If there's something I gathered with my four past lives more than trauma, it was crucial information.
And when you live about as long as I did, you began to realize that information is power, thus, those who possess it have more power than those who don't. I've lived in three different Kingdoms and in a Empire, long enough to know that they all have one thing in common, aside from being shitheads and psychopaths, and that is: spies!
It's not wrong to say that there are piles of spies infiltrated in every Kingdom, from all the Kingdoms. Said that, this is something I am aware back from my very first life. And though back there I only knew about our spies, now I know better. Not just better, as I know more than they do.
I was once the concubine of the King of Thornbury, later the wife of the Crowned Prince of Montara, and lastly I became the mistress of the Emperor of Astrophel. Traumas aside, that allowed be to be in a higher position enough to know the faces of the spies they had infiltrated in the major places, and my Kingdom was one of the places in questions.
After all, it were those damned spies that told my previous in-laws about me, and it ended with me being sold to them.
Not only them, but I'm also aware of who are the spies Roman's Kingdom have in both my Kingdom, and the others, as he was always with them when he invaded each of the territories with his army, at 16.
Well, he was 16 years old when I was 13; nevertheless, in my 3rd life, when I died at 25, he was already 28. Light years more powerful then when I'd met him before. The legendary tales of the genius of the century who became a Knight at 14 traveled wider enough to reach my ears way before I had first met him.
I have them all frozen in my mind. Every single spy I laid my eyes on, especially those from the Nebelhain Kingdom, as I encountered them in all of my lives. Thus, I was aware that my martial arts and swordsmanship master from my past life, who taught me about the underground tunnels system of Alderidge, was a spy from Nebelhain. That's why I chose him to teach me in my past life, when Rigel allowed me to learn it.
It was a calculated action, so I could run away. And it worked. My mistake was aiming for a small town on the continent, instead of going after Roman. Not this time.
This time around, I'll use what I know to get what I want. Nevertheless, to get in fair contact with the spies of Nebelhain, I'll need information they cannot get alone. And it was with that in mind that I had the brilliant idea of deciding to stay dead silent, to a point that everybody would firmly believe I'm mute.
No one acts defensively near a mute. Way opposite to that. They spill all of their dirtiest secrets and plans, sure that nothing will happen since the person they are confining in is unable to utter a word about it.
If I can't say a word, neither complain of how they are acting towards me, everyone will, one hundred percent, act naturally. They won't see a need to put up a façade, and will show their true colors, carelessly. They will show me their strengths and weaknesses regardless.
Neither will they be wary of me. Making my presence almost invisible to them, since they won't care if I'm there or not, as they will not see me as a threat to them in any way. The same goes to my siblings, since I won't be seen as a threat anymore, because no one would make a mute a Queen, no matter how much she looks like her ancestors.
I'll successfully become a wallflower. The perfect spy.
And that was all that was going through my mind as I was being given birth to, again. I didn't let out a cry, not even one. With my double-colored eyes, I stared at Aura, Selene's maid-in-waiting who was carrying me in her arms, worrisome taking over her features. "Why isn't the Princess crying?" Laurel, the other maid asked, scared.
"My… my baby. Is she alive? Tell me she's alive," Selene cried.
"She's alive, Your Majesty," Carlson Abel, the physician who took care of me and my siblings in my past lives spoke, coming closer to me, and I frowned at him, annoyed with his face. "She just isn't making a sound!"
Mother let out a squeak, "Is she disabled?" Her tone was terrified.
They all shared a glance before turning their worried gazes to me again, "Disabled?" Carlson gulped. "No, Your Majesty. I believe she's just a quiet baby!"
"Even quiet babies cry, Abel!" She yelled desperately and tried to sit down, but Laurel made her stay still. "I can't give birth to a disable kid. Let me see her!" She yelled again. "Let me see my daughter, Aura!"
Biting her bottom lip, Aura brought me to her and I stared deep into my mother's eyes, still refusing to utter a sound. "She looks like the Late King, Your Majesty!" The female said softly.
Selene kept staring at me, as if I would start crying if she gave me that ominous stare I'm already used to. "Speak. Cry. Make a sound," she screamed at me, but I didn't even flinch, even less cried as she probably intended me to. No, I smiled. A good and old toothless baby smile, but without a sound, giving her the opposite effect to what she expected. "She's broken," she gasped, and pinched my nose softly. "Broken and with my nose."
"Is she born?" Rigel, my father, came inside with curious eyes.
Mother bit her bottom lip, "Yes, but she isn't making a sound, my love. She didn't cry. But she's very much alive. And when I tried to make her cry, she smiled at me," she clenched her jaw and stared at me. "I think she's broken."
He chuckled loudly, "Is she beautiful?"
"Yes! She has father-in-law's hair and eyes. I mean, one of them. Each of her eyes have a different color, she's peculiar to look at, but in a beautiful way," mother stared from me to my father and chuckled anxiously. "But she's a mute!"
Rigel leaned closer and gave a soft pinch on my chubby cheeks, and I turned my gaze to him, "Father's hair and right eye, and grandma's left eye. They would be delighted if they saw her," then he glared at me intensely. "Come on, baby, if you speak, you might become the next Queen after us, having so much Royal blood in you."
"Make a sound," mother begged. "Just a little cry."
I don't feel like it. It's not like they would make me the next Queen even if I made a sound. I know that for experience. They would just sell me at 11 years old, using my beauty to their personal gain. I was stupid to fall for their trap before, but not this time.
"Aye, how can it be that the one with the most Royal blood in her is disabled," mother cried. "A Queen need to speak. She can't be in power if she can't utter a single word. What do we do, my love?"
"She's beautiful, sweetheart. Many man in power want a wife to be as gorgeous as she'll probably turn out to be, and who isn't talkative. As long as she can bear a heir from them, we can make a bargain with one of the strongest Kingdoms, even with one of the Empires. Besides, she's still our daughter," he grinned. "Any of them would want to have a heir from one of our children, since they are all magically gifted."
Go, Rigel, show the shitty father you are from your core.
I'm not surprised in the slightest, as I've heard this talk before. The only difference was that I never acted as a mute.
Rigel proceeded to kiss her fondly on the lips and I did my best to hide my scowl of disgust. "What lacks for us is military strength. She can be of use for us on that," that ain't happening is this life! "The more Royal blood she has in her veins, the more magic she'll possess. She may be useless regarding being a mute, but there are other things to concentrate on. Look at when she was born, she's a round 8 in everything."
My mother licked her lips, "But, my love, she won't be able to perform very well on magic, as we need to say the incantations out loud." She's right on that. "Though, she indeed must be blessed by our Gods!"
Blessed my ass. More like fucking cursed!
Furthermore, I was never a good magician in any of my past lives, I tried in the first two, it was a helpless attempt. I did, indeed, always had a big amount of magic in my body, thanks to my bloodline, as the Alderidge are known as the strongest clan of magicians out of the three continents. Nonetheless, I was never the most skilled on it, and that's a reason why I was so bullied in my childhoods.
To his credit, Aiden Astrophel was the only one who tried to help me on it, the abuse aside. He recognized the power laying within my core, and that's why he tried so hard to have children with me. Aiden was dead set on me bearing his heir, so he would be incredibly gifted in magic.