If this is what it felt like going into war, then Aether would gladly say he would never do this again.
His father sat at the end of the table, sipping idly on what he assumed was tea. His mother sat to his father's right, her gaze was piercing as she glared at him with obvious displeasure. His brother sat to the left of his father and next to him was his sister who despite his entrance was eating her food like nothing had happened.
"Aether, it was about time you joined us, sit." His father didn't even need to gesture for a maid to come up to the seat next to his sister and pull it out for him. Aether gave a small nod to the maid and sat next to his sister.
He glanced at his new sister, his body slightly tensed. 'Why didn't she look at me? Did I do something wrong?'
He didn't have time to think as a plate of steaming food was placed in front of him. The smell alone was something to die for. He hadn't eaten anything warm since coming into this world and despite knowing that his entire family was watching his every move, he couldn't restrain himself from digging into the food.
'It's so good~'
"Why is he here?" The sharp voice brought him out of his good mood. He paused mid bite and glanced at his mother sitting across the table. She was just as beautiful as the novel had said, but her curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes did nothing to ease the overwhelming aura coming from her. He couldn't help but stare at her and notice how much she stood out amongst the family of five. Her hair and eyes were a cruel reminder of her place in this household. An outsider.
It was a statement in the book that was glanced over by the first born prince when he was choosing who to pursue. It was a fact that everyone in the Soline Kingdom seemed to know. Those who marry into the Frenzel family will never live up to the potential of the Frenzel family, but their children will. To some, the idea of being not good enough no matter what was enough to deter them from even thinking about marrying a Frenzel, but to others the opportunity was too good to pass up. He could only imagine the women that went after his father with the idea that their children would have a higher status in the world, but ultimately failed in the end.
Cecilia Frenzel, his new mother, was described as a deadly beauty. Not only was she highly sought after as a marriage partner, but she was also incredibly powerful. In a way, it made sense that his father would pick her to be his wife. After all, Erik Frenzel wanted nothing more than to be the most powerful Frenzel and what better way than to have a wife who could mentally and physically stand by his side for longer than one child.
"Our youngest has proved his usefulness as a Frenzel. He will be joining us from here on out." His father emphasized the word 'our'.
"I see." his mother placed her cup of tea down and stared him down. He swallowed under the pressure. "I was unaware of such a development." She turned towards Aether and with a mocked attempt to look interested and confused she said, "Tell me when did you find such talents?"
Aether held his own under the overwhelming pressure. With a strained smile he hoped looked real on the outside he responded,"Last night."
She hummed at his response and turned back towards her husband, "You didn't think that I should know of such changes with our child?"
His father placed his tea down, an ominous aura enveloping the room as he did so. "Oh? I didn't think you would care. You never paid attention to our youngest, so why would I let you in on any changes regarding him?"
Scoffing, she said, "The same can be said about you? Since when did you care about our youngest? Hm?"
"Since last night." His father was quick to respond.
Aether frowned at the response. A sharp pain radiated in his chest and he couldn't help but grasp at his shirt as if trying to comfort the previous soul. 'How sad it is that your parents didn't even care about you until you proved useful.'
His parents went on with the conversation, not noticing his discomfort at all. "If he has talents then his use for the household will be...appreciated, but only if his talents are useful." The jab to his non abilities didn't go unnoticed.
His father laughed, "Hahaha! His talents, ha! They are way more useful than you could imagine. This," He pointed to Aether, "will be far more useful in other categories that our other two children don't excel in."
There was a loud clunk and Aether jumped. His sister had let her utensils fall onto the plate, they clattered to the floor and a maid ushered over to grab them. Another maid quickly replaced them. She raised her head and looked at him. Her calm demeanor worried Aether. Unlike his idiotic brother, he couldn't tell what she was thinking.
Aria Frenzel was the only girl in the Frenzel household and with that brought many challenges. In the novel, she was one of the only Frenzel's to be talked about on more than one occasion due to her being a potential love interest to the first born prince. She was described as on par with the heroine when it came to appearances, but to Aether, his sister might be even more beautiful than her. She had long silver hair that was tied back into a ponytail. Her face was elegant and pale, it kind of reminded him of his face, which silently worried him on the inside, but he pushed that thought away for now. She looked softer, but the cold glare in her eyes said otherwise.
Aria Frenzel was only sought after by the first prince as a potential bride because of her unique appearance and her unique ability. Despite being a Frenzel she has been dealt an unlucky hand since birth. One of her eyes had been blue, while the other was the usual bright red. To make matters worse her first ability to show was water, just like her mother. To outsiders, the fact that Aria had taken after her mother instead of her father made them believe that the gift given to them by the spirit was finally coming to an end.
This caused everyone to see her as a tool for marriage and nothing more.
Of course that all changed after her unique ability appeared, but the damage had already been done. Where there once was a nice girl, now stood a fierce and cold girl who wouldn't bend to anyone's whims.
He could see it now in the way she calmly observed him.
"Father, mother." She spoke up, her voice soft and calm. A voice that would otherwise sound nice to the ears, but only made him feel like she was lacking any emotion.
"Yes." His father raised an eyebrow; obviously this was not a common occurrence.
"May I check his string?"
Those words brought shivers down Aether's spine. 'What the hell!' He internally cursed. He wanted nothing more than to leave the table, but he couldn't just leave! If he did they would question why he was leaving, especially right after Aria asked such a question. He would seem suspicious.
"Hmm," his father hummed, "Well I don't think there will be anything different, but if you want to then go ahead." His father gestured to Aether and Aether cried inside.
"Hand." Was all Aria said as she peered at him. Her eyes were just as cold as her voice.
Aether hesitantly gave her his hand. He flinched at the contact, her hands were ice cold. Rationally he knew nothing would happen. His string would be the same as it was before. After all, he had no ability so the outcome should be the same.
Yet, for some unknown reason he was still worried.
She placed her finger against his wrist and closed her eyes. The room was tense as she worked silently. Her fingers moved every now and then, like she had found something interesting and was chasing after it, then she would pause and move on. Those few minutes felt like death to Aether. Waiting for a verdict from his sister brought too many worries for his liking.
"Hmm." She hummed and opened her eyes. Without batting an eye she let go of his wrist and resumed eating her food.
"Well?" His father asked.
"There was nothing alarming, nor anything...unchanging." her eyes squinted just a bit as she spoke, as if she were debating something serious while talking. Her strange behavior didn't go unnoticed by Aether nor did it go unnoticed by their father.
"I see. We will speak after breakfast."
"Understood."
Aether glanced down at his hand. His heart was racing. Something was wrong, he just couldn't figure out what. 'I have no abilities so the string couldn't have changed color. If it's not the string changing color then what could it be?' Araia's abilities were interesting even in terms of unique abilities, but her unique ability could only do so much.
Aether cast her another glance then resumed eating. 'It's best to avoid her for now.'
The rest of the breakfast passed quietly, until the end. "Bert, grab my coat." His father stood up, Leon following suit shortly after.
"Oh? Are we heading somewhere today?" His mother piped in, she too had stood up a maid quickly coming to her side.
"Yes, I have a previous engagement with the King today." His father said casually as he snapped on his coat with ease and pulled on some gloves.
Her eyes narrowed, "Over the agreement?"
"Yes." His father smirked, "I have won our little agreement, so he will be owing us."
She let out a laugh, smirking just like her husband, "Make sure you get what we are owed."
"Of course." He dusted off his coat, "I'll ring out as much as I can. To the point where those other nobles won't be able to say a damn thing when it comes to our decisions."
"Perfect."
"Bert, get Aether a coat." He looked at Aether up and down before adding, "a warm one, he will need it." His nose scrunched up as he spoke.
Aether gave his father a quizzical look. 'Ah, fuck. Don't tell me I'm going as well.' He silently laminated as Bert pulled him up and started to button a semi big coat on him.
"Will our youngest also be joining you on this journey?" His mother was watching his every move as he got dressed.
"Of course. Since he helped in solving the little issue." He gave his wife a squeeze on her shoulder, "his presence will just confirm that the Frenzel household is not one to mess with even if they do not have any abilities."
"I see."
"Father." Aria spoke up, "I would like to talk to you before you leave." Aether glanced over his shoulder. Everyone had already gotten up from the table, but Aria remained seated, her eyes facing forward.
"Of course. Leon, take your brother to the carriage."
Leon nodded and grabbed onto Aether's shoulder, escorting him out of the room before he could protest.
Aria did not move until the door to the dining room was closed and the sounds of footsteps could no longer be heard. She gazed at her father. "There was something strange with Aether's string." She calmly stated.
Erik and Cecilia stopped what they were doing, their heads snapping in her direction. "His string? How so?" her father asked.
Aria did not answer right away. She turned her head facing her father straight on, "His string used to be pitch black like it was dead, but now it is a light shade of gray."
"Gray?" Erik repeated, a complicated look on his face.
"As strange as that is. We can not determine what that means as of now." Her mother intervened before her father could get his hopes up, "We have never dealt with a non-user before him, for all we know the strings turning different colors could be a normal occurrence for them."
Her mother had a point, but that was not what concerned her. Aria hesitated once more, "The strings, they were strange." Aria couldn't explain what she had seen and her parents recognized that.
"Aria." Erik spoke up, his tone serious, "From now on, whenever you get a chance check his strings. Make sure they aren't changing and if they do, bring him home immediately."
"Understood." She took another sip of her tea and watched as her parents left. Once they were gone she stood up and headed to her room. A couple of maids followed her, but she waved them away and went into her room alone.
Her room was on the larger side, but despite the size it was rather plain looking. A single large bed, a desk and chair for studying and a couple of bookshelves were placed in strategic areas of the room. The only pop of color in her room were the dark red curtains covering the windows and the red bedding with pink accents on her bed.
Other than a few mandatory paintings that her father and mother insisted be placed in her room, there were no decorations. She passed by her bed, by her desk and passed the bookshelf, stopping when she stood in front of the far side wall. She glanced at it for a moment then moved her hands in a circular motion.
A string of blue lights appeared. They flashed and quickly vanished. The wall before her was gone and in its place a small dark room filled to the brim with blue pillows and blankets. The walls were covered in strange symbols that glowed in the darkness and on the ceiling were paintings of stars and moons.
She stepped into the room and closed her eyes.