Can We Become Family?

Chapter 9

There was a knock on Naviah’s door, followed by a muffled voice. “It’s Charlotte. May I come in?” The morning had dawned, and the maid had arrived to help Naviah prepare for the day. Naviah quickly yanked down her sleeve to cover her wrist, concealing the black moon. She wasn’t yet sure if it would be visible to others and it seemed best to err on the side of caution.

Charlotte entered, toting a basin of water. “Oh, you’re already awake,” she exclaimed, surprised to find the young girl up so early.

“Yes, I woke up early today.” It had become a habit for her to wake at dawn, having had ample chances to do so across her many lifetimes.

“I’ve brought some water for you to wash up. I’ve also drawn a bath.”

Naviah thanked her, particularly grateful for the warm bath after emerging from the sweaty ordeal of her nightmare. The maid set down the basin and went about tidying up the room before noticing that the previous day’s food had been left untouched. She had brought a fresh tray later in the day, but Naviah hadn’t stirred from her sleep. Wondering if her condition had gotten more severe, Charlotte awkwardly approached the girl as she was scrubbing her face with a cloth. “My lady... Are you feeling all right?” she ventured.

In all the years Charlotte had served as Naviah’s maid, this was the first time she had shown such concern. Sensing her unease, Naviah blinked slowly, then let out a soft chuckle. “Are you expressing your worry for me?” The question seemed to fluster the maid, who avoided meeting Naviah’s eyes and instead began quickly clearing away the basin. Setting down her towel, Naviah reassured her. “I’m quite all right.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Charlotte said, eyes lowered as she picked up the basin. Navian wondered if it was their new alliance that had prompted this warmer treatment. People often changed quickly when they could no longer exploit others for their benefit.

Naviah headed next door to her private bathroom. Awaiting her on the marble floor was a large bathtub, filled with steaming water and supported by golden legs. “The third floor certainly is a different world,” she mused aloud. It was a pleasant change to climb into a luxurious hot bath instead of her usual cold ones.

After her bath, she returned to her bedroom. She had only a few sets of clothes and hardly any accessories, so it was more sensible for her to dress there rather than in a separate dressing room with a full wardrobe. “Let’s get you ready,” Charlotte offered. Naviah owned nothing but simple dresses lacking ornate decoration, but she preferred them to the tacky and elaborate dresses she was made to wear to public events.

Standing in front of her mirror, she noticed that the black moon on her wrist did not show in her reflection. It seemed to be invisible, just like her regression numbers had been. I need to check if others can see it. She exposed her wrist to Charlotte, gesturing at the edge of her right sleeve. “Isn’t this a bit short?”

Charlotte glanced at her wrist. “You must have grown, that’s why it seems shorter. I’ll arrange to have it altered.”

Naviah pointed directly at the mark. “Down to here?” She observed Charlotte’s eyes as they landed on the location of the crescent moon. It’s not being mirrored in her eyes, either. Naviah’s wrist, as shown in the reflection of Charlotte’s dark brown eyes, appeared spotless. Her suspicions were confirmed—the new mark, like the previous regression numbers, was invisible to everyone but Naviah herself.

“Yes, just to the joint of your wrist. That should do.”

“Okay.” Naviah agreed, still pondering the nature of the mysterious mark.

While Charlotte continued to help her dress, there was a knock at the door. The maid stepped out for a moment and quickly returned. “My lady, Lord Spencer has arrived. You may eat and then head to the study room.”

Naviah ate the food she had been brought, a simple but sufficient meal—some cold ham and a salad. Naviah, needing the energy to fight her enemies, found it satisfying enough. “Have you begun the task I assigned you?” she asked, referring to their plan to create conflict between Phillipa and the cook.

“I have, my lady.”

Naviah quickly polished off the food, seeing it as another of the day’s tasks completed. Eating was merely a necessary means of survival to her, nothing more. “I’ll be off,” she said, hopping down from her chair. She exited her bedroom and headed for the study room, a private classroom located in the east wing of the first floor.

If I want to leave this place, Vivian must first be cured of her illness. And the person to provide that cure would be her private tutor—Edward Spencer. He was a former professor at the Holy Imperial Academy, a school renowned for admitting only the most elite students and having rigorous standards for graduation, allowing it to only those who had proven their abilities. Despite such an impressive background, he had willingly lowered himself to becoming a mere tutor in the Agnes household.

Naviah paused at the door of the study room, a sober expression on her face. A memory—Lord Spencer’s words—flashed through her mind.

“You’re not long for this world, so I might as well tell you... You’ve been brainwashed.”

Click. The door opened and Naviah entered with a smile as radiant as the morning sun. “Good morning, Mr. Spencer.”

* * *

Edward Spencer, a young man with dusty brown hair and a distinctly chilly presence, sat awaiting his pupil’s arrival. In his days as a professor he had found it taxing to deal with unenthusiastic students, but tutoring a young child now proved to be even more of a challenge.

If Naviah had been a prodigy, perhaps it wouldn’t have been quite as much of a burden. But her intelligence, though decent, was nowhere near the level of genius. Even if she could have earned points for her ethereal appearance, it wouldn’t have been enough to compensate for such average intellect. Beyond that, Edward believed Naviah’s inferior parentage was apparent in her demeanor—her dim-witted expressions, lack of manners, clumsy speech, and poor knowledge all betrayed her lack of proper lineage.

The duke had given Edward the heavy responsibility of transforming her into a proper young lady fit for noble society before her ninth birthday. But his role extended beyond academic instruction. Edward was chosen as Naviah’s tutor due to his ability to wield suggestion magic. Though his magic was not very powerful, he could quietly brainwash Naviah into willingly becoming a pawn for House Agnus. The act of manipulating a child’s mind raised ethical concerns, but Edward was motivated to the point where he could ignore moral qualms. This job was merely the quickest and simplest way to cure his sister’s mana reflux disease.

His expression grew somber as he thought about his sister’s battle with the illness. To find a cure, he had dedicated himself to the study of magic, even becoming a professor at the Holy Imperial Academy. But he had made little headway. The lack of progress was unavoidable—since the disease primarily affected nobles, there were few clinical cases to study. Gathering enough samples to conduct comprehensive research had proved nearly impossible.

The Agnus family presented a new opportunity. Using their strength and vast resources, he could potentially develop a cure with more speed and precision than he could find anywhere else. He had been eager to align himself with House Agnus.

The study room door opened with a click, and Edward was jerked out of his thoughts and back into reality. His icy gaze met the child as she stepped into the room, expecting her to display the same timidity and hesitation as she always did. Despite his repeated attempts to correct her, her attitude had never shown much improvement. But to his astonishment, he was greeted with a radiant, self-assured smile.

“Good morning, Mr. Spencer.” Edward raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had subtly, yet profoundly, changed. She stood with her back ruler-straight and shoulders relaxed, exuding a regal air that felt neither arrogant nor forced. It was as if she had completely transformed, even though it had only been a day since he had last seen her.

She’s... perfect. She radiated a polished nobility, so regal that she would not have been out of place in the throne room of a palace. Such an abrupt change in personality was certainly unusual, especially in an area that typically required meticulous training. Had she just been playing dumb this entire time? Edward scoffed at himself internally and dismissed the idea. He was being too sensitive.

“Good day, Lady Naviah. Let us begin today’s lesson.” He decided not to inquire about her absence the day before and immediately began his lecture. “Last time, we discussed the empire’s three major dukedoms.” Naviah appeared indifferent, almost bored. Edward felt a twinge of annoyance. Her boldness was in sharp contrast to the previous way she had struggled in his classes. No matter how much one is educated, their true nature cannot be overwritten, it seems.

He decided to challenge her with a difficult question. “Can you recall the informal titles of their houses?” The houses of the three dukedoms each possessed a unique magical ability and bore a distinctive title. He had briefly mentioned the titles in a previous session, but he doubted Naviah would remember them.

Naviah smiled mysteriously. “Agnus of Water, Lucia of Fire, and Ethelred of Law.”

The tutor was momentarily taken aback by her correct response, yet he pressed on. “And what is the reason behind the Ethelred family’s title?” The monikers “Water” and “Fire” reflected concrete magical attributes, but the “Law” title was notably more abstract.

Naviah responded without hesitation. “The Ethelreds paved the way for a new era of civilization by using the laws of magic.” The magicians of House Ethelred had researched magical laws and principles extensively, developing magical formulas and a formal notation system. “As a result, they were able to engineer magical objects,” she added. The house had been remarkable, but had fallen into a shocking state of decline under the leadership of Lark Ethelred.

“That’s... correct.” Edward stared at her, shocked at her knowledge of details he hadn’t yet covered. “I see you’ve prepared well for today’s le—”

“And the Dufman royal family specializes in mind control magic. Their house is known as ‘Dufman of Control.’ During the era of the four great dukedoms, there was ‘Eilts of Light’ as well.” Naviah knew he was asking these questions to unsettle her.

Edward continued the lesson, lecturing on the power dynamics between the Dufman royal family and the dukedoms. Naviah suddenly lit up. “Mr. Spencer! Shall I explain about how House Eilts disappeared into history?”

A crack appeared in Edward’s perpetually stoic expression, revealing yet another hint of astonishment.