Chapter 3 – Meeting the family
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“I was told you have no recollection of the events prior to your illness.” The Duchess spoke to me without lifting her gaze from her plate. This had to be, by far, the tensest dinner I’ve ever participated in.

“Y-Yes, I don’t remember anything at all.” She fixed her piercing gaze on me as though she was trying to find in my eyes, my soul whether I was lying or not.

Maeve Vedar was an intimidating woman. Despite the perpetual scowl on her face, she was incredibly beautiful. Her porcelain skin and long dark hair reminded me of the little girl I saw in the mirror. She was very poised and elegant,  despite holding a stance that looked very unnatural, she did not seem to be uncomfortable or stiff at all. On the contrary, she looked majestic, regal. 

If not for her harsh tone and cold demeanor, I would have kept staring at her, entranced by her beauty. Instead, I avoided her gaze and looked back down at my plate. I felt like she knew I wasn’t her daughter, like she could smell the lie on me. I knew I was being paranoid. The whole situation just made me uncomfortable. When I decided to continue living as Hazel Vedar, at the time, I didn’t strategize how I was going to interact with her family. The memory loss story made it easier, but still; I feared that if I said the wrong thing, or acted the wrong way, they’d know I was not the 'real' Hazel.

“Are you not hungry, sister?” The little boy to my right asked. Haron Vedar was Hazel’s twin brother, he had the same black hair and scarlet eyes as his sister. “You have not touched plate since the beginning of supper.”

Looking at him reminded me of Melissa. Not that they had much in common appearance-wise. It just reminded me that I too had a twin, though I don’t think I’ll ever see her again. For the last month, I've felt more alone here than I’ve ever felt in my whole entire life. Being part of a pair had its drawbacks of course, but it also had undeniable advantages, I always had someone with me, I was never alone. I guess fate was gracious enough to make me part of a duo again. Even though he could never replace Melissa, Haron was a cute kid and it could be fun to have a little brother.

“I’m fine. I’ll eat.” I shot him a gentle smile before focusing back on the tableware in front of me. There were at least 4 forks, 4 knives and spoons presented on the table. Which one should choose? As I grabbed one of them, I heard a scoff.

“You do not remember your table manners either, it seems. We will have to double your time spent with Lady Corteza. You obviously are in dire need of training and I will not have you shame the Vedar name by letting you behave like a commoner. Lady Corteza will  make sure her lessons are ingrained in you so you never forget them again.”

The scorn on her face combined with her blatant disregard for my well-being clearly indicated that she didn’t hold her daughter in her heart. Fine. I didn’t like her either. I’ve always hated being scolded, and especially by a woman who wasn’t even my mother. I've always had a bit of a temper, it came out especially when I felt like someone was treating me unjustly or talking down to me. In this case it was both and I couldn’t help myself from glaring at her. I gritted my teeth shut. If I responded to her verbal attack right now,  what would come out of my mouth would be less than polite. My table manners would definitely be the least of her problems.

“It seems your affliction has also made you insolent, Hazel. We will have to solve that as well.”

The already tense dinner became even more tense, unbearably so. The Duchess kept her gaze on me, although she was expressionless, I could see the contempt on her face, her eyes challenging me to talk back to her. I held her gaze with my glare. I was getting pissed, to the point that I almost forgot my initial strategy to lay low and not draw attention to me.

“Have you really forgotten everything?” Haron interrupted our stare-off. “Do you not remember our day of birth? What about our last trip to the palace? Do you remember my name? What about father and mother’s?” He bombarded me with questions without giving me the time to answer. He was so cute. “Since you are alive that must mean your magic has awakened, right?”

That last question caught the attention of the Duke. He hadn’t said a word up until now, silently eating his food.

“Return to your food Haron and cease your rambling” He spoke calmly but with a commanding tone. Haron ceased his questioning and stuffed his mouth with a piece of meat. His previous smug smile turned into a sheepish expression. Elias Vedar then turned toward me, his eyes meeting mine. “And you, finish eating before your food runs cold.”

The Duke and the Duchess made quite the pair; they didn’t look like a couple in love at all. While his wife looked cold and contemptuous, the Duke was an austere man. He didn’t look very friendly either. His scarlet eyes, similar to his daughter’s, made him more intimidating, almost frightening. He had light grey hair that shone like silver but he didn’t look a day over 30. In fact, both parents looked extremely young. Given the time period, I presume they got married very young and had their children just as young.

As I ate, I took a look at the whole family. They were all beautiful, ridiculously so. I understood where the other Hazel got her looks from. However, their family dynamic wasn’t what I was used to. To say it nicely, it wasn't very pleasant. Mom, Melissa and I were extremely close, I could tell them anything and they’d welcome me with open arms and compassionate words. It was only the three of us since our father died before I could remember, but I never felt like I lacked the love of a parent. In comparison, this family was cold. The Duchess and the Duke behaved like strangers living under the same roof. They clearly weren’t close to their kids either. I’ve been here for around a month now and it’s my first time seeing or speaking to either of them. Their daughter supposedly came back to life, but they haven’t bothered visiting her. Not even once.

It was better for me to avoid both of them for the time being. Especially the Duchess.  If our first interaction was any indication, we most likely won't get along well in the future. Or ever. I might even lose my, already dangerously short, temper and call her a stuck-up bitch or something. The last thing I wanted was to be kicked out of the house and thrown into the streets at 8 years-old. Yeah, It would really not be a good idea to spend more time in her company .

“In two days time, we will take you to the Havana Temple and confirm your awakening. It’s most likely you are a fire mage, as it is usual in the Vedar bloodline, but we will have to verify the amount and strength of the magic you possess. However, I do not expect you to show the same prowess and talent as your brother, your weak constitution is unlikely to enable you to bear much power.” The Duke said dismissively.

If I were the other Hazel, his words would have hurt. Nobody likes to be compared to their siblings, especially when it's to point out your flaws. But I couldn't care less, the only thing my mind decided to focus on was the fact that I had magic powers. Freaking powers!! Finally something good happens in this dinner! 

From what I remember, in the game, the characters had elemental magic. There were 4 categories of mages who used  one of the 4 elements: fire, water, earth and air magic. The other Hazel had fire magic but she was very weak compared to other characters and even more so compared to her brother and the heroine. 

Riannon was the only one able to master and use 2 elements at the same time, water and earth. It was her special ability as the reincarnation of the Goddess of Life. In comparison, Hazel Vedar could barely produce enough flames to light a small fire. It was kinda pathetic. What made it worse was that her family was known for their strong fire magic and her twin brother, in particular, was a prodigy.

Ugh. It’s such a bummer! When I thought I could finally live my 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' dream and be a badass but nicer and less psychotic version of Azula, my hopes were squashed in the mud by the plot of the game. 

Dejected, I finished my meal in silence and went back to my quarters to prepare for the night. This dinner had been both quiet and exhausting and I did not look forward to repeating the experience.

 


 

Who opened the curtains? A bright light reached my eyes through my eyelids, taking me out of my sweet slumber.

“…ake up.” I barely heard the sound as I tried to go back to my dream. “...Hazel… up.” Who was bothering me this early in the morning?

“5 more minutes… please.” I answered half asleep, shooing away the hand on my shoulder. I was already to awake for my liking, but I planned on resuming my night whether the person who woke me up liked it or not.

“Lady Hazel, you must wake up. We must have you prepared for the day.” Sophie’s shrill voice jerked me out of my torpor. I didn’t know how I would survive this world without coffee. Waking up so early everyday was torture.

“ughhh! Sophie? What time is it?” I asked sluggishly.

“It is 2 hours past sunrise, my lady. You must wake up now or you will be late for your lessons.”

“What lessons?”

“Your mother, the Duchess, has prepared a busy day for you my lady.” Then, she started detailing my schedule as I rose from my pillow. “In the morning, you are to attend your manner lessons with Lady Corteza. In the afternoon, you will meet with Mr Lian Groff, your instructor.”

I didn’t really think I could just be idle for the rest of my life here. I knew I’d have to attend some form of school. Ladies were, after all, expected to know how to play instruments, sew, embroider and overall behave like a proper aristocratic woman. But I didn’t expect reality to come knocking at my door so quickly.

I was apprehensive. The game didn’t focus on details, so I didn’t know the extent of the knowledge in this world. I could have a huge advantage in my classes if the knowledge of this world was that of Europe’s 16th century; but it was also possible that I’ll have to learn everything all over again if this world used a completely different set of rules.

“Now that you are well, you will resume to your usual schedule my lady. It is time for us to officially greet you.” She bowed in front of me, her body at a perfect 90° angle. “As your personal maids, Angela and I are in charge of tending to you, we will provide you with the information you have forgotten and take care of your daily necessities.” I looked at Angela, she was standing stiffly in a corner of the room, looking anywhere but at me. It was evident that she disliked being here. It looked like she was still scared of me. I internally laughed at that thought, she was scared of an 8-year-old. It made me want to tease her a little bit.

“In that case, I’m dying to get to know you better. Both of you.” As I said that, I was looking directly at her.

She flinched and attempted to take a step back but her back hit the wall. She looked like a mouse cornered by a hungry cat. The image was quite hilarious, I must admit. It put me in a good mood for the day.

“What are you doing Angela? Come here and greet Lady Hazel.” Sophie, who was oblivious to our exchange, reprimanded her colleague, urging her to come closer to the source of her fright.

Angela tentatively took a few steps forward and bowed quickly, still without raising her gaze toward me. “G-G-Greetings my lady, I-I am Angela. I’m at you disposition if y-you need me.”

“I apologize my lady, she is still young and has much to learn but she will serve you well.”

“It’s okay Sophie.” I nodded before turning to Angela with a sweet smile. “Nice to officially meet you Angela, I’m looking forward to spending more time in you company.”

Angela looked like she was about to faint. I didn’t exactly intend to reassure her, but I didn’t know she would freak out so much. I felt both entertained and guilty. The poor girl, now she’ll never be able to stay alone in a room with me.

When Angela came back to her senses, she was sent out to fetch 3 other maids. They brought me to the dressing room adjacent to my bedroom, undressed me and led me to the bathtub. During the month I’ve spent here, I got used to having the maids take care of me. At first it felt invasive, like I had no privacy, I was never left alone with my own thoughts. Maids were continuously relaying to take care of me, from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed. They did everything for me, from bathing me to dressing me. I felt like a baby being cared for. Well, I was a child now, but I wasn’t that young. After a few weeks, I gradually got used to it. I didn’t even mind anymore, on the contrary, I liked it. It was like I had my own personal spa that I could go to everyday, for free. The only things that were missing was the massage oil and cucumber slices to cover my eyes.

  *********

The grooming itself was better than what I initially expected. When I pictured any time period prior to the 20th century, I imagined subpar hygiene and smelly people. Don’t get me wrong, some things did need improvement: I would be happy to have modern appliances such as toilets that you could flush or a bathtub with readily available hot water again.

Although I missed the convenience of modernity, I was pleasantly surprised to see that people here took their hygiene very seriously. At least the nobles and the maids that worked in the Vedar household. I was bathed everyday by 3 maids who gently scrubbed my body, removing all the dead skin and sweat. They even had their own version of shampoo and toothpaste. It didn’t differ much from my daily routine back in my previous world. Well, except it was fancier and more crowded.

After my bath, I was dried with a cotton towel, dressed in a cute purple dress and my hair was brushed and tied in a tight bun decorated by a purple ribbon. When I was finally ready, I was led outside my room and I headed to the study for my first lesson of the day.

 


 

This had to be one of the worst, most tiring day in my whole entire life. And that’s saying a lot considering that I already died once.

Corteza tortured me for 3 hours straight, ordering me to do this and that, stand straighter, taller, stretch my back more, lift my head higher… I didn’t even exercise but my whole body was sore like I ran a marathon. Although she looked like the stereotypical teacher with her hair pinned back into a tight bun and glasses adorning her severe face, in reality, she was a drill sergeant.

She did not hesitate to chastise me every time I did something wrong. “You stand like a hunchback. You have less manners than a 3-year-old child.” Her contempt and harsh words reminded me of the Duchess, they both looked at me like I was some dirt on their skirt that they had to wipe clean.

“Your posture is both unladylike and grotesque. It’s unsightly.”

Okay that one hurt. I couldn’t restrain myself from responding to her mean criticism. “Harsh! Am I not supposed to be a duke’s daughter, is it right for you to speak to me that way?”

She only scoffed and continued torturing me to her heart’s content. She made me stretch my neck so much that it felt like my head my going to detach itself from my shoulders. The position was uncomfortable, I probably looked like an ostrich. She made me walk with a pile of heavy book on my head and every time one of them fell, she’d hit her stick against the table, shake her head and make me start again from the beginning. I did it 7 times before I finally had enough.

“Is this really necessary, can’t I just walk like a normal person?”

Corteza struck to the table with her stick so hard it startled me. Her face crumpled in anger.

“You should watch your tongue!” She exclaimed. Despite not raising her voice, I could feel the venom in her tone. “A lady does not speak in such unrefined manner.” Then she regained her countenance and added: “Have you also forgotten how to enunciate? We will have to fix that as well as remind you your position. You are not a commoner; you should not behave like one.” She placed stick under my chin as I glared at her. “Straighten your back, chin up and resume to your stance.”

At that exact moment, I really wanted to rip that stick from her hands and break it in half. But since I had to play nice, I could only glare. After spending 3 hours with that woman, I knew she was a sadistic evil bitch.

*********

My second class, on the other hand, was way more agreeable. After the lesson from hell I had with Corteza, I expected something similar from my instructor. But I was wrong. Lian Groff was gorgeous. And nice too.

Everyone I’ve seen so far has been super attractive, even Corteza was annoyingly beautiful. What kind of food do they eat to be so attractive? Is there something in the water? A lot of them also had peculiar hair colors. I hadn’t really paid attention to it up until today but seeing Corteza’s dark green hair and Lian Groff’s purple hair, I couldn’t help but see it.

I wasn’t even surprised anymore, clearly on the scale of weird and bizarre, being transported to a new world in the body of an 8-year-old ranked higher than unusual hair colorations. I would have liked to have a fun hair color too, like blue or pink.

*********

Like everyone in the household, Mr Groff was informed of my memory loss but instead of criticizing me like the Duchess and Corteza did, he was patient. Our lesson today dealt with the history of Prath. What I learned from that class showed me that this world had more depth than what was depicted in Lovely Goddess.

The Empire of Prath was the most powerful empire on this continent thanks to the strong magic abilities the inhabitants possessed. When the Empire was founded 5000 years ago, those who possessed magic formed the aristocracy and ruled over the others. To maintain their power, the aristocrats married only other mages, consolidating both their magical and political power. As for the first Emperor, the historical records stated that he was selected by the other aristocrats to rule over them because he was the strongest and worthiest among them.

Today, it was mostly nobles who could wield magic, it was rare for a commoner to display such abilities. But when they did, they were granted certain privileges: they could become knights, high ranking mages of the Havana temple, they could even marry into lower noble houses. With this system, the Empire made sure the power was kept strong and centralized. The neighboring countries, unfortunately for them, did not use the same strategy. The number of mages born in these countries decreased year after year and they were left vulnerable, at the mercy of the strengthened Empire and its expansion campaign. Prath took over the continent but stopped its expansion instead of attempting to attack the 3 other continents.

 “Are there nobles who can’t use magic?” I asked.

“There are, but they are very few and most often from lower nobility. For the sake of maintaining a powerful aristocracy, they are not allowed to transfer their nobility title to their children. The aim is to end the corrupted bloodline.”

“Can’t they find a way to regain their magic and keep their title?”

“Most of those in that situation adopt a commoner who displayed magical abilities. Thus, they are able to preserve their title under the condition that the adopted child become the heir to the house.”

From what I could understand, the aristocracy of this empire wasn’t just based on money and political power, magic was the most important criteria. That’s probably why it was so easy for the crown prince to break off his engagement to the other Hazel. Her family probably abandoned her because they considered her a burden, a stain on the reputation of strength and power the Vedar name had.

Mistaking my pensive expression for worry, Mr Groff tried to reassure me: “Do not fret Lady Hazel. The Vedar bloodline, like the imperial family, is particularly blessed with an enormous amount of magic. It is unlikely that it would deplete anytime soon. Now that your magic has awakened, the power of your family has been confirmed once more.”

That didn’t reassure me at all. Tomorrow, we’d go to the temple and they’d soon find out I didn’t have much power. I wonder what would happen then. Would I be casted away?

“But I almost died. Doesn’t that mean I’m not fit to have that power?”

He hesitated before answering my question. “It is rare but there are cases, when a child is too weak to contain the power they possess. In these cases, the child either dies or wakes up crippled and without magic.”

Oh shit! So, there was a chance I had no magic. What would happen to me then. They wouldn’t dare throw a child out into the streets, right?

Mr Groff continued: “But it is not the case for you Lady Hazel. You did not die or wake up crippled. In fact, this is the strongest I have ever seen you. Before you fell ill, you were already an extremely weak child. You were gaunt, fragile and very susceptible to diseases while your brother was so full of energy, he awakened his magic a year earlier. But looking at you now, I can see you are no longer the same sickly child you were a couple months ago. Your cheeks are no longer hollow, and you seem to shine with life. I am glad you are in good health now and I do not doubt you will be an extraordinary mage.”

His smile was so adorable I almost swooned. That was the nicest thing I’ve heard ever since I woke up. He placed a lot of faith in me, it's too bad he'll be disappointed tommorow.

 


 

After my lesson with Mr Groff, I escaped the attention of the maids and hid in a corner of the mansion. There was still some time left before tonight’s dinner and I needed some time alone before I had to face the Duchess again. Corteza probably told her everything that happened this morning, so I was a bit scared to face her.

I was enjoying my time alone when I heard a familiar voice on the other side of the wall. I hid further in my corner, the last thing I wanted was for my hiding spot to be discovered.

“I tell you, that child is not normal!!” It was Angela’s voice. “I checked her myself. Her heart was not beating, her body was cold, she was unresponsive and limp; even the doctor confirmed she was dead. But here she is, parading through the mansion like nothing ever happened.”

Oh! She was talking about me. I knew I freaked her out, she wasn’t very good at hiding it so I wasn’t surprised by her words.

“Do you think it is a ghost? Or perhaps a foul demon took possession of the poor child.” Another maid spoke.

“Be glad you do not have to tend to her Letitia. Just looking at her every day…” Angela exclaimed in horror.  “It sends chills through my whole body! It gives me goosebumps”

“We better stay away from her. I have no desire to be cursed by the demon child.” A third voice added.

In my world or this one, people still gossiped and spread rumors however they pleased. Some things are the same everywhere, I guess. 

I shouldn’t be affected since they were spouting total bullshit, but I was feeling particularly petty that day and decided it was only fair for me to repay them for their courtesy. If they found me scary when I wasn’t even trying, they'd probably faint in shock if I really played the part of a demon child.

Hello again!

Here is the chapter for this week. There is only one but it's twice as long as the others. 

Enjoy ~~~

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