POV Leonore Sutton:
“Good morning Lady Audrey.” I don’t forget to salute the fifth wife of the Viscount Davenport.
“Hello Miss Leonore, I been expecting you to come.”
“I’m sorry to be late my Lady, I needed to go with the little Lady.” I don’t miss how her smile banish from her face the moment I bring her daughter to the conversation.
“You know that we have servants to do that kind of chores.”
“I know my Lady, I just want her to start her day with a smile.”
“I love the way you are always so positive, but don’t become too attached to that girl, it’s for your own good.” She repeats the same thing that she has told me for the last seven years, everyone knows how she has put aside her only daughter, and all the people in the house had mimic her attitude against her, including the servants.
I remember how at first she wasn’t like this, when she was pregnant with her and didn’t know it was a girl, lady Audrey used to talk to her belly with so much love, but the moment she saw her daughter everything change. All of us have heard how not a single girl has been able to pass the test, if a girl was born in a high noble family, she was destined to die, this situation has led to the nobles in this kingdom seek wives from other places far away from here, marry a lesser noble or marry someone who isn’t a noble, which is the case with Lady Audrey, she’s from the common people but with her high level with the honor she used to have for serve in the army help her secure a place as the fifth wife.
The Lady let herself be influence by the rest of the wives, even if she denies it and says how she would never side with her enemies.
“I believe in her, she always pushes herself to the limit in her training.”
“Yes, we should expect the best from the kids.” She says it with a smile but I know how false that is. She’s changed so much over the years, when she was in the army she used to be such a strong woman but with a lot of love inside her. She saved my family in the last dungeon break that happen near the town in which my family reside. I owe her so much and that’s the only reason that I accept to help her for a few years until she establish herself in the Davenport family. I wish little Dalia could know the way her mother used to be before entering this family.
“Stop bringing that kid to our conversations Miss Leonore” I hear a voice behind me saying it.
When I turn around I can see Freya entering the room with Aurora behind her.
“Why shouldn’t I be able to talk about one of her children to our Lady?” I defy Freya, with the pass of time our relationship has become sour and difficult to bear, I wonder if everyone who spends a lot of time in this house would turn this way.
“Stop guilt tripping us, we are too old to fall for it.” Freya becomes upset and attacks me.
“I’m not doing that, what I want it’s the best for the child.”
“And our duty it’s the best for the Lady, what you want should be put in second place.”
“One shouldn’t make impossible the other.”
“It does when that child can bring harm to the Lady.”
“She’s just a child.”
“You are too smart, you know what we are referring to. The rest of the wives can harm her if the Lady shows affection to her, and she’s too fragile and young to go against them, besides, if our Lady becomes too attached to the girl, what will happen when the little Miss die in the test?”
“Neither of us can say for sure if she’s going to lose her life in the test.”
“She’s a little girl, a sick one at that, it’s impossible for her to return alive.”
“She’s not sick anymore, she’s been healthy for the last seven years, a true miracle that only shows how resilient and strong she truly is.”
“Even if she’s no longer sick, she’s still a girl, and in all the years that this family has been established with their traditions, not a single young lady has return victorious.”
“Then we should change the rules and don’t send her to her death, she deserves a better life.” I know how terrifying it must be for Dalia to enter the danger zone, all my life I’ve felt how unfair is the treatment for the children of the nobles of certain power, if they have a title of baron or superior to that they are forced to comply with the trial and send their children. I can only be grateful that my parents are lesser nobles in this kingdom.
“Why should we give her special benefits when that would only bring danger into the noble house, we need to consider how that sort of decisions can lead to the extermination of House Davenport, even if his father is the Viscount, he must not go against the crown.”
“She’s a genius in all the literary courses, all of you already know how I needed to put her in the advance lessons with other kids, if we talk about mathematics, language, history or philosophy, her knowledge it’s superior to even adults.”
“And why does that matter to us?”
“She can bring a lot of honor to the family when she grows up, she can also lead to a new level the knowledge, killing that child it’s against science and literature! And also…” I stop myself for revealing something I shouldn’t, especially to them who would exploit that information in the worst possible way.
“Also what?”
“She’s the only daughter of the Viscount!” I make a lie at the moment.
“Enough!” Lady Audrey interrupt us and the way she looks at me makes my hair stand on end, I cannot longer recognize her and associate her with the brave and pure heart Lady who save my family.
I don’t understand why anything of this it’s happening.
“You have bring the same discourse lately, what is happening to you Miss Leonore? Don’t you have respect for me anymore?”
“My Lady, I don’t mean to be disrespectful but I cannot longer stay silent with the situation, I beg you to listen to me, please do it for all the years that I’ve been in your service.”
I know that the situation can improve still, we can be fair with a little child who’s been mistreat since she was born, I want to believe in my Lady and in her heart.
Lady Audrey keeps looking my way for several minutes, during that time nobody makes a sound, not even the servants who have stopped doing their duties, I can see the fear in their eyes of doing a wrong move and bring doom to their families. I want to assure them how Lady Audrey would never do anything like, how she’s not that kind of person but I cannot say that with confidence anymore.
“I think you’re no longer required to stay by my side, I’m sure how your family must be worried about her daughter.” She says to me with cold eyes and I can tell how she has made her mind.
“My Lady…”
“I’m no longer your Lady.”
“But…”
“I think I made myself clear, you have today to arrange your belongings before parting tomorrow morning.”
The tears feel my eyes and blur my vision, I can feel how my legs start shaking and my heart starts breaking. I’ve spent ten years by her side and she’s cutting ties with me in less than a second. I wonder how my life would be if I keep staying silent about her affairs and without trying to speak up for others, but I cannot do it, I’ve always tried to be positive in any kind of situation but in this second I cannot maintain my composure.
“How can you throw me away like this My Lady? I’ve been at your side for ten years.”
“And I’m grateful to you for all the sacrifices you need to do, that includes also all of my personal maidens, but we should accept that this decision it’s only for the best, not for me but also for you.”
“You hear Lady Audrey, I think you should retire and make all the arrangements necessary before your imminent depart from the house.” Freya support the decision of Lady Audrey and I’ve never been this angry at someone, the only thing that stops me from punching her it’s that I know how I can lose my life if I succumb to my desires, after all the house has always put Freya over me, she can use magic after all, they need her for the birth of the next babies of the Viscount, even if she isn’t a Magus yet.
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Magus in this part of the kingdom are really scarce and the knowledge to become one it’s heavily protected for the powerful families and the church, even if this family it’s from the Viscount rank, they’ve never had a single person capable of manipulate mana, or at least that’s what they think. Freya has been waiting for them to offer her an opportunity to become one, but I doubt that they can do it, I’ve never seen that they really put some effort in the search for that kind of intelligence.
With a million thoughts in my mind I cannot talk clearly anymore in front of them, the only thing that it’s left for me it accept my destiny, there’s nothing I can do to change their minds, but I want to make at least a final effort for the child, it doesn’t matter if it means to humiliate myself.
I throw myself to the floor and making a reverence until my forehead touches the floor I start talking while sobbing.
“Please Lady Audrey, the child doesn’t deserve this destiny, reconsider bringing the topic with the Viscount to make an exception.”
“Are you suggesting that we defy the crown for a girl?”
“They don’t need to know, we can pretend she die from illness, she has a history of being sick since she was born, all the nobles know this fact, we can make a plan that can work for us, I can bring her with me when I leave this house and you don’t need to think about her anymore, I promise you that she never bother you or come looking for you.”
Some seconds pass without anybody talking until I hear someone approaching to me, suddenly I feel pain in my head, someone is pulling my hair, I open my eyes and I can see Lady Audrey into her eyes. She grab me by the hair until I’m at the same level as her, my limps are hanging at my sides and I’m incapable to feel anything, I want to scream but I cannot do it.
“Give someone an inch and they’ll take a mile.” Lady Audrey says it with anger in her voice, she isn’t restricting her power anymore and I can see why they used to call her the ruthless general, someone who never show mercy to her enemies, I always believed that the stories were exaggerated because she was like a sweet flower in front of the Viscount.
“La… dy…” I cannot talk properly with her power release.
“I’m getting tired of how some people think they can pass over me, even when they are just employees.”
“Plea… se…”
“Remember your place if you want to continue living, if you try a thing like running away with that child, I’ll let you know what I’m capable of, I want you out of this house by tomorrow morning, your years of service is the only reason you are still alive.”
“Agh…” She need to restrain herself or I’m going to lose conscience.
“Say thank you.”
“Plea… se…”
“Say it.”
“Thank… you.”
She throws my body against the wall and when my body touches the floor she’s restricting her power again.
My body is shaking uncontrollably and I take deep breaths trying to put air in my lungs again, I feel the tears in my face and some saliva at the corners of my mouth but I don’t care.
I stand up with a lot of effort, without looking to the eyes of Lady Audry I turn around and exit the room, while I am walking down the aisle that’s when it hits me, the thought of never be able to see the little lady, without me I know how hard her life is going to be, I don’t want to be self-centered and tell that I’m her whole world, but I’m the only person who is on her side.
The little dresses she uses in her daily life have been purchased by me in my little escapes to the town, and all of them are second hand, not even a dress that someone of her status should be wearing and I’ve never been capable of purchase the special garment for her training days, it costs a lot of money, with the majority of my salary been handed to my family what it’s left for me it’s too little.
If I need to leave the house then the amount of work to do in a single day it’s a lot, I cannot waste a single second, with determination filling my body I increase my pace to accomplish everything.
POV Dalia Davenport:
I finished today’s training and it has never become easy to go through it, the teachers always find ways to push us to our limits, just when we thought we were getting better, they appear with new training methods that leave us in the ground with a lot of pain, my healing spell it’s the only thing that has allow me to endure and overcome for so many years, I have no idea how the rest of the children manage can do it.
With my academic studies I never struggled, I think that would be impossible considering how I remember all the knowledge from my previous life, all of my academic teachers have been surprised for my fast learning, that was never my intention, what I want was to stop wasting time, to demonstrate how I didn’t need them to teach me anything and just leave me train, fortunately that was granted to me one year ago after a series of questions.
I was capable to return to my room after a very tiring and busy day in the training ground, I eat a hot meal and clean myself before succumbing in my bed. With so many things to complete in the day, all my energy it’s consume. I heal myself with a basic spell and I can feel my body recovering. With nothing more to do I close my eyes to get some sleep only to wake up disoriented in the middle of the night with a song.
“Hush now, little one, close your weary eyes,
The stars will guard you softly, as the cold wind cries.
Your mother's heart is hollow, her hands are made of stone,
But love was never absent—you were never alone.
For you are the daughter of moonlight and dreams,
A whisper of magic in silver-lit beams.
Though I must leave, love stays behind,
A song in the shadows, a warmth you will find.
I traced your name in candlelight, in secret lullabies,
Held you close when nightmares danced behind your frightened eyes.
No cradle arms will rock you now, no kiss upon your brow,
But when the night sings, hear my vow.
For you are the daughter of moonlight and dreams,
A whisper of magic in silver-lit beams.
Though I must leave, love stays behind,
A song in the shadows, a warmth you will find.
One day the winds will call your name,
Your power will rise, a bright silver flame.
And though she may scorn you, though love feels so small,
Know you are worthy—you shine above all.
For you are the daughter of moonlight and dreams,
A whisper of magic in silver-lit beams.
Wherever you go, wherever you roam,
My heart is your lantern—your love is my home.”
When I wake up disoriented because I haven’t rested enough yet, I hear someone singing a song to me, I can see a lot with the little light in the room that comes from the window, I can only distingue the silhouette of a woman who approach me and kiss me in my forehead, when she starts getting up I finally come to my senses and know that the woman is Leonore.
“What is happening?” It’s too unexpected that she appears in the middle of the night, something must be going on.
“You don’t need to worry my Lady, everything it’s fine, have some rest, tomorrow you need to continue your training and you need a good sleep to recuperate.” She says before turning around and going outside my room, I’m too tired to process correctly the situation and close my eyes in order to sleep some more.
The next morning the moment that I wake up and get up from bed, I remember what happen in the middle of the night, it comes to my mind how dangerous can be for me to sleep deeply, and not wake up if someone approaches me in one of my most vulnerable moments, but after years of training and after pushing myself to the limit, my body needs to recover, it’s not something magic can do for me, or at least I don’t have a spell that can produce that kind of effect.
Before I start getting dress and ready for my day, I hear how something hits the floor, I bend down and recover a small wooden box that fell from my bed the moment I got up.
I open the box and check what it’s inside, I grab a small sheet of paper, when I unfold it I notice how it’s a letter.
My dear Lady Dalia Davenport.
I have some bad news to you, but I don’t want you to be sad about it. Lady Audrey has decided that the best for me and for her it’s to stop working for her and move with my family. I know how shocking the news can be for you and I wish to be there and talk to you about so many things, maybe I need to apologize for being this selfish, I know that if I say my goodbyes in person that would break my heart and I won’t stop crying, I want you to remember me like someone full of light and happiness, I wish you to be that way when you grow up, I can imagine what a beautiful lady you’ll be in the future.
I haven’t doubt for a single moment that you would be able to survive the test of the family. I would bring you with me if that was possible, sadly the moment I do it my parents will be killed by the orders of the Viscount, for many years I used to believe in how Lady Audrey saved the town where my parents and I lived, and how caring she was to put some guards in my parent’s house in order to protect them while I was away from them assisting her in the Davenport’s house, only in the past days it has come to my mind that their lives are in their hands.
You must think how na?ve I am, but I used to believe how a person should expect that people are good unless they show you the opposite.
I wish that you could have the option to not go through the family trial, and over the past years I’ve brought the topic several times to Lady Audrey so she can tell the Viscount, but sadly my efforts didn’t give me any good results.
Keep thriving in this life, don’t permit them to put you down or distort the way you see the world, you deserved only happiness, if it’s not with this family, find another place, the world is vast, you don’t need to be confined to a small house.
My final gift are some dresses for what I would need to apologize once again for the bad quality of them, I put them in your closet, I know how you need special gear for the moment you take the test of the nobles but I don’t have enough money for those, what I can give you are some clothes meant to common people, I know it’s not the best, but I’m sure that at least it would be more comfortable that wearing a dress.
Apart from that I use all my money to purchase a low grade mana stone for you, I’m not stupid my Lady, I’ve been by your side since you were born, it would be rare if I didn’t know about how you can manipulate mana, and with the statement of the magus who try to kidnap you, it wasn’t difficult for me to connect things and know that you are indeed a magus, but you don’t need to worry, no one in your family knows your secret.
I’m sure that you are in need of mana stones, after all everyone knows how they need them to improve in their path in which way I’m not sure but I know you’ll figure it out, I wish I could provide you with a middle grade mana stone too, but those are too expensive for me.
I wish you the best my Lady, what lays ahead of you are only great things but to reach them you need to walk a difficult path, never stop improving.
When you finish reading the letter do me a favor and get rid of it, you know how dangerous it could be if someone else reads it.
After reading the letter three times in a row and memorizing every word in my heart I fold it again with tears in my eyes, it hurts losing the only person who was close to me in this new life.
“Ignis” I say the spell after manipulating my mana network and mana core rapidly, with the years of practice, my body has accustomed to do basic spells quickly. With the ones of tier one I still take my time. The letter catches fire when the spell touches it.
Opening the box for the second time I see the low grade mana stone in the corner of the box, this mana stone it’s the one Leonore mentions in her letter, I take it and hold it close to me.
“I will miss you mom.”
