A month had passed since Aira woke up in the strange world of a novel, as the adoptive daughter and niece of a greedy baron with a rotten heart.

It was as obvious as the light of day to her that Adriel and his mother were treated less than humans, like disposable garbage. The baroness took every chance to bully them by ordering the servants to serve them leftovers that even dogs did not touch, or ice-cold soup for meals.

It was a miracle that Adriel grew tall and sturdy. It was one of the perks of being a healer blessed with a gift that allowed him to turn even plain water into nourishment once it was absorbed by his body.

Yet, he often resented the being who gifted him the ability. He saw his mother and sister starve on many occasions, praying every day that he could use that blessing on them as well. But his prayers were never answered. His only choice, ever since childhood, was to watch them becoming skinnier and skinnier.

They were also not allowed inside the dining room, having to eat in their respective chambers, otherwise, the baroness, Lady Katherine, would lose her appetite and throw a fit.

The lady, wearing her pretentious airs as daily accessories, would often make Hestia do laundry in cold water, or clean the mansion together with the maids, while their husband did not care to interfere.

Aira could no longer hold her anger at the sight of Hestia’s red, cold hands and bruised skin.

“That pretentious giraffe! Who does she think she is?” Aira exploded, determined to go and land a slap on her face at least once or just leave her hairless. Any option would have been more than satisfying.

As to why she called her a giraffe, it was due to the baroness's long, slender neck she was very proud of as, in her not very humble opinion, was a symbol of elegance and superiority.

“I am all right! This is nothing,” Hestia said, holding the girl firmly by her arm.

“How is this all right? Is this how a wife should be treated?”

“As long as you and Adriel are treated better, I will do anything. Please, don’t go! She will hit you again. I already talked to the baron. He allowed us to move to a new mansion in the capital next year. As long as we are out of the baroness’s sight, she will no longer have power over us.”

Hestia begged Lady Catherine one day to no longer hit Adriel or Aira. In exchange, she promised she would do anything. Thus, the baroness took advantage of Hestia’s guilelessness and made her do all kinds of low and difficult chores. The evil lady found other ways to hurt the two children, by ordering some servants to do it in her stead. Adriel and Aira kept their silence to not upset their mother who thought they were safe.

“Next year? There are still seven months left. By then, you will have no skin left on your fingers,” Aira fumed with anger.

“It’s not that long. And I have endured worse.”

Aira wished she could take her and Adriel very far away. Did she have money? No. Did she have power? Also no. The baron did not give his second wife or her son any allowance either. Aira hoped for a miracle to get them out of there, racking her brain day and night, while eating, washing, or going on walks, until she came upon an unexpected opportunity.

While strolling the town streets, she picked up a piece of paper brought by a gust of wind, stopping under one of her feet.

“Golden Spring Academy Talent Selection. What is this?”, she asked. “Oh!” she exclaimed as she read more.

Two mages were to arrive in town and hold a selection for gifted individuals. The chosen ones would become future mage apprentices at the best magic academy on the continent, it said, along with other details.

Aira rushed back home. In his room, Adriel and Hestia were already waiting for her to have lunch together.

“Aira! We were waiting for you. Come have a seat!” Hestia said, enthusiastically, showing her the food she earned.

“I’m not hungry,” Aira replied. “This!” she shoved the paper into Adriel’s face. “Look! The mages who are selected can receive an advance allowance of 100 gold before enrolling. With your blessing, I am sure you will be chosen and get the gold…”

“Aira! I know what you are thinking,” Adriel interrupted. “Even with that much gold, we cannot leave unless we are allowed to. The baron would rather kill us all than go through the humiliation of his second wife and children running away. It is not like we have never tried before. We got caught, I was almost beaten to death, Mother was thrown into our dungeon, and you were starved for three days in the coldness of that old basement. Besides, me becoming an official mage would ruin his plans of making Noah stand out.”

“That is the more reason to leave. We can plan and...”

“It’s not going to work. I will not let you risk your lives. Let’s endure for now. If we avoid the baroness as much as possible, she will not hurt us as much. The baron is often away, too.”

“You can’t even call him father when he’s not present,” she said.

“Aira!” Lady Hestia called, raising her voice for the first time.

Adriel lowered his head. He knew that that man would never see him as a real son after his mother was demoted to second wife. According to the law, if a wife is demoted, she and her children would become commoners. But even as commoners, they would never be free, unless allowed by the head of the family.

The baron still wanted to keep his image and played as the benevolent husband and father in other people’s eyes. If the news that his second wife left him spread, he would become the laughingstock of that town.

“I think we should wait first and not act rashly,” Lady Hestia advised. “Being a mage is not safe, either. The reason they offer so much gold is because of how risky it is. A lot of mages die on the battlefield fighting against demons. That is why they send experienced mages across the world instead of waiting for candidates to get selected through the usual procedure at the beginning of each year. They are desperate for soldiers, not for talented people. Luckily, three years ago, you were assessed, and they did not find any trace of mana in your body, and Adriel was too weak at that time to be selected. I am afraid. It is best if you are not assessed at all this time,” she added, her hands shaking.

“I understand,” Aira pouted.

“You don’t have to be disappointed. I am sure, in seven months, we will start a happy life, away from this mansion, even if we must endure a little until then.”

Hestia thought of running away with her two precious children more than once but could not risk their safety once the baron found out. He was too proud to let them go. He cherished his image to the extent that he would even take their lives.

He despised Hestia for not giving him the love he wanted since they married, he hated Adriel for being her son and he loathed his brother from whom he stole the position as the head of the Windbloom family once the news of his death reached their ears.

Aira fell victim to this nonsensical hatred from the moment she was first brought into the house as an infant.

“Yes,” Aira said, but not convinced. How could she be? Traces of being hit multiplied on Adriel’s body each day and Hestia was too tired to even hold her spoon properly while eating. She hoped that by sending Adriel to the academy, they could get the 100 gold and live decently away from the baron and his twisted family.

A week later, the selection started and talented individuals gathered in the heart of the town.

Aira would spend her days helping Hestia with cleaning and laundry, although the baron was against it, as if he wished to see his second wife suffer more, by herself. Adriel healed each bruise and wound his mother got. However, he could not do wonders about her physical and mental fatigue.

At the selection site, the baron proudly announced that he would help sponsor mages from his region if any were selected. However, it was only an attempt to please the selectors so that his first son, who was one of the most talented among his peers in the area, would not be sent to the battlefield but would be given a high function at the academy once he graduated.

“We appreciate your help, Baron. I am sure that many future mages will be more motivated now to work hard for the well-being of the common people,” one of the selectors said.

The young man’s soothing voice and beautiful face, as well as his slender, yet strong body, sowed redness in the cheeks of all the girls and women present.

“It is only my duty, young lord Aiden. My help is insignificant compared to the sacrifice you make each day in the face of the enemy. Also, as a parent of a gifted son myself, I should be more active in offering any help I can.”

“I’m going to vomit if he keeps talking,” the other selector, Elian, delivered his words to his friend through telepathy.

“I wish I could break his skull, but we need to endure. He’ll stop at some point,” Aiden replied, cursing silently between his teeth while his fake smile made victims among the ladies.

“His intentions are obvious, and he still dares to…”

“Keep smiling!” Aiden advised. “He’ll notice the irritation on your face. And don’t worry! As soon as his son enters the academy, he will not receive a rank unless he proves himself worthy.”

“I know! But he still makes me vomit. I wish I could step on his cockroach-like face,” Elian said, barely keeping himself from drawing his sword.

“Wait! Does he have other children?” Aiden asked, perusing over a document containing records from past years.

“Hmm! It seems so. Why did he only bring one child?”

“Baron Windbloom! I see that your other two children were not assessed this year and the previous two years either. Can you tell us why?” Aiden inquired.

“Ah! There is no need to assess them. My daughter proved to have no mana core, and my other son is not that talented. Even if he has healing magic, he can barely heal bruises.”

“This year, the order was issued by the king, and the assessment is mandatory for all individuals between 14 and 20. Please bring your son and daughter as soon as possible or it will be perceived as violating the law,” Elian spoke firmly.

“Ah! Ha-ha! I did not believe they would be of any use to the kingdom. That is why I did not bring them.”

“That is up to us to decide. Please bring them here before the assessment period ends,” Aiden instructed.

“I understand. I will bring them before you as soon as possible,” the baron replied, pursing his lips as soon as he was out of their sight. “Just you wait! My son will trample on you as soon as he enrolls. You are nothing compared to him.”

Once he was home, he did not hesitate to call Adriel and pour countless curses over him, accompanied by a few slaps to his porcelain-like face. Although the young man did not know why he behaved like that, he was already used to it.

Aira got to witness once again the injustice and, like usual, attempted to grab him by his hair. The man managed to dodge and pushed her into the wall.

“You useless bastard child! How dare you touch your father?”

“I don’t have a father, you piece of…!”

The baron, unable to control his fury, landed a few slaps across her face before she could end her sentence.

“Make sure you heal both of your faces by tomorrow. I will bring you to be assessed. Prince Aiden of Duke Vesta is one of the assessors. If any of you are accepted, I will break your legs,” he threatened. “Lower your mana level as much as possible when you are touching the orb!”

“Yes, father,” Adriel replied.

“You trash of a… Hmph!” Aira did not get to continue her curses because her brother already covered her mouth, otherwise, she would have received more beatings.

Not long after the baron left, Adriel’s green light threads covered her body.

“I am fine! Take care of yourself first,” she said.

“If I take care of myself before you, what kind of brother am I?” he spoke in a soft voice, his lips trembling from pain, but still smiling kindly as he kept Aira’s face between his palms like a fragile wounded rabbit.

“I have thick skin. Those slaps are nothing. I am already used to them,” she pouted.

“Pain is still pain. If you get used to it, then it will become a problem.”

“Is that piece of shit going to let us be assessed tomorrow?”

“He invented all kinds of excuses in the past years, but this time, the order comes from a royal. He would not dare go against the king. I have read the details. Even crippled people are required to be assessed this time. Unless we are dead or in a coma, he cannot avoid it this year.”

“So, he poured all his frustration on us because he cannot keep us hidden anymore. What a piece of trash!”

“You picked up a lot of swear words. Are you a thug?” he asked, his mouth splitting into a grin. “Try to avoid talking like that in front of the baron and baroness,” he said, then stood up, extending his hand to help her up. “Is there something in your mind?” he asked once he saw her lost in thoughts again.

“You said that four years ago I was assessed but there was no trace of mana in my body.”

“That’s right!”

“If they find no mana this time, either, can I be assessed a second time?”

“I have never heard of such a thing. Unless a miracle occurs and you suddenly awaken powers within you, I do not think you can suddenly awaken. And I do not recommend becoming a mage, as Mother said.”

Aira thought that, if she was indeed inside one of her favorite author’s novels, then there would be ways to awaken her magic powers by using some rare items. She only had to find such an item first.

Author notes:

QUIZ:

What would you do if you turned into a giraffe overnight?

A. Cry because you no longer have hands to use the brush and wash your teeth.

B. Try the snake dance with your long neck.

C. Watch Animal Planet.