Chapter 188: The Weight of Hope
For the first time in her life Alina truly felt the cold grip of real fear. She stood there in the dormitory courtyard surrounded by the older girls of the Golden Group. Their sneering faces their cold eyes promised a future she had never imagined.
She now understood what her life in this famous United Academy was going to be. It was not going to be a dream of learning and growing stronger. It was going to be a nightmare of servitude.
From that day on for many long days and even longer nights to come Alina’s life became incredibly difficult. It became a living nightmare of endless chores and constant humiliation.
Every single member of the powerful Golden Group seemed to have a task for her. The youngest first-year noble girl from the Empire whose family was very influential wanted her laundry done by hand. The older second-year nobles from other powerful kingdoms wanted their boots polished until they shone like mirrors.
They constantly gave her work to do. They treated her not as a fellow student not even as a junior member of their faction. They treated her like a servant.
Alina could not sleep at night. She was constantly busy doing the endless work of the Golden Group members. After a full day of classes where she struggled to keep her eyes open she would return to the dormitory.
And a new list of tasks would be waiting for her. She had to clean their rooms meticulously. She had to polish their armor and weapons. She had to fetch their late-night meals from the kitchens.
She was exhausted all the time a deep bone-weary exhaustion that never seemed to leave her.
As soon as Alina came out of her dormitory room in the morning her body aching from the lack of sleep she would go to the other members of the Golden Group. They were always waiting for her in the common area.