The mind of a child is far more complicated than what I had expected, or at least, mine is that complex. Even if my soul is older, the current version of my body and mind that is supposed to be almost non-existent is slowly overriding some of my aspects, mixing them unconsciously in a manner that only by comparison I can notice them.
Two days have passed since then, and there are still times where I find him somewhere in my mind... not because of some foolish crush of a young heart but because of the way he was able to persuade me so easily.
Not only that, but his demeanor is something that angers and that I envy at times, but that is merely a difference in power and opportunities, or at least that is what I want to believe.
"Lady Anneliese, I have brought news about what you had asked me." Marina knocks lightly on the other side of the door, awaiting my response. Being sincere to myself, this is one of the few times where I wish to be alone and not be bothered, but if I do not force myself to do it, it will remain on hold until forever comes.
"Come in."
The slender maid enters slowly and murmurs to someone behind her, where a taller figure followed her steps diligently until both arrived to the front of my desk. Marina bowed deeply with her usual calmness while the man that stood with her kneeled nervously, refusing to look into my eyes.
Am I really that frightful?
"Will you not present your guest?"
"Of course. This is my brother, Geralt, the one who actually remained in contact with the informants and the one who found them as well."
She points to the man of slender body just like her, but with slightly more average looks and dark short hair.
Her brother continued trembling as her prideful sister continued talking, be it out of fear or something else, I am sure the marquess is not the only person he got information about.
"You may rise and speak, Geralt, you are the star of the day, after all."
"Yes, your Benevolence, the Kindness of the Kingdom." The man stands, slightly shorter than Marina and with a hat on his chest, probably hidden as he knelt.
A sincere expression is overwhelming the energy around him, as if to tell that he is a good person and that above all, he will not lie.
"Despite being ominous and very careful to cover their tracks, my informants were able to find some information."
"Ominous? What do you mean by such thing?"
"That is..." Sweat drips from his forehead which he cleans quickly with a piece of cloth in the pocket of his jacket. "T—The Salvatti family rules over some lands on the south and despite it technically existing, there is no name or any other kind of identification, not even in the maps they show."
That would explain how I never knew about them in my past life, but it is still strange how much power they have over us.
"The region is completely covered in dense mist and the locals who live near it say that barely anyone lives there.
There were also enumerous rumours about them being the ones who started the mist with some kind of special power they have and that whoever enters becomes trapped and never leaves."
Geralt's report continued with rumours of the same type, claiming enumerous things that the Sallvati family has done, the only common trait being the presence of a strange power.
Due to a blessing of the Primal Deities to our ancestors, only those that come from nobility or royalty receive strange powers. In the past there were high cases of incest in order to maintain the powers pure, but after some time the nobles started to marry commoners or other nobles that attained such title through their achievements.
Nowadays it has become so diluted that we can barely do a third of what our ancestors were capable of, and thanks to that, no one is related to multiple families.
Until I obtain some more evidence, that is the only thing I can think of it being.
Obviously, however, I did not obtain such power, which is why I started to let myself become easily manipulated.
"About Viktor Sallvati."
Geralt's demeanor becomes quite more respectful after a pause, for the better as he has now realized for how long he has been talking.
"The marquess seems to be the current only heir of their house, and as such he was presented to nobility last year when he turned twelve years of age.
There seems to be a lot of mystery around him, but he seems to be charismatic and intelligent, some even dare call him a genius. However, the strange thing is that no matter the occasion, he never takes off his gloves, not even for eating... That is all for my report."
What is under the gloves, the burns of his skin, seem to be a secret even to those of higher class, which means he was not punished publicly by the king or his father and instead it was in secret where none would find the truth.
But now, what is the truth? The fact he showed them to me is enough to consider it his token of trust, but the reason as for how he became like that... "A punishment..." As he called it, but I am still missing the why that happened.
"Ex- Excuse me, your Benevolence?"
It seems my muttering was loud enough to bother the poor man's mind with fear. Bothering about the Marquess should not be my priority for now, I should just put it to the side for the time being.
"I was just talking to myself, do not worry Geralt. But I do have another question."
"What may it be... your Benevolence, the Kindness of the Kingdom?"
Strange. Something in my mind feels different, my body too, but I can't tell what it is. My eyes are too wide, why am I looking so much at Marina's brother? For some reason I feel the need to be up close and personal with him, almost as if I was threathning him.
"That was not the only information you got, was it? I am sure you also searched some things about me."
I can feel the corners of my mouth stretched, but I do not remember when I started to smile so frantically.
"N-Not all, your Benevolence, I would never—!"
Marina stomps her foot right next to her groveling brother, warning him to speak truthfully. Whether it was to protect her or not, one would consider this mild treason or something similar.
"I... I have heard some rumors and with worry, I also told them to search about your Benevolence. I am truly sorry..."
"Do not worry, I am not so weak to bothered by such thing... I just need to know what you obtained."
In truth, I was bothered. Way more than bothered at this point, but I could not show them this side of mine. I have not made anything inherently bad or similar, and yet they already talk behind my back while still young. This world really doesn't want me to win.
"Some said you are angelic and extroverted only for the appearances and that deep inside you like to torture peasants who treat you without enough respect. They also say you wish to be treated as an almighty goddess that punishes any who defies her."
"And who is they, Geralt?"
They are not that far from the truth sometimes, at least for now I would not mind doing some torture on them... But thankfully, I have decided to not do something like that, or else I would be in deep trouble.
"The guards... Many commoners hear guards with an eagle emblem on their armor boasting loudly about such things in the taverns at night."
An eagle emblem.
My older brother's emblem, correspondent to his power... So it was him who started to give me problems so early in my life.
The power of our family is called «Creaturis», the power to control creatures, monsters or not, but just because he conquered the skies with his aerial creatures that he became able to subdue, Julius became overconfident and obviously Noctur also preferred him even more.
If I remember correctly, however, I believe he had a secret that could have made him lose his succession rights, but apparently he was able to clear any evidences he had.
"Geralt, do you have any information about my older brother Julius?"
"The only thing that I have heard is that those guards brag about having the leftovers of a royal. Nothing else, your Benevolence."
How laughable, he would never share something as important to him as his food. Only obligated, and even then he would make an obvious face of disgust.
No guard would be happy with leftover food either, so the answer is quite obvious. Slaves. That is why he had always requested the king to reconsider his abolishment of slavery...
What a bunch of bastards, my siblings.
"You may leave now, Geralt. Take this bag, it should be enough to pay them for now and the future."
I throw him a bag filled with gold coins, twenty to be exact, something that could easily sustain a family of five for ten years if spent properly.
The man leaves hurriedly after his greetings, only leaving his sister and me in the room.
"My lady, may a question?"
"Go ahead, Marina."
"I apologize for the disrespect, but why... are you smiling so ominously?"
Even I haven't noticed my expression, there is no way to do it without a mirror, but something in the way she words it tells me that there is something more.
Even I wonder why such a thing is happening, it is as if I have barely any control over me, but at the same time it feels right to be like this.
"I just... found an answer. Marina, prepare a meeting between me and my brother Julius."
She must not believe me, an eleven years of age girl behaving so ominously as she puts it, but also like an adult.
I feel sorry if she starts being scared of me, but this might be what it takes for me to do something about my future.
While this sensation is still active in me, I need to take full advantage of it and persuade the opposition.