Chapter 67 Marina’s Gift

Chapter 67 Marina’s Gift

Cecilia Blackwood's POV

For some reason, I slept exceptionally well that night—so well that when my alarm went off, I didn't want to get out of bed.

I'd thought staying overnight at someone else's house for the first time would keep me awake all night, but it turned out my worries were completely unnecessary.

Perhaps it was partly because Kane had come to see me. Though we hadn't said much, before his visit I really couldn't fall asleep.

I'd planned to greet Marina and then leave with Kane, but when I stepped out of my room, I found Marina had already prepared breakfast.

Once again, there were different dishes, different varieties—the only constant was that everything looked and smelled absolutely delicious.

Normally I don't have much appetite in the morning, but looking at the spread on the table, my mouth began watering against my will.

Marina smiled. "You're up! Did you sleep well last night?"

I nodded with a smile. "Very well, Marina. I loved the scent of the room spray, and the fragrance on the sheets and mattress—it gave me a sense of home."

Marina beamed. "That's wonderful! It means all my efforts these past few days weren't wasted."

"Then it's settled—whenever you have time, come visit. I'll keep the room ready for you."

I patted my forehead, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

I'd only meant to compliment the room—I hadn't meant to claim ownership of it.

And I'd already told Kane to let Marina know, but clearly he hadn't said anything!

I wanted to decline, but Marina didn't give me the chance, urging me to wash up and come eat.

At the table, Marina's expression suddenly turned serious. She reached out and grasped my hand. "Remember, you must believe in yourself—and I don't just mean in spell casting class."

"Becoming a qualified mage isn't as complicated as you think. As long as you believe in yourself, you'll definitely achieve your goals!"

"Also, make sure you practice Dodge Magic. It'll definitely come in handy when you need it most."

"Oh, and here's my contact information. If you run into any problems, you can ask me directly, or discuss them with Kane."

"Okay, thank you, Marina." I saved Marina's contact information, though I thought that unless absolutely necessary, I wouldn't want to disturb her.

After breakfast, Kane and I needed to catch the bus back to the academy.

Marina had just walked us to the door when she suddenly slapped her forehead. "Oh no, I almost forgot something important! Wait here, I'll be right back!"

A moment later, Marina emerged from the house carrying two large packages.

"These are all pastries and drinks I made myself, plus some convenient snacks. They're all tailored to your tastes—I packed them separately for each of you."

I shook my head repeatedly. "No, no, Marina—you've already done so much for us this time. I can't take these too!"

Marina had spent who knows how much time making all that food for me, constantly varying the dishes. And she'd renovated a room in her house just to make me comfortable.

For me, this went beyond what could be described as troublesome or worthy of thanks—how could I possibly accept even more?

Kane's expression hardened. "If Cecilia won't take it, I won't either."

Marina shook her head helplessly. "See? If you don't take it, he won't either. How am I supposed to eat all this by myself?"

"Just take them. You can share with your classmates back at school, and have something to eat if you get hungry at night."

"Well..." I hesitated, looking at the packages before me.

Yes, I couldn't convince my conscience—it really did feel too presumptuous.

Marina's expression clearly showed displeasure. "You won't take them? Then that means you don't like me at all!"

"Fine. If that's the case, don't come visit me anymore. And I won't keep the gift you gave me either—I'll go get it for you right now!"

With that, Marina immediately turned to go back inside. I quickly reached out to stop her. "Marina, the gift was from me to you—how could I take it back?"

Marina replied matter-of-factly, "If you won't take my things, then naturally I can't keep yours either."

I shook my head helplessly. "Alright, I'll accept them. Thank you, Marina."

Marina's expression immediately brightened. "That's more like it! Why be so formal with me? These are pretty heavy—let Kane carry them for you!"

Kane shouldering both packages by himself did look rather comical.

Though I knew that with his strength, the two packages were nothing, the sight was still hard not to stare at.

Fortunately, since it was the first bus of the day, there were still seats available—otherwise Kane would have had a rough ride.

On the way, I asked, "Didn't I tell you to let Marina know not to keep the room for me? Why did she say this morning she'd keep it for me in the future?"

"Did you forget what I asked you to do? You didn't tell Marina at all, did you?"

Kane shook his head gently. "No, I did tell her. But Marina said it's between you two and none of my business."

Well, that left me completely speechless.

When we got back to the academy, there was still an hour before class. I decided to drop the things off at my dorm first.

Of course, Kane personally delivered them to my dorm room door. Though I said I could carry them myself, that clearly had no effect.

Back in the dorm, I shared some of the food and drinks with Jenny. When she learned they were from Marina, Jenny started her teasing routine again.

"You two are moving fast! Already at the meeting-the-family stage, and you even stayed overnight at her place—this is just—"

Before she could finish, I quickly raised my hand to cut her off. "Stop joking like that, or I'll really get angry!"

I'd already warned Jenny before, but apparently she hadn't taken it to heart.

But thinking about it, that made sense—Jenny's personality was naturally carefree. There probably weren't many things she took seriously.

It seemed I'd have to keep reminding her in the future.

Jenny chuckled. "Okay, okay, no more jokes. Do you have class soon? Are you going or staying in the dorm to rest?"

"I have class soon. I need to leave in a moment."

I walked over to my desk and placed my hand lightly on it. My schedule immediately appeared before me.

This was one of the conveniences of the magic academy—no one needed to write out their schedule by hand. Each day's classes updated automatically.

I'd gotten used to it by now and no longer found it surprising. I could gradually appreciate the convenience.

Of course, the wardrobe automatically picking outfits for me was an exception—the fashion sense was definitely limited...

I knew I had a class next, but I didn't know which one.

When I looked at the schedule, my heart gave a slight twinge...