Walking around the manor I used Evelyn's memories to guide myself through the confusing hallways of the house. Castle Ravenclaw wasn't a great place to live in, the walls were made of solid stone and granite so it was often too cold to walk around in light clothing. The few torches that were scattered around only made it harder to see in the dark hallways that lacked any sort of windows big enough for the sunlight to come inside.
Edwards was used to this place, and Evelyn's body was also used to the cold but inside my mind I couldn't help but repeat to myself that once I am in charge of this place I will certainly install some sort of heating built on each damn hallway.
"Milady must be hungry, come this way. Wait in the dinning room and I'll go call the cook. What would you like to eat?" Edwards was really a good man, but I was a little worried he could read my mind so well.
"Something warm. Any soup or stew." Evelyn's mentions weren't focused on her meals so I didn't know what to order, but I guessed some soup or stew would do fine to warm my belly.
"I see. It shall be done, Milady. I will be with you in a minute." He said before heading out into another hallway.
I made my way into the dinning room and just sat down, waiting for the food that was promised to be delivered to me as soon as it was ready. Even though Evelyn suffered a lot because of her father, it wasn't the only reason she became a Villainess.
Her County wasn't that big, and she wanted something better for her people than poverty and hunger, so she tried to improve her circumstances by seducing her way into power. It worked at first, and the results were so great that she decided to continue doing so if it meant improving her people's well being.
This cycle of ambition brought her to a dark state of mind though and her power started to overwhelm her. Instead of stopping, she wanted more and more, she wasn't going to stop midway and her pride wouldn't allow her to admit her mistakes.
This mixture of pride, ambition and a cold attitude drove away her many allies she had made during her life, and a series of mistakes caused her whole bunch of lies, deception and roguery to be brought to light.
It was this moment of absolute shame that drove Evelyn into madness. She started to plot against those in power, slowly but surely getting rid of her enemies and allies alike. If she couldn't be at the top, then no one else would be.
It was certainly a very dark way of seeing things, specially for someone that had the right mindset and goals at the start of her life. She only wanted to do good, but the guilt and grief of failing again and again and again without stopping drove her into madness.
I had fallen in love with her character since she was the classic example of the hero turned villain. I used to love those archetypes so add on top the elegance of a noble and the proud attitude of Evelyn and you get a really interesting character.
With a 'thud' my thoughts were dispersed and I noticed the plates of food being placed before me. Edwards had brought the food he promised me and I didn't even notice. With a sigh, I started to eat on my own. There was a bowl of warm soup made with ingredients I couldn't even name, a few slices of toasted bread and a cut of roasted meat. A hearty meal indeed.
It all tasted slightly off though, maybe because it was a whole new level of different to the usual easy to make fast food I often had back in my world. Anyways, the meal was delicious and so I finished it without leaving a single crumb behind. I was mad hungry after all.
"Would Milady like to rest for a few minutes or would she prefer to head out immediately?" Edwards asked with that smile of his.
"Let us head out. It'll serve as exercise to better digest the food." I replied, acting as Evelyn was getting easier and easier as I spent time thinking about her and her past. Again, probably because of our memories starting to merge together.
I stood from my chair and walked out of the room without saying a single thing about the quality of the food. Evelyn didn't had much of a connection with the cook, so I preferred not to throw off Edwards' instincts by acting against Evelyn's usual conduct. At least for now.
We traveled across the cold hallways once more. With each step I could feel myself getting more and more familiar with their structure, as if I had walked amongst them my whole life. It was still surreal to me the way my mind was slowly breaking away and merging into Evelyn's. The feeling of it was odd, as if I was inside a dream, even though I was damn sure it would be a very specific one.
Soon enough we arrived at the front gates of the castle. Edwards opened them for me since the wooden doors would be a little heavy for me since I was still too young and at this point in time Evelyn hadn't yet undergone all of her swordsmanship training and magical conditioning.
Heading out into the courtyard, it was quite a nice view. The sky was clouded, yes, but even so the faint rays of sunlight that broke through the heavily covered skies allowed for a more stylish view of the landscape. The location of Castle Ravenclaw was quite an important one, located at the far north in the limits of the Azure Empire, it was the first line of defense against the many hordes of monsters that spawned from the rupture, a giant collective of caverns, mountains and wasteland where monsters would spawn from unknown origins.
They carried within them magical cores, which could be harvested and utilized in many sorts of artifacts such as magical weapons, armor or enchantments for any type of object. If I remember correctly, there were even certain pieces of equipment considered legendary, such as Evelyn's longsword. I couldn't quite remember the name of it since it was a bit blurry in my memories, but it was quite the weapon.
It is said that its blade was as black as coal and every time Evelyn used it to cut down her foes it would shine in a bright red light, as if it was a demon devouring the souls of the dead. Just remembering the phrases from the novel made a chill go down my spine, and just then did I snap back to reality.
"Are you alright, Milady? Is it too cold for you?"
"Don't worry, I'll warm up as we walk. I want to go to the stables first."
There was a good reason to visit the stables, and that was so I could check out the horses and see if I could get some riding practice done. It would be incredibly important in the future, specially if I wanted to survive in this land where a single mistake could cost you dearly. Having a personal horse was more or less the same as owning a car in this setting, though you don't need a license to ride one, you do need a proof that it is indeed yours, so people would often brand them with their house's insignia so they could be easily recognized as private property.
"The stables? I see the Lady is starting to show interest in horses once more." Edwards remarked with a faint smirk on his face.
'Oh right!' I realized.
Evelyn wasn't fond of horses at this age due to an accident caused when she had tried to pet once before. Her hand was bit, not nearly hard enough to cause any injuries, but enough to scare off a young noble girl from getting close to a horse. I shook my head and just let out a sigh.
"It's about time I went over my fear of them." I said, trying my best to let Edwards know I was still quite nervous about it. He seemed to catch the message and nodded.
"I will be there with you, Milady. Worry not."
I smiled a little, it was good to know Edwards wasn't lying. And it may be immoral to guide myself with the help of the knowledge I had from my read of the book, but if I wanted to survive I would need as much information and preparation as needed. We walked together to the stables,
Reaching the place wasn't quite hard, as the stables were just about a few minutes of walk from the front gates of the castle, probably so it would be easy to reach them to grab a horse in case of emergency. Once inside, there didn't seem to be anyone else around, but Edwards told me it was okay to just go ahead since he was experienced with horses and I was the Lady around here anyways.
'I shouldn't abuse my power though.' I couldn't help but come to that thought, but I shrugged it off for now as I approached one of the many horses.
It was pitch black like a sky without stars with eyes about as red as mine. It immediately caught my eyes since it fit the description of Evelyn's to perfection. It was still young and he seemed to be behaving quite calm, the complete opposite of the wild beast that it was described as in the novel.
'Maybe it's because we're still not on time. I should take care of him before he gets too crazy...'
I looked over at Edwards and he smiled back, opening the gate to the small pen that it was currently resting inside.
"Go ahead, Milady. He shouldn't be aggressive." He explained, probably because the horse seemed unnaturally calm right now.
I gave him a nod before entering the pen and looking up at the horse. It had strong muscles and his frame was thicker than I thought it would be. When I reached up to pet him, the horse lowered his head, which made me smile a little. It was great to be treated kindly by animals after all.
"I really like this one." I said back to Edwards as I continued petting the horse.
"A mare huh? It certainly looks healthy even though she's got a few years on her. You seem to have a keen eye for horses, Milady. She could serve very well for you until you grow up."
'Wait...Mare? Then this is...Shadow's mother? Oh man, just what kind of stallion would be needed to make the beast that would be Evelyn's horse then?'
"Should I try to ride her then?"
"Hummm...I'm not so sure about that Milady. It would be for the best if we came back when the one in charge is working, don't you think so?"
"Alright. What is her name though?"
"Oh. Her name is Alphinea, but you should give her a nickname as well since you are going to be her rider for many years to come."
"I will think on a good one then...Though she does look like a shadow when standing in here beneath the shade."
"Then let's name her Shadow. It seems like an appropriate name since you suggested it, Milady."
I couldn't find the strength within me to resist Edwards' innocent smile, so I just nodded along and gave Shadow a few more headpats.
'I am so sorry, Author. I just couldn't resist and now I fucked up the chronology of Shadow...'
With that thought in my head, I decided to continue walking around the few streets that the fort itself offered. Maybe someday I would be allowed to go past the iron gates of the wall and into my proper home, but for now, I would have to settle with being inside.
'Oh right. I should also do some exercise if I want to survive the Count's beatings...'
Yet another gloomy thought pierced through my mind as I was reminded of what being at home really meant. And thus, my walk continued as saddened as Evelyn's once was.