Today is Charlize's birthday.
She calmly boiled the wax and poured it on the letter. She pressed a stamp on the red wax and waited. After taking the stamp off she could see the seal of her family. She painted the letter with a brush colored in gold.
〈Application for the Royal Master〉
As it was sealed, she just needed a paper knife. Charlize made up her mind. She's not going to submit it now. Now is not the time. She decided to keep it inside her pocket.
"My life is yours."
She looked at the portrait of the Grand Duchess. She put the chrysanthemum on the table. White leaves fell onto the ground.
"I'm here to inform you."
No one among the family came to celebrate Charlize's birthday. No messages for celebration. Char wasn't disappointed as she never wished. She cherished the Grand Duchess alone.
"Shall the road I chose be the road to observe the abyss of the monster."
The one who observes the abyss of the monster. Be aware. The monster may as well observe the abyss inside of you. The road she chose for revenge was the road of destruction. A road of corruption and barbarism where respect and morality could not be seen.
She appeared too beautiful to be a person who would become a monster.
"Although my life is yours, I'll follow you after I get things done my way this time."
Charlize was told to be the one who resembled the Grand Duchess the most. Her dark blue eyes greatly reflected the brilliant light of the lamps. Someone who dreams is beautiful and strong. That's how Charlize was. She was extraordinary unshaken. She stepped back a step and admired herself with her eyes closed. It was admiration that she would no longer be a normal mortal being.
"I'm the beautiful one."
While the knight who was guarding the room, he took a glance at the side of her face and observed her. He saw calmly closed her eyes. She appeared demure as a Saint. Her hands were held together and she recited aprayer for the blessing. Her long hair was dreamlike and her white skin seemed mysteriously transparent. She was like an angel. But no one expected that right now, all Charlize was thinking was the destruction of the empire.
"…"
Charlize closely raised her head. The bright smile of the Grand Duchess in the portrait remained the same. The Grand Duchess was the esteemed daughter of a Baron. That smile was the main reason for the rise in nobility status. Everyone said they resemble each other but she always felt strange every time she saw the portrait. She quietly left the room.
"Uhh…"
She then looked at the knight. He was the knight who had dropped the sword in the hallway.
"Happy….. birthday, My Lady."
What was this? All he said while trembling was congratulations. As they made eye contact, the knight blushed like a tomato and quickly ran away.
"I can't believe there's a person congratulating me on my birthday."
As Charlize never knew there's actually people who want to know her better, she didn't care and just walked through the hallway without thinking anything of it. But something surprising happened. There were three people walking on the opposite side of her. It was the Archduke and the two young masters. She naturally stopped walking.
Even though they haven't seen each other for a while, they were still cold to her. Of course, she wasn't expecting to receive any congratulations from them. As she didn't feel like talking to them, Charlize didn't stop walking. However, the second young master began talking to her.
"Charlize."
The only way she was able to recognize him was his hair color. Unlike the first young master whose hair is silver, he was blond. All of them had black eyes.
'What was his name?'
Charlize thought that as she gazed at them. After all the years that she had been seeking love from them, hundreds of years had passed and she almost forgot their name.
"Why don't you exchange greetings?"
What could it be? Before her return, Charlize would always exchange greetings to every family member. Of course, no one would give her an answer. Before, she tried her best to smile brightly and shake their hands. They would only pass by giving her a cold look. The Archduke was always cold to her and the first young master was cold as well. Although, the second young master seemed to care about her from time to time.
"It's no use talking to you."
She calmly answered back. Because this was strange, the Archduke twitched his eyebrows. His daughter's twinkling eyes which was full of love, became cold instead.
She always wanted to get his attention. She would struggle to be praised at least once. That's also the reason why she started to practice swordsmanship. However, Charlize just passed by and said that it's no use talking to them.
"…"
The second young master's heart started to beat irregularly. He was upset by her change. Why isn't she begging for my attention? As the love which she displayed was no longer there, he was now missing it. As they felt a bit frustrated, even the first young master who was never shaken turned back. Charlize continued to ignore them and kept on walking.
She moved into a new room. Firing the maids wasn't the only thing she did after her return. First, she left the old and uncomfortable room and moved to the new comfortable guest room. After firing the maids, there's been a rumor spreading in the Ronan family. The lady seemed to be acting differently than before. Now, no one treated her poorly. Also, the head maid was struggling to earn Charlize's trust.
"I will make sure the new maids will behave."
"How?"
"I'll make sure you won't experience such discomfort, My Lady."
Charlize started to control the Archduke's family. That's because she had power over them despite the bad relationship with her family. She gained the power to order them around as if she was the master. The new maids hired had gone through strict orders from the Head Maid. They were very respectful and polite towards Charlize.
"Please tell me if you need anything."
"Give me a cup of tea and…"
Charlize looked at the maid.
"A comfortable mat."
"As you command, My Lady."
The maid soon brought a cup of tea and a mat. She spread the mat on the floor. Warm sunlight came into the house. Charlize drank the tea. This was the last time for her to relax. The scent of the tea was fragrant. The maid stepped outside. The door was shut. Now, she was finally left alone.
She created a boundary where no one could disturb her. It was time to make the mana circle.
'Mana circle.'
Charlize felt the mana circle surrounding her heart. It was still a form of a red fog. The color was dark. To make it light, she needed to do this thousands and millions of time. She would need to become enlightened and the color become transparent. She was already so powerful that no one could fight her in the continent. But to be exact, her potential was powerful. Charlize had the potential to use the mana limitlessly. But in order to use it, she must first make the mana permeate into her heart.
'I can do anything.'
First, she sat down on her seat. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Let the body relax. Concentrate on the flow of the air and look inside herself. Keira was the Sword of the Emperor. And the Emperor was always powerful. She could always see the Emperor creating the mana circle with her own eyes. Even though the Emperors in her memories were enemies who she wanted to kill, now they became her teachers. She cleared her mind and concentrated. Sweat was trailing down her forehead. Her legs and arms were shaking. The back of her neck was starting to become painful.
It wasn't boring though, the pain drove out her boredom.
"Not bad."
She thought casually.
Time passed endlessly. Of course, few days of concentration wouldn't open her mana core. The first time Charlize could make use of mana was after a whole week. This in fact, was amazing compared to other people. After the training, she would be exhausted but it didn't matter. Endeavor. That was the word Char liked the most.
'I don't even know how much time passed anymore.'
It was because she had already gone through hundreds of years. A day felt so short to her. A week would pass in a blink of an eye. A year was the same to her. Compared to her determination after the return, what Charlize had done was quite simple. For two years, Char barely left the castle. However today, it would be the start of her revenge on the Empire.
"Is it true she won't come back after entering the imperial palace?
"She said so. She even told me to clear everything in her room."
The maids started to whisper anxiously. As always, her family wouldn't even come out to wish her farewell. But, Charlize showed no hesitation or reluctance about leaving anyway.
"I took care of all your belongings, My Lady."
"Let's take our leave."
Now Charlize would be officially living in the Imperial Palace. She had been preparing thoroughly. As she had been training mana by herself, she was close to becoming a master. But, she never showed her skills in swordsmanship. That would be too conspicuous. So, the road Charlize chose wasn't to become an official knight but is to become an honorary knight on account of her background.
'The first thing and the last thing I'm going to receive from my family.'
She decided not to hate her family from now on. The most important thing was her revenge on the Royal Family. Soon, she arrived at the Imperial Palace. As Charlize showed her employment certificate, she easily passed the guards. She was then guided by a maid.
"The Thirteenth Prince is waiting for you."
Charlize ignored all the attention she received and kept walking with grace. The boy who would become her student, the man who will become the lord, and the tyrant who will bring his kingdom to ruin. The man who will become her pawn in her chess game. Her cold heart started to beat fast.
The door opened. The first step towards her revenge just began.