Ah, fate... Did I change it for the better... or for the worse?
"Oh, you're already awake, kid?" My eyes widened when I heard Ambrose's treatment to Cain. This magician is really...
I thought the third prince would be angry or irritated, but he had a blank expression on his face as he stared at me. His eyes were in a darker shade of violet, but you could definitely differentiate it from black. His hair was dark and was really messy, but it really matched his cold features. Even as a kid, he's really good-looking.
"Well, well. I guess you're both fine now. Sit here, kid." Ambrose patted the edge of the bed and had a forced smile on his face. Meanwhile, the prince was just staring at him, not moving an inch from the door. "You'll move or I'll force you to? Listen to me, you brat. Be thankful I'm still kind to you despite of the trouble you've caused me." My mouth gaped with Ambrose's threat. His mood really changes very quickly. A sigh escaped my lips as my head throbbed with this kind of atmosphere.
Ambrose's a strong magician, I'll admit that. But he's still in front of a prince, and what he did was a sign of disrespect. If this would reach the emperor...
"Stop worrying about needless things, little lady. I could make his memories about this conversation in a snap, so just listen to me. This is nothing to stress about compared to what I'm about to tell you." Ambrose's blue eyes were serious, and even in his child form, I can feel his maturity through his stance and presence. I felt a weight on the bed and I saw that Cain followed Ambrose's instructions. He took a glance at me before staring at Ambrose.
"What is it about, Ambrose?" Noticing that everyone's attentions were good, I asked Ambrose about this matter. He took a deep breath before answering my question.
"First, I'll repeat what I said to this little lady a while ago." He turned to Cain's direction and pointed his pointer finger at the prince. "You, little brat, manifested the power of fire and darkness. Yes, you are now a magician, and it's not that shocking since you are from a Vistronde bloodline."
"I'm not a Vistronde." The prince's first words made my forehead knot in confusion. Ambrose's left eyebrow raised and rolled his eyes. "You are. You have a blood of a Vistronde. I don't care if you despise it, but I'm telling you that you became a magician because of that blood." Ambrose didn't mind the prince's words and just straightly said those statements. I kept quiet because I knew that I shouldn't be adding fuel to the fire. I already understood what Cain meant when he said that he's 'not' a Vistronde.
Cain Lewis Vistronde was shunned all his life, just because he was an illegitimate child. That's probably the reason why he refuse to admit that he's a Vistronde. And I... don't want to comment about that.
I heard Ambrose sigh before talking again, "Going back, you, the third prince, are now a magician. I could offer to teach you about that, but it would depend on you. Just remember that I have a service fee." I rolled my eyes with Ambrose's last statement. Fee, huh? He's a great magician yet he still needs money? "Yes, little lady. I saw your reaction and I heard your mind. Even a great person like me still needs money." I didn't answer him and just ignored what he said.
"It's really hard to talk to kids." He whispered to himself, though I still heard it since this place was really quiet. "The two of you, little prince and lady, are both magicians. I don't know what you're planning to do with that, but I'll warn you. Don't use your magic to do a wicked thing, no matter how good your intention is. Once you do, you'll end up miserable." We nodded with his words.
"Second, the Star Festival. One day has passed since that day but we haven't heard anything from the empire. By we, I meant myself, lady's father and that swordsmanship teacher of yours, little lady." I nodded. When I looked at Cain's direction, his face was just blank.
"They aren't issuing anything about the third prince missing?" I asked Ambrose and he shook his head. "None, little lady. In addition to that, I don't think that they knew about this little prince's awakening. I suggest that you keep it as a secret for now, little prince." Cain just nodded with Ambrose's advice.
"Ah right, where's that beautiful lady that I healed?" I asked Ambrose and he sighed. "We already prepared a coffin for her and as this little brat's wish, we would be burying her in the Enchanted Forest." My mind went blank for a second when I heard the name of the place.
Enchanted Forest... The place where the real Yllaria died.
"Is something the matter, young lady?" I shook my head and smiled a little. "I see. When would she be buried? I would like to come." I thought that Ambrose would answer my question, but the third prince's cold voice rang in my ears.
"Today. We were waiting for you to wake up before burying her." I blinked a few times upon hearing his voice and processing his answer. "Eh? You were... waiting for me?" Confusion was visible in my face and voice.
"You're the one who healed her wounds." Huh? I was dumbfounded with his reason, or was it a reason? I don't know! I can't understand it. I turned to Ambrose who just shrugged at me, but I definitely knew that he had an idea. Clearly not giving me any further explanation, I just gave up on figuring it.
"Is that all?" Cain asked Ambrose and the magician just nodded. "Yeah. Just remember what I told you about your magic. You can go first, we'll be heading out soon. I'll just have a little talk with this lady here." Cain didn't say anything as he simply left the room. When we were left alone, I winced when Ambrose pinched my right cheek.
"You, young lady. I told you not to do that 'Barrier', right?" I tried to get his hand off me but his grip was too strong. "I'm sowwy. Ouch!" I exclaimed when he pinched it harder then immediately released his hand. "You almost drained your mana, you stupid lady! I told you that mana is necessary for our life! Once it would get drained fully, you could die! This incident was a close call. If you consumed the remaining mana that was meant to sustain your life, you would really die!" I looked down and played with my fingers as he scolded me. I knew it was dangerous, but I couldn't help it! If I didn't do that, more people would be involved.
"Haah... What a troublesome kid." He muttered to himself and I pouted. I knew I was in the wrong, and I really felt guilty about it. "I'm sorry, Ambrose." My voice was so thin and low, and Ambrose just sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Next time, don't be too rash, young lady. You resolved yourself to protect your loved ones, yet you are willing to sacrifice yourself? Are you dumb? How in the world are you going to protect them if you die?" Tears formed in my eyes as I realized that he has a point. I shouldn't have been rash, and calmly analyzed the situation. I already planned that my identity, the protagonist of this story, will not die tragically, but I placed myself in danger, and even Daddy and Teacher Kathleen also got caught up with it. Even Ambrose had to use the mana he stored for years just to help me. I tried to meet his gaze and I saw how his eyes softened when he saw my expression.
"It's not bad to think of other people, but don't be too selfless, young lady. Ask for help when you know you can't do it alone. Don't carry the burden by yourself." My tears fell as he patted my head gently. His hand was light as he caressed my hair. "Oh, you're crying? Well, I'm really a good talker, don't you think?" I imagined my tears returning to my eyes when I heard his arrogant voice. He smirked at me and I rolled my eyes with his boastfulness.
He can say words that make me feel okay, but he could also say words that make me annoyed easily.
"Stop crying, young lady. Better prepare for now. You'll attend that woman's funeral, right?" I nodded and took deep breaths to compose myself. Just when I was about to go down the bed, the door to my room opened and in a few seconds, I felt a murderous aura in the room.
"I entrusted my daughter to you for a short while, and why the hell is she crying now? What did you do, you bastard?"
Why does this feel familiar?