' This is nice...'
Allegra's thoughts flowed calmly as she basked in the evening rays of the sun. The warm caress of the wind running around her skin, combined with the gentle chirps of the birds, was a heavenly feeling.
Without Allegra even noticing it, a soft smile had found its way onto her face as she enjoyed her surroundings. It was a strange feeling for her. In her past life, she had never really made time to enjoy nature. The air, while not sticky and smelly like in the city, was nowhere near the crisp, nice feeling that was described in the stories, and the sun's rays were never bright and warming, always subdued by the clouds. It was...alien almost for her surroundings to be so peaceful like this.
' I just wish you were here...'
Her lovely thoughts came to an abrupt and sour end as her mind drifted to her previous life. Images of the people she once held dear flashed in her mind as her heart ached and longed to see them once more.
" Hey, Allie! Look at what big brother can do! "
Allegra was shaken out of her bad thoughts as her attention was grasped by her brother's yell. Looking over, she found him standing proud, his little wand in hand, and with a flick of his wrist, the ground shot up and formed a row of spikes, each almost as tall as her.
Allegra clapped softly as a smile reformed on her face. Seeing her encouragement, Rudeus's hands fell to his waist as he puffed out her chest all proud-like. Allegra had to admit she had grown to care for this newfound family of hers. It was to be expected, after all, she had spent almost two years with them. She watched with a small grin as Roxy bullied Rudy over being humble or something like that.
Getting up from the grass she was sitting on, she inched closer to the duo happily. While her mother and Lilia were busy making dinner, Allegra was given permission to go outside under the condition that she remained within eye shot of Rudeus and Roxy. It was a condition that Allegra could easily accept, and so here she was outside watching the two have their lesson.
Over the past few months, Allegra had spent almost every night practicing her magic and, in her own opinion, had gotten quite good at the basics. Just the basics for now. She was a bit afraid of going to a higher tier of spell simply because she didn't want to do what Rudeus did and also did not want to end up in trouble by practicing magic when she had been banned from it for now. Nevertheless, she was getting impatient, and her repeated failures in convincing her new parents to let her practice magic with Rudy were slowly pissing her off. So, Allegra had a plan. That plan was to sneak out at night and practice in the open space of the yard while everyone else was asleep.
' What could go wrong?'
---
The door to the front of the house creaked open as Allegra slipped outside. With a cloak to cover her from the cold night wind and the magic book held close to her chest with her right hand, Allegra stepped out onto the lawn, hellbent on performing some intermediate rank magic at least and some advanced magic at best.
"Allegra-sama, where do you think you are going this late at night?"
Allegra froze, and slowly her neck creaked as she turned her head around to find Lilia standing in the doorway.
"I um..."
Lilia looked over her for a few moments before sighing softly. For a brief second, Allegra swore she saw Lilia's stone-cold face disappear before it swiftly returned. Marching forward, the young woman picked Allegra up carefully and began to walk outside the bounds of the property.
"If you wish to practice your magic without disturbing the others, it would be best to do it out here, away from all the windows, Allegra-sama."
"O-oh I um...y-you're fine with me practicing magic...? Wait, you know I've been practicing magic?!"
"You are not as sneaky as you think you are, young miss. While your parents are busy with their affairs at night, not everyone else is sleeping, and those flames of yours are quite bright."
"Oh...but...you didn't answer my first question..."
Lilia paused as she softly let Allegra down onto the cool grass below.
"My lady, I would have brought you back inside if I had been so disapproving of your actions. Nevertheless, I understand how children your age think. If I had brought you inside, you would have simply sneaked out another way. It is better this way, since now you have someone to watch over and make sure you stay safe."
Allegra smiled softly as she flipped open her magic book.
"Thank you, Lilia."
"...Of course, Allegra-sama."
Taking a deep breath, Allegra looked out over the open area she was provided and readied herself. Slowly, she began to practice some more advanced magic spells under Lilia's watchful eye.