"You already expected something to happen, didn't you?" I asked the midget who was now thoroughly checking my body with his magic. He had conjured a magic circle between us and used it just like an x-ray.
"What do you mean?" He asks back without looking at me.
"Don't play dumb, you knew an attack was going to happen. It also looks like you know who did it." I stood up and crossed my arms. Something tells me that it wasn't just some simple attack.
"Even if I knew something, what makes you think I'm going to tell you? And don't stand up, I'm not done yet."
I'm irritated by his answer but he has a point, why would he tell me? I went back to sitting. I noticed that he was a little taller than when we first met. Boys his age undergo growth spurts after all.
"I apologize." He suddenly speaks after a moment of silence. "For what I did last time."
"You mean when you slapped me?" Though I did not expect for him to apologize at such a random moment, I'm glad he was able to admit it.
"Yeah, it was the only way to wake you up. Your mana was raging like crazy. If it had been longer, it would be life threatening for you." He says as he finally lowers his hand, making the magic circle disappear. He's finished examining me. I guess I'm already fine since he's not saying anything.
So it was to save me, huh? But why did my mana act like that? Was it because I was seeing a past that was not mine?
"It's fine. Forget about it." I'm not the type to hold grudges, of course. "Though you can make it up to me if you tell me a thing or two." I smile sheepishly as I looked up to him.
"Give it up already, I'm not telling you anything." He placed one hand on his waist and one on the top of my head as he leaned closer to my face, his eyes look straight to mine. "Witches shouldn't be so nosy."
With that, he turns and walks away, heading to the door. "I'll get going now since you're already fine. Don't get into trouble next time." He says while waving his hand without looking back to me.
Even when I heard the closing of the door, I still sat on the bed motionless, thinking to myself that the young wizard was quite cool.
***
Another three days has passed and the sky above the East was certainly getting brighter and brighter each day. Whenever I looked beyond the balcony of my room I could see roses blooming in every part of the city. It was like everything had finally come back to life. But things are never that easy, the people still had to work their way up to make a living and reclaim their lost businesses, if there is even left from ten years ago. Anette told me that the people's hardships will now begin to end, and by next year the East will definitely come back to its former glory, though she told me that she never expected me to be able to provide aether after ten years of staying away from flowers, neither did I. The duke was busier than ever. He only came to my room once to tell me that the representatives from the Elder Council and the temple will come to meet me within this week. Does he not even care?
How tiring, even with Calla's situation I always hoped that I'd be able to live normally here. Maybe I was asking for too much.
"Young lady, they have arrived." Anette says as soon as she enters the room after knocking. "Would you like me to help you get ready?"
"Just do my hair like last time, please." The off-shoulder peach dress that I was wearing was already quite presentable.
Anette then proceeds to braid my hair after I sat in front of the dresser.
"Where should I meet them?" I ask her while putting a bit of powder on my face. I was contemplating on wearing the bandages but then realized that there was no need since I figured the meeting will only take place inside the mansion.
"They're at the duke's office right now, young lady. It seems that the duke will observe the investigation."
"I see."
"Even though they call it can investigation, I'm certain they'll only ask you a few questions." Anette gives off a reassuring smile.
"I doubt that." I sighed.
***
I opened the door to the duke's office and saw two adult men sitting on the couch while my father- the duke sat on the opposite side. They were silently drinking tea before I came in.
"A pleasant day to you, my name is Calla, daughter of House Rosa of the East." I did a curtsy and introduced myself just like how Lady Elizabeth taught me.
Both guests stood up and faced me.
"Good day, young lady. I am Marcus and I am here in behalf of the Klorisian temple." The dark-skinned man wearing a priest's robe bowed. He was wearing a necklace with a golden pendant- a sunflower attached on a cross. It was the symbol of the Klorisian temple. It was particularly a sunflower since the main temple was located at the capital.
"And I am Gabriel, the Elder Council sent me." The man wearing formal attire did the same. I noticed that the pendant on his necklace lacked a cross, only a golden sunflower was there.
"Please, take your seats." The duke says to both of them as I sat beside him- I had no choice since it was the only place available.
"Then shall we begin?" The man named Marcus asks.
"Very well, you must answer their questions as honest as you possibly can, Calla." The duke says as he takes a sip from his tea.
"Yes, father." I answer politely.
"I'll start." Gabriel says and the priest beside him just nodded.
"Young lady Calla, the testimony of everyone present during the event wherein you provided aether stated that there were no roses in the area. Not only that but you did not contain it in a glass ball- the place where aether should be stored, since it burst into light the moment you released it. After that, the fire stopped and all injured in the area were healed. Is this correct?" Gabriel asks as he was looking at a small notebook.
"Yes, the statements hold truth." I nodded gently.
"Then, may I ask how you were able to do it? Was it on purpose?" Marcus asked before Gabriel even had the chance to open his mouth.
"I don't even know and I surely didn't do it on purpose. I just followed what the voice inside my head told me to do." I answer truthfully.
"A voice?" Gabriel asks.
"Yes, a woman's voice to be precise." I stated.
"What did she say?" Marcus was the one who asked since Gabriel was busy writing notes on his notebook.
"She asked me if I wanted to help the people, if I wanted to be useful to them. Every time she spoke, my head hurt so badly. I answered 'yes' instinctively believing that answering to her might stop the pain in my head. Then she told me to raise both my hands to the sky." I explained as clear as I could.
"I-is that so." Marcus looked like he did not expect something like that to be my answer. Gabriel has also stopped writing on his notebook. They both seemed like they were thinking hard about something.
"There's more. She also called me her child." I blurted out, cursing myself for forgetting such an important detail. The way she called me felt utterly mysterious.
Marcus and Gabriel froze as soon as I finished talking.
"Young lady, I did not quite get what you were saying. Could you please repeat it?" Gabriel asks, finally looking at me.
"I said she called me her child." I emphasized the last two words of the sentence.
Both of their eyes widen in shock, their jaws drop at the same time Gabriel dropped his notebook. I also felt that the duke stopped drinking his tea midway. Is it really so shocking?
The priest, Marcus, blinked a couple of times before facing the man beside him.
"C-could it be?" Marcus asks the man beside him. Gabriel turns to him.
"We don't know that yet. We must report this to the higher-ups. They will know." Gabriel says as he picks up the notebook that fell on the floor.
"But what if she's lying?" Marcus said in a whisper, but I heard it loud and clear.
"I placed a lie-detector crystal on my pocket and it has never reacted since coming here. I presume you've done the same?" Gabriel whispers back.
"I-I didn't." Marcus confesses.
"Then you're an idiot. Who performs an investigation without bringing a lie-detector crystal?" Gabriel growls at him.
The duke coughs and the men's attention went back to us.
"Is there a problem?" The duke asks.
"N-no, none at all. Please forgive our impudence." Gabriel says as he stands up slowly while Marcus does the same. Are they going now?
"My duke, this might be rude but we have to hurry back to each of our headquarters. We thank you for your time. May the goddess continue to bless the Eastern region." The priest bows.
"We will contact the young lady and announce the results of our investigation soon." Gabriel bowed as well.
The duke and I stood up and bowed back at the same time.
"Very well, send my regards to the emperor." The duke says.
"We will." They answer in chorus.
Both of them took some steps backwards and took something from their pockets. As soon as they had broken it into two pieces, they disappeared into thin air, leaving glittering dusts floating in the air.
I've read about those. People here use teleportation shards as a means of transporting to a far place instantly. It can only be used once since you have to split it in half for it to work. Each shard has a designated color for an exclusive location. Only nobles use them since they're expensive. The ones they used were yellow since they were going back to the capital, I just don't know which part of the capital exactly.
"Calla." The duke calls out to me.
"Yes, father?" I turn to him. He was already sitting in front of his office table, scanning through papers and documents. Working even when you're daughter is here, huh?
"Join me for dinner tonight. We have some things to talk about." He says without taking his eyes off from the papers.
"As you wish, father." I do a bow of curtsy before turning towards the door.
Just when I thought I would finally be able to rest for the day.