Faneia Akerse. A being—many feared in the Treon Kingdom and even the neighboring dynasties.
Nobody knew where she came from. But one fact was clear, she rose too quickly!
From a commoner to a Duke.
In the Treon kingdom, nobility was passed on by blood, bought by wealth, and shown by strength.
Faneia Akerse was someone who landed herself the title of Duke by displaying her strength.
However, people didn't fear her because of her strength, after all, many were strong in the noble circles.
What made others frightened of her was her eeriness.
A commoner, with no records of parents, siblings, or any blood relation for that matter, suddenly appeared in the capital of the Treon Kingdom—Stormwatch!
She swore loyalty in the name of the Tempest Goddess to the Kingdom. And finally, she became a pillar for Treon!
Why did she do all of this?
Nobody knew and this filled them with apprehension toward her.
However, this was not all.
19 years ago, she revealed she gave birth to a daughter.
Nobody knew who the father was! But it wasn't something too extraordinary.
Many noble women would have trysts occasionally. They chalked it off as nothing but women being women.
17 years ago, she gave birth to a son.
Now, this was… something that irked their interests. Who was the one impregnating her? They could push the blame on the first child as an accident but the second as well…?
However, the father of two children was like a myth.
Over the years Faneia had grown even colder. At one point, she dumped the huge mansion with thousands of servants, which was being run at Kingdom's expense, and moved into a small, quiet manor in the suburbs and raised both her children alone.
It was all too strange! What was her goal? Nobody knew. And that's what made everything even creepier.
As Kole gazed upon Faneia, she also sized him up with those red orbs of hers.
The chamber was dimly lit by oil lamps burning, affixed on the cold stone walls.
It was dark outside as a faint silver moonlight entered through the windows, bringing with it a gentle cool breeze.
Kole saw a woman who wore a dark embroidered gown, one leg over the other as she sat on the stool by the bedside.
Her massive juggers threatened to bust out any second.
The woman's long black hair was tied in a bun, though her red eyes differed from her children's dark ones.
Her skin was pale white, just like Kole's and Caroline's. She had sharp eyebrows and a thin angular jaw.
In his hazy state of mind, Kole matched the description of Faneia and subconsciously blurted out, "Mother."
He swear he saw her narrow her eyes for a moment.
Does she know?... Kole's heart skipped a beat and almost jumped out of his chest.
From the memories he extracted, he could tell Faneia was an odd woman.
He had no preconceptions like the previous Kole, as such he could distinguish something strange from what was supposed to be normal.
Glaring red signals his mind caught on—Where did she come from? Why does she have no relatives except Kole and Caroline? Who is/was her husband/lover? Why did she even swear loyalty to the Kingdom? It was all very strange.
What would such a person do if they learned their son has been replaced by a foreign soul? Honestly, Kole didn't even want to think about it!
As Kole's alarm rose, Faneia's face returned to her usual impassive expression.
The silence in the chamber rose.
"Where did you go?" She broke the stillness, her tone neutral with no ups and downs.
Kole breathed a sigh of relief.
He analyzed his memories and made an expression of thinking.
Luckily, his memories were complete, from the moment the previous Kole had gotten some semblance of self-awareness.
In the meantime, he examined himself and the room.
The bed he was lying on was soft.
He noticed he was covered in the quilt. However, his expression changed to one of puzzlement.
A gulp.
His eyes widened.
He was naked under the covers.
Letting out a breath of turbid air, Kole calmed himself as he remembered how "Banes" attacked the previous Kole.
Was I that badly hurt? Or maybe I was just ridiculously covered in grime and blood?... Kole thought, however, all he could gather was the fact that he was "mentally" attacked.
He threw those thoughts to the back of his mind.
"Hum." He cleared his throat, "Mother, I went to visit Alice. She had something special to show me that she brought from one of her adventures on the sea!"
Faneia tilted her head, she raised her hand, "Was it perhaps this?"
A small bead of marble lay in the middle of her palm.
Kole froze, his expression crumbling under her intense stare.
"Mum…"
"It is very dangerous of you to try to ascend before you turn 18." With her usual impassive expression, Faneia continued in a leveled tone "However, I did tell you I won't give in to your demands, and if you wish to achieve something do it on your own."
An imperceptible smile surfaced on her spotless face, "Although you still have a month before you turn 18, I will relent this time."
Faneia flipped her palm and the bead vanished. She stood up and walked toward the door, her heels clinking in sync with her footfalls.
"Take rest. I will oversee your ascendency tomorrow."
With that, her back faded in the corridor.
Kole exhaled and rubbed his temples.
For some reason, he felt like he was in front of an apex predator.
The aura around Faneia was strange but at the same time, he didn't feel any hostility.
It was similar to how the child of a tigress would feel.
No matter how much of a tyrant its mother is in the jungle, she wouldn't bare her claws at her children.
Soon, Kole's eyes fell on the sheets. He quickly dipped his head inside to check.
After a moment of hesitation, Kole leaned in the soft bed, as he muttered to himself, "Who undressed me?"