_ A mail for Ms. Afina

Afina was lost and confused. Breaking what record?

She knew Giada read the confusion on her face as she proceeded to continue her talk.

"First you emerge as a low-class girl with green qi—"

Afina's face lightened up following that statement. So, Giada believed that she was not a princess in disguise. It was comforting to know someone was not in the gang of the ridiculous guessing group of the other girls. Nice to know someone believed her.

She allowed herself to listen to the rest of Giada's statement.

"You almost beat Hera and came second place only because you tripped and fell. Now, you are serving the prestigious prince Cargan in his legendary cultivation pool. Something the rest of us would die to see. You are breaking records." Giada finished with a dry smile.

Unlike Hera who had the most feminine features among them all, Giada had the most masculine.

She was fairly beautiful but would have looked more appealing if she had not turned herself close to a manly physique.

Afina knew if there wasn't a uniform and dress code for high-house scholars, the girl would only be in shorts and big tees all the time.

Yet, as manly as Giada was, she had all the more feminine conduct than Afina. Afina's struggling manner of bearly holding up the high heels could not be matched with the professional way in which Giada carried hers.

Afina thought of what to say and found herself at a loss for words.

Finally, "I'm sure it's all just a coincidence." she shrugged.

She was expecting Giada to query her further but...

"There is something called nature cultivation in the tree-line. We are more closer to mother nature and knew some little tricks about enhancing cultivation and increasing the impact of each cultivation." The girl began a speech Afina had no idea where it would lead.

She further sat on the tiled floor of the living room, facing the window whose curtains were parted allowing the sun free passage inside.

That was the same posture Afina had seen her the last time with Gia wondering why the girl was cultivating in the living room.

She got her answer now. It was some tree-line thingy.

After sitting in a meditating posture, she turned her neck to Afina who only stood, watching her in awe.

"Where is your cultivation chip?" she asked.

She was not about to invite her to come to cultivate with her, was she?

That'd be a massive privilege although Afina would be a little embarrassed for not knowing how to use the cultivation chip and for also cultivating out in the open where others might pass and watch.

"In— in my room." Afina was about to stammer but got a hold of herself.

Giada nodded. "Go get it. Let's cultivate together here," she let out the most anticipated invitation Afina had expected.

Not once did Afina think she would be grace to cultivate with a cultivation chip. Neither did she ever think her first cultivation using the cultivation chip would be accompanied by the guidelines of a conglomerate daughter.

A daughter of the La Nasa family.

Like an excited puppy, Afina rushed through the stairs and into her room.

Well, wasn't she an excited puppy?

Urhmm— she was a girl, not a puppy.

As she entered the room, she found Gia almost asleep on the bed. Thank God the girl's heels were off. Gia was too accustomed to the heels that Afina usually feared the girl would go to sleep one day in them.

She sprung up as she heard the door get slammed by Afina. That showed that the girl was yet to be fully asleep.

"You are back!" she pointed out as Afina rushed to get the cultivation chip inside her bedroom drawer.

"Obviously, Gia." Afina let out, her concentration on what she was searching through.

She heard the sound of Gia getting up from the bed and yawning. "Why are you in such a hurry, my diety?" Gia let out.

Afina raised the cultivation chip in her hand. "This is why I am in a hurry."

"The cultivation chip?" Gia had her face crept into a frown of confusion.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I am going to cultivate with Giada."

Gia went to draw the drawer on her own side of the room. She picked up something from inside of it and raised it up to Afina's sight.

It was a white envelope.

"This came in the mail. For you," she announced.

Something about the sound of that unsettled Afina. It was way too early for anybody to write to her yet. Mama Xylia or her father Atticus could not have missed her so much that they wrote a letter to her on her third day in the high house, could they?

She gulped, sensing something wrong somewhere. Or maybe she was just being paranoid.

She took alert steps towards Gia and collected the envelope from her.

'Baby Blue' was boldly written on it. It was from her parents.

Even though she was skeptical, she had to smile. Only mama Xylia would write baby blue on the letter even after knowing her name was Afina and it would be more appropriate to label the letter 'Afina' –since it wasn't coming to her straight.

As she tore the sealed part of the envelope away, "How did you understand that this was for me?" she asked Gia.

"It was brought to our doorstep by a guard. He figured you there was only one high house scholar from the slum since the address was from SantrySlum." Gia gave her explanation.

Afina only nodded knowing that could work. She brought out the white neatly folded sheet of paper and began to read its contents.

As her eyes traveled around the lettering even before reading its meaning, she smiled at the familiar scribbling of mama Xylia's handwriting.

"Dear Baby Blue—"

The letter began. Afina could already read the sad tone in the letter's salutation.

"Dear Heavens," Afina began her own salutation and silent letter to heavens. "Let all be well with my parents."