The Empire of Reimia (3)

Marey returned from dinner in a troubled state of mind. Usually, a cup of good evening tea had a beneficial effect on his mood, but today was clearly not one of those days. The novice mage heavily sank onto the bed, vigorously massaging his temples, as if trying to gather his thoughts into a single point, an idea, a vector that he would follow. Nothing worked. He remembered the breathing exercises that his uncle Asteris had taught him – according to him, they not only helped to cope with bouts of coughing but also calmed the nerves. He began to count. One, two, three – inhale... exhale. The result was better than expected: after half an hour, Marey was quite calm and, mechanically drawing some doodles in his notebook, gradually sank into a state of dreamy contemplation. The question was postponed until next week, when he would seriously begin his studies. For now, it was worth taking a little rest: with a fresh mind, the right solution should come to him on its own.
He completely forgot about the voting, and yet, the question was important, although not as critical as the one that had occupied his mind for the past two days. In general, although he still didn't really know his classmates, the choice was obvious: he clearly did not want the upstart Romeo to win, and he didn't even consider Yaspis as a candidate – he had enough common sense to understand that although she had a couple of very weighty arguments in her favor, more than Parfira, it was unlikely that she should be elected as a representative based on that. Marey voted for Parfira.