirrors."
I gave her phone back that was already ringing with her mother's contact.
"It also seems that I decided on which payment I shall receive. Let's go to this beautiful artefact mall, shall we?"