It's been a week since I woke up with my nanny, Wendy well and alive, and my father, the Grand Duke of Wisteria, Aether Khalid Argyros, the warlord of the Hestia, who just came back from leading the imperial knights to clean up the monsters disrupting a nearby town.
This is bizarre.
I can see the auras again, every single person that catches my sight which is nothing new, but I can use my voice now.
I used to struggle forming even a coherent word but now I can speak what's on my mind freely, the only problem is my emotion and mind, I can remember my supposed future clearly yet my body right now sometimes act like a child which is beyond my control.
I can still remember everything I learned from my past life and previous modern life, everything that happened before from, when, where, who and what.
And Malina, my crazed killer, I'm sure I met her on one of my father's gathering, around next week, the same time my brother will be back for a break from the academy.
She's daughter of Baron and Baroness Birsha, residing on a small estate on far north east part of the Hestia, a distant relative of my father, a distant cousin.
I befriended her out of being a distant relative and for being a lonely child, not knowing why her aura is always green and ignoring the scent that reeks along it.
A few days ago the doctor who's exclusively hired too look after my condition, even before, Doctor Elise, was shock to hear my voice for the first time, every magic healing she tried never work as I remember, but now she thinks the last concoction of medicine she created and made me drink a week before I pass out and woke back up in this time, worked.
A boiled Perforate St. John's wort, kava, valerian and chamomile in holy water from temple, while a piece of aquamarine stone enchanted with father's water affinity placed on my forehead if the middle of a healing magic circle, which was a scary process for a child to take.
It wasn't supposed to work, I doubt it was the concoction.
It's definitely because I came back in this time.
"Althea Lucine Argyros." I almost jump in surprise when a huge figure standing behind me, spoke while reading my name that I wrote on the paper in a neat way.
"Daddy!" I look up and reach for his face as he hummed smiling warmly and lean down, kissing my forehead making me hum happily, I couldn't control my child self, might as well go with the flow with my emotions.
He lift me off the couch I'm sitting, taking the paper and book on the table and carry me all the way to his office table.
I've been sticking to him for the past few days he's at home, knowing he's busy with his duty as the Grand Duke, I started to hang around his office more, no one is suspicious since I've always been following my father around even before.
He put me on his lap as I snuggle close, kicking my shoes off to make myself more comfortable.
"Is your shoes uncomfortable?" dad asked as I nodded and rub my little feet against the arm rest, enjoying the texture of the seat.
I lean on my dad's chest just as someone knock on the door, he wrap his left arm around me, motioning for me to don't mind and carry on.
"Your Grace, the letters." Gilbert curtsied and announce as the old man enter with a warm smile as always with his aura same shade as Wendy's, pink like clouds.
He push a massive cart of field with piled up letters, putting it next to my dad's table.
"And a simple banquet for Lord Dritan is already settled for this weekend, the heir apparent is on the way now too right after he receive the letter and already cross the boarder from the west minister to capital, he'll make it on the day before." Gilbert added fondly as father hum and nod.
"And there are three carriages coming in the gate from the imperial family, for Lady Althea, it's the emperor." Gilbert said as if remembering just now, making me blink looking at him and my father after hearing my name.
Imperial family? Right now?
This wasn't the year I first met the Emperor though, it was when I was .
"Let's see what they need." my father spoke, and pick up my black shoes from the floor and put it back on my feet himself.
"Bear with it for a bit, daddy will get you new shoes later." he mumbled as I nodded obediently as I climb off him.
"Ump!" I squeal when he pick me up again, putting me on his left arm as I wrap my arms around his neck immediately out of fear of how high it is.
My dad just walk out of the room with Gilbert following us, going pass through the long hall.
Good thing my clothes are acceptable enough to receive guests, it's a pastel pink long sleeves floor length dress with white lace embroideries on the end of the skirt, my silver wavy long hair is just down and simple, just right for my age right now.
While my father on the other hand, is wearing his usual black trousers and white shirt, not caring about fixing himself up for the unexpected visitors, even so, my father always looks the best.
"His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Caesar Vittelius Augustus of Hestia." one of the men of the Emperor announce as my father groan, obviously bored and unamused which made me stifle a giggle knowing well how he gets along with the Emperor.
My father held the back of my head gently and hold me against his chest as I nuzzle against him.
"Etiquette, it's okay, just bow with me, you don't have to speak." dad mumbled as I nodded as he put me down and get me on my feet.
I fix my clothes a little, and stand on my father's right side, he only rolled his sleeves up, to show how displeased he is even more, only he can do this in front of the Emperor.
"Aether, you rascal." the Emperor sighed getting in and stop on his track when he saw me, all I can do is bow holding my skirt on a perfect angle that I've always done before, my father followed.
"Greetings, your Imperial Majesty." my father spoke as the Emperor cleared his throat.
"Rise." the emperor spoke formally, as I stand tall in my small stature, holding on to my father's right hand as he held mine tight enough.
"What made you visit this early, your majesty?" dad ask in a rude bored tone as the Emperor hum smiling brightly with his orange red aura which is the same as the current hue of my father's aura.
"I only wish for my goddaughter's health, you know that. I heard the news and run straight here right after I made sure you finish cleaning up the country of Luxem." the Emperor said genuinely with a slight tone of scolding my father who only rolled his eyes.
My father pick me up, I'm already getting use to it, as he lead us to the drawing room while the Emperor keeps on ranting about my father's absence for a week.
I watch the man with fire attribute, his hair is ash blonde, swept back with his crown sitting on top of his head, white and gold military uniform, and a fair skin but bit sun kissed looking compared to my pale self that never goes out, and that has a light ruby looking eyes that only the imperial family inherits by blood.
The emperor sighed and sit on the couch where the head of the family sits, while my dad take a sit across and still holding me as he sit me on his lap.
I know how their conversation will go already, this happened before too.
"Bringing the gifts for my daughter in law." the Emperor spoke just as expected, I pretended to not understand and look up to my dad who's aura turning into deep blood red.
"Emperor Caesar." my father muttered threateningly and hold me tight as the emperor lean on the couch casually with amuse expression.
"It's bound to happen, the crown prince of the empire, only daughter of the grand duke of Wisteria and Ilia empire's princess."
"As you can tell my daughter is not in condition to meet the qualifications as you wish." my father argued.
"But one of the magistrate made a slip of tongue about Lady Althea here, being able to call out for her father during your homecoming from the monsters expedition, she's not a mute as you informed me." the Emperor said unexpectedly making me blink and press my face against my father's chest who held my head as if hiding me.
"She lacks mana and has a weak soul from what the high priestess concurred when my daughter was born, she'll never pass the Sectre system by the time they call."
The Sectre System, an annual ceremony where everyone who reaches 12 years of age must come to the Sectre, a hall in the academy where my brother goes, to discover their attribute and scale their affinity and mana.
Before, due to lack of mana, I don't have anything, the giant marble stone only turn bright white with black smoke lurking around it which never happened before, everyone started calling me a cursed child, they never bother after treating me like I was impaired anyways so I was less of a threat to anyone.
But this, the Emperor never mention about me and my voice, this never happened before, I remember my father resisting the request and offering someone else in my stead, it was Malina, my distant cousin, as the candidate for the crown princess title.
"Did this old man's eyes capture the little lady? I have a son with exact eyes as mine." the Emperor said, catching me staring intently on his ruby like eyes while I was into deep in my head.
I flinch and feel my small heart racing in wary.
"You look exactly like Princess Diane." the Emperor spoke as my father tense at the mere mention of my mother, the late Grand Duchess of Wisteria, the person I've never met my whole life, she was sick while carrying me and passed away giving birth to me while my father was ending the war that time only to come back with her dead wife, as if sleeping, holding their crying new born daughter and a 4 years old son mourning along the duchy's people.
That's what I heard from Kiera, my previous maid who replaced Wendy after she was accused of treason against the duchy for allegedly poisoning me. I later on found out that Wendy was my mother's exclusive maid and childhood friend from the country where my mother came from, they're both hiding from the enemies that attacked my mother's country, mother was the crown princess of Ilia, Diane Lunette Gwenaelle, and Wendy helped her hide from the enemy while the war broke out and their families were all wiped out, my father found them when mother was helping the wounded civilians while disguising as a commoner, but father already figured that the attacker was aiming to kidnap mother for their king after she refuse the marriage offer, it's a well known tale in this country, my mother denounced as a war slave after her country was destroyed, was able to ran away with her devoted lady in the waiting, Wendy, who was daughter of a marquess, both rescued by father who gave them a chance to live a new life after disgusting nobles tried to get their hands on my mother.
Mother and father both fell in love deeply and there was nothing people could oppose, my father can wipe out the whole continent if he wants to, that's why even the Emperor couldn't do anything, not even a seal magic can stop my father who has the water attribute and somehow mastered the rest of the main attributes, mages in the dark tower obeys and respects him more than the Emperor as far as I remembered.
"We'll see at the Sectre, 7 years from now, if she is indeed as frail as you mentioned then I wouldn't hold the old promise made between the imperial family and the grand duchy." the Emperor spoke with an exhausted sigh, my father seemingly calm down, his aura switching to pure orange out of stress.
The Emperor take a sip the the tea which I didn't noticed was served on the table with snacks, I stared at the table out of my mind.
Father suddenly grab a lemon macaron and hand it to me as I hold it and look at him, he nodded motioning for me to eat.
I hesitantly eat, the sweet lemony cream macaron treat taste so good, as I focus on eating and pretending to ignore them while listening to their conversation.
All they talked about next is the trade that will happen next month, ships filled of merchants from different countries will visit the empire for public trades and the representatives will attend the Crown Prince's birthday and the hunting event that will happen the same day.
It's an eventful month just as I remembered.
But I never attended to any of those, I was only able to stay at home while my father and brother showed up for the sake of not being accuse of going against the Emperor.
Never the less, they were both always in good terms and peaceful.
"I'll be on my way, I have to see if the gates are now done being refurbished for the upcoming trade." the emperor spoke standing up as I glance with my eyes feeling heavy, sleepy from just sitting, listening and eating too much.
"I'll see you on your way out."
"You're so quick to respond to that Aether, what a cold hearted response to the emperor yet you're holding your doll like child so attentively." the emperor spoke in amusement as my father grumble standing up after the emperor while my father is still carrying me.
All I could think about is the homecoming of my brother.
I remember him coming home with the crown prince from academy, but I wasn't able to attend and just stayed in my room scared of seeing the aura surrounding the people.
No one knows I have this ability, even with a lack of mana, I have an ability that no one else has, I might be branded crazy if someone finds out.
Father and I send the Emperor on the way as the old man go, riding the imperial carriage with other two wagons behind and the imperial knights on their horses.
"Your grace, the presents from the Emperor are now being inspected by the head maid Doris and the nanny Wendy." Gilbert spoke in a hush as my father sighed and nodded, looking down at me and stroke my hair as I lean my head on his rough palm.
My father, he would always look at me from a distance, my existence reminds him of mother.
"Small replica of Diane." he mutter with an unreadable expression but his aura mix of blue and red.
He pulled me close to his chest and get back inside the mansion.