25
“Lillian.”
As soon as Seraphina uttered that name, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but it was too late.
“What do you mean?”
Cloïs's voice came low, heavy with a tone that made Seraphina close her eyes tightly.
Everyone feared Cloys, but working under him was, in fact, not as difficult as imagined.
As long as one did one's duty in one's place, Cloyce did not care much about details such as etiquette or protocols.
People saw this as his tolerance, but Seraphina knew the truth: he was so exhausted that he saw even anger as a waste of time.
But, even he, there was something he would never tolerate: mentioning his wife and daughter rashly or carelessly.
“No, I mean... I wasn't...”
“You'd better answer clearly, Seraphina Redum. Don't think that your proximity to my wife will make me overlook this.”
His tone was clearly threatening, as if he was about to rip her head off if she tried to dodge. Since she had no intention of hiding anything, she decided to be frank:
“Well… you know Lillian was… special, right? She didn’t have magic in the literal sense, but she had a rather strange power.”
“Yes, it was.”
“I'm not sure if it was because her magical energy waves were similar to mine, but when she was near me, the accuracy of my magic would increase. It was like the magic became more solid and stable.”
But, despite her explanation, Cloyce's face grew colder and more grim.
“Why do I only know this now?”
“Because Lillian asked me not to tell Your Majesty.”
“Why?”
“How could I know what was in her heart? After being called a witch and being fingered, it was natural for her to want to hide her unique power. She also told me that she herself did not know exactly how to use this power or its nature.”
There was silence. Seraphina looked at Cloïs warily, afraid he might explode in anger.
In the war, she had seen with her own eyes how he killed without hesitation, and she did not want, even accidentally, to arouse his anger.
"Okay...we have to move fast. The baby needs us..."
“Get ready.”
Fortunately, Cloyce did not take it further and left her alone. Seraphina breathed a sigh of relief, then turned towards the large magic stone in front of her.
The stone was huge, imbued with powerful magical energy.
“With a stone of this size, it wouldn’t be difficult for someone with my ability to cover the entire palace with tracking magic.”
But the problem was the ancient magic stones that the palace magicians had buried in the ground long ago, which were interfering with the magic, weakening its effect.
Seraphina raised her hand, and a bright light surrounded her, then a strong wind blew around her. At that moment, she suddenly remembered what she had just said.
“If Lillian had been here, we would have found her in an instant.”
Lillian was the spirit that stabilized her whenever she was shaken, standing by her side to prevent her from collapsing. Thanks to her, how many lives were saved?
“But there is no use in nostalgia now.”
It was strange to suddenly remember something that she had forgotten for seven years today.
Seraphina returned to focusing on her magic. By her will, the tracking magic extended to cover the entire palace. Now, all she had to do was look for the reactions of the people inside the buildings, and locate the child.
“It will take some time.”
Suddenly, I felt something.
“!”
In the spreading trace magic network, I sensed a clear and sharp energy. It was in one of the palace buildings, in a secluded corner.
* * *
There was a breeze from outside, or so it seemed, as the sound of the wind echoed through the high glass windows. Yvette blinked, pulling the cloth she was covered with tighter. As darkness fell, her body began to shiver from the cold.
“I want to sleep on a bed.”
She missed her soft bed in her room, and the blanket that made a soft sound when she buried her face in it, smelling of the sun.
It was true that the sheets at the orphanage were always clean thanks to the diligent washing, but the covers at the academy were much softer and more comfortable.
It made her hesitate to get up in the morning, so she would keep moving and fidgeting in bed.
“I want to go home.”
At that moment, Eppie was startled by her thoughts. It had only been a short time since she had arrived here, and she had only slept in that bed one night, but she was beginning to consider it her home.
She had a chair she could lie on, a cloth to cover herself with, and even some candy left in her bag, and yet she felt exhausted.
“Compared to my days in the hostel, this is nothing difficult.”
Evie remembered days she hadn't thought about in a long time.
* * *
Evie's first memory was in a lodge barn. An elderly woman who works there raised it after finding it abandoned.
“The innkeeper found you abandoned in the forest, so listen carefully to what he says.”
When Evie was able to speak and walk, the innkeeper immediately began exploiting her.
First, she had to clean up the horse manure in the stable. Then, because of her small size, she was entrusted with cleaning the chimneys of the inn, and even the chimneys of the village.
Evie hated that mission. Not only was it difficult to work while hanging from an old rope, but people would hate her when she returned covered in black, shouting that she was dirty and spitting in front of her.
In the summer, it was easier to shower, but in the winter, it was impossible. The river next to the inn was completely frozen over.
Evie tried to break the ice with a rock, but she couldn't make a hole, and all she got was pain in her hands.
The little water she got from the river side was barely enough to quench her thirst, so what about bathing?
The innkeeper, his wife, and the rest were using hot water from the kitchen, but, of course, Evie wasn't allowed to.
Sometimes, she would wipe her face with the falling snow, but it was too cold for her to bear it for long. After all, it was dirtier in the winter than at any other time.
The innkeeper and his wife would hold their noses and wave their hands as Eppie passed:
"Oh my God, what is that smell? Disgustingly dirty! Go wash up now!"
“But... there is no water...”
“There is a spring that does not freeze in the forest! Go and wash there! If you come back dirty tomorrow morning, I will kick you out of the barn, so hurry!”
The word “kick out of the barn” made Evie shiver. Sleeping in the barn was the only thing keeping her from freezing to death. If you get fired...
She remembered someone she had seen on the street the other day, freezing to death. Despite her young age, she knew what death meant: never to open your eyes again, not to speak, not to move, and to be buried in the cold ground. She didn't want to become like that.
So, Evie went into the forest alone. But the forest was just as scary.
“They said there were wolves.”
Wolves were said to attack and eat lone passers-by. Therefore, the villagers avoided crossing the forest alone, went in groups, and never approached it at night.
But if you don't go and wash, you will be expelled and die. Even the dry bread they were giving her would not get. Hunger and cold were more terrifying than the wolves.
When I entered the forest, the sound of the wind filled the place.
As she headed towards the unfreezing spring deep in the forest, she heard the sound of someone else's footsteps.
When she turned around, she saw two eyes shining nearby. It was a wolf.
“Grrr…”
The wolf was slowly approaching, drooling, and looking very hungry.
“Am I going to die now?”
If she had known this would happen, she would have stayed in the inn, even if she was punished.
No matter what I thought, death was a more painful bite than freezing. But regret is no longer useful.
The wolf was approaching. Eppie sat on the floor, curled up on herself. At that moment, she felt heat on the back of her hand. Then, suddenly, the place lit up as if a lightning bolt had struck the dark forest.
"What is this?"
Despite her fear, Evie raised her head, surprised by the sudden light. Her hand was shining with a strange light,
On the back of her hand, a black spot-like mark appeared, the likes of which she had never seen before. She forgot about the wolf for a moment, and stared at the mark mesmerized.
"What is this?"
Of course, there was no one to answer her. As Evie stared in amazement, the mark on her hand disappeared. Then, she suddenly remembered the presence of the wolf, and raised her head.
“Where is he?”
But the wolf disappeared. When she looked around, she saw him walking away, as if Eppie wasn't even there. On that day, Evie reached the spring in the forest safely, and bathed with difficulty with the warm water flowing from it. When she returned to the inn, she did not encounter the wolf again.
“You came back alive? It seems like you have good luck.”
The innkeeper looked at Evie in surprise, then looked away. To him, Evie was nothing but a worthless being, who lived or died without caring.
That night, Evie crept back into the barn, and lay down in the straw, feeling the back of her hand for a long time.
“It looked weird.”
If others saw it, they would hate it. Maybe they thought she had a disease and stayed away from her. But, for some reason, Evie felt like that mark was protecting her.
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