Despite both Sophia and Mary nodding in agreement, Katherine didn't budge a single bit.
"Whatever..."
After lunch was over, Katherine took the two of them to tour the school while the three kids continued practicing.
By the time Katherine and the other two had come back home, the sun had already set on the horizon.
"Mom! We're hungry!" Mary complained as the three of them walked in.
"I know, I know. I'll go cook right now."
"Lady Katherine, please let me cook. You shouldn't be needing to do these kinds of jobs."
Katherine didn't resist Luqing's offer.
The two of them both headed towards the kitchen together, leaving the three kids with Meiya.
"Are these magical books?" Meiya curiously asked, noticing the bookshelf next to the sofa.
"Yeah... You can read them if you want. Mom doesn't mind it."
Meiya picked one of them up before sitting down on the sofa and began reading it.
To the kid's surprise, Meiya didn't seem to get stuck as she flipped to the next page, then the next.
Seeing her reading it at a normal pace, the three kids knew she was at least partially understanding it rather than just skimming it.
"Miss Meiya, can you understand the stuff inside the book?" Alex curiously asked.
"Nope. But I just find the way you guys write interesting... It's a lot more complicated."
"What do you mean by that?" Sophia asked as she moved over to sit next to her.
"Like on page two here. Why say, 'The scintillating dimension spell, when used improperly, can lead to using fall into a labyrinthine trap within the void.'
Wouldn't it be easier to understand by saying light or flash dimension instead of scintillating?
And in this case, why use the word labyrinthine? It seems like the words maze work the same."
After considering it for a bit, Sophia nodded in agreement as Alex and Mary both moved a little closer to check it out themselves.
"I guess you're right... Maybe the author probably had some other meaning behind it."
"Maybe."
As Meiya continued reading the book, the three kids went back to the other sofa before they began meditating.
"How's the book, Miss Meiya?" Katherine quietly asked as she and Luqing both came out of the kitchen.
"Interesting... Magic feels a lot more creative compared to our cultivator's spell."
"Really? I always thought cultivator has a lot more variety compared to our magical elements."
"That's definitely a misunderstanding. The way Qi is used has practically only one use compared to your mana's versatility."
"I see... Hey, you three, get out of your meditation. It's time to eat dinner."
As the three of them opened their eyes back up, they all looked much more refreshed than just moments before.
"What's up with your faces?" Katherine asked, noticing the change.
"Mom, does a level 2 mage regenerate mana faster?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, obviously. The higher your mage level, the bigger and faster mana generation.
Anyway, come on, get up. Time to go eat dinner."
---
As Meiya slowly opened her eyes, Luqing's face was slightly angry and annoyed.
It was the first time she had seen her show another emotion besides her warm servant face or sadness.
"What's wrong?"
"My clothes are gone..."
Seeing Luqing still not calling her out despite being the only one who could have caused it to disappear, she felt a little guilty inside.
"Then let's go buy some later today... Didn't Katherine bring us to a store yesterday?"
Luqing hesitated, wanting to say no. But her rational mind told her she couldn't just wear her pajamas outside.
"Here, just wear some of my clothes for now."
This time, Luqing accepted the clothes as she took off her pajamas before putting Meiya's clothes on.
"This looks pretty nice on you... Sorry, Qingqing, I need to go back to sleep for a bit."
Meiya yawned as she fell asleep on the bed, leaving Luqing's face blushing a little as she left the room.
After freshening up in the bathroom, she headed out of the hallway and into the living room.
But before she could go inside the kitchen, she was surprised to see the dining table was already full of food.
"Good morning, Luqing. How was your sleep last night?"
Katherine asked as she walked out of the kitchen with a plateful of bread straight out of the oven.
"The bed was great... Lady Katherine, let me do this."
Katherine didn't say anything as she let Luqing take over the plate to be carried over to the dining table.
"I'm surprised you woke up so early. You don't want to take a nap?"
Seeing her shaking her head, Katherine didn't ask again as she sat down at the table.
"Hey Luqing, I want you to call me Katherine. I don't want you to call me Lady Katherine."
"But——"
"That's an order. You understand me?"
"Yes, Ms.Katherine."
"I don't want you to hear you call the kids titles either. Everyone is equal in the school."
"Yes... Katherine."
"There you go. Come and sit down."
This time, Luqing didn't go against Katherine's request, as she had already sat at the table back in the castle, even with Fredrick and Ava on the table.
But this time, it was without Meiya being next to her—only Katherine was sitting across from her.
"Luqing, what do you want to do today?" Katherine curiously asked as she picked up a piece of bread.
"Miss Meiya——I mean, Mom said we were going to go shopping for clothes later."
"That's nice of her... Here, take this card. Don't say no. It's your salary to watch over the kids tomorrow."
Luqing reluctantly accepted the card, putting it into her pocket before remaining still on the table.
"You don't want to try out my breakfast?" Katherine asked, her voice sounding as if she was questioning Luqing's intent.
"Of course not."
Seeing Luqing quickly grab one of the plates and begin trying them out, Katherine was still a little unhappy inside.