Chereads / The Story of Rhodan / Chapter 11 - Viola's concern

Chapter 11 - Viola's concern

"WAAAHHHH!!!!" Viola cried upon not sensing Amy close by. 

"What's wrong?" Her nanny says. Unlike Amy, who always behaves, she has a nanny who follows her everywhere.

"Amy is not here. She's gone." Viola says with tears in her eyes and struggles to wipe them all away.

The nanny sighs. "Lady Amaryllis is doing a morning jog." Then she opens the curtain. "See, there she is now."

Viola looked out the window to see Amy's handmaiden carrying her on her back.

"Oh,"

Amy always keeps telling her that she needs to stop doing that but Viola can't help it. She always feels scared whenever she doesn't sense her upon waking up.

"Why is she exercising?" Viola asks while the nanny cleans off her snot and tears.

"Perhaps, the lady wishes to be friends with her. She asked the girl; Alina to train her."

"Alina?" The barbarian girl? she curiously thought. "Does she want to be a warrior like Hortense?"

"Perhaps but that is ultimately her choice if that is the case."

She could have asked Hortense to train her then. Why did she ask someone else?

Things get even weirder from here.

Amy runs around the estate every morning while Viola sleeps and after lessons, she is always with Alina for lessons and later runs at night. She sees her during their usual lessons but she doesn't see her outside of that. However, she gets a day off on Saturday to spend time with her family. 

Viola can't help but admit that it's getting a bit lonely without having her sister being around 24/7. However, she is getting used to not being around her presence. She no longer cries as much upon waking up to her sister not being around.

Viola was playing tea party with her stuffed dolls until she heard something in the distance. The sound is quickly approaching and she nearly dropped her tea cup upon noticing the spectacle.

Amy was sitting on a large box with wheels and one of the sides missing. The dogs are drawing it like horses at a horse drawn carriage in a colosseum.

"Amy, what is this?" she asked in disbelief.

"Do you like it? It's actually quite fun." She said with a goofy smile.

"Uhhh" Viola froze in confusion. One of Amy's hobbies other than studying is making weird things and testing it out. She doesn't do it as often and it makes the adults laugh but there are times when it is dangerous. She doesn't even know how she does this stuff.

Before she could answer, Amy was gone.

Her mother keeps her busy whenever Amy is. She studies with a distant cousin who is boring to be around and a pet cat whom she heavily dotes on but that doesn't mean she hasn't been keeping progress on her sister.

Time has passed. Amy has been physically active and tells her about her progress. Alina is learning things well on her own and their father even had a personal trainer for Amy so she would learn combat from her.

As noble ladies, they would later begin learning etiquette and manners befitting a lady. Amy hates these lessons but Viola is excelling them as she aspires to be the model woman.

Viola continues to spend her time reading on her free time. She is not as smart or a risk taker like Amy but she still wants to know new things. She then looked at a drawing she drew which has her with a tiara and a boy with white hair standing next to her side by side. Amy complimented the drawing many times that it looks good. While she prides herself on her artwork, Amy always excels at a lot of things even in art. If she were born a man, she would definitely be the first choice to succeed the family and wouldn't need to take these lessons as seriously as she needs to. She looked it for a moment before crushing it in her hand and tossing it away, out of sight, out of mind.

Then her mother walked in the room. "Sweetie, do you know where your sister is?"

"I think she's training with her trainer. She will be done soon." Viola answered while looking at her clock then raised an eyebrow at her mother. "I thought you know about the time."

Then her mother approached her daughter. "Do you wish to train like her?"

Viola shook her head. "I am not a true mage like her."

"Your purification magic is stronger than hers though."

Viola can't help but blush. Her mother kneeled in front of her. "I received an invitation from the palace. She is inviting you two to come next month."

Viola can't help but feel confused. "She?" but it didn't even last a second before her face lit up with surprise. "The queen?!"

Her mother nodded.

"Why would the queen invite us?"

"She has invited all the young women who inherited special powers like yours. It is most likely a selection for the Crown Princess."

"Princess?" she says softly. It sounds nice to hear. Viola had romantic dreams to become princess like the ones in the books.

"Would I get chosen?" Viola asked.

There was no immediate response. She could tell her mother was deeply in thought. To her, that means confirmation that it might happen and thus her lack of an answer makes her excited.

"I'm gonna tell Amy." she smiles and ran out the door to the training field.

As she ran, she notices that Amy was taking a break while leaning on the fence. She has her hair tied up in a tall bun as her hair grew longer. 

"Amy!"

She turned to see her. 

"Viola, what's the matter?"

"Mother says we're invited to the royal palace for a royal selection." she says while facing her sister.

She tilted her head in response. "Royal selection? What kind of royal selection?"

"To choose a wife for the prince, of course. The queen invited all the girls with powers like us to come to the palace."

Viola can see that Amy paled at the news.

"I... see..." she slowly replied.

She can't help but feel like she has a chance. Her sister doesn't seem to take the news well. It is clear she doesn't want this.

"Listen! Do you think I might be chosen?" 

Amy had the same expression as their mother. "Maybe? We just have to wait and see."

"I have a favor." she then leaned in closer to Amy. " Can you help train me to make my powers stronger? I know you've been training to get stronger. I might have a chance." she said with bright eager eyes.

"Um..." Amy looks unsure and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sure, I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Thanks! I'll get the clothes ready." Viola says excitedly and ran off without hearing what else Amy has to say.

"Oh, hell"