Joining the Academy and New Beginnings

"You're no longer just the servants of the Dalehaven household, you're now the retainers of the Crowell family," Theo responded.

Oh, right.

Damien realized that everyone—Leonide and the others—had recently transitioned from being Theo's servants to his own retainers.

And, they had only just recently been granted the status of retainers.

Retainers aren't exactly nobles, but they are treated as full members of a household, akin to someone who can stand on their own.

The nature of their work had changed, and their pay... after becoming retainers, they were likely receiving a salary, which had increased significantly.

In terms of Earth, Leonide and the others were now independent adults.

Damien and Leonide still hadn't fully adjusted to the change—it felt too recent, and it was hard to keep up with.