Help! I'm just an extra yet the Heroines and Villainesses want me!-Chapter 83: Extended Stay

William woke to knocking on his door far earlier than he had expected. He dragged himself out of bed, still feeling exhausted from last night’s adventure, and opened it to find a servant with a message.

"Master William, Her Grace requests your immediate presence in her private study."

That was unusual. His mother’s private study wasn’t a place she summoned people casually.

William dressed quickly and made his way through the manor. The study was in the east wing, a smaller room than his father’s but somehow more intimidating in it’s design. Every book was perfectly organized and every document filed with meticulous care.

Duchess Arabella sat behind her desk, and her expression was serious.

"Close the door and sit."

William did both, wondering if somehow she’d found out about last night’s excursion into town.

"I received word this morning that your father has been called to the capital for emergency military consultations," she said without preamble. "He said something about the northern border situation escalating. He’ll be gone for at least a week."

"Alright," William said, not sure why that required an urgent meeting.

"Before he left, he made a request." His mother’s tone suggested ’request’ was a generous interpretation. "There’s a formal gathering in three days, representatives from several major noble houses are coming to discuss regional trade agreements and political alignments. Your brothers were supposed to attend as representatives of the younger Cross generation."

"But they’re busy with military assignments."

"Exactly. Which means your father has requested that you stay and fulfill that role instead." She watched his reaction carefully. "He was quite specific that this was an opportunity for you to prove you can handle family responsibilities beyond swinging a sword at the academy."

William processed that. He was supposed to spend nother three days here, attending formal political functions where he would be evaluated and judged by people looking for any weakness.

"Does he actually want me to succeed, or is this another test designed for me to fail?"

Duchess Arabella smiled slightly at his bluntness. "Probably both. Your father is complex in his cruelties." She leaned forward. "However, I want you to stay for different reasons."

"What reasons?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Because I’ve been observing you these past two days, and I believe you’re ready for more advanced instruction than what you’ve been receiving." She pulled out a small wooden case from her desk drawer. "The gathering isn’t for three days. That gives us time to work on something important."

She opened the case to reveal several crystals similar to the essence readers from before, but these pulsed with different colored lights.

"Your essence control is better than you’ve let anyone at the academy know," his mother said quietly. "I saw it yesterday during your training with Vera. You were deliberately performing below your actual capability."

William kept his expression neutral, but internally he was cursing. Of course she’d noticed.

"Why hide it?" she asked.

"Because showing everything you can do is unwise" William said honestly. "And I have enough people targeting me already."

"Smart and cautious I see." His mother nodded approvingly. "But it also means you haven’t been pushed to your actual limits. You’ve been training to appear competent while keeping your real abilities hidden."

She stood and moved to the window overlooking the training grounds.

"Stay the three days. Attend the gathering and handle the political theater adequately enough to satisfy your father’s requirements. But spend the mornings training with me privately, learning techniques you can’t learn at the academy."

"What kind of techniques?"

"Advanced essence manipulation that most cultivators don’t master until they’re much older. Combat applications of multi-elemental affinities that the academy won’t teach because they’re considered too dangerous for students." She turned to face him. "Your S-tier potential is wasted if all you learn are standard academy techniques. I can teach you things that will help you improve significantly."

William considered. Three more days away from the academy meant three more days Kai would be worrying about deviations from previous loops. But it also meant training he desperately needed and couldn’t get anywhere else.

"Alright," he decided. "I’ll stay."

"Good." His mother returned to her desk. "The gathering is in three evenings. You’ll need appropriate formal attire, which I’ll have prepared. During the event, you’ll be expected to socialize with young nobles from the attending families, demonstrate basic competence in political conversation, and generally not embarrass House Cross."

"Low bar."

"For you, historically, it would have been." She almost smiled. "But I suspect you’ll exceed those minimal expectations. You’ve developed some social awareness at the academy."

A knock interrupted them. A servant entered and bowed.

"Your Grace, Lady Seraphine is asking if Master William is still departing this morning."

"Tell her that her brother’s stay has been extended by three days for family obligations," Duchess Arabella said. "And inform the staff that Master William’s room should remain prepared."

The servant bowed and left.

"Your sister will be pleased," his mother observed. "She’s been moping about you leaving all morning."

"She’s thirteen. She’ll get over it."

"She’s thirteen and has very clear attachment to her older brother that goes beyond normal sibling affection." The Duchess’s tone was matter-of-fact. "I’m aware of it. I’m watching it. And I’m trusting you to handle it appropriately."

William felt uncomfortable under that sharp green gaze. "I’m not—"

"I know you’re not encouraging it. But I also know that you’re kind to her in ways the rest of this family isn’t, and that kindness has created... Problems." She waved a hand dismissively. "We’ll address that if it becomes a real problem. For now, just be aware that your sister’s feelings are more intense than typical familial fondness."

"Noted."

"Good. Now go eat breakfast. Training starts in two hours, and I’m not going easy on you just because you apparently spent last night sneaking into town and getting into fights."

William froze. "How did you—"

"I have eyes everywhere, William. Did you think three drunk merchants’ sons getting beaten up by a mysterious young man matching your description wouldn’t reach my ears by this morning?" She looked amused rather than angry. "Next time you decide to sneak out with your sister, at least try to avoid public incidents."

"There won’t be a next time."

"We’ll see." His mother returned her attention to the documents on her desk. "Dismissed. And tell Seraphine that if she wants to spend time with you today, she’s welcome to watch your training session. Perhaps seeing how brutal real cultivation practice can be will dampen some of her romantic notions."

William left the study feeling like he had just been outmaneuvered despite getting what seemed like a beneficial arrangement.

He made his way to breakfast and found Seraphine already there, looking dejected while pushing food around her plate.

"You’re leaving today," she said without looking up. "Back to the academy where everything interesting happens while I stay here being bored."

"Actually, I’m staying three more days."

Her head snapped up, eyes bright. "Really? Why? What changed?"

"Father’s gone to the capital. Mother wants me to represent the family at some gathering, and she’s also going to train me personally for the next few mornings."

"That’s amazing!" Seraphine was practically bouncing again. "Three more days! We can—"

"You can watch my training if you want," William interrupted before she could suggest more late-night adventures. "Mother already approved it."

"I want to! When does it start?"

"Two hours."

Seraphine immediately began eating faster, clearly planning to finish quickly so she’d be ready. William ate his own breakfast while mentally preparing for whatever "advanced techniques" his mother had planned.

Two hours later, he stood in the private training grounds while Duchess Arabella set up various equipment he didn’t recognize. Seraphine sat on a bench at the edge of the area, watching with obvious interest.

"Today we’re working on simultaneous multi-elemental manipulation," his mother announced. "You have six affinities. Most cultivators with multiple affinities can only actively use one at a time, switching between them as needed. You’re going to learn to use three simultaneously."

"Is that even possible?"

"For someone with your capacity and control? Yes. For most people? No." She gestured to several objects arranged in a circle around him. "Each object requires a different elemental essence to activate. You’ll channel fire, wind, and water simultaneously into three separate targets while maintaining perfect control of all three flows."

William stared at the setup. That sounded impossibly difficult.

"Begin," his mother commanded.

What followed was two hours of the most intense concentration William had ever experienced. Every time he managed to activate two elements, the third would slip from his control. When he finally got all three working, maintaining them was like trying to juggle while running.

He failed. Over and over and over.

But by the end of the session, he had managed to hold all three elemental flows stable for almost ten seconds.

"Good progress," Duchess Arabella said, which from her was high praise. "Tomorrow we’ll add earth and lightning to the rotation. By the gathering, you’ll be able to demonstrate five-element control if necessary."

William collapsed on the ground, completely drained. Across the training area, Seraphine was staring at him with obvious awe.

Three more days of this.

He wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse.

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Bruh support -_-