Two days passed in a blur of self-imposed isolation.
Adel and Lady Octavi came to my door constantly, urging me to meet the Crown Prince, who visited the townhouse daily to inquire about my health. I just kept telling them the same thing through the closed door: I wanted to be alone right now.
Yet, the Palace Party was scheduled for tomorrow.
I found myself pacing the length of my room, torn between two impossible choices: attend or hide. The lingering fear of Nona made me want to never step foot in the Palace again, but my survival—and the survival of my family—depended on me playing my role.
Screw Nona, I thought bitterly, gripping the window ledge. I am already in deep with her. Whether I attend or not, the end result might be the same.
In the evening, Adel came to my door to deliver dinner. I opened it myself.
Adel looked up, her gaze perplexed because I hadn't opened the door in two days, usually letting her leave the tray on the floor.
I stepped aside to let her in, but she hesitated. She placed the food in front of the door, and I accepted it silently. After I finished my dinner, eating mechanically at my desk, I returned the empty dishes to the hallway.
Adel was there to collect them. She stooped to pick up the tray, her movements quiet and efficient.
I leaned against the doorframe, watching her.
"About the invitation from the Crown Prince, I will attend the party…" I said softly.
Adel froze mid-motion. She slowly straightened up, blinking as if she hadn't heard me correctly.
"Are you serious, My Lady?" she asked, searching my face for any sign of hesitation.
"Yes, I am serious…"
Adel let out a long breath, her shoulders relaxing for the first time in days. A genuine smile touched her lips.
"That's a delightful news from you…"
I watched her relief, feeling a knot of guilt tighten in my stomach. But there was one more thing I needed to address. The mystery of their strength.
"May you or Lady Octavi teach me about this Transmutation?" I asked.
The smile vanished from Adel's face instantly. The color drained from her cheeks, leaving her pale. She took a step back, clutching the tray to her chest as if it were a shield. Her countenance was horrified, startled by my sudden desire to study this power.
Seeing her terrified expression, I frowned.
"Is there anything wrong with me learning this Transmutation?"
"Actually, My Lady…" Adel stammered, looking around the empty hallway as if fearing eavesdroppers. She struggled to find the words, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "How about I bring Lady Octavi to you, maybe she will tell you how you learn the Transmutation, My Lady?"
I nodded, grateful for the suggestion.
"Yes, please bring Lady Octavi to me. I am eager to understand the intricacies of Transmutation and why it has such a profound effect on you."
Adel bobbed a quick curtsy, almost tripping in her haste, and rushed down the corridor to fetch Lady Octavi.
I waited in my room, sitting on the edge of the bed, my hands clasped tightly in my lap. A sense of anticipation and curiosity filled me. What secrets did this power hold?
A few minutes later, a firm knock sounded.
"Come in."
Lady Octavi entered, her posture as rigid and knightly as ever, though her eyes were grave. She approached me with a measured stride.
"I have been informed, My Lady is looking for me," she remarked, bowing respectfully.
I looked at Adel, who was standing behind Lady Octavi, staring at the floor. It appeared she hadn't told Octavi the specific reason, only that I needed her.
"Yes… I'm looking for you," I said, standing up to meet them. "There are several things I want you to know..."
"Gladly, I will hear it…" Octavi said, clasping her hands behind her back.
"First and foremost, I shall attend the party... with the Crown Prince... So you may tell him about it..."
Lady Octavi nodded approvingly, a flicker of relief crossing her stoic features.
"Of course, I will notify the Crown Prince of your attendance at the party," she promised. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
I paused for a time, carefully pondering my next words. The air in the room seemed to grow heavy.
"There is one more thing," I murmured, leaning in closer to ensure they heard every syllable. "I want... to... learn... about... the... Transmutation..."
Lady Octavi's visage, like Adel's before her, altered completely. Her professional mask cracked. Her jaw tightened, and she gave Adel a quick, sharp glance, silently asking if she had spilled the secret. Adel shook her head slightly.
"So, is my desire to learn the Transmutation hard to achieve for me?" I pressed, crossing my arms.
She turned her gaze back to me, her eyes calculating and guarded.
"No... My Lady is capable of learning it... But…" She trailed off, striving to find the right way to say it to me once again.
"Is there any hurdle or barrier for me?"
"There is no such those things for you… Yet, My Lady, do you still remember when we first met with the four children?"
"The four children? Ah! You mean Alecia, Alicia, Aelia, and Felix… Of course, I remember it…"
I saw them look at each other, a silent communication of shared burden passing between them.
After that, Lady Octavi took a deep breath. "In that time, My Lady was unconscious for some reason."
"Yes…"
"Before unconscious, do you remember anything?"
I closed my eyes, trying to pierce the fog of that memory. I recalled the alley, the thugs, and the desperation.
"You and Adel were bruised, and you were somehow kneeled in front of me… While Adel was trying to protect the children," I recited slowly.
"That's right…" Octavi said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "The truth is My Lady...… you had used your Transmutation in that time… and it was your first time…"
My eyes snapped open. I gasped in disbelief, my hand flying to my mouth.
"WHAT!! You mean I used Transmutation? But I've never even attempted it before! How is that possible?"
"Eventually, My Lady, after that incident, you had used it a lot of times…" Octavi confessed, looking down at her boots.
"What do you mean by a lot of times?" I asked, my voice rising in panic.
"I hope telling this to you, My Lady… not make His Grace and Madam furious to me, but I think it's better to tell you the truth behind everything had you experienced….." She knelt on one knee before me, looking up with earnest eyes. "The truth is after you had the illness, you were hallucinating, and sometimes you used your Transmutation, even made people around you got hurt."
I staggered back, hitting the bedpost. I stared at them, horrified.
So that was why... every time I regained consciousness, Adel was sometimes bruised. Why I was locked away.
"Two of you are in Black Transmutation stage, how the hell could I hurt you?" I demanded, gesturing to their hidden wrists.
Again, they made eye contact, hesitating.
Lady Octavi looked back at me. "Because of your Transmutation, My Lady…"
"My Transmutation??"
"You have been inherited from Madam, so… Your Transmutation is powerful than ours…"
"My mother has Transmutation too…" I whispered, the realization dawning on me.
"Of course, Madam is the one who taught us about it and how to use it…"
My assumption was right. My mother—the elegant Duchess—was the master behind their deadly power.
For over seven years, I tried to ask everyone who came to my room what had happened to me. They just simply answered they didn't know anything. Adel, who always stayed beside me, remained silent. It felt like they treated me like a child, locking me in my own room. I yearned for answers, but the isolation only deepened my sadness.
I didn't know how to feel about this—sadness for myself, or anger towards them for keeping this matter a secret.
I looked at Adel. "So when the Queen charged me with damaging property, it meant at that time when I knew about the Crown Prince and Lady Anna, unintended I used the Transmutation and wrecked everything, was it really the happened?"
Adel took a step forward, bowing her head in shame. "Yes, My Lady… that was really happened…"
"It means emotion can affect the Transmutation.."
"That's right.." answered Lady Octavi, standing up.
I paced the room, trying to process this.
"If Valerie Transmutation is Red, shown by her weapon became red when he used it, Cassius is Blue, shown by his weapon became blue. You two somehow are different, the Transmutation from you two can make your wrist fully become Black too with the weapons. Why is it different?"
"Valerie and Cassius are in the normal stage of Transmutation…" Octavi explained, gesturing with her hands. "Which Black Transmutation is a little bit special one… And couldn't be achieved with a normal method like the normal stage…"
"What about my Transmutation?" I stopped pacing and looked at them.
"My Lady has been inherited from Madam, so you… have… a White… one…"
White Transmutation.
The room fell silent.
"Does that mean mother has White Transmutation?"
"Yes, Madam has it… I think all Aurelius family members have it…"
"It means the little two have it too?"
"I believe it so…"
I realized something critical. "Are these Transmutations a secret from my family?"
"Why My Lady ask that?"
"I have been advised by Valerie to not reveal Adel's Transmutation, when he was sparring with Lady Hillaria…"
"Lady Hillaria?" Octavi frowned, rubbing her chin.
"Hillaria Antia…"
"Ah! Antia family, the military family from the royal family…" Octavi nodded gravely. "Well… there is a feud between Aurelius family with Julius family the royal family… surely, there are some family who want to know how strong your family is, My Lady?"
"Do others family have people who have Black and White Transmutation?"
"No… Only Aurelius who already knew how to achieve it… so, you know what it means, right, My Lady?"
It meant we held a monopoly on ultimate power.
"What will happen if others family know that Aurelius family already achieved it?"
Lady Octavi's face became more serious and intense, her expression darkening.
"The worst scenario is Faction War…"
"How?"
"It will start with the royal family," she explained grimly, her voice echoing in the quiet room. "The royal with the other family behind them will say to the council and court, that Aurelius family is betraying the kingdom… It will make a conflict between the four vassal which consisted most powerful and influence vassal of the kingdom… Your family is one of the four, so there is high chance the others family will jealous, and start to see your family as enemy… After that, My Lady will know it... And once the other families see your family as an enemy, it will be difficult to regain their trust and restore peace within the kingdom. The consequences could be devastating, leading to a long-lasting division and chaos among the vassals."