Chapter Ten
_ The Niva Siblings: 2
"My Lady, I am in the wrong,... I was very mischievous, but I am not a bad person. How could I bear to see them doing bad things and remain silent?! But I also cause a lot of trouble for my remaining family. We lost our mother four years ago, and even though Viola is only three years older than us, she took responsibility for us. While I was the biggest troublemaker, Ren was the child who suffered the most from hurt and bullying. But my brother is very smart; he has so many strange ideas... Do you know, he made something that spins and spins to cool the air in the heat? It looks like a windmill, but it moves in a strange way and generates cool air in the hot summer.. and also strange things, small and large, but he stopped..."
Despite the tone of sorrow in Fer's voice, he spoke with enthusiasm about Goren, but then he stopped with a kind of sadness for his brother...
"Why did your brother stop?"
"To make those strange things, he used to go to the Durk area. It's an area that contains trash from everywhere, and most of it belonged to the nobles. My brother could make a lot, but a group came and claimed ownership of the place, so we couldn't go back there. So, he stopped..."
He was speaking in a sad tone. We had reached the main gate; I stopped and turned to him with a smile:
"Perhaps your brother won't need trash anymore..."
Fer looked at me with a kind of shock and amazement. I smiled at him and then continued walking inside...
It seems he loves his family very much. But who is this family that possesses these two beings; Fermin Niva, one of the strongest sword masters in Serdia, and Goren Niva, this amazing genius? If he hadn't been exploited in my previous life, he might have become one of the greats of Serdia. Twins, yet they are like night and day. I headed to my room to change my clothes and prepare for dinner, then I went down to the dining room. ...
I ate my food quickly. I felt bored; Ian had gone to sleep early, and I didn't want to disturb his slumber, so I went down without playing with my child. My mood had soured somewhat..
After finishing, I headed to the drawing room, sat on the wide sofa, and had a cup of tea, hoping it would improve my mood...
"My Lady! Miss Niva has arrived..."
The maid entered to inform me as soon as the news arrived. I spoke calmly as I set the tea aside...
"Let her in, and tell Goren and Sir Fermin to come after that..."
The maid bowed and then departed. I looked boredly at the entrance, which opened again for a beautiful young woman to enter. She had a slender body and simple clothes, yet she was full of pride; pride and poverty. She looked like a princess from a fallen country... A fallen country, purple hair, no, I don't think so...
"You may sit, Miss Niva.."
Her behavior was noble, so why shouldn't I return the nobility in the same way? Viola Niva sat down, still lowering her head with a kind of respect and anxiety..
"..."
"Miss Niva! Do you know the reason for your presence here?!"
"..."
She nodded in denial, so I smiled at her and said:
"Goren Niva stole the identity of a nobleman to enter the palace..."
She raised her head in shock, eyes wide open. I wanted to soften the news, but I couldn't. This girl—I know her well; her face is still etched in my memory. The only difference is the hair color of 'Bianca Hozan' and that she used to speak with a strong voice. How can I find two people who possess the same face and presence under different names?! I was going to ask her, but then I remembered; Bianca Hozan did not appear in my life except during my search for a doctor to treat Ian's magical escape. Because the matter was a secret, I turned to suspicious magic guilds, and Bianca Hozan was the doctor who treated Ian's magical escape and who was Ian's secret mentor—without my knowledge, as far as he knew. But I knew her well: the strong woman whose appearance did not change despite the passing years, a high-level mage and the sword that stabbed Emperor Arthur von de Roshan. I do not know what befell the Emperor in my previous life, but I heard rumors stating that she had the upper hand in his killing...
What was her reason? I don't know. And speaking of the families that fell in my previous life, there was the Melody family, whose financial collapse began, followed finally by the gruesome death of the pampered Princess Marsha Melody. Does the matter have a connection to Goren, the weak and genius boy?! So, did Viola Niva fake her death to become Bianca Hozan?! If so, why? And did she meet Fermin Niva in my previous life, or not?! ...
I felt something trickling down my leg. When I looked, I found that the tea, which had cooled, began to spill from the tilted cup. I looked at Viola Niva, who was silent, the anxiety for her younger brother still clear. I sighed and then said:
"Is there a way for you to speak with me?"
«By writing»
She signaled with her hand and began to write some letters in the air. The magical aura is the same; the doubt has vanished.. they are the same person..
"Alright, it is good to get to know you, Miss Niva. Let me continue...
As I said, Goren Niva stole the identity of one of the job applicants, but he admitted his mistake, so I lightened the punishment. Goren passed the test, so he will work for Altan. Since he will remain in the Duchy, and because he was protective of his only sister, I brought you here..."
«Thank you, Your Highness. I am truly happy that my younger brother's work has earned your satisfaction»
"Miss Niva! Was your family of the nobility?!"
I saw astonishment and tension on her face, but she returned to being firm as she was and smiled gently..
«Why does Your Excellency think so?»
"Your actions and your aura, they all belong to a noble girl..."
She smiled sadly and lowered her head..
«Yes, we belonged to a noble family, but we are from the Northern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Winter; the land of eternal winter as you call it. But after the fall of the kingdom, our family was forced to leave and seek refuge. Because Winter is a country defeated at the hands of Serdia, we immigrated secretly. My father decided to go to Altan as it is the furthest from the northern borders, especially since my mother was a royal princess. I was three years old while my mother was pregnant with my twin brothers. I may not remember that, but I know well the amount of sadness that filled my mother's heart for the loss of her homeland and her family...»
"Do you hate Arthur von de Roshan?"
Shock covered her face, but my voice, filled with mockery directed at the King—not her—made her hateful gaze and her fist clench tightly:
«Because he is the man who betrayed the Treaty of Winter and pounced on it in its moment of weakness»
This girl has more and more information. Now everything is clear. I knew why she chose the name Bianca Hozan, because it was her name; Niva was not her family name, but Hozan. And Bianca is the name her mother changed, fearing that someone would discover they were the last surviving members of the royal family. Princess Lily Winter, who married Count Cedric Hozan out of a strong love affair, remained her father's favorite daughter. Cedric Hozan's status rose after his marriage to the beloved princess, but he did not exploit the matter because their love was pure. The princess's children inherited the symbol of Winter, which is purple hair, while they inherited amber eyes from their father, which made the Hozan daughter very close to the royal family. It was thought that the child to be born would also be beloved, but disaster struck. First, the plague hit Winter, and corpses spread in the streets and roads, then the forces of Serdia, which were allies, attacked the land that had not recovered from the plague. Certainly, the three-year-old child who saw the slaughter of people before her lost the ability to speak. Her parents were able to flee with her and cross the borders until they reached the land of the enemy itself and took shelter, disguised in the furthest point and in a poor rural village. Thus, they lived in poverty but they were fine. The husband died first four years after their arrival at the village; he was ill and his health was deteriorating over time until he died. As for the wife, who continued to struggle to protect her three children, she resisted after her husband and also died due to illness. Viola knew one thing: that the illness was what took her parents. It is not strange that she became a doctor, but how?! ...
Half of the events were a story told by many people, and the other half was a part I knew from Bianca herself...
"Miss Niva! Do you have a desire to study medicine?!"
Her eyes widened in surprise, but there was a spark of acceptance in her face, so she nodded yes...
"But I have one condition"
«What is it?»
There was a strong determination in her face. She wants to be a doctor. No wonder those who lost their parents to illness try to become a doctor so as not to lose those they love due to disease..
I smiled at her and playfully said:
"That you be Altanian, a subordinate to me... I will support you, I will provide you with everything you need, and you will give all your ability to Altan... Ah, and regarding the Emperor, it's okay to hate him in Altan... for here, Ian and I are the supreme power.."
Viola smiled with relief, and I saw a kind of gratitude in her eyes...
Knock, knock, knock !!
"Enter"
Two maids entered, one of them serving refreshments and the other approached me..
"My Lady, the Messrs. Niva have arrived"
"They may enter"
The maid bowed and then left. I looked at Viola and thought for a bit...
'Will I see a dramatic scene today?!'
I smiled at the thought and looked at the door. Goren entered with his thin and fragile body, and Fermin, who surpassed his twin brother in height and size. I turned my gaze back to Viola, who was shocked by her younger brother. Fermin was not wearing knight's clothes, but his clothes were elegant and neat, and his appearance suggested luxury...
"Miss Viola, Fermin has been working as a knight for Altan for months... "
Viola stood up as Fermin approached her, looking moved. Viola was also moved; even I began to be moved...
The moment Fermin grabbed his sister, he fell to the ground. I swallowed my surprise at the matter and opened my eyes expectantly. Fermin was hit several times here and there, then Viola placed her foot on her brother's head and with an angry face wrote the words:
«You stupid child! Where were you?! I looked for you everywhere.. »
Fermin closed his eyes and transparent tears fell, which truly shocked me, and he said in a sad and apologetic voice:
"I was wrong, sister, I am sorry. I didn't want anyone to get hurt because of me"
Viola removed her foot from her younger brother's head, sat on the ground, held her brother's head, and began to cry like a real child. She didn't write anything, but I knew well...
She was very worried and very sad. Her two younger brothers were far from her, and they were her only family. No wonder why Viola turned into Bianca Hozan, the sword that stabbed the Emperor... Even Goren, the onlooker, cried intensely.
I left the drawing room so the Niva siblings could reunite after their bitter separation...
What a wonder, this life will be full of surprises; there is more and more to come... Who would imagine that some of the biggest movers in Serdia are simply three siblings who love each other and want to live in peace? But peace does not come to the weak, so they must become stronger....
...... To be continued ......