The tension in the room was palpable.
My parents sat before me, their expressions unreadable. I couldn't look directly into their eyes. I kept my gaze down, studying the intricate patterns of the carpet, anxiously awaiting their judgment.
After a few heavy seconds, my mother spoke first.
"You have been living in the Capital for just two weeks," she said, her voice measured and cool. She paused to take a breath. "However, in those two weeks, it somehow feels like a year... What you have done should have taken a year to unfold. Honestly, I don't know where to start talking about you."
Her words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications.
As my mother finished, it was my father's turn. I could see the concern in his eyes as he struggled to find the right words.
"What we want is simple: your safety," he said softly. "Of course, you feel left alone by everyone around you because it was my order. We kept your Transmutation hidden to ensure your safety."
His tone hardened. "However, it does not mean you can do whatever you want and cross lines. The first thing is about your betrothal. I knew the Queen would announce it at that party, but why did the Crown Prince announce it across the Kingdom with a public apology? That is not how we wanted things to unfold. The Crown Prince wouldn't do it because of his mother's order; it must have been someone who cornered him into doing that—so it was you."
He leaned forward. "Now, we must deal with the consequences of your actions. The other factions of the Four Powers will start to question our intentions."
My father paused for a moment before continuing, counting off my transgressions.
"Next is your approval of sparring matches between Lady Octavi and Sir Kaeso Antia. This sparring is dangerous. We know Lady Octavi is more capable than Sir Kaeso, but allowing them to spar could lead to the exposure of our family techniques. It must be the Palace's plan to push Lady Octavi to use them and expose them. If this happens, it will create a Faction War."
He sighed, rubbing his temples. "And lastly..."
He looked at my mother. "I don't want to talk about it. You may tell her, my dear."
My mother took a deep breath and clapped her hands.
Immediately, the doors opened.
Valerie, Cassius, and Bo were escorted into the room by the guards. They looked uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the Duke and Duchess.
"So," my mother said, gesturing to them. "You hired these people?"
I looked at Bo. I remembered my promise to confront my parents about the Orphanage. I knew this was my chance.
I took a deep breath.
"My apologies, dear Father and Mother. May I have a chance to answer?"
My parents looked at me, surprised by my sudden request.
"You must have a great reason and a great answer for this," my mother warned.
"I won't deny what I have done," I replied calmly. "But I will stand by the people I have hired. I want them to stay around m—"
"Aurelia!" my mother interrupted sternly.
My father cut in directly. "Give me one good reason why we should allow those people to stay around you!"
"The reason is simple, dear Father," I answered, meeting his gaze. "I feel they don't leave me alone. As you said, the people around me left me in the dark to ensure my safety. Somehow, I felt Adel and Lady Octavi were not for me, but for you. This led me to hire these people. I wanted people around me who I know and who care for me."
"Care? You just met these people, and you say they care about you?"
"Dear Father, I understand your concern, but I have a gut feeling about them. I believe that sometimes intuition can be more powerful than logic. You must trust me about these people."
I looked into my father's eyes with determination. These people are the ones who can prevent my death.
"Aurelia, you... Argh!" My father threw his hands up in frustration. "I can't say anything bad about you, but your gut feeling is not always reliable. Our family's stake is at risk if these people reveal our Transmutation to other families. Do you even consider that?"
"It isn't entirely my fault, dear Father and Mother," I countered. "My idiocy and ignorance led to this, not me. As you said, the people around me kept everything hidden, so I didn't know anything about it. If only I had known sooner, I would have taken action to protect our family's secret. However, even if I had known sooner, I would still have hired these people."
My father sighed, realizing the impact of keeping everything hidden from me. He looked at me with a mixture of disappointment and understanding.
"Fine," he conceded. "I will let you have these people under you. But you are still in big trouble. The Grand Sparring between Lady Octavi and Sir Kaeso is next week, and the Hunting Event is the week after. As punishment, you must stay in your room. You will be allowed out only for these two events."
"I understand, dear Father."
As my parents stood up to leave, I spoke up quickly.
"Before you leave and I go to my room, there is one more important matter."
My father remained standing, while my mother sat back down.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I want this matter to be heard by Father."
"Is there a difference between your mother and father on this matter?" my mother asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Because this matter is connected to Father's vision of Florence."
My father looked intrigued, while my mother seemed puzzled.
I took a deep breath. I began to explain my thoughts—no, my accusations—about the Orphanage being a ring of traffickers.
My father's expression changed to one of concern, while my mother's eyes widened in shock.
However, my father shook his head disbelievingly. "I find it hard to believe that such a thing could be happening in our city. There is no way the Orphanage operates that way..."
"As you look at Alecia, Aelia, Alicia, and Felix here," I pointed to the silent servants. "Seven years ago, they were living on the street. At that time, Lady Octavi told me they shouldn't be there; the Orphanage should take care of them. However, that wasn't the reality. I beg you to investigate this and send someone to the Orphanage."
"Aurelia, there is no way the Orphanage would do such a thing..."
"I am really begging you, dear Father," I pleaded. "Because I promised the person over there," I pointed at Bo, "that his precious daughter is probably in the Orphanage."
My eyes pleaded with my father, hoping he would understand the urgency.
My father began to pace back and forth. Finally, he stopped and turned to me.
"It is still impossible..."
"It is possible," I insisted. "We have an example of it in this room."
My father looked at the triplets and Felix. Then he turned to me.
"However, it is a different case. Operating a ring of traffickers inside the Orphanage, where..." He paused. "Lady Laura Claudi, mother of Lady Octavi, oversees it. It is impossible she wouldn't notice."
"Or she let it happen right under her nose," I finished his sentence.
"That is still impossible. Lady Laura would never allow such a thing to happen," my father responded firmly.
"I am with Aurelia on this one," my mother said suddenly.
I didn't expect my mother to agree with me so quickly. My father looked at her, surprised.
"Whether Lady Laura knows it or not, we need to send someone to the Orphanage immediately," she stated.
"But..." my father started.
"It is not about concluding everything, dear," my mother interrupted. "It is about saving someone. Even if Aurelia's information is false, and there is no trafficking ring, it is alright; there is no harm done. However, if we don't act immediately and Aurelia is right, those children at the Orphanage are in grave danger."
She stood up. "If you don't want to act immediately, I will send someone from my people."
Despite my mother's insistence, my father remained hesitant. However, my mother immediately called one of her personal maids. She instructed her to gather more information discreetly about the Orphanage and dispatch a team.
The maid quickly left to carry out her orders. I could see the determination in her eyes.
I turned to Bo. He looked relieved, tears welling in his eyes, knowing we were taking action.
This was the second time I had altered the fate of the Book. I hoped this alteration would lead to Bo's daughter being rescued, like the four children before her.
After everything was done, I immediately left for my room to serve my punishment. However, this punishment didn't feel like one because I had been in the same situation for seven years straight. A week was nothing.
~
That night, while relaxing at my desk, I heard a knock on my door.
I knew it wasn't Adel bringing dinner. Who could it be?
I cautiously approached the door. As I reached for the handle, a voice spoke from the other side.
"You don't need to open the door, My Lady."
It was Cassius.
"What brings you here at this hour, Cassius?" I asked through the wood.
"I thought you might need someone to talk to…"
"Well, it has only been a day. I don't really feel lonely yet."
"I thought you might, My Lady."
"I have done this before," I said with a sigh. "Not just a week, but a year. However, since you are here, I want to ask about the house situation."
"What about it?"
"How are you and the others since yesterday?"
"Nothing has changed, yet our rooms have been relocated to another quarter. However, we are grateful that your family is still accommodating us."
"How about my little brother and sister? Are they here?"
Yesterday, I hadn't seen them, even in the room with my parents. But since their personal servants—Aelia, Alicia, and the others—were here, my siblings should be too.
"Honestly, I don't know about your little brother and sister," Cassius admitted. "But I saw someone sparring with the one who has black hair and a maid girl. I think they were in the living room that day."
"You mean Felix and Alecia?"
"Well, I don't know their names, but I assume it was them. They were sparring with someone with the same hair color as you, and they seemed to be getting along well."
"That must be him. Aurelio, my little brother. He loves to spar with Felix or Alecia."
"Alecia?"
"One of the triplets—you saw them in the living room yesterday. They are triplets; to identify them, you can see their ribbon color. Alecia has a red ribbon, Alicia has a blue ribbon, and Aelia has a green ribbon. It is based on their personalities."
"I'll keep that in mind," he said. "However, My Lady, your little brother seems to exceed my expectations for a kid of that age."
"What do you mean?"
"It is not just your little brother. The persons you called Felix and Alecia are also remarkable. Even I would lose to one of them. They are all very talented and intelligent for their age. Yet, your little brother is beyond them."
"Well, since he was a kid, he loved swords. I think it is because he saw Lady Octavi demonstrate her sword skills. How about my little sister? Is she here?"
"I didn't see her in the courtyard, so I can't say anything."
That was odd.
"How about the other triplets, Aelia and Alicia?"
"I saw them with your parents. One with your mother, and one with your father."
So Aelia and Alicia weren't with my little sister, Aureliana. It would have been impossible for her to stay back home alone. Where was she? It was strange she wasn't with one of the triplets. I hoped she was fine.
"Since I am here," Cassius said, changing the subject, "how about I tell you some information because we can't have any sword practice?"
"Sure," I answered, leaning against the door.
Cassius started to explain the basics of Transmutation.
Transmutation was essentially Weapon Mastery. Every person had a different inherent mastery from birth—a destiny.
Cassius's Transmutation was a Greatsword with Blue Transmutation. If he used a shortsword or longsword, he couldn't access his full power. In some cases, his Transmutation level would decrease from Blue to Red if he used the wrong weapon.
Adel's Transmutation was a Dagger. Lady Octavi's was an Arming Sword. Valerie's was Dual-Wielding.
I asked him about Dual-Wielding.
Cassius explained that it was basically using two shortswords. Many people felt a shortsword had many disadvantages compared to an arming sword—reach, power, versatility—so it was rare for someone to pursue shortsword mastery. Yet, many people used dual-wielding with shortswords to compensate.
I asked if it was possible to dual-wield with an arming sword.
He explained it was possible, but it had more disadvantages than dual-wielding shortswords. An arming sword was heavier, so maneuverability would be poor. An arming sword was typically used as a single weapon, often with a shield. That was why Lady Octavi used an arming sword—it was the standard for Knights.
I asked about my little brother, Felix, and Alecia.
Cassius answered from his observation: My little brother Aurelio used a Longsword. Felix was the same as Valerie—Dual-Wielding. And Alecia used a Greataxe.
I was surprised. Alecia used a greataxe? That was incredibly heavy for someone her size.
After all the explanations, Cassius excused himself.
"I will visit you again, My Lady."
"Thank you for the information and the time, Cassius," I said softly.
I heard his footsteps fading away down the hallway.
I went to bed, my mind full of swords and secrets.