I begrudgingly stepped into the carriage, feeling uncomfortable at the prospect of being alone with father. I wonder what he wants to talk about? The interior of the carriage was dimly lit, casting eerie shadows on the plush seats and the leather walls.

He stepped inside after me and sat on the opposite side. The sound of the horses hooves and the clanging of the carriage wheels filled the air, while my father and I sat in silence. I watched as the scenery blured by, feeling a sense of detachment from the world around me. After what felt like an eternity, my father finally broke the silence.

“You have done well today,” He started calmly, his expression unreadable as usual, “The other nobles were amazed by your display and showered you with compliments after the knights carried you away.” He nodded with a slight smile. So you didn’t even bother to help me to my room. I thought to myself, not showing anything on my face.

“Even the Grand Duke acknowledged your skills, suggesting that you and his daughter become playmates.” He looked at me with expectation. She is like 4 years older than me. I held back the urge to roll my eyes, I doubt she wants to be friends with a child. I looked outside, staying silent and not meeting his eyes. Maybe if I ignore him he will stop talking. I’m tired enough from the banquet, I don’t need him to be annoying me too.

Seeing as I was barely paying attention, he redoubled his efforts. He leaned forward, getting closer to me, his eyes cold, “Listen to me carefully, my child,” he said, his tone low and severe now, “Your magic is the key to our family's success. The more you perform, the more people will take notice of us. The grand duke was impressed with your abilities, and there will be many more nobles who will be impressed by your magic. It is important that you continue to hone your skills and always perform to the best of your abilities." I scrunched my face in disgust, feeling the bile rise in my throat. So that’s what I am to you? A pawn to be used in order to feed your own ambition.

He grabbed my arm tightly, noticing my unwillingness . “Are you listening, child?!” he demanded urgently with a panicked voice. I looked him in the eye with a pained face, It hurts! "You are the key to fulfilling our ancestors' lifelong dream," he continued, his voice tinged with madness.

I felt my heartbeat pick up and my breathing get heavier as he preached about the history of our family. He whispered about his great father and his glorious deeds that managed to elevate us from a minor noble house to one of prominence. I didn’t meet his eyes and nodded along whenever he made a point, fearing for his reaction otherwise.

“From now on,” whispering with obsession, “You will perform your magic at every event we join. I will have Yuna teach you new spells to perform and you will perfect them.” He ordered, never letting my arm go. I nodded lightly, not meeting his eyes, throughly cowed. "Do you understand the importance of this?" he asked, his gaze piercing through me.

"Y-yes father.” I looked down as i answered him quietly.

"Good," he calmed his face and gives a slight smile, as if nothing had happened. "I have high expectations for you, my child. I know you will not disappoint me." His voice sent chills down my spine as he finally let me go. I held back the tears threatening to escape and tried to calm down my breathing as we rode in silence for the rest of the way.

Eventually we made it back to the mansion and I managed to put on a neutral face. I quickly rushed back to my room, giving Alaya and my sister excuses that I was tired and wanted to sleep.

I decided to take a bath, feeling filthy. As I took comfort in the warm water, I embraced myself, feeling disgusting at being used by my father. I scrubbed myself until my skin turned red, but I felt clean at last.

I headed to bed, trying not to think about it, but my mind always came back to the conversation with father.

As I lay on the ground, surrounded by a horde of sneering nobles, their faces twisted into grotesque expressions of mirth, I felt a surge of fear and helplessness wash over me. They pointed and laughed, their voices blending into a chorus of derision, as they taunted me for my cowardice.

My heart started racing as father approached, his cold gaze piercing right through me. Kneeling beside me, he ran his rough hand over my face, and I felt a sense of foreboding settle deep inside my gut.

Leaning in close, he whispered, "You killed your mother." His face twisted into hateful accusation. The nobles' laughter grew louder, the insults raining down upon me, “MONSTER!”, “MURDERER!”, “ABOMINATION!”, “YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN!” My father rammed a dagger into my neck, ending the suffering.

I woke up with a start, my heart pounding and sweat drenching my bedsheets. My hair clung to my forehead and it was hard to breathe. It’s just a nightmare, I told myself, just a nightmare. But the fear and guilt lingered, plaguing me. I embraced myself, quietly sobbing. It took a while, but the tears dried out and I managed to calm myself.

It was still night, the moon was shining into my room from the balcony, casting an ethereal blue glow across the room. I walked towards the sofa and took a seat, too woke from the nightmare to sleep. I sat in silence, closing my eyes, thinking about nothing in particular.

I enjoyed the quiet of the night, where I didn’t have any problems or responsibilities. I took a deep breath and reclined on the sofa. The soft material compressed as it took my weight. I let out a deep breath and sat for a while.

I opened my eyes once more, already feeling better. What now? I wondered to myself. Sunrise is still hours away and I can’t sleep. I contemplated for a while on what to do now.

Deciding that the only thing I could have done right then was to practice magic, I started doing just that. I began as I usually would, with some meditation. Then I did some mana control exercises.

As the morning light slowly began to creep into the room, I was still lost in practicing my magic, letting the work distract me from the haunting memories of my nightmare.

As the morning sun illuminated my room, I decided that I had trained enough for today. I headed to my sisters room to wake her up, wanting to tell her about the nightmare. I walked through the dimly lit halls, the maids already moving around at such an ungodly hour, working.

I came up my sisters room and opened the door quietly. She’s probably sleeping. I quietly slipped into her room. My sister was sprawled on her bed, snoring and drooling in deep sleep. I chuckled quietly at the funny sight.

I decided to play a prank on her and walked up next to her. I poked her cheeks a few times to see if she was properly sleeping. She stirred for a bit but didn’t wake up otherwise. I leaned closer to her face, next to her ear and whispered quietly, with an urgent tone, “Gideon is stealing your food!”

She stirred even more, seemingly having a nightmare, “No,” she sleeptalks, “let go!” She moved her hands. I couldn’t help It and started laughing. She began waking up slowly at the loud joyful noises.

She rubbed her eyes and sucked in the drool escaping her mouth. With a light gulp she opened her eyes, “Sis?” she tiredly said. Yawning, “Why are u here?”

I sat on the edge of her bed, turning my side towards her, “I woke up early,” I told her in a soft voice, not wanting to strain her ears so early, “had nothing to do so I came here.”

“Mhm.” She acknowledged with closed eyes. She opened her arms, inviting me in and I accepted. She enveloped me with her soft arms as we lay on her bed. Her breathing soothed my mind while I hugged her back.

We stayed like this for a while and I took my courage and decided to tell her what I wanted to tell her about. With a gulp I quickly got it over with, “I had a nightmare,” I told her softly, “that’s why I really came here.”

She opened her eyes at that and stared at me for a moment. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked me in a worried tone and I nodded.
“It was actually about yesterday,” I started. I decided to tell her the whole nightmare, bar the role of my father. “I was lying on the ground, unable to move.” I leaned deeper into her embrace, “I couldn’t even defend myself, as they laughed at me and insulted me.”

I tightened my grip on her as I thought about what father said. “I hate noble events;” I complained to her, “they are suffocating and annoying, the nobles are just there to keep up facades and compare their wealth.” I wonder if all nobles are like that. So far I haven’t met a single one that’s different, except for the kids, they’re still mostly innocent.

As if reading my mind, “They’re not all like that,” she told me softly, “Mom wasn’t.” Her voice turned quiet. “Let’s talk about something else.” She told me, changing the subject not so smoothly. “Like what?” I asked her curiously.

“Have you ever been to the city?” she asked me. Where is that coming from? I shake my head, “No, why are you asking?”

“I’ve been wanting to go for some time now,” she explained with excitement, “How about I show you around? I know all the good places.” Her smile brightened the room.

Feeling her energy contagious, a smile crept its way on my face as well. “I’d love to go,” I told her, “but do you think father will let us?” I felt sick calling him father, but didn’t show it. I don’t want to worry her any more.

She rolled her eyes, “why wouldn’t he? We’re not in prison Amber.” She chuckled, a sigh escaped from me. I forced a smile, “You’re right. Do you want to go today?” I asked her.

She contemplated for a bit, “Let’s go tomorrow. I’ll think about all the places to show you today. The knights also need notice so they have time to prepare, we’re not going alone after all.” She explained.

I nodded, the idea of a date with my sister sounding too good to be true. It will be good to simply let go after all the stress I’ve had to endure lately. Smiling brightly, “It’s a date then.” I told her with a voice yearning for a better future. We cuddled for a little longer before sister started waking up for good.

She got out of the hug, “I have my morning training in a bit," a sorry smile on her face, "Why don't you join me? It’s been a while since we sparred." She tried to placate me. I didn’t really feel like sparring but I nodded anyways, wanting to bask more in her comforting aura.