16 first teachings

A few days later a woman arrived. Her hair was secured in a low ponytail. Her pretty face void of any makeup except for her shiny lips. The dark eyes showed a ripple of curiosity. Her attire is also simple; a long sleeve--to her wrists-- paired with matching straight legged pants.

She stood tall, before saying in greeting;

"Good morning, my name is Nadi Fu Mein. I will be your etiquette instructor from today until the school year begins in one month."

Nadi, my new etiquette lecturer said, her stern face staring me down as I sat there in my seat.

"G-good morning, my name is Gravatrix, nice t-to meet you-u."

"Hmm, you will need practice, but that is alright. You will learn, speech, walking, eating, choosing clothing, how to prepare gatherings and needlework."

I nodded, after all, what can I say or do?

"Good, good you are an excellent child. Perhaps you came from a well-established family,"

Laughter bubbled up in my mind at the thought.

Oh, if she only knew the truth.

How many days I had spied on those type of humans, mimicking them to fit in somewhat.

How many days I had been hit trying to snatch something that had long been tossed away in the trash among things that a normal being would never eat just to fill my stomach?

Drinking the wastewater and fighting off those horrible rodents so far down that those "precious" humans were unaware above blissfully moving around with their lives?

freshly prepared meals, expensive clothing to keep them warm while I shivered in my tattered skins and furs from my realm, comforted because they had someone to depend on or protect?

What this woman was complimenting me on was merely effort I was forced to put in for me to survive.

My gaze grew cold in order to conceal my pent-up emotions which were on the brink of exploding. Closing my eyes I calmed myself.

Lulling myself into the false sense of calm from the chains sounding in my mind space.

"It has been long since you have last visited."

My wolf spoke her voice enough just from that simple sentence was enough to calm me I ached to have her bond fully with me but she was trapped behind those silver bars.

The sound of chains could be heard as if to signal whenever she moved.

Just like her voice, but I can never see her.

It was always like this each time, no matter how often we willed it... That dark fog hid her form from me.

"What else am I supposed to do? I am still useless,"

"hahaha, useless? I am trapped here you are trapped there. Both of us so far in this life will never have the benefit to bond."

"I am aware of that. Mother had said that we are young and in time we will grow strong enough to-"

"She said that she showed us so many forbidden arts and yet is unable to truly protect us!"

"You know why!"

I replied opening my eyes if anyone was to look at how they would see a calm girl with pretty bright eyes with the most pretty shade of silver before returning to their natural violet colour.

"... As a young girl who a first-class family among the top four have taken an interest in, you must take your time to learn the seven virtues."

"Virtues?"

"Yes, the seven virtues are over fifty millennia, an old custom of our culture brought over from ancient earth. Even though we have advanced to a point that women no longer have to adhere to these strict customs. Some families still practice such. For example, the Huong family rank as the number two family on the continent. They are a clan with the royal blood of emperor's though they are not of the noble class, they are still among the first class which in itself is enough to be noticed."

"Are there classes above the first class families?"

"Of course, from the top are the emperor rank family who rules this entire continent. Below are the imperial families who are the mistresses or put eloquently concubines of the emperor and their children."

"So the empress and he children are part of the emperor's family rank?"

"Yes, like so. Right, after the imperial families, are then the noble class families; these noble families are descendants of a concubine line, who are usually related to concubines who have gained influence or extremely powerful families,"

I nodded, finding the classes of families extremely interesting.

" After that are the first families going down in order to the fourth and then finally the common and servant class. Now you are aware of this here retrieve the brush and ink and practice your writing. Pens are useful, of course, but many families still use ink and brush, our wristbands can substitute, but one must always have knowledge."

"Yes ma'am I understand,"

'good' she said while handing me the paper and brushes.

Retrieving the paper, which was made from silk cloth, the brushes varied in size and extremely fine-tipped one to a broad pointed one in total they were four though it was mentioned before that they were many more varying from many shape length and sizes.

I thought to sigh extremely loud but thought that it would be a bad idea so I just inhaled and exhaled slowly.

The ink I silently glared at the hard black slab, the woman approached and picked up the slab slowly grinding it before my eyes it transformed. The way she performed the task showed her elegance of a whole.