"Dark magic? That would explain what you and Al saw but who would be capable of wielding dark magic? Surely she wasn't created from nothingness, this must've taken planning." The Empress spoke while massaging her temples.
"Your Majesty I believe that a mage tower has had a hand in this from the very beginning." I searched high and low for an answer in the past when the Imperial family was executed in cold blood by the fake.
"We need evidence, so far we have no evidence. The nanny that left for the temple with Eva came back with the fake, perhaps she too is being manipulated by dark magic?" The Empress's body sank deeper into the couch as she massaged her temples harder.
"May I ask what the princess's nanny's name was?" I asked the Empress.
"Her name's Anne Wilson, why do you ask?" she let out a slight sigh.
"Anne Wilson… Wilson? I don't recall a noble house that goes by the name Wilson…"
"You wouldn't, they were destroyed before the current Emperor came into rule, they were once a proud marquis family that followed and supported the Crown Prince of every generation." She explained and I saw a wave of sadness wash over her facial expression.
"Why were they destroyed?" The Prince asked his curiosity at its peak.
"The Crown Prince at the time disliked the current Emperor who was the second Prince, instead of supporting the Crown Prince the Marquis pushed for the second Prince to inherit the throne. The Crown Prince falsely accused the Marquis of treason, Anne is the daughter of the only surviving member of the Marquis of Wilson." The Empress explained as simply and plainly as she could, perhaps in consideration as we were both children.
"Would she not be capable of holding a grudge against the imperial family then, enough to be a part of whatever the mage tower has planned?" I asked wondering why she didn't suspect Anne Wilson.
"She did… She started working in the palace as a maid for vengeance, that was when I was pregnant with Eva but she understood that the person who had ruined her family was not the current Emperor but the past Crown Prince. When she saw Eva for the first time she vowed to protect her and help raise her. Anne would never voluntarily do anything to harm Eva." The Empress was rarely so adamant about anything, as an Empress her job was to remain fair and unbiased to everybody and every situation.
"Could that not have been an act? What made her change her mind about revenge so fast?" I asked more to myself than anyone else.
"She made a magical vow, a vow to never bring harm to Eva if she had broken it, she'd be dead, or at the very least she'd be hurt. Anne staying by the side of the fake is probably another reason why the Emperor so strongly believes that the fake is our Eva." There was not even a single ounce of hesitation in her conjecture.
"Could Anne not be Anne? Perhaps she has a twin? Or she's made entirely of magic?" I threw another hypothesis onto the table.
"She's an only child and her mother passed away right after her birth, her father is living out his days as a widowed fisherman. As for being made of magic… I highly doubt it but she wasn't like her usual self when I last saw her, she seemed more absent." The Empress recalled.
"More absent? How? In what way?" I was intrigued.
"The usual Anne would've noticed the change in Eva almost instantly, there is no way she wouldn't have, Anne recognizes shoelaces that don't belong to Eva that was how dedicated she was, to Eva she was another mother." she closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch, breaking the prior elegance and composure perhaps desperately searching for any clue that she could grasp.
"Your Majesty… If I may pry, why did you choose to send the Princess and her nanny Anne alone to the temple? Were there no knights who could leave as an escort?" My question left the Empress in a stance, perhaps her eyes were filled with regret or even longing.
Her eyes were a deep golden shade, one she obtained upon becoming a life partner with the Emperor they reminded me of Raven. Raven had a fiery red iris but unlike the stereotype her red eyes brought me joy, to me she was the loveliest human I had ever met, so lovely I wished to simply exist in her light… Only to watch the light swallowed by the shadows that lurked around her the whole time.
'This time… This time I will at the very least chase away those shadows so she can shine brighter than any star. I will clear the way for her… I swear it on my name and honor.' I thought getting lost in longing.
- - -
"Rein your shoulders are too stiff, I told you to wield the sword not let it carry you," I spoke as I readjusted his footing to help him balance better.
"Reuben open up your stance more, you're gonna concave into yourself." Reuben understood what I meant even before I had to physically correct him, he readjusted his posture, trying to remember what I had been teaching him for the past few hours.
"Alright let's take a 30-minute break, if you wish to see your affinity to magic don't forget to come to the library after washing up and getting some rest," I spoke as I walked to the bathroom to take a quick shower and headed to the library.
"Reuben, where are the remaining books on magic and mana located?"
"Oh let's go together, we can bring them all to the desk," Reuben replied as he lead the way towards the back of the library, and in a corner, there were 5 thick books on magic theology and spells.
"We could always sell a few of the books in this library after we're done using them, in case we run low on money," I spoke already thinking of ways to create any little stream of income possible.
"What are your plans from here on out? Surely it's not to play house." Reuben asked as he put down the books on the desk in the middle of the library roughly going through the contents and pilling the beginner books off to one side.
"My first goal is to create a guild and slowly exterminate all those that are involved in the black market as well as dark magic my final goal is to stop the forced consumption of monster crystals in the name of experimentation," I spoke while going through the books together with Reuben.
"… You sure we can do all that? I mean what happens if things go awry? We could be putting everyone in danger." He spoke expressing his worries over my decision for the first time since we met.
"What's going awry?" Rein asked walking in with Carl and the two girls from Section B.
"Vee plans on opening a guild and going up against dangerous people most likely nobles who won't like their easy money being cut off," Reuben explained.
"Opening a guild? That sounds both awesome and tiring, either way, I'm alright with whatever as long as I don't need to pick up a quill pen and paper." Rein spoke brushing off Reuben's worries.
"Reuben, I understand your worries but I promise you I won't let anything dangerous happen to you or any of the children here. If they wish to join I won't stop them but if they want nothing to do with my plans, I won't force them either." I reassured Reuben while patting his back.
"Mas… Ahem I mean, you're going to form the guild already?" Carl asked in more of a whisper.
"Yes, this time I'm going to use the guild to do good, I'm using it to reunite the orphans with their parents and vice versa. I want to give them a chance to grow up with their parents and a chance to change their life." I whispered back while everyone else in the room was preoccupied.
"Is that why you're going out of your way to teach all of them basic swordsmanship, magic, and literacy?"
"Literacy is the most basic thing that belongs only to humans, these children were stripped of their identity and a chance at life, if I simply let them go they won't be able to survive. I just don't want any more unnecessary sacrifices." I spoke while gazing out of the window, remembering all those that were once lost to time.
"Mas… Vee, I will always stand by your decisions and always be a good subor… I mean friend yes a good friend." I chuckled at Carl's efforts to fix the way he addressed me and himself.
The children started piling into the library, the once spacious place seemed so cozy. I couldn't help the smile that rose on my face as I watched the curious children anticipating their results, they had only ever heard of magic in story books that Miss Dandy would read them but to learn they too might be able to wield it had them looking at me with doe eyes.