《LADY DEBELVOIR》 ONE .. There¡¯s a saying that goes ¡®a father¡¯s love is as big as the universe, and a mother¡¯s love is as deep as the ocean¡¯.. Well, I wouldn¡¯t have known that, would I? Shit. I¡¯m dying? Again? .. In my first life, I was born into a prominent ducal family of a great empire, in a world that was coloured with hierarchy, magic, divine powers, beasts and other mythical things. My mother was a princess of a faraway kingdom and my father was a duke in an undefeated empire. A very, powerful duke. He was a Swordmaster, a war hero, a wise ruler of his duchy, a great businessman, and most importantly, he was a Debelvoir. House Debelvoir, also known as the House of Emerald Dragon, was an influential family that was famous for its lineage. It was written in history as the oldest house of the Vast Continent, and had stood longer even before the Axevran Empire was founded. I was a product of a political marriage. In other words, my parents were not, in any way, in love. If I remember correctly, my parents made a deal with each other. A contract marriage, so to speak. My mother would bear an heir for my father¡¯s sake (regardless of its gender), and in return, she¡¯d be allowed to pursue her lifelong dream.. as a scientist who¡¯d travel the Vast Continent. She was a princess in a cage, saved by my father. However, my father didn¡¯t just simply save her out of pity. It was rather diplomatic, and she happened to fit the criteria that he¡¯d searched for. Fast forward to three years after their marriage, I was born. And so she left to pursue her so-called dream. Well, I must admit, although it was a marriage of convenience, my parents did respect each other. And their contract. But seriously.. regardless of their agreement, to have left her daughter just like that was cold man. What the fuck is breastfeeding anyway, right? She had to leave as soon as possible, and I only knew of her face from her paintings on the walls in the manor. I grew up with a bitter jealousy deep in my heart when I saw kids around my age with their mothers. Anyway, my father on the other hand, albeit far from perfect, was not that cold towards me. He¡¯d taken time nursing me (although only for a few minutes) amid his busy schedules, and showered me with dolls, toys and what not a child could ever ask for. He¡¯d pay extra care when it came to my health too, with the visit of the family physician EVERY SINGLE WEEK on checking me up until I reached the age of five. Our relationship wasn¡¯t of a normal father and daughter from what I remember, but it was stable. Until the day when I turned seven, he¡¯d left for a sudden war in the far up north to fight the demonic beasts, and returned two years later.. with a girl my age, and a woman my mother¡¯s age. The girl was a daughter of a baron whom my father was friends with in the battlefield, and the woman was the baron¡¯s wife. The baron died as a hero, but left nothing but poverty to his family. Hence, father dearest took them in. Both mother and daughter were assigned to work in the house to serve House Debelvoir, however, things did not turn out that way. I mean, that¡¯s how it is when it comes to life, right? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The woman with her excessive beauty enchanted many men, including my father. He was a tough one, but in the end, she conquered him and won his heart. And so the story goes.. she became his mistress and he adopted her daughter as his own. He did not marry her and I was still his sole heir though, but other than that, everything else had changed. My father did not give a single fuck to his own daughter anymore. Never visits, never showed his face, not even once. I mean, I always knew he never loved me, but at least he cared before.. even just a little. It broke my heart to be frank, and I was rather gutted for that. His mistress, of course just like in any other typical soap opera, abused me a lot.. both physically and mentally. Since father was often out due to his work (no, scratch that.. he was never around in the house anymore after he took in that wicked person as his mistress), she became the ruler of the house and mistreated me by much. The mistress¡¯s daughter was as evil; a white lotus bitch who took everything from me including the Grand Chamber.. a birthday gift from father for my fifth birthday. It was a magnificent royal bedroom fit to a princess of House Debelvoir, and someone who wasn¡¯t even a Debelvoir took it away from me. But she didn¡¯t stop there. She stole my only friend and took away my childhood crush that I adored like stupid by framing me on bullying her to the point that they believed I was a malicious villain.. albeit I was the one with the wounds all over my body. They were that stupid, but then, they were over the moon for her, blinded by that little thing called love. Well, puppy love, but it¡¯s still a love. I think (?) Then again.. with her look and her angelic personality, who wouldn¡¯t fall for her? There were many moments that my core brain had blocked. I remember I fell ill and was unconscious for days by recollecting those moments (which I don¡¯t recall anymore) as I grew up. My blood boiled every single time I reminisce my pitch black past, but what can I really say? Father allowed it all to happen. There was no way, no possible way, a man who was as powerful as him not knowing how the things are around his own fucking house. I¡¯ve got bruises and cuts from time to time and was often left to starve and locked inside my new room in the attic. Even if everyone in the house had contributed with my torture, it was just impossible to think that father did not know of my condition. His aides were cunning and smart from what I recall, therefore it was just impossible that he knew nothing of my suffering. Things had gotten even worse and I came into conclusion that everyone in the house partaken with the non-stop abuse. My endless crying getting ignored as a proof. So with that, a spark of hatred started within me. When I turned twelve, father sent me to a distinguish academy in the continent, far away from the duchy, far away from the empire, far away from him and his new family. And with that final blow, the spark bloomed into full hatred. I did not have my debut when I was fourteen, and I did not have my coming-of-age ceremony when I was eighteen. I never write home, not replying to father¡¯s letters (I never even opened one), and never returned to the estate even on school breaks. I chose all that. I was ready to cut ties to the fuckers. My heart was breaking into pieces due to a parental failure, and yes, I blamed it all on my parents. But despite with all the misfortunes, one good thing happened to me. I inherited my mother¡¯s brain. I was a motherfucking genius at school and excelled in every subject; let it be magical engineering, science, philosophy, or even down to swordsmanship. The academy was secluded from the world, and it was rather a small institution, but it had become my comfort zone. I was also a superstar there due to my achievements. My arrogance and self-centered bitch syndrome started from then on.. And so the years went by and upon my graduation at the age of twenty, I was ready to be the next heir of the dukedom. Albeit I planned my trip back to the duchy in private without informing the duke. I wanted to surprise him and his new family, you see. Had plotted some sort of revenge and such. But you think that was it for me, huh? A series of unfortunate events happened on my way back home just FYI. Assassins ¨C which I get through. Kidnapping ¨C which I get through. Carriage accident ¨C which I get through. Food poisoning ¨C which I get through. Stabbed in the stomach by a child who passed by ¨C which I did not get through. I didn¡¯t see the last one coming to be honest, and so I died. And opened my eyes again into a completely different world, in a strange city called New York. ** My second life was not as dramatic as my first one. Although, it had a similar pattern. Born into a conglomerate family, my parents were also married with the political intent. Except that this time, my mother died at childbirth, and my father remarried as soon as possible because he couldn¡¯t keep his dick in his pants. So once again, I grew up with everything but a normal life. But luckily this time, my stepmother was not a bitch. She also didn¡¯t carry a baggage with her. And didn¡¯t produce any. She only cared about how to doll herself up and be pretty all day long. She¡¯d sometimes took me to socialites¡¯ parties just to parade me around because of my face and how well behaved I was. And what she did was rather funny to me. My new father though, was not a complete jerk like my previous one, but he didn¡¯t show any interest in me either. I grew up with his absence but was spoiled with shitload of money. I was an heiress and filthy rich. However, my genius brain was still intact. Despite of my status, I was an overachiever in academic. I passed with flying colours and got my medical degree at the age of sixteen. And at twenty, I was an excellent Medical Doctor. I also won a national championship in Martial-Arts and was an IG famous. In summary, I was living my life.. until I wasn¡¯t. On one rainy day in Manhattan, Truck-kun hit me as I crossed the street and Isekai¡¯d me back to my first life. Ha. Haha. Hahaha! Well, feck you, universe! TWO Isn¡¯t this exciting? To be back as a one year old baby where Archer Debelvoir still care. A joyous event indeed. *barf. Ah shit. Another one of those. Why the fuck did I get reincarnated as babies in all my lives, huh? *muttering, mumbling, and finally growling. And to be back in my first life at that dammit! ¡°Oh my, our little princess seems to be learning how to speak.. kyaa, so cute!¡± So cute my ass. You betrayed me, Anna. You took Vanessa¡¯s side when she became Archer¡¯s mistress. And should the fate repeat itself, you shall be in her payroll as well when the time comes. The same goes with the other maids in this room.. and the rest of the servants. Sigh. I¡¯m surrounded by traitors. But hell, nah. I will not let what had happened, happen to me again. I will be powerful enough to fight back should the opportunities arise because I¡¯m no longer the same child that they bullied before. I had lived up to the age of a twenty-year old on my previous two lives, so by nature, I¡¯m actually an old soul and technically an old hag. And this old hag has a short temper. A very bad one at that. Do I sound bitter and vicious now? By all means the shit that happened in my first life should¡¯ve turned me into some kind of a villainess, right? Or should I just let it all go and move on with the new life and let the karma do its jobs? ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Ha. No. I shall be the karma myself. Try me, suckers. ** He¡¯s been coming here every morning before his breakfast and every night after his dinner ever since I was sent back to this life. This is new. Whatever happens to you, Archer? *annoyed. And why are you keep staring at me like that you freak? *barf. Gaargh why am I barfing right now? So uncool! *blushing, and non-stop barfing. ¡°Maids! Call Dr. Morty. NOW!¡± *maids in panic. ¡°Y-Yes, Your Grace!¡± THIRTY MINUTES LATER. ¡°I-It¡¯s a.. the princess is seemed to have some food allergies, Your Grace.¡± (note: he called her Princess because she¡¯s the duchy¡¯s heir, a common term for this world-setting) What? What food allergies? I don¡¯t recall to have any in previous lives.. ¡°EXPLAIN.¡± Archer barked. He seems agitated (which is weird, this is my first time seeing some emotions on him), but the family physician informed him in details regarding my situation. Some frequent barfs are normal for babies, though recently I¡¯ve been having a lot of those more often since my regression.. something that did not happen in my first and second life. It could be a reflux but should it be some food allergies then this is definitely new. I wonder what food it is.. but dammit, I wanted to hear more and self-analysing myself too but I¡¯m getting lightheaded and seems like I have an upset stomach now.. *coughed. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Oh I don¡¯t feel good. *coughed. I don¡¯t feel good at all. *coughed. And you guys are too noisy, please be quiet. *noises in the background as Archer¡¯s losing his shit. Darn it Archer, stop yelling! THE NEXT DAY. Urgh, am I still sick? My head seems okay right now but my stomach still feels a bit weird. Huh? Wait. Is that.. Archer? What is Archer doing in my roo.. no, this isn¡¯t my nursery room. AM I IN HIS CHAMBER? AND THE NEXT, NEXT DAY. This is absurd. He¡¯s been keeping me in his room for three days straight and the dude has been practically doing all his work in here. *a man entering the room after a knock. Oh hello, Mr. Hugo. Good morning to you. You were his most loyal aide but you failed to notice the shit around the house back in the days.. so I hate chu too. Stop staring at me! Grrr.. *shot him a look. *flinched. ¡°Your Grace, the little lady seems to be up.¡± ¡°Call the new Nanny.¡± New Nanny? ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± What new nanny? ** A few minutes later I¡¯ve learned that Archer had fired ALL, I meant ALL the servants inside the manor with no exceptions, and had replaced them with new ones in the past three days. Great. So much for my revenge plan for those who partaken the abused in my first life. But anyhow, the security had been tightened as well with the guards shifting and patrolling around the estate on every five hours for efficiency. Back then, I learned that the family has over three thousand private knights in total, a hundred and twenty house guards, and about two hundred and fifty workers on the main estate. The said numbers are excluding the staffs who worked inside the manor. Not to mention the ones who worked at the townhouse in the capital city as well. Dang. Now that I think about it, we are indeed a powerful ducal family. The servants who worked inside the manor weren¡¯t small either. The manor is huge as fuck after all. If I can recall correctly, I¡¯m sure they were about two hundred servants in total, so to replace them all including the Head Butler and his subordinates along with that hideous Head Maid.. what on earth happened? ¡°How is she?¡± Archer asked, although his head¡¯s fixated on the paperwork. ¡°The critical moment has passed, Your Grace. The little lady is stable but she¡¯s still weak.¡± The nanny rocked me in her arms. I liked her. She¡¯s very gentle. ¡°Bring her to me.¡± Ack. WHY? ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± Why you smilin¡¯ new nanny? Why you givin¡¯ me to this piece of shi.. oh hey, he¡¯s holding me ever so gently. Not bad Archer, patting me softly on my back is actually making me a bit sleepy.. *yawning. But it doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ve forgiven you for abandoning me before, alright? I¡¯m just gonna close my eyes a bit on your shoulde.. *zzzz.. EMPRESS HALL, IMPERIAL PALACE, LATER THAT NIGHT. ¡°IMPOSSIBLE!¡± Cups and vases were being thrown away, and the ruckus caused by the empress was getting bigger. ¡°Y-Your Majesty..¡± Macy Heinnel, the empress¡¯s handmaiden and confidant tried to calm her down. ¡°I¡¯m sure that there¡¯s other way to keep His Grace in chec..¡± ¡°SHUT UP!¡± *panting. ¡°You failed me, Macy! I don¡¯t tolerate a single failure didn¡¯t I make that clear before?¡± Macy¡¯s right shoulder started to bleed due to the vase that the empress has thrown at her, but she stood firm and still. She¡¯s been serving her mistress even before she became the empress. She knew exactly how to behave around her. How could this happen? He fired all servants at once? Why? I¡¯ve planted all of them for years and very, very carefully.. what on earth happened? ¡°Not a soul left?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Your Majesty. Except for the maid who reported the incident, the rest of them have gone missing without a trace. And I have dealt with that maid accordingly.¡± ¡°The Butler? The Head Maid? Hundreds of people don¡¯t just disappear in thin air!¡± But you know for a fact that Archer Debelvoir has the power to do so.. ¡°As informed, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°USELESS!!¡± Impossible. Impossible. Impossible! *huff. That inadequate butler that I planted cautiously was the main key! Did Archer catch him in the act? Did he throw them all in the dungeons? Damn it if it¡¯s true.. what if he hates me now? No.. he would never hate me. But my years of hard work on making all servants in that mansion to be on my payroll.. this is FRUSTRATING! *biting her nails. No.. no, I can¡¯t give up. You can¡¯t get away from me, Archer. No matter how hard you try to push me away, I will never let you go. I don¡¯t care what it takes but I will make you mine again. Yes, mine. You¡¯ve always been mine. Even though we¡¯re no longer together, we¡¯re still meant to be. I know you still love me! I know you do! ¡°Summon an Informant Guild Master. At once!¡± BACK AT THE DEBELVOIR MAIN ESTATE AT THE DUCHY. Archer Debelvoir, the fuck? I have been officially moved to his chamber? You¡¯re telling me that I¡¯m going to spend the rest of my infant days with you? Daily? Nightly? With you? I hate chu! *peewt. ¡°Since when did you learn to spray gas on my face, huh?¡± Since I realized that you¡¯re a lousy dad, you dirtbag. Take one more attack of my fresh body odor. There! ¡°Ha. Seems like you have to go at it again, let me see..¡± I¡¯m not poopi.. huh? ¡®Let me see?¡¯ You¡¯re joking, right? YOU are going to check whether I¡¯m shitting or not? YOU of all people? YOU? Dammit! *wiggling. Get away from me you freak! THREE ¡°Da da da daa dah. (I can¡¯t breathe you jerk).¡± ¡°Sleep now. Shh..¡± Archer carefully placed his daughter on his chest, patting her back gently. ¡°Comfy now?¡± ¡°Da da! (Shaddap!).¡± You think I¡¯d ever forgive you? Just because you¡¯re trying to make up now it won¡¯t change the fact that you abandoned me in my first life! After a few minutes of back patting, she finally stopped struggling and unconsciously let go of her anger as she slowly closed her eyes.. falling asleep on her father bare chest. You¡¯re a tough one my dear daughter. I can already feel how much of a headache you will become.. He let out a soft smile, a hint of melancholy crossed his face. Just like your mother. ONE YEAR LATER. ¡°It¡¯s almost the princess¡¯s birthday!¡± ¨C maid A. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s going to be a grand one! His Grace truly loves her ohh I¡¯m sooo envious! I wish I was born a Debelvoir too!¡± ¨C maid B. The talk of the second birthday of Katriana Maximillian Debelvoir became the hot topic in the entire dukedom. Her father the duke has ordered a preparation of a grand celebration, where all the southern nobles and even commoners would be able to attend. This event would take place at the Central Park in the middle of the Debelvoir Town, and it shall be the first one that¡¯d be recorded in the history; where both nobles and commoners would mingle together in a banquet party hosted by none other than House Debelvoir. The family was never known for their hospitality throughout the generations, although they¡¯ve been rather generous with charity nationwide. The House of Emerald Dragon was rather known as a cold-ass family who kept things to themselves (just like the ducal family in the northern region), and always tucked their lives away in the south where they ruled. Archer himself was never friendly. Cold, calculated, cunning. A freezer incarnate. That¡¯s the sort of person he is. However, in one week time, with the introduction of the southern princess of Debelvoir duchy, a major history would definitely take place. What is Archer plotting at? This didn¡¯t happen back then. What is going on? A grand celebration for my birthday? Come on! But then as a mere infant, what can I really do? I have no say in this and I guess I¡¯ll just have to follow along.. ¡°My beautiful Princess, time for your bath!¡± *beam. Maryjune, my nanny for about a year now, always has this mary-sue vibe on her. Which is not a bad thing but also uncomfortable. For me that is. I¡¯m the problem here. Trust issue is a real issue. Once Vanessa and Belle arrived, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d switch side.. just like Anna, my previous nanny who participate on beating me up in the name of ¡®discipline¡¯. Although in the past year the servants of the manor have been completely replaced with the new ones in a smaller scale, I¡¯m still aware that things might turned out the same as my first life. But both replacement and the reduction were rather significant though. Since looking on how there used to be about over two hundred servants who worked inside the manor, now there are only forty five domestics including the Head Butler, the Head Maid, the Head Chef, my nanny, and Archer¡¯s valet. Some things just don¡¯t make sense to me because our ancestral home that is still standing strong for over a thousand years is enormous and needs constant care, but I digress. I almost forgot the part that there¡¯s magical maintenance in this world after all. Even without servants, the in-house mages should be able to take care of the upkeep. I overheard Archer with his talk to his aides (SINCE THE DUKE KEPT ME BY HIS SIDE ALMOST ALL THE TIME AND EVEN BROUGHT ME TO HIS OFFICE AND HIS MEETINGS WITH VASSALS SMH!) that he wanted limitations on workers inside the manor. The access to the estate was also limited and tightened that even vassals of the house would need prior notice upon their visits. And the reason for the big change was still unknown, but one thing for sure that I gathered from the maids¡¯ daily gossip; the duke is being overprotective toward his daughter. I¡¯m sure that it has something to do with my non-stop burping incident a year ago (although I¡¯m sure that it wasn¡¯t a big deal, I mean babies do barf a lot), and I tried to be open-minded with everything he¡¯s projecting toward me where I believe that he¡¯d try to be a better father in this lifetime.. but for some reason, I can¡¯t still completely forgive him. We¡¯ve become really close in the past year. I¡¯d pulled my antics a lot on him by kicking him on his sleep, farted on his face, even punch him at times (including pulling his hair off during his meetings with the vassals ¨C zero fuck given by the way), and I couldn¡¯t help but feel the tingling sensation I my stomach.. something that maybe, just maybe, a daughter should feel toward her father. A lovable moments that are priceless.. and yet, the bitterness of the past still haunting me. And I can¡¯t still forgive him.. Is it wrong? Am I being too theatrical with the way I think? What would one do if one were to be in my shoes? Tell me.. THE BIRTHDAY EVENT. Central Park was decorated beautifully, grand, and magical. The Emerald Knights that served House Debelvoir were stationed on every corner to ensure the utmost safety of the event. When the clock strikes eleven, the people were arriving one by one, with pride and joy written on their faces. The southern aristocrats, the family vassals, the southern gentries, and the commoners of the south.. all have gathered to celebrate the very birthday of the only princess from the most prosperous duchy in the empire. Archer intended to only celebrate the blissful day with the southerners, hence, there were no other nobles nor guests from other regions. And it created massive news in the capital city that also reached the other regions by the next day. Some become spiteful and envious, some think that it was a typical behaviour of a Debelvoir, some just don¡¯t care. The Imperial Family on the other hand, was rather curious. The moment Archer Debelvoir entered the scene with his daughter that he holds dear in his arms, the crowd started to cheer, giving their prayers and blessings toward the family. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. It was indeed a birthday most memorable, and a banquet most wonderful. Katriana was overwhelmed, that she cried silently in her heart.. Yeah, this regression isn¡¯t so bad. Thanks dad. I still hate chu though.. kinda. She looked at her father with a smile, and he returned the favour with a gentle kiss on her forehead. ¡°Happiest birthday my little girl.¡± He beamed. KATRIANA DEBELVOIR: AGE FIVE. AXEVRAN EMPIRE. An undefeated nation in the Vast Continent that prides itself for over a thousand years, consists of Central Region where the Magic City and the Imperial Academy stood strong, the Western Region where the Imperial Palace and the Capital City¡¯s at, the Eastern Region, the Northern Region, and the Southern Region. Feudal lords are in charge to handle the regions (except for the Central and Western Regions which are controlled by the Imperial Family), however, among the regions, two of them are considered unique due to their solid lineage. The Northern Lords, House of Wolff, and the Southern Lords, House of Debelvoir. Both families have been around longer, even before the empire was founded. As the longest and the strongest lineages in the nation, they were considered as threats for the Imperial Faction. Hence the decree from Emperor Kaisar Magnus Axevran III as the eleventh emperor; the marriage alliance between the Wolffs and the Debelvoirs, is at all times, prohibited. The decree was and still is honoured by the two great houses, who sworn their loyalty to the Imperial Family.. to this date. But as the saying that goes by with the laws are meant to be broken, some things are inevitable, and just simply.. meant to be. Or so I thought when I first saw Killian Alexander Wolff. With a combination of platinum silver hair and deep ocean eyes, I gawked like an idiot back then. He was beautiful. More beautiful than his father (and that man is like.. one of the hottest man in the empire). He instantly became my childhood crush in my first life. And my delulu brain thought that the stupid decree could be broken by love.. I was five and dumb. But I genuinely had a hard crush toward him. However, either if it¡¯s because I have an old soul now or maybe because of the past trauma, I don¡¯t feel a single thing anymore. Not even a slightest adoration toward him. I am five and no longer dumb. ¡°Greetings, little Lady Debelvoir. We met a year ago at Debelvoir Hotel in the capital, do you perhaps still remember me?¡± Damon Wolff shines so bright like a diamond. I remember how he and Archer used to have a lot of meetings in the capital before the war, along with their other pal. ¡°This is my son, Killian Wolff. He¡¯s five years older but I think the two of you could be friends.¡± The ever so handsome Duke of the North offered his smile as he introduced me to his sole heir. And of course, the young duke doesn¡¯t look so pleased. Just like in the past, he looked like as if he was forced to be here. I was annoying to him, I admit it. Due to my na?ve feelings toward him back then, I clung onto him like my life depends on his slightest smile. A smile that he¡¯d never reciprocate, a smile that he only offered to Belle. He came to loath me when Belle fabricated the story of me bullying her. And that face is exactly the same face I remember of him. To this day. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Lord Killian.¡± I returned the greetings with a curtsey and a flat face. Something inside my heart started to sting, and I can¡¯t afford to beam like a proper lady at the moment. And maybe I was being childish, or maybe I was just not interested to be around him at all. I don¡¯t know.. ¡°Are you not taking me to your meeting with Duke Wolff, Daddy?¡± I quickly turned my gaze toward Archer. Archer looked surprised. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must discuss something in private with the duke. Why don¡¯t you play with Lord Killian for a moment?¡± Well, I actually don¡¯t mind to bring you along but Mister Wolff here is also a Mister Cigar. I''d rather not let you see that. I thought so. ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¨C Archer. ¡°¡­¡± ¨C Damon. ¡°¡­¡± ¨C Killian. *awkward. ¡°Forgive my rudeness, Duke Wolff, Lord Killian. I want to play with my dolls. I don¡¯t think it would suit the young lord.¡± I just wanna get out of here though.. The two hot daddies snorted. But they both reached an agreement where Killian would spend his time at the library as he requested while they¡¯re having their meeting at Archer¡¯s office, and I¡¯d return to Archer¡¯s chamber.. to play with my dolls. I was going to nap actually but good thing that my lies worked. ** ¡°She speaks so well for her age.¡± Damon lit up a cigar as Archer gulped in a glass of whiskey. ¡°She speaks four languages now you know.. and is learning two others at the moment.¡± ¡°For real? Dang. And I thought my indifferent son is the genius of the century.¡± ¡°Well, her mother was fluent in twelve languages in total..¡± He paused with a second of reminiscing. ¡°..anyway, how¡¯s Camille?¡± Damon¡¯s expression turned rigid. ¡°She¡¯s..¡± *frowned, ¡°..holding on.¡± ¡°Killian can stay here for awhile if you¡¯d like. My daughter needs a playmate that¡¯s on par with her brain anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah, I was considering that..¡± *temporary silence. ¡°But?¡± ¡°But I¡¯m thinking of an early enrolment at the Imperial Academy.¡± ¡°I see..¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have to discuss that with him first. Anyway, Caleb sent me this.¡± He pulled up a folded letter from his tux. ¡°I¡¯m guessing one of your birds have already informed you on what it is.¡± ¡°Well, they worked faster than the Shadows.¡± ¡°Undoubtedly. So what¡¯s the next plan?¡± ¡°How long have you handled it before Caleb found out?¡± ¡°About a week. I could handle it myself though, but that fucker wanted to get involve.¡± ¡°They.. resurfaced, Damon. Some were even new. Or is there anything that the north is hiding?¡± ¡°¡­¡± *reading the content of the letter. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ve already set a schedule with Caleb, he should be arriving tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to leave for the capital after this meeting for my bad fucking luck. The Emperor and your psycho ex requested my presence.¡± ¡°For?¡± ¡°What else? They¡¯ve been dying to have Killian as their daughter¡¯s fianc¨¦.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Archer sipped in another chunk of whiskey. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not funny. If it wasn¡¯t for that dumb decree I would¡¯ve asked you for Katriana instead.¡± *gritted his teeth. ¡°Son of a bitch, how do I get out of this?¡± ¡°Caleb has a daughter.¡± ¡°The Archduchess is a devout temple believer. Killian believes in rock and roll or some shit.¡± ¡°Well then.." Archer snorted. "My warmest regards to you Damon Wolff.¡± "Tch. Shut up." ** After the meeting with the northern duke, Archer should have another meeting by tomorrow with one of his besties.. Archduke Caleb Vanders Axevran, the emperor¡¯s younger brother and the former notorious playboy of the nation, where he¡¯d bring his bastard (but beloved) son along with him to the estate, and that very son of his would become my one and only childhood friend. Or at least that¡¯s how it was back then. Ethan Vanders. Due to the Imperial Law, he couldn¡¯t have the Imperial Family¡¯s last name but he was given his father¡¯s maiden name for the reason that of his unknown mother. When he was an infant, he suddenly appeared in a basket in front of the gate of the archduke¡¯s residence in the capital. In the basket, there was a note, stating that he is the archduke illegitimate son. The newlywed archduke and archduchess then took a blood test at the temple (yes, there¡¯s no such thing as blood test at the hospital in this world, fuck logic!) and he was indeed the archduke¡¯s son. The whole agenda caused quite a scandal for the Imperial Family, but due to Caleb¡¯s carefree nature, he did not give a single shit on what people say. His marriage wasn¡¯t shaken as well. The archduchess accepted Ethan as her own son, and they lived unbothered, chill like a blue pill, joyful and playful. Sigh. I do not wish to meet him. Archer may have carved a scar in my heart but Ethan hurt me the most. We were such good friends back then, but he hurt me so badly. He witnessed Vanessa slapped my face right in front of the servants and right in front of his eyes.. yet he chose to side with them. Judging me without proofs. Corner me with his harsh words. Killed me softly with his cold gaze. I was covered in bruises and he CHOSE TO SIDE WITH BELLE. I was crying, begging for him to listen but he CHOSE TO SIDE WITH BELLE. You¡¯re a traitor, Ethan. You are.. *sob. Wait. Why am I crying? Out of nowhere? Ha! Dammit. I need a psychologist once I reached the legal age for consultation. I really do need help. The ghosts of the past still haunting me like stupid. Non-stop. And I don¡¯t know if I could ever heal.. I was fine in my second life since I didn¡¯t have to face the fuckers who hurt me anymore, but this time is different. I regressed to my first life and it is just simply.. simply painful. FOUR ¡°Katriana!¡± Duke Debelvoir rushed toward her daughter who burst into tears, shaken to find her in a frantic state. ¡°WHAT HAPPEN?¡± *hic. *sob. *waah! *whaaah! ¡°Please tell me what¡¯s wrong..¡± Shit. Shit! *panic. Katriana, my heart is breaking so much right now to see you like this! You never cried this much before, heck, you never cried other than the time when you were delivered into this world so what the fuck is going on? Did Caleb¡¯s son teased you and crossed the line? ¡°We¡¯ll talk again later, Caleb. And you better come up with some explanation that makes sense about YOUR SON who made MY DAUGHTER cry.¡± Archer didn¡¯t shot out a killer look, but everyone in the hallway felt a deadly presence from him. ¡°I won¡¯t tolerate it even if it¡¯s you.¡± THIRTY MINUTES AGO. I managed to dodge to greet another combo of Father-Son¡¯s visit today. I came up with some weird excuses on not to greet and welcoming the famous archduke of the empire and his son, but I guess if my mental state is at stake, I wouldn¡¯t mind to be a liar. I¡¯m not ready to see Ethan just yet. At least not now anyway. I know for a fact that to meet him is inevitable in the future, but.. as for now my heart is yet to be ready. Oh hang on a sec. Where am I? The maid was getting my shawl and I started to wander aimlessly. Me and my bad habit of zero patience. It¡¯s funny to say that even though this is my house, there are still many quarters that I haven¡¯t been to. I mean, in my first life I behaved like a proper little lady and didn¡¯t roam around the manor.. also when Vanessa and Belle came in here, Vanessa locked me up a lot as punishment for crimes I didn¡¯t do. Sigh. What a bitter memory. Will I ever be able to move on? Seems like everything that I do remind me of them.. But the breeze in this hallway coming from the garden is somewhat soothing though. It calms me down in a way.. *closing her eyes, feeling the soft wind. ¡°Woaah..¡± *flinched. I turned around as soon as I head that voice. THAT VOICE. ¡°H-Hello.. are you perhaps, the duke¡¯s daughter?¡± No. ¡°Greetings Lady Debelvoir, I¡¯m Ethan Vanders. It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you!¡± No way. ¡°How do you do, my lady?¡± My entire body is being taken over by a wave of mixed feelings that it¡¯s suffocating me! My throat hurts.. ¡°I¡¯m the Archduke¡¯s son. He¡¯s having a meeting with your Father at the moment.¡± E.. Ethan.. ¡°My Father mentioned that you¡¯re a lot younger than I am, so I hope that we can be friends like you¡¯re my little sister. I have a little sister at home too but hehe, you can call me brother, I won¡¯t mind. I heard a lot about you and..¡± No. No. My heart¡¯s racing so fast as he kept on mumbling, my vision turned hazy, and I.. huh? Tears? Am I.. crying? Why? It won¡¯t stop. I don¡¯t mean to cry but why are the tears keep on flowing on my cheeks? And my heart, it¡¯s aching. It¡¯s aching so bad.. ** ¡°He.. he didn¡¯t do anything, daddy.¡± *hic. ¡°Then why are you still crying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. I don¡¯t cry.¡± *sigh. ¡°Katriana.. tell me the truth.¡± ¡°It is the truth. I only cried because..¡± ¡°Because?¡± ¡°I mean I didn¡¯t cry. I just..¡± *hugging her tight. ¡°He really didn¡¯t do anything bad. I was just startled to see a stranger.. HEY YOU¡¯RE SQUEEZING ME DADDY!¡± Daddy will burn the whole world if it¡¯s for you, Katriana. Please don¡¯t cry like that anymore.. I nearly lost my mind.. ¡°How do you feel now? Better?¡± *blowing her nose on his shirt. ¡°Yeah.¡± *knock-knock. ¡°Pardon me, Your Grace.¡± ¨C Jasper, the Head Butler. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°F-Forgive me, my lord. But the Archduke is insisting on seeing you..¡± ¡°Tch. Tell that idiot to wait in my office.¡± ¡°That idiot can no longer wait.¡± Caleb entered Archer¡¯s bedroom along with his son whose face is covered in both fear and guilt. ¡°IN MY BEDROOM? YOU SON OF A..¡± Realizing that he¡¯s holding his daughter on his arms and is in the presence of another young kid, Archer can only breathe a heavy sigh. ¡°I have to apologize, Lord Ethan, as I have misjudged the situation earlier. My sincere apology for blaming you with my daughter¡¯s incident.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. *flinch. ¡°N-No, Duke Debelvoir, please.. I¡¯m the one who should be apologizing. I startled the little lady and talked too much on my first meeting with her. I asked her if she could be my little sister which crossed the line, but.. but I only said that because she was round and fluffy and chubby and adorable and very cu.. ACK! Father? Why did you hit me?¡± ¡°Son!¡± ¡°Yes. I am truly sorry, Duke Debelvoir.. especially to you, my lady. Please forgive my rude behaviour..¡± Burying herself in her father¡¯s neck, Katriana replied softly. ¡°It¡¯s alright, my lord.¡± Dammit why did I lose my cool and cry anyway? My soul is not a child by any stretch of imagination! ¡°Great!¡± Caleb collide his hands. ¡°Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared, we really need to finish our talk, Archer.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to change my clothes.¡± ¡°I shall call the footmen, Your Grace.¡± ¡°No need, Jasper. I¡¯m just changing my shirt. Escort that dumba .. escort the Archduke and Lord Ethan to my study. Oh, call the maids to change my daughter¡¯s dress. She¡¯s coming with me for the meeting.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take too long!¡± Caleb yapped as he turned around and a sudden realization hits his brain. ¡°Huh? Wait. You¡¯re taking your daughter to our meeting?¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s my sole heir. She ought to learn everything at early age and I¡¯ve been taking her to my meetings from the time when she was just a toddler.¡± ¡°HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?¡± ¡°No. Perfectly sane. Unless there¡¯d be some fools who¡¯d try to harm my daughter that is.¡± ¡°Archer! That¡¯s a form of a child abuse!¡± ¡°It is not and shut up and walk out already! I¡¯m changing my clothes!¡± ** *footsteps. ¡°I still think it¡¯s inappropriate, but what do you think?¡± ¡°About what, Father?¡± ¡°Would you like to join the meeting too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your heir, though..¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t hurt to start learning some diplomatic issues now..¡± ¡°But you were against it earlier.¡± *offensive side eye.. ¡°That¡¯s because Lady Debelvoir is way too young! How could he do that to a chi..¡± *sigh.. ¡°Don¡¯t grow up to be stubborn like Duke Debelvoir. And don¡¯t grow up to be too detached like Duke Wolff. Also don¡¯t grow up to be a..¡± ¡°A player like you, yes. I know, I know. You keep reminding me about that ALL THE TIME.¡± ¡°I never said player. I said free-spiri..¡± ¡°Potatoh, Potato. Anyway.. I think it won¡¯t be a bad idea to join you in the meeting.¡± ¡°Good. Also, I¡¯m proud of you, son. On how handling the situation earlier.¡± Caleb smiled proudly as he pat his son¡¯s head and messed with it. ¡°I still feel bad.. she cried so hard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she was only startled because it was the first time she saw you. It¡¯s okay to feel guilty but it¡¯s not okay to dwell too long in it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± His father¡¯s words sipped in to his mind. ¡°Alright..¡± ¡°Great. Now, hold my hand.¡± *grin. ¡°What?¡± *disgust. ¡°Gross!¡± ¡°HOLD MY HAND!¡± ¡°NO!¡± ¡°My best friend¡¯s daughter let her Daddy to hug her, why can¡¯t I even hold my son¡¯s hand? I¡¯m jealous!¡± ¡°AND I¡¯M TEN! GET AWAY FROM ME!¡± ARCHER¡¯S OFFICE. There are nine of us in this room. Four are sitting front to front (facing each other), two aides of Archer¡¯s are standing by his back (ready with their notes), two aides of Caleb¡¯s are standing by his back (also ready with their notes), and the captain of Falcon Knights that belongs to the archduke is standing by the door. The atmosphere is quite intense, I¡¯m assuming that this isn¡¯t just a regular meeting with teas and macaroons. And for some reason, Ethan kept on staring at me like stupid. Please look away, please look away! Urgh, I can¡¯t believe that a mere ten-year old is making me feeling uneasy! ¡°Well, dare I say that this is about the war you mentioned in the letter you sent to Damon?¡± Archer broke the ice. But wait, war? If it¡¯s about THAT war then.. isn¡¯t it too soon? It should happen when I turn seven.. or am I wrong? Did my memory tricked me? ¡°You couldn¡¯t be more right. The Falcon Knights was escorting my guest..¡± ¡°YOUR guest, Archduke Caleb Vanders?¡± *smirk. Damn you moron! There are kids here! And she is my former, FORMER paramour! My wife was well informed about it! She was at the capital for business dammit! ¨¤ *hoping that Archer could read his mind. ¡°Yes. One of my guess, Duke Archer Debelvoir.¡± Huh? What is up with those two? But seriously, off topic, why is Ethan¡¯s gaze keep fixating on me? Sigh. I have to admit though, both father and son are quite striking. With their signature light blond hair and cloudy purple eyes that are symbols of the imperial bloodline, faces so handsome that they could make you cry. Ethan is definitely a mini version of Caleb, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d grow up looking like him in the future. Hopefully he won¡¯t turn out to be a manwhore either, but who knows.. The last time I saw him was when I was ten in my first life. He visited the house together with Killian on their school break since their families has vacation villas in our territory. They both enrolled at the Imperial Academy, and took any chances they had to see Belle. That was the day when Vanessa slapped and humiliated me in front of everyone. I was truly eager to see the two of them but betrayal and heartache was what I get in return. When I left for the faraway academy at twelve, I never looked back since. I shut myself off from the affairs of the outside, so I had no idea how things were at home or even at the world. But I shouldn¡¯t think of it much. I need to focus now. I better brush it off now. Come on, Katriana! ¡°Anyway, Falcon Knights fought some unusual demonic beasts as they crossed the northern alps, and all investigations led to far north as the source of creatures¡¯ existence.¡± So it IS that war. ¡°And what does your big bro says?¡± ¡°Oh come on, I notify both of you dumbasses..¡± *sudden alertness, ¡°not you, my little lady, I meant the other duke, ehehe.. do forgive my foul language.¡± *sweat-smiling. ¡°Ahem, I meant I informed you and Killian first-hand so we can just handle it without my brother¡¯s influence.¡± ¡°He¡¯s THE Emeperor, *whispering ..you moron.¡± ¡°Our Knights are more than capable to handle the situation. I¡¯ll let him know after the final investigation. But wouldn¡¯t it be better to send our Knights first?¡± ¡°What is wrong with you and your pride, Caleb?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about pride. I¡¯m just telling you tha..¡± *both keep on arguing. Ah I see. That war wasn¡¯t a sudden war. It broke out when I was seven because of two years struggling upon the irrational decision of the archduke. And Archer went along with it.. sigh, idiots. I¡¯m sure whatever happened in the battlefield is gruesome but prolonging it with some selfish reasons is a question mark on their logic. If the demonic beasts attack has already started, then it would take about four years for them to clear up the mess should the story fold according to the original plotline of my fist life. And more lives would suffer. More deaths. More grieves. The soldiers have their personal lives too.. with families and all. And maybe, just maybe, if I voice out my opinion now, the baron wouldn¡¯t have to die, would he? Both Vanessa and Belle wouldn¡¯t have to come here and I wouldn¡¯t have to see them ever again.. or am I being too greedy now? ¡°Pardon me, Your Excellency the Archduke.¡± I spoke. With rather a firm voice that startled everyone in their room. Especially since I cut the kids argument. ¡°If you would allow me to speak?¡± ¡°Y-Yes. Yes of course, my lady.¡± ¡°Do I have your permission as well, Your Grace?¡± I switched my eyes toward Archer, asking for his approval. I really need to say this. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll allow me to but just so the others would know.. please do say yes. *staring straight at his daughter. ¡°Daddy!¡± *punched her father¡¯s jaw in front of everyone. (and yes, they¡¯re shocked to the core) ¡°YES. Ahem, of course Katriana. You may speak.¡± Tch. Focus you punk. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to say this Your Excellency the Archduke, but I think it¡¯s better to cut the shoe that pinches the foot.¡± ¡°¡­¡± - the reaction of the rest of the people in the room. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is, it isn¡¯t good to prolong the current issue in the name of we have better soldiers. Though I understand the strength of the Knights of the three great houses combined is invincible, but strength alone isn¡¯t enough in the battlefield. And we can¡¯t simply underestimate the strength of our opponent either. This is THE demonic creatures we¡¯re talking about, I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to elaborate on how many species there are. And coming from the far north, the creatures have always been mysterious. There¡¯s a reason the House of Wolff is guarding the area for over a thousand years, we can¡¯t overlook that fact.¡± ARE THOSE WORDS COMING FROM A FIVE YEAR OLD? I¡¯M DUMBFOUNDED. ¨C Caleb. ¡°Moreover, with the current state of the empire, we¡¯ve never been solid. If the five great houses of the nation would join in hands, the greater the chances of winning at earliest stage, don¡¯t you think? The Eastern Region with House Rivanoff and House Blackwood are well known with their strategic way of thinking in battlefield. Both Western and Central Regions with the Imperial Family, including yours, Your Excellency the Archduke, are the nation¡¯s biggest military. Not to mention the mages of the empire. And of course, there¡¯s also my house. I don¡¯t need to pin-point how great my Daddy is ¨C I meant my house is. But in summary, joined forces at earliest stage is crucial. We can start with the investigations as you¡¯ve mentioned before, with one-third representative of the houses. Set up a length for the campaign, and should it not be solved by then, push for the war with the decree upon approval or His Majesty the Emperor.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¨C everyone else was once again left speechless. ¡°Of course if what I just said do make sense in any way. I¡¯m a mere five-year old with a mere insight.¡± ¡°N-No, my lady. I was, I think.. everyone including your Daddy here is astonish. What an incredible, strong comprehension you have, Lady Debelvoir.¡± ¡°It¡¯s worth taking into consideration.¡± ¡°Sure it is. Say, pray tell little lady, would you mind telling me how were you able to tackle a suggestion that come up with a solution?¡± Pray tell? What are you some ye old dude? ¡°Well, with all due respect Your Excellency the Archduke.. ..I¡¯m a Debelvoir.¡±