A warm cup of tea helped Bellavarn calm his nerves. It had entirely too much sugar and could cause heart palpitations, but it felt right. Maybe the craving was leftover from eating too many chocolate bars and late nights baking chocolate chip cookies. Unfortunately, chocolate was hard to come by in this region and most people hoarded it.
A knock at the door prompted Bellavarn to set down his tea and remove himself from his studying.
"Come in."
They didn't need to knock, as the library was a more open setting. That may have changed since Bellavarn made it his own, but it still irked him. Maybe he should leave the door open from now on...
Yeah. I'll do that.
A woman walked in a closed the door behind her. She was dressed in the traditional maid uniform that all others wore. She was older than most, around his mother's age, actually.
The woman walked over while Bellavarn pulled out a chair for her.
"Take a seat. Please."
The middle-aged maid sat down without question. Bellavarn felt the air turn a bit thicker than was comfortable but pushed through it anyway.
"I regret I don't remember your name. I see you around mother quite often; you are her personal attendant?"
"My name is Parcy, young lord."
The answer was polite, with a bow of the head.
"Nice to formally meet you, miss Parcy. I'd appreciate it if you used my name when addressing me. Call me, Bellavarn. Or master Bellavarn if you must. Noble titles serve to prolong things."
He looked off to the side. The joy of being able to call someone by their first name... It was like he was a doctor without the prerequisites. People called him "young lord" or "young master" simply because he was the Duke's son. It's not like he was a prince or the President's son.
Aristocracy...
"Yes, master Bellavarn."
The older maid was a bit stiff but overall courteous. Bellavarn sat at his desk to try to make her more comfortable, speaking eye-to-eye.
"Parcy, I am afraid I have been so absent that I have neglected my surroundings. I was hoping you could tell me a bit about yourself and your duties."
Her posture was rigid, even as she sat on the edge of the chair.
"I am one of the senior maids, master Bellavarn. I work around the Duchess most often."
"Oh, were you one of the ones who knew about my new sibling?"
"Yes, I was around to help when your mother first started getting morning sickness."
Bellavarn smiled and pressed his hands together. This was perfect. He was wondering who else was aware beside his parents. They would have needed more than one accomplice to hide the Duchess's pregnancy.
"Wonderful. I was ecstatic when I heard the news myself. Though, I'm ashamed that I hid away and never noticed... It must have been difficult keeping it a secret among for so long."
Parcy was momentarily unsure how to respond, so she straightened a crease on her uniform while she thought.
"The Duchess... was upset at the distance that has grown between the young master and herself."
Bellavarn nodded. His mother was as kind as she was beautiful. The Duchess has a temper when she doesn't get her way, and she always seems to know best... As mothers do. The distance that grew between them as Bellavarn aged was not lost on him. Before the memory loss, he didn't enjoy being fussed over or coddled. Bellavarn tried to do things himself. He studied by himself and found a passion for the arts. He taught himself to play the piano, something he kept to himself. Mother would immediately put together a regal recital so she could show off her son.
The Duchess tried to pair him off at every chance. Bellavarn wanted nothing of it. A significant other being introduced through his mother? What was more embarrassing?
Now that he thought about it... Bellavarn wouldn't refuse out of hand, letting her have her moments. It showed she cared in her own way. Besides, Bellavarn didn't choose very well the first time.
I still reserve the right to choose my own partner, though.
Taking a moment to stand and saunter over to a bookshelf filled with tomes about magical theory, Bellavarn immediately pulled a specific book off the shelf.
"It is true that I've been acting childish lately. I couldn't ask for a better mother, and yet I pushed her away. I hope to rectify that mistake and become close to her once again. She is the only mother I have, after all."
Parcy wore a subtle, approving smile.
"The Duchess will be delighted to hear that."
Bellavarn ignored the foreboding words while turning the tome over in his hands; he checked the spine. It was an older book that had many different owners in the past. He idly wondered if the repair was possible or if it would need to be copied.
"The strangest thing happened after my amnesia. I haven't had the chance to fully appreciate or understand the ramifications yet... but I would request your assistance in confirming something."
"Sir?"
Bellavarn wrinkled his nose a bit at being called sir. Then he let the moment pass. Walking back over, he handed the tome to Parcy, who accepted the object with care.
"This is a book on magical theory title Basic Theoretics Volume II. I would ask that you open the book to a random page and read the first ten words."
Parcy looked at the thick tome and wondered exactly how many pages there were. Complying with the strange request, she softly separated the pages and looked to the first line that stuck out. She read...
"The magical backlash from a falsely infused spell formation will be..."
Reiss spoke instantly.
"...equal to four times the amount of mana imputed."
Parcy nodded. His memory was good.
"Try a different page, start somewhere in the middle of a sentence."
Was he going to try to recite it from memory again? That was a tall order. Still, Parcy did as she was told, flipping to one of the later pages. She read.
"... often causes an adverse effect when there is an abnormal..."
Bellavarn tilted his head, thinking for a moment.
"A combination of opposing elements often causes an adverse effect when there is an abnormal amount of mana backing only one element."
Parcy raised her eyebrows. That was quite the feat. She saw Bellavarn lips turn upward as he raised a finger.
"Great! One more. Choose a different page, but use only five words this time."
Again, Parcy complied with faint amusement and interest. Searching for something more difficult, she chose a place near the beginning of the tome. She ignored an old tea stain and read through the discolored parchment.
"...lost. It can only be..."
Bellavarn jerked. Did she have to choose two separate sentences? He wracked his brain, creating swirling motions with his fingers as he tried to divine the right words. Then it clicked. It wasn't a difficult guess if you have read it before.
"Mana can't be lost. It can only be found? Is that right? Did I get it?"
Parcy's eyebrows were fully raised. It was an impressive feat to memorize the contents of an entire book. Parcy said as much.
"That is quite impressive. Even if you spent an entire month here, being able to memorize a book like this, it wouldn't be time wasted."
Bellavarn grinned. Motioning for her to hand the book back, Bellavarn replaced it on the shelf.
"It wasn't just a few books. I get the feeling I can do that with many of the books I've read."
Waving his hands, he quickly continued.
"It isn't perfect! The ones with abstract terminology or obtuse sentence structures are virtually impossible for me. I also can't recall anything on the spot. You reading the words aloud helped me."
Bellavarn only read that book once, but he could still recall most of it when prompted. It was like that with many of the books. Oddly enough, he was most proficient at recalling specific lines in the varied, trashy romance novels he kept.
Still, Bellavarn didn't feel confident without referencing the books. His memory wasn't eidetic and crystal clear. A handful of memories were still jumbled from both his lives unexpectedly merging. They were currently lost to him, just out of reach. In return, his short-term memory was enhanced.
It also had to do with association—the best memory techniques involve associating a memory with a set of words or actions. Many people, in both worlds, have difficulties remembering names. The reason being is that we don't have unique experiences with each person.
Why do you remember that one person who complimented your scarf three years ago but not the name of your classmate you've studied alongside for years? Because it was a rare encounter unique to that person. You've sat alongside other colleagues, worked on group projects, or stood in line at the coffee shop. You'll ignore the name written on your group paper or the side of a coffee cup because they are just another person passing. You don't need to remember their name because it is unlikely you'll ever interact with them outside parting words.
However, you remember the name or face of that classmate in middle school who dropped a cookie at your table as a random act of kindness. The owner of the car that you ran into when first learning to drive. The asshole who cut in line at the waterslide. The stranger who helped you mail a letter and even paid for stamps.
Memory is association.
It is a condition—input sensory feedback with visual or auditory recognition.
Bellavarn associated that benign tome of magical theory by tapping his finger on his desk whilst reading it. Another, by continuously folding the corners of each page. Another, tripping when getting too absorbed. He remembered a romance novel, A Chance Encounter, because of how he spurted his tea and had to wipe the pages down with his shirt before Kerv offered a towel.
Make an encounter, a memory, a moment, a person stand out from all the others by making that moment unique.
Melody...
Father.
Mother.
Oslo.
Kerv and Henry.
Anne, Kly, and Tristan.
Lecil.
Remember the encounter. The first people he officially met. But... he still forgot the maid who came in to deliver food every mealtime; her face and figure became blurred. The server at dinner the morning after his dream, a false memory of him sneering layered over-top.
He ignored them, making the encounters worthless.
Parcy brought him out of the trance by speaking.
"Even if you cannot remember everything, master Bellvarn, it's a wonder how much you have memorized in only a month."
It wasn't ignorant praise. All nobles read books, and many tried to memorize their content. It usually took several days to memorize an entire book even for the best of them. To memorize almost every book in this room? That was an amazing feat.
"Thank you for the kind words, Parcy. Now that my little experiment is over, I would like to ask you for some help."
It was time to get back on track. Parcy's ears twitched.
"My help? What would you need of me?"
Parcy's duties were already swamped with the Duchess being newly pregnant. If it were too much, Parcy would be forced to decline.
"Nothing much. I know you can keep a secret. But can you spread one?"