– Wow! How amazing! “I clapped my hands and, succumbing to impulse, bowed: “Thank you!”

So, with a smile from ear to ear, I turned to the audience. Vilde waved to me from the table by the window on the right.

– Mirre, we are here! – she announced to the entire dining room, which attracted everyone’s attention to me.

The guys shamelessly began to turn around. One even winked as soon as I accidentally met his gaze. Before that, I lived in a castle and was friends only with the courtyard boys, and even then on the sly from my mother. Then I was imprisoned in a boarding house where there was a women's kingdom. And now I suddenly clearly realized what my father was so afraid of, and I was embarrassed. Trying not to look at anyone else, she hurried to the table where the girls were sitting and, once in their circle, felt calmer.

– How did it go? – Khvoyana asked.

– Differently. At first my father almost sent me home. More precisely, back to the boarding house. But then he changed his mind and allowed me to stay.

– Horrible! – Yumi squeaked, pressing her palms to her cheeks.

“I didn’t think the Duke of Blackrock was so strict.” And how did you manage to talk him out of it? – Vilde asked curiously.

– I didn’t succeed. To the rector. He stood up for me in front of my father, and also allowed me to keep Simka! – I shared the great news.

– What are you talking about!

– Can't be!

The girls started vying with each other. Everyone had already fallen in love with my little simuran, so they were happy.

– How great, Kyari! One less headache! – Ada embraced me in a friendly embrace.

– What will you eat? – Khvoyana asked.

– All! – I answered passionately. – I'm hungry as a wolf! How does everything work here?

I turned my head, but I didn’t see the usual distribution anywhere.

– Look, it's simple. Here's the menu. – Lisel handed me a plump book with a worn red cover. – Look for dishes in the “Breakfast” section, and then touch your finger to what you like.

“Don’t just touch it, but hold it a little so that it works,” Volde added to her instructions.

– Understood! – I nodded and began to study the menu.

It turned out to be rich, even breakfast took up at least five pages. Divided into categories, there were dishes for even the most demanding taste. For example, national breakfasts. Ada was able to order northern raw fish and ate it with pleasure, snacking on crispy croutons.

Having chosen porridge with fruit, tartlets with peach jam and herbal tea, I did as the girls suggested. A few minutes later, another air elemental lowered a tray covered with lamb onto the table in front of me. However, he took the lid with him so as not to interfere.

– How amazing! – I was happy.

– Yes. In our boarding house there were often fights at the checkout. One pupil will knock over the tray, then another… – Vilde said thoughtfully.

“And it’s all about someone with whom the world doesn’t agree,” Volde added sarcastically.

The twins were clearly talking about something painful.

– Here you go. And here you don’t have to go anywhere and you don’t have to stand in line. A complete time saver,” Lisel summed up.

I suddenly realized that not all the girls were gathered at our table. Two places were empty.

– Where is Beata and… That blonde? Ricci, I think?

“Beate said she had breakfast at home, and Mallory is sitting over there with her sycophants.” – Lisel pointed her eyes somewhere to the side.

Indeed, the blonde preferred the guys to our company, and now she sat like a princess surrounded by ladies-in-waiting.

“We are not the right company for her.” – Zikki grinned.

– Well, okay! The guys are nothing but trouble,” Khvoyana noted. – You need to be on your guard. They will take on us again, mark my words.

I even stopped chewing and asked:

– What do you mean?

– You see, Mirre, we are like an irritant for them. Or a challenge,” Lisel explained. “Sooner or later they will try to put us in our place.”

– What for? – I frowned in bewilderment. – We don’t touch them.

– That's it for now! – Vilde broke into an insidious smile.

Khvoyana shook her head disapprovingly.

“We don’t have to touch them, Mirre.” It is enough that we exist. As soon as school starts, we will have to prove our worth every day,” Lisel explained.

Hvoyana nodded in agreement, and Yumi covered her face with her palms and squeaked:

– Mommies!

“But I can’t wait to put someone in their place.” For example, that curly one over there. Look how he's staring! – Zikki said, and then added louder: “What are you looking at?” Your eyes will fall out!

“Zikki, if anything happens, I’m in,” Ada phlegmatically supported her.

– Girls, why are you here? – I moaned.

I didn’t have enough problems this morning, and I also didn’t want to make enemies among the guys casually.

– Don't worry, Kyari. You just don't know men's habits. Their friendship often begins with a good fight. Never show them that you are afraid. They feel fear and uncertainty like animals. They will chase their prey until they catch it.

–Where will they take you? – I batted my eyelashes.

Adalbjorg did not answer, she just said something inarticulate, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.

– To bed! It's clear! – Zikki explained for those naive like me, which made half of our company blush.

Even Lisel's cheeks turned pink.

Today no one was in a particular hurry; there were no classes. But this did not mean that we could sit still. It was necessary to have time to look into the library and get a textbook. View the schedule, prepare for the start of classes and settle into your room. Otherwise there won’t be any time because of lessons.

– Is everyone finished? Maybe we should go? – Lisel suggested.

– Mirre? – Ada turned to me.

– I finished eating. Thank you for waiting.

Rising from her seat, she followed the others towards the exit. A small queue formed at the locker room. I was the last to receive my coat, but didn’t put it on. Remembering that she had left the Focus here, she belatedly became afraid for its safety. A whole treasure trove lay unattended in my pocket while I calmly ate my porridge! What a fool!

He instinctively grabbed me by the waist and barked right in my face: Succumbing to panic, I climbed to check if the artifact was in place, but when I felt a hard round ball through the thick woolen fabric, I exhaled with relief. The girls had already left, so I hurried after and at the door ran into the same guy I had seen earlier. I literally encountered it. You could say I ran into him with a running start!

– Be careful!

– Sorry, essher. “I accidentally…” I stammered in surprise. And then I remembered the girls’ instructions.

“You can’t show fear and uncertainty…” Ada’s voice rang out in my thoughts.

“To bed! It’s clear!” – followed by Zikki.

I blushed and said:

– And, in general, watch where you are going!

It didn't turn out as confidently as I would have liked. Yes, it was rude, but it was still pathetic, which made it even more awkward. Ugh!

I had never been so close to a stranger, and just the fact that I was pressed against his body in an inappropriate way was enough to make me burn with shame. At the boarding school we were taught not to allow this to happen. As far as I knew, this is only permissible with a husband; in all other cases it causes irreparable harm to the reputation of an unmarried eshsheri, especially if everything happens in front of witnesses.

Judging by the fact that the dining room was almost full, and we were among the first to leave, there were plenty of witnesses to my fall. It seems the damage to my reputation has been fatal. I even felt dizzy from shock. From shock, I say! And not from the look of eyes the color of molten gold, a little stern and somehow appraising. And not from the sight of perfectly defined male lips, which are so close to mine that… This is unbearable!