Chapter 68 - Point Of Training

"Hey." Petunia whispered to Fily across Halma who was seated in between them.

"What?" Fily mouthed to her and received a text message instead.

[Petunia: Until when do we have to be stuck in this room with her?] she said while looking like an annoyed cat statue between Halma's hands that were scraping her face and back fur both at the same time, wrinkling her respectably ironed witch's hat and well primed silver fur to destruction.

[Fily: Well, I'm guessing ten minutes more before we get called for dinner.] Fily answered while stifling her laugh that was then interrupted when Halma suddenly glanced at her.

[Petunia: Okay.] said Petunia and let out a heavy sigh before transferring all her body weight to Halma's thigh who was now trying to direct their attention to Gem.

Gem asked for Halma, Fily, and Petunia's presence in this room after Venedette has gone because of the experiment that will decide if she still needs to go back to Solitude or not after today.

And after a few hours of exercising and practicing her yoyo skills in between, Gem finally dropped to the nearest sofa, gasping for air just like she did yesterday after completing all the tasks for her hidden skill's level-ups.

"Water, water. Give her water." Halma ordered Fily to move since she was the one sitting closest to the table where the water jar and glasses were served.

While Fily was busy getting Gem her water, Petunia on the other hand was getting more furious at Halma for ruining her well-groomed attire.

Even though she was a furry animal, Petunia still cared a lot about her appearance. She did not sign up for this when she agreed to become the Queen's pet.

All the Queen did was baby her and ruin her majestic fur to oblivion!

[Petunia: I really want to get out of here, now. It is very suffocating!] Petunia complained to Fily even more, who just shook her head at her message while still taking care of Gem.

"Eat a lot so you can recover the energy you've lost through exercising okay?" she reminded Gem sweetly before making way for Halma who was now approaching Gem.

"How do we know if it'll work or not? Does the system say anything about a streak or you can leave days of absence in between?" Halma asked Gem seriously and even kneeled before her just so she could be at the same eye level.

"I-- uhh, I'm not very sure about that. But I guess if it doesn't work and there's supposed to be a streak, I can just start by day zero again." Gem said in between her deep breaths.

"Okay, that's fair. But do let me know if it worked or not. I'll find a way to get you back to Solitude if ever you really need to." Halma said, which garnered a lot of disapproving faces from Fily and Petunia who were now on the edge of holding back.

"How do we know if it worked or not?" Petunia said with a muffled voice from being buried under Halma's thick and loose royal robes.

When Halma noticed this, she quickly pushed the silky white robes aside to make space for Petunia's reunion with the fresh library air around them.

"Ah, finally." Petunia exhaled out loud, emphasizing the unfairness that she felt while being buried alive under those thick and silky clothes.

"I don't exactly know how, but if the streak continues to count to three tomorrow instead of repeating at zero, then I guess I can just continue doing these exercises here in the real world instead of going back and forth inside Solitude every day." 

"I hope it works," Fily said meaningfully. She can almost hear her heart beating so loud because of the thought of lying to Gem twice in a row now. 

She couldn't even understand the logic behind Gem's hidden level zero abilities. If there was something the great Fily and all her family hates the most, it was not being able to understand something.

It makes them go crazy and careless. She couldn't even understand how her mom was able to connect with her all this time and how she will cut this connection. Everything was just adding up. It was making her furious and impatient.

Not even mentioning the passive effect that they get from simply being around Halma. It was as if the whole world was crushing her spirit intentionally, all at the same time.

[Petunia: I am so angry. Please stop me from thinking about yeeting outside the windows. I still love my life but this mood is making me hate it!]

[Fily: Oh no, don't ask me. I have a pinch of positivity left and so I can't help you with anything. Let's just hope for the maids to barge in and call us all out for dinner already.]

[Petunia: Okay, how many minutes left?]

[Fily: Five.]

[Petunia: That'll do.]

She sent and closed her eyes, inhaling a large amount of bookish gas from her small nose as Halma was still busy talking to Gem.

"Here, is it relaxing?" Halma asked Gem after handing her the crystal yoyo again.

Gem pulled herself up from laying on that sofa that was now drenched in her sweat to try and play with the crystal yoyo again.

"The more I play with it, the easier it becomes."

"Well, that's exactly the point of training."

[Petunia: How could Gem still smile despite all of these circumstances? With Halma around and her problem with the tasks, isn't she supposed to be the most nervous one amongst us?] Petunia couldn't help but ask, after noticing Gem smiling at Halma this whole time whilst doing all sorts of exhausting things like what she was doing now with the heavy crystal yoyo.

She even had the nerve to say that it was getting easier as if she was immune to Halma's toxic charms.

[Fily: Oh my gosh, please don't give me more things to think about, Petunia.]

[Petunia: What? It's just a simple question.]

[Fily: Then answer it yourself. I'm feeling really weird right now.]

[Petunia: Weird as in, annoyed?]

[Fily: I guess so.]

[Petunia: Okay, that's it. We have to get away from Halma as soon as possible, or else we'll go crazy. Gosh, I so regret being her pet right now. The more I spend time with her, the more I realize what kind of hell I got myself into.]

[Fily: And she declared me as her favorite godchild thanks to my mother being her favorite assistant. I should stop taking the pills she gave me and do more productive things instead through sleeping.]

[Petunia: What? No fair. You've got to accompany me through all of this.]

[Fily: Gem could accompany you.]

[Petunia: But she's immune!]

[Fily: Not my problem.] Fily sent coldly and was really set on her plan so that she wouldn't suffer under Halma's influence anymore.

It was a brilliant plan.

But then…