The Noble families were riddled in mystery, glamorous, extravagised lavish interiors under sacred emblems encrusted at every corner were masks meant to hide this blatant truth. Below every mountain of success was a crimson river muddled in a pile of corpses where the liquid flowed over in endless streams, what every family had in common to one another was this unavoidably merciless act of cruelty.
To move forward was to step over something else, someone else.
In a bid for success, this act of cruelty was unavoidable, one might even call it necessary. Across the seemingly endless blankets of thick white snow, deep and darkened woodlands, were towering dark spires of obsidian color that spiraled to the endless sky's above. At its base was a castle that spanned for miles that mimicked its spires, only differing in the atmosphere of foreboding nature and a lovely blood red veil that silhouetted it as if standing ahead of a scarlet sunrise.
For as long as many could remember, far into the recesses of their earliest childhoods; they'd always enjoyed the sunrise and at some point in time, they'd even enjoyed it together.
Ludmilla Von Ludunhime was the second daughter and middle child of the Ludunhime family, a noble household of Viscount status. She'd known these walls for years, fifteen years of her life in fact or at least that was what the body she'd inhabited had experienced for all those years.
Ludmilla had acquired a grasp on what happened, it was quite obvious of course however the suddenness of it had dazed her logical thinking but the memories within the body she now inhabited as Second daughter and last child of the Ludunhime family had overlapped with her own. There were an innumerable amount of possibilities she'd cocked up in the few short moments after the experience but there was only one she felt made the most logical sense, the age of the body she'd possessed.
Ludmill—Crusch in her past life had been an excessive devourer of the fanatical and mysterious, there weren't tropes or plotlines within this catagory that she hadn't already seen and transmigration was something she was well acquainted with. Reincarnated characters were usually placed within the bodies of young new Borns and at the latest it was a child barely over four, something like memory integration wouldn't happen as in all likelihood the body had zero experiences to speak of but her's was different.
'This body's been alive for fifteen years after all' She mused.
The experiences and memories of her new body were vast and weren't negligible to the point that they wouldn't integrate with her soul, she shook her head and noticed that Melissa and herself had been stuck in a back and forth between her health and safety for quite a while and was helped up(although unneeded and unwarranted) and padded across her shoulders before the spectacles across her eyes were straightened and properly put in place, yes, unfortunately the new body she was in had a crippling visionary problem.
"Haaa" she sighed.
Unbeknownst to Ludmilla was Melissa's narrowing gaze, eyeing her from top to bottom her expression although kind and aloof on the surface was tirelessly at work in analysis to her young master's sudden change. Ludmilla stared at the mess of papers strewn across the ground and a memory flashed within Melissa's thoughts, it was brief but it was in direct contrast to the lively dark haired girl in front of her but that of a lifeless and hollow husk, barely recognizable the two were yet that had been an expression her young mistress had worn only a day prior from now. Melissa's mouth suddenly opened awash Ludmilla's scrutiny over the tendencies of her predecessor.
"Young Lady Ludmilla, did…something happen last night?" Melissa asked hesitantly as Ludmilla froze.
'Could she possibly have—'
Ludmilla glanced at Melissa, her gaze both gentle and concerned, it was the kind of concern born from a deep rooted sense of protection and perhaps…maternal instinct?
'ah..I get it now'
She remembered that this person and the previous owner of her current body had been quite close not to mention sister like, she suddenly understood why she looked so concerned as after all she'd pretty much inherited nearly every memory this body had to offer and even its worst moments. The part where the memories stopped integrating was of course at the point before she'd taken control of it and everything before that was her's to reminisce over.
'It seemed the Original Ludmilla had been upset over something…no.. its worse than upset, this is a deep seeded depression' she frowned for a moment however the expression was fleeting.
"I simply had a breakthrough in my latest research and was quite excited!"
"A breakthrough!?" Melissa seemed ecstatic with the excitement in her gaze practically palpable until it froze, "W-What do you mean by research?"
"Whatever else could I Mean Melissa?" She gestured to the papers all over the floor, "What I'm good at!"
Melissa stared blankly, exhaled in exasperation and shook her head, "right…"
'The Hermit of Ludunhime? You mean their last daughter?'
'Of course I do and don't talk so rashly…I hear the young master and Mistress can hear nearly everything in this building if they so please'
'Oh alright, alright but what about her?'
'Did the Hermit do something troublesome again?'
'Ha, you know how she is after a full night of no sleep, staggering and nearly forgot Melissa's face this morning'
'Haa, whatever will Ludunhime do with her'
'Truly an unfit bearer of that name'
Melissa shook her head and picked a few papers from the littered ground, gazing at its contents with much scrutiny.
'Little Ludy,...perhaps magic simply wasn't what you were born to do…'
She placed the documents gently in her hands before adding, "Please leave this all to me"