My mother had an entire pavilion separate from the castle entirely to herself. While the castle could be described as royal and serene, her place can purely be said to be the manifestation of wasting money. Taking a walk from the Castle garden, I had to walk across a glass bridge across the water moat that surrounds the castle to reach her palace.
The path opened up to an entire separate garden that surrounds her place. It wasn't as big as the main garden in the castle, but it was still big for it's size. I could count up to 10 servants in the garden, they were too busy maintaining the garden to notice my presence. Following the main path, I found a nice small gazebo just before the entrance, it's a nice sitting place that overlook the entire green scenery.
The two female guards that stood by the door looked at me and automatically opened the door. I went in and they closed it afterwards.
"The Princess-Apparent has arrived!" One of the two guards shout, or did the two of them shout simultaneously?
The inside were as glamorous as the outside. Expensive items dotted the hallways and rooms of the building. Diamond accessories just being left there without any safety mechanism to guard it. A golden chandelier hanged high atop the main hall with silvery decorations to add color to it.
I sidestepped quickly as a maid was pushing a cart full of expensive and colourful dresses behind me. Deducing the owner of those outfit is not hard, because there was only one person hedonistic enough to own those. The maid was clumsy or she couldn't see me behind the stack of clothes that obstruct the view in front of her.
"I-i'm sorry y-young lady...."
"It's fine maid, mind telling me where my mother is?"
"Her H-higness, th-the Princess-Consort is...uh" The maid was very nervous, looking away from me shyly, must had been a new maid.
"In the... Her st-study, young l-lady!"
"Alright, thanks, you're dismissed"
I wondered why mom was moving so many expensive clothes from her wardrobe. The maid continued to push the cart down a ramp towards the lower floor and out of my sight as she turned towards the back exit.
Luckily, there were signs on each door which told me what was their function. As I look at them, I realized how many rooms there are here.
Dressing room, sewing room, head maid room, guest room one, guest room two, three, four...
Eventually, I stopped reading each one and just focus on searching the room I'm looking for.
Ah, there we go, Study Room
It was at the end of the left corridor, and was guarded by two double doors that was decorated with glimmering precious metals.
Pushing them both open, a room full of books was in front of me. Stacks upon stacks of book just sitting on the floor.
Huh..seems mom were studyin-...Nevermind
What I thought first were books that contain scientific or economic theories, were instead romance novels that doesn't seem to be that much different from each other, other than their differently colored covers. They were the most numerous, maybe making up 4 book stacks that were taller than me. The titles of each book were certainly...interesting.
The king's ex, making two handsome princes fall in love for me, The seductive ex-princess, all I want is your di-.. Holy hell...
These books were quite scandalous and inappropriate for anyone to read in public. Luckily, I was a mere 6 year old child, I only know a sword as in weaponry term.
"BOO!!!"
"wha-"
The sudden voice behind me managed to triggered my senses as it went to overdrive and my body turned towards the source. However, my foot got stuck in one of the book which was on the floor. I lost balance and fell backwards towards the stack of books.
"Oh, dear..."
Needless to say, having books constantly fell on your head wasn't the pleasant experience. My whole body was covered by horrible lewd romance book.
"Elissa! Are you okay???" Mother was panicking, throwing off the books that were on top of me.
Luckily, it wasn't that long before she pulled me out of that romantic puddle.
"Are you okay? I'm so so sorry, my daughter, I didn't think you would lose balance and fall like that. I was just pulling a prank on you..."
I groaned, I think I might have love sickness now. "It's fine mother, truly. I'm fine"
"Nononono we are going to have call master Rein for this! His knowledge in medicine could help you recover, I'm sure it will-"
"It's fine mother! I'm fine! I'm strong! I'm not sick at all! I'm not...not.....a failure..."
Event of the past hour came back to me.
'You're a failure'
Her eyes went white as her face paled and expressed shock when I said that last word. She covered her mouth and proceed to hug me tightly. It was warm, a mother's embrace always is.
"I'm so so sorry Eli, did your father?... Oh Great Serena, He actually said that..."
She was muttering to herself. I didn't bother to hear it. I was busy crying again. My previous life self could handle this pretty much, but not this new body, it's still a child.
"Mother...did father said truth?"
"NONONONO.... It's not true, your my only daughter, my love of my life"
"Why did he said it like that mother?"
"He just didn't see your talent sweetheart...i-i am pretty sure he would be once he see your sword danc-"
"HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THAT MOTHER!!"
She look at me with shock, it wasn't anger on her face that she usually expressed when I rebut her like that. It was empathy.
"He threw Strumnir as if it was junk, he insulted my sword, my pride, the gift you gave to me during my birthday this year!"
"There...there... it's fine, it'll be over soon"
She caress my back, gave me a quick kiss in the cheek. I managed to calm my eternal emotion, and went back to my usual self, after a while.
"Do you need something, Eli? Maybe a tea I got from an eastern merchant?"
"I do need something, mother"
She calmed down at first, sighing a relief , before I said to her.
"I need the truth"
Her body froze for a second, her face was pale. That was before she put her smile again.
"What do you mean Eli? What truth?" She is playing dumb, god that innocent face could make someone fell in love with a single glance.
"Please mother, that smile is not genuine, I know that you're hiding something from me"
Her smile fell apart, she was tired of doing it. She knows I'm not enchanted by it somehow. Is this the power you got from reading a thousand love stories?
She sigh, before walking through an opening in the jungle of paper. I followed her like a puppy.
"Sit down Eli"
Her face was solemn now, maybe I finally would be able to learn about it. She pulled a chair from the table before she sat down, I followed suit. There were two cups of tea, still hot, on the table.
She sigh, trying to pick out the correct word that she could use to make a child understand.
"Mother.....can't...actually bear any children..."
I was stunned. Was it some kind of illness or curse? Or just a birth defect? Mother could see my face. When I'm thinking, I always had a worried face, so mother really thought I was concerned. But it didn't seem like she wanted to elaborate on that.
"Your father and I were really concerned about not having an heir. We spent almost everyday trying to find a way. I brought up the possibility of an adoption to him, but he wanted someone with his blood in the throne, so he dismissed it"
Mother took a sip out of her cup, before wiping it and continued.
"So, your father tried to find a magical solution to this, he wasn't the most powerful mage, but his spells are always precise and absolute, never once it failed on him"
"He studied and closed himself for a long time, until he became the person you see now, white hair tips, tired complexion and wrinkles everywhere"
It is true, mother and father were only 322 years old, while it was a long time, elves still saw this period as adulthood, not yet old enough to be called an elder. Yet, father looked like he was beyond 400 years old.
"He found a spell that could be use, it was a pure moon spell, passed down by the goddess herself. The spell could guarantee someone be pregnant with a magical heir, someone who can conjure magic.
And yet, the price was high, we sacrificed a year worth of harvests as tribute to the goddess, hoping she would bless our spell. To conjure the spell, your father had exhausted his magic, which means he couldn't use magic anymore, it was this or nothing.
The spell did work, I was pregnant and I'm very happy to give birth to you, Eli"
She smiled at me, her hands patted my head and making a mess out of my hair.
"But when we found out you're not magically adept, he thought his spell had failed. He was very frustrated because of that, and seeing you, might have remind him of his mistake..."
Huh, so that's the reason