A new year at Nine Petal Academy means a new crop of students, including a boy who can't control his magic, a thief, an angel, and even a suit of armor? Adela, Lei, and their friends are tasked with welcoming the new class of first years and helping...
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I smiled as Carter danced. Even the once-irritated Enkai was smiling. Didn't think he would have been the type to get annoyed. He seemed so laid back. Even Huo was gentler with his partner.
"Want to try again?" Shuai said, giving me a gentle smile.
I looked down at the matted floor. One day, the mats will be removed. I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes."
"Alright, go ahead."
I held the pole with my right hand and stretched my leg forward.
"You're still a little stiff, Lidia," he whispered as he went around me. He put his hands on my shoulders, pushing down on them a bit. "Relax your muscles."
I sighed as I lowered my leg. "Sorry."
He smiled. "It's alright. I got all the time for you."
My cheeks reddened. Why did I have to get stuck with the flirt? Although, now that he was this close to me, he looked a bit familiar. Some of his features were similar to those of Ling and her brother.
"Say, are you a Xian?" I whispered.
He smiled slightly. "My father belongs to it, but since clan membership is derived from the mother, not really?"
Really? So boys who married outside of the clan had their kids stripped of their status within it? Guess that explained why Ling didn't refer to Lei and his siblings with respect as she did toward Adela and Renshu, despite being from the royal family too.
"Is your father related to the Liu?"
He laughed. "No. But his older brother did marry a Liu. Why? Are you wondering whether I'm related to Ling and Renshu?"
I nodded sheepishly.
He chuckled. "Yeah! My cuz and I are both called Shu, like our fathers."
"Eh? They have Shu in their names too?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Since they couldn't pass on their surnames, they decided to leave their sons with a part of their names in their given name. They got the idea from their father also having 'Shu' in his name."
"I see. You're a lot more like Renshu than Ling."
He laughed. "Ling takes more after her mom. Auntie can be intimidating."
Was Renshu more like his father? If so, how did two very different people end up together? Opposites attract?
"Anyway, think we should return to practicing."
I eyed Mrs. Hirata as she scanned the class. "Not too shabby. Although, some of the newbies do have some work to do still."
Hope she didn't mean me. I wasn't even a newbie. Although, it had been a while since I had danced.
***
"Mommy, I'm doing it!" I said as I prounce around.
She sighed. "Lidia, you're moving like a chimp. You're supposed to be graceful like a swan," she said, grabbing my arms. "Hold them straight out. Don't flap them around too much. Also, straighten your back."
