Chapter 313: 313

About to leave the Ostrich residence, Michelle said goodbye to Vincent and Amelia before turning to board the carriage pulled by two large beasts.

But before she could get on, a voice stopped her. “Ana!” The family head, Jonathan Ostrich, came to the gate.

Ana turned back to look at him. “Yes, Family Head?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

Jonathan looked at Ana for a moment before motioning with his head toward Leonard. “Make sure you stick close to Leonard so you do not end up forgotten somewhere on the way.”

Ana nodded. “Yes, sir!”

After that, she got on the carriage. It was spacious and could easily fit ten people.

Inside, two young girls and two young boys were already seated. They were members of the Ostrich family who were also going to the academy. But unlike Ana, Michelle, they were going to take the entrance tests, while she had guaranteed acceptance.

They knew that Ana would not take the tests, so their view of her was twisted.

“It is funny!” one of the girls started. “The Family Head has always refused any attempts to let someone into the academy under protection. But it seems he cannot do anything when the second headmaster sets his mind on sending his daughter there.” She scoffed, clearly mocking Ana.

Michelle did not pay the girl any attention and leaned back in her seat. She had expected something like this to happen. Since she was with these people in a closed space, no matter how faint her presence was, they would notice her. Especially since they already felt resentment toward her.

But Michelle was certain that once they reached the academy and she disappeared from their sight, she would be left alone. Because if she did not want it, they would never be able to find her.

The girl was clearly offended when Ana ignored her, but she did not get the chance to say anything more. The carriage door opened again, and Leonard stepped in.

“Hello, everyone!” He did not know everyone personally, but as the Family Head’s direct grandson, he always tried to maintain amicable relationships.

Of course, that did not mean he failed to notice the tension in the carriage. He also noticed that the hostile glares were directed at Ana.

“What is going on here?” he asked as he sat down. “Did something happen?”

His gaze landed on the girl who had tried to mock Ana earlier, as her expression was clearly the most begrudging.

The girl instantly shrank back. Within the entire Ostrich family, Leonard was known to be calm and kind, but whenever someone tried to mess with his closest family, he became terrifying. And with his talent, his cultivation was the highest in the carriage. If he became angry with her, no one would be able to protect her.

The silence in the carriage told Leonard everything he needed to know. It was not difficult to understand how the others felt. Even he had been shocked when he found out that Ana would be going to the academy.

But he understood when he remembered how they had found Ana at the lake. Her father and the Family Head must have decided to send her to the academy to protect her in case something like that happened again.

Even so, he did not intend to explain anything to the others. He was not close enough to Ana to interfere on her behalf. Even if his younger sister was especially attached to her.

Once the young master entered the carriage, the coachman set it in motion.

The academy was located high up on a nearby mountain, so it would take three to four days to reach it, depending on how many breaks the group took.

The carriage that Michelle and Leonard were in was not the only one headed to the academy. Their carriage was the least crowded, containing only the grandchildren of the elders.

The two girls were sisters, granddaughters of the Family Head’s second brother. One of the boys was the grandson of the Grand Elder, the highest-ranking elder. What made him special was that he originally came from a branch family, but due to his exceptional abilities, he had been promoted to Grand Elder. The other boy was the grandson of the Third Elder.

Basically, in the carriage, the only one who was not a descendant of someone from the Elder Council was Ana.

She was a special case.

Adoptively, she was of the same generation as Leonard. But in reality, she was a generation above everyone present, calling the ancestor her grandfather.

That was something no one else could do.

Since retreating from his position as Family Head, he had everyone address him as Ancestor Benjamin.

Perhaps Ana’s privilege to address him so familiarly was another reason the others were so jealous of her. And since she was considered cultivation trash, they felt no need to restrain themselves. She could not hurt them in any way.

The journey to the academy was unbearably boring. The carriage remained silent, filled with hostile glares.

The breaks, however, were different. Every evening, the carriage stopped, and the passengers stepped out to spend the night in tents.

At first, Michelle planned to disappear and handle her own matters, but the two sisters stopped her.

Their intentions were obvious.

Since they could not mock Ana in the carriage with Leonard present, they would do it outside, where he was distracted.

Once they stepped out, Leonard was quickly dragged away by his friends.

“So you thought clinging to Young Master Leonard would save you?” the sister who had mocked Ana earlier sneered. “You think you are special?”

She released her spirit energy, pressing it down on Ana in an attempt to intimidate her.

Unfortunately for her, she was dealing with Michelle.

“I do not think so!” Michelle smiled sweetly, her eyes narrowing. “I know I am special.” Her voice was calm and composed.

The two girls were stunned by Ana’s arrogance. Why was she unaffected by their pressure? And where was her confidence coming from?

They received their answer soon enough.

Michelle summoned her shadow essence, and the girls were dragged away from the group, unnoticed by anyone else. Shadow essence was subtle, and in Michelle’s hands, even more so. After all, she was a being ignored by the Heavenly Law itself.

Far from the campsite, the two girls stared at Michelle in horror, their eyes wide.

“You hid your powers!” the second sister exclaimed. “That is punishable by expulsion from the family!” Saying that restored some of her earlier confidence.

Michelle only smiled. “Oh, really?” Her voice was soothing, almost hypnotic. “I will make sure to read the rules more carefully in the future…”

As she spoke, her right eye turned blood red.

“You…” The first sister was petrified. She was the more explosive one, but also the first to crumble under fear. “Who are you?”

Michelle’s smile widened. “Do not worry. You will not remember this.”

While chatting with his friends, Leonard noticed the two sisters returning to the campsite, satisfied smiles on their faces.

A frown appeared on his brow.

Looking around, he realized he could not find Ana anywhere.

He knew her presence was faint enough to miss, but something felt wrong.

Leaving his friends behind, he approached the sisters.

When they saw Leonard heading toward them, they stiffened but forced calm expressions.

“Where is she?” Leonard asked coldly.

“Young Master, who do you mean?” the sisters feigned ignorance.

Leonard was convinced they had done something. “Where is Ana?” he repeated.

The girls exchanged glances. “Young Master, how should we know? We have not seen her since we got off the carriage.”

Before Leonard could ask more, the second sister added, “Did she get lost, Young Master? We saw her heading toward the forest. That was reckless of her.”

That was all Leonard needed to hear. He immediately turned toward the forest. He had promised his uncle Vincent to protect Ana. He could not allow her to be harmed on the first day.

Watching Leonard’s retreating figure, one of the sisters clenched her fists. “What is so special about her? Why does everyone cater to her like she is some kind of princess? She is just trash.”

The second sister scoffed. “There will always be vixens like that.”

High up in the trees, Noctis and Unlucien sat on a branch, leaning against the trunk, completely uninvolved.

“Imagine their expressions if they ever find out that everything they remember about bullying Milady never happened,” Noctis said lazily. “That she manipulated their memories.”

He was far more carefree than Unlucien, watching the scene unfold like an amusing story.

Of course, being carefree among the shadow guards of the Dark Palace still meant being more serious than most schemers. Shadow guards were the deadliest group in the Heavenly Realm. Even the least serious among them was more terrifying than a trained army veteran.

Unlucien shrugged. “If they ever find out, it will be long after Milady has entered the Heavenly Realm and Ana Ostrich has been officially declared dead.”

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