The next day, a morning-rising Lux, dressed in a black and white gown, attended her uncle's funeral.
In the Hall of Valor, she and countless nobles watched as her uncle's body was sealed into a coffin and buried in the noble cemetery.
Her mother said that the family had immediately dispatched an envoy to White Cliff City to invite a master sculptor from the Duran Family to carve her uncle's tombstone.
On the tombstone, the master of the Duran Family would use bas-relief to record her uncle's outstanding contributions to Demacia during his service in the Ranger corps.
Lux, at present, was clearly unable to comprehend the meaning behind this meritorious service and contribution, but she could at least clearly feel that her uncle was indeed respected by the Demacians—because, in addition to nobles, many soldiers, citizens, and farmers also came to the funeral.
In the past, Lux had heard many stories about them from her uncle.
And here, she also heard many stories about her uncle from them.
It turned out that her uncle was not only good at telling stories but also good at many other things.
"He is a hero of Demacia," Klein commented calmly after the ceremony. "So, don't let him rest for too long, little girl, get to work!"
"No problem," Lux said, gripping the hilt of her sword. "Now tell me, what should I do?"
"Listen to my lecture." Klein paused, then continued, "I speak, you listen. Remember to constantly control the flow of your magic. Don't try to zone out. Once your attention wavers, I will know immediately."
"Listening to lectures…" Although determined to study magic diligently, Lux couldn't help but frown upon learning that she had to attend lectures. "Is it like when the governess teaches etiquette guide for nobles?"
"The format is somewhat similar, but the content is completely different." Klein seemed quite disdainful of the noble etiquette Lux had just mentioned. "What I teach you is arcane truth and Elemental Magic. Those are not comparable to mere formalities—now, find a place where you can read, and then find a few basic books on etiquette, and quickly skim through them."
"Wait, why should I look for books on etiquette?" Lux was a bit confused. "Didn't you say you were going to teach arcane truth and Elemental Magic?"
"The etiquette books are just a cover." Klein seemed well-prepared. "I will help you memorize them quickly, and then help you maintain those troublesome formalities when needed. You just listen to the lectures obediently and remember the knowledge I impart. That way, if anyone asks what you are doing, you can reply that you are practicing etiquette."
Blinking, Lux understood Klein's meaning.
How to put it…
In Lux's opinion, this behavior seemed a bit cunning.
But if one were to set aside the lying part, it did seem to be something beneficial to everyone.
Lux wouldn't have to memorize those headache-inducing etiquette rules, her mother wouldn't have to spend a fortune hiring a governess to watch her, and she wouldn't have to worry about being rude at banquets later. Everyone had a bright future.
After thinking for a while, Lux couldn't find any specific harm in this behavior.
The only question was, could Klein really manage to record etiquette while also lecturing her? Wouldn't that be too busy?
"Don't worry about me, little girl." As if guessing Lux's thoughts, Klein said cheerfully, "My memory is not comparable to that of a human, and Demacia's etiquette already blends the traditional etiquette of Noxhi, Helia, and Shurima. No one is better at this than me."
Klein seemed to be in a very good mood when talking about this topic. Lux even felt that he had an instinctive reaction to control his hands and spread them out as if playing an accordion.
(Is Mr. Klein very proficient in memory and etiquette? Such talent is truly enviable—and what does this gesture mean? Does it mean he knows a lot? Knows very much?)
"Then, it's settled!"
......
The sun was setting, twilight approaching.
When Ogessa personally saw off the last visitor, and then severely whipped Garen with a belt after he again proposed joining the army, the physically and mentally exhausted mistress of the Crownguard Family finally found a moment of peace.
Different people always view problems from different angles.
During these two days of the funeral, apart from the soldiers, citizens, and farmers who came voluntarily with reverence, in Ogessa's eyes, most of the visiting nobles had clear objectives.
They would be tolerant of a young girl like Lux, but when facing Ogessa, they would reveal their noble side.
After all… the one lying in the coffin was a Ranger General of Demacia, and his departure represented a vacancy in the military's power.
Therefore, many people subtly or overtly indicated that their father/husband/son, or even nephew/grandson, had always held great admiration for this Ranger General who sacrificed himself for the country, and that the deceased was gone, but they would follow in his footsteps, and so on.
Their words implied that they very much hoped to join the Ranger.
According to them, even though they were not from the Crownguard, by joining the Ranger, they would still uphold the interests and power of the Crownguard, and the Madame could consider supporting them, even though everyone knew that Ogessa was not the decision-maker in such matters, but it was always how political maneuvering by ladies worked.
Of course, the words couldn't be so blunt, but that was the meaning.
As the matriarch of the family, Ogessa was well aware of these fellows' true intentions, and her replies were naturally impeccable—she also came from a noble family, although from White Cliff City and not a true native of The Capital, she was not one of those fools who suddenly rose to prominence and forgot their place.
Such probing, compliments, and flattery were just for listening; Ogessa was no longer the little girl who would blush when praised!
Throughout the entire afternoon, Ogessa maintained impeccable etiquette, dealing with the ladies and young women of various families. After everything was over, her face was somewhat stiff.
So, even though she knew corporal punishment was not good, when Ogessa heard Garen still clamoring to join the army, she couldn't help but pull a belt from the cupboard.
After a series of smacks, Garen returned to his room, grimacing, and the whole world fell silent.
However, despite the beating and whipping, the issue still needed to be resolved.
Ogessa planned to discuss Garen's matter with her husband, Peter, tomorrow—although after whipping the boy, Garen finally shut up, a mother knows her son best, and she was well aware of how stubborn her son's temper was.
She had to find a way to settle him down, otherwise, he might really leave without a word and run away from home!
One must know that the Noxus people had been quite restless recently. Peter was invited to the Citadel after the farewell ceremony to attend a noble military conference called by Jarvan III and had not returned yet.
Her younger brother had just been buried, and Peter had already started working, which showed how tense the situation was!
So, even if Garen really wanted to train in the army, it couldn't be now!
But how could she dissuade this little rascal from his impractical notions?
Rubbing her temples, Ogessa thought of her little darling, Lux.
Even though that little rascal Garen was very mischievous, he always listened to his sister—perhaps, for some matters, Lux's words might be more acceptable to Garen than those of their parents or elders?
And thinking of this, Ogessa suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Lux all day.
The butler seemed to have said at noon that she had gone to the family's reading room?
Recalling this, Ogessa looked up towards Lux's room on the top floor of the manor.
The light was not on.
Calling a servant to prepare dinner, Ogessa changed direction and walked towards the family's reading room.
By the time she arrived, the sky had completely darkened.
The crystal chandeliers in the reading room were all lit, and under the soft light, Lux was sitting in a corner, a thick tome spread open on the table in front of her.
Ogessa recognized it at a glance as the "etiquette guide."
Lux was reading this thing?
Ogessa blinked in surprise; for a moment, she even wondered if she was too tired, causing her mind to be somewhat hazy—her daughter hated all these formalities!
Now she was actually reading the "etiquette guide"?
And it seemed like she had read quite a bit?
Quite surprised, Ogessa knocked on the door, then pulled up a chair and sat opposite Lux.
"Honey, are you hungry?" Ogessa, curious, pretended to casually glance at the page number, then reached out to smooth Lux's stray hairs at her temples. "I've already told the kitchen to prepare dinner, meat-tooth porridge, your favorite flavor."
"I… I am a little hungry." Lux seemed to want to say she wasn't hungry, but after a moment of hesitation, she still nodded. "Thank you, Mama."
"I heard the butler say you've been sitting here since lunch." Ogessa said, recalling some parts of the book. "Honey, this isn't like you."
"I have to do something for Uncle, after all." Lux lowered her head, seemingly confirming the page number, then slowly closed the large book. "Everyone has their own responsibilities and missions."
"'Everyone has their own responsibilities and missions, and maintaining impeccable etiquette is one of the responsibilities of a noble,' that's the preface to the second volume. You read very quickly." Ogessa smiled with relief. "It truly reassures Mama that my darling can think like this…"
As she spoke, a servant knocked on the reading room door: "Madame, dinner is ready."
"Let's go." Ogessa stood up. "Come and eat something with me. Now I'll teach you another lesson—noble etiquette cannot be rushed. Digging a well when thirsty is unwise. Let's go!"
From the reading room to the dining room, Lux's expression and movements seemed unnatural all the way.
In Ogessa's eyes, her precious daughter seemed to have read too much, feeling a bit dizzy and often reacting slowly—however, what relieved her was that Lux's every move perfectly conformed to noble etiquette, even if her movements were stiff and awkward, clearly a reaction from rote memorization.
"You don't have to be so tense, darling." While relieved, Ogessa also felt a little heartache. "Impeccable etiquette is not achieved overnight. When it's just the two of us, you can relax a bit."
Upon hearing this, Lux looked as if she had been granted a great pardon, almost collapsing into her chair.
Seeing this, Ogessa found it amusing.
"If only your brother had this kind of dedication." Amidst her amusement, Ogessa couldn't help but sigh again. "He's three years older than you, why can't he be as sensible as you?"
"Brother is the same." Lux scooped a large spoonful of porridge, stuffed it into her mouth, and said indistinctly, "He's also working hard in his own way!"
"That's not effort, that's causing trouble!" Ogessa snorted. "With your father and your aunt, the family doesn't need more people in the army. Your brother is just hot-headed—you absolutely cannot learn from him!"
"Mhm, mhm!" Lux nodded while scooping another spoonful. "I won't!"
"Eat slowly." Seeing Lux's bowl quickly emptying, Ogessa simply pushed her own bowl in front of Lux. "This bowl is yours too, don't rush, be careful not to get a stomachache!"
"Aren't you eating?" Lux looked up and blinked. "Mama probably hasn't eaten either, right?"
"Silly girl." A smile appeared at the corner of Ogessa's mouth. "Now, Mama will teach you another lesson: an excellent physique is also part of etiquette—of course, excluding children in their growth period."
Then, to Lux's bewildered gaze, a servant knocked on the dining room door and brought in a large bowl of salad.
......
After dinner, Lux and her mother took a short walk in the manor's garden. It wasn't until the Moon God first rose that she returned to her bedroom, after promising many times to "report immediately if brother is found to have run away."
After closing her bedroom door, Lux seemed to let herself go, practically flopping onto the bed.
It's finally over!
After a day of studying, Lux felt completely bewildered—later, upon seeing Ogessa, she even meticulously maintained noble etiquette as Klein had reminded her.
Just imagine, answering her mother's questions while also listening to Klein for etiquette-appropriate actions—for a nine-year-old child, the difficulty was simply too great!
Now that everything was over, she could finally relax.
Then, just as Lux was feeling relieved, Klein's voice echoed in her mind again.
"Now you can lie down in a comfortable position." Klein's tone had little fluctuation, but it carried an undeniable authority. "Your body can rest, but your brain cannot stop—night self-study has begun, and we need to have a pop quiz to check your learning progress."
"Night self-study?!" Lux had never heard of such a strange term before. "I'm already in bed, it's time to rest!"
"Heh heh." Klein let out a disdainful sneer. "You think you can sleep? If I were you, I wouldn't be able to sleep—in this afternoon's lesson, you zoned out for forty percent of the time, and even in the remaining sixty percent, you weren't fully focused!"
"…"
"I dare say, after all my hard work lecturing this afternoon, you probably remember no more than thirty percent!"
"…"
"What? Do you think I'm trying to scare you? I'm telling you, although I haven't peered into your thoughts, I can clearly perceive your state from your magic fluctuations!"
"…"
"At first, you sat by the window, staring at the garden outside. Later, you moved to the corner and looked at the patterns on the baseboard. There were even a few times when you actually started reading that 'etiquette guide' that was supposed to be just for show. Is my lesson more boring than those tedious formalities, so much so that it can't even capture your attention?"
"…"
"So we must have a pop quiz. You need to have a clear understanding of your learning ability—now, tell me, what are the seven common resonance forms of Elemental Magic?"
"Resonance, harmony, fullness, modulation… and crystallization, concretization—"
"And the seventh?"
"…I don't remember."
"And diffusion!" Klein raised his voice. "These are all the most basic knowledge. To enter the Shadow Realm, you must master this knowledge thoroughly—next question, tell me, what kind of runic crystal branches does the crystallization of light magic produce?"
"…Cracked?"
"It's radial! Light magic is your talent, so you must not take this basic knowledge lightly!" Klein's speaking speed began to quicken. "Next question, tell me, what is the first priority of Spellcasters?"
"…"
"…"
At this moment, Lux suddenly recalled the description of banquet dining in the "etiquette guide."
Even though she was in bed, the poor little girl felt as if she were a duck trapped in a cage, her mind forcibly filled with knowledge like feed.