In the spacious bedroom, golden sunlight pierced through the white curtains, covering the entire room. Viktoria sat on her luxurious bed, draped in light silk sheets. Her pale features and mysterious eyes, which had always carried a spark of defiance and hope, now appeared heavy with sorrow and exhaustion.
Beside her sat her trusted personal maid, Yulna, dressed in the usual servant attire of House Eirenios. The older woman had long since lost her once-attractive features to age, yet to continued to wear pieces from De Avila Household, as she had always done. Change had been necessary.
"My lady, allow me to take that from you," Yulna said as she reached for the empty soup bowl in Viktoria's hands. Her movements were precise and cautious, as if afraid that any sudden motion might harm her mistress.
Viktoria attempted to summon the strength to lift the bowl toward her unsightly maid, but the power she once possessed betrayed her more with each passing day. She still had just enough strength to raise the bowl, and she did. Yet, she could not stop herself from feeling humiliated by Yulna's excessive care.
"At least I am still beautiful. You... hideous!"
And so, Viktoria used the one advantage she had over her maid to insult her. She even forced her weakened body to lift a hand and tuck her silky white hair behind her ear.
Viktoria thought she would appear elegant, but instead, she looked even more fragile and delicate.
Yulna couldn't stop the smile from creeping onto her face. One thing her lady had not lost was her sense of humor. If only she weren't the constant target of these insults, she might have laughed more.
"Tell me, Yulna!" Viktoria addressed her maid, who was now standing, holding the tray she had brought breakfast with. "What are my V and D doing?"
Yulna didn't need much time to think before responding. "Young Master Deon is training in swordsmanship, and Young Lady Vierenna is preparing for her Awakening."
Viktoria closed her eyes, contemplating the words. Of course, she already knew this; those were the only updates shared with her. However, she had rarely gotten the chance to see her children lately. Even though they visited her, Viktoria was more than certain that the elders of this cursed household would do whatever they could to get their filthy hands on her babies. She wouldn't allow that.
"That's not what I meant, ugly Yulna," Viktoria said after a moment of silence.
Yulna moved around the large bed, unaffected by the insult—or at least she appeared that way. Once she stood beside her lady, she revealed another side to the question. "Vierenna is angry with you, and Deon is training under the Second Elder, Decius."
Viktoria's expression didn't change. Her eyes remained focused on her nails, most of which had turned black. She began touching them one by one with her fingers, and they slowly returned to their usual pink hue. Only after finishing did her expression start to darken—severely.
"My lady, you should not use your magic," Yulna warned from the side, but only after Viktoria had completed what she was doing. Knowing her mistress, interrupting was not an option.
"No need to worry about my V; she will come to me when she is ready to talk," Viktoria said, ignoring Yulna's warning. She locked her ashen obsidian eyes onto her maid's brown ones. "Tell me about D?"
Yulna sighed, but mostly just to break the eye contact. She never liked it when her lady got serious. That seriousness that spread into her eyes made Yulna uncomfortable, making her feel as if ants were crawling over every inch of her skin.
She took another step forward, purely for her own comfort, before speaking.
"Young Master Deon is currently a topic of debate among the elders. Some say that if he were to take your essence, it would put him at a political disadvantage, which is against the family's interests, so they want to send him to the palace in the capital. Others argue that showing interest in him now could be beneficial beyond succession politics if they convince him to reconsider his place within the family in the future. The latter group believes that Deon inheriting your talents would be of great strategic value, and they intend to exploit that to the fullest.
However, none of the elders have openly shown their interests yet—firstly, because the lady is still alive, and secondly, because Deon and Vierenna share a good relationship, unlike the other young heirs. The division they could have used to manipulate them does not exist between them. That is why they are trying to isolate Deon and turn him against his sister under the guise of training. Additionally, Vierenna has not spoken to Deon for a while now. The reasons? I wouldn't dare speculate."
"It's not difficult to speculate," Viktoria said without much change in her expression. "My V is jealous of her baby brother, but that is nothing to worry about. She loves him dearly and won't be able to stay mad at him for long. She will come to understand."
Yulna agreed with Viktoria's conclusion. Vierenna was a highly emotionally intelligent girl. Soon, she would see through the fog clouding her vision. But… was Young Master Deon the same?
As if Viktoria could read her maid's thoughts, she answered the unspoken question, though internally, she too was worried.
"My D is still young. Things like honor and the family name may tempt him, but they will not change him. Just to be safe… I will go and see for myself."
Yulna's eyes widened in horror as she saw her lady push the bed sheets aside. She stumbled forward in alarm. "My Lady, please don't… You—"
But it was too late. Viktoria shot her maid a sharp look that silenced her, and with the support of the bedside, she stood up with as much grace as she could muster.
The pain from her entire body registered in her mind, but she simply ignored it and observed the violet veins that had spread throughout her legs. With a mere thought, the veins began to disappear through her illusion magic, just as she always did with the ones on her face and hands. Viktoria almost looked the same as before.
"That snake Decius is responsible for training my D, you say?" Viktoria's voice was cold as she stood under the sunlight like an unmelting block of ice. The light only made her appear more beautiful and elegant.
"Also, I want the names of every turtle who suggested exiling my sweet baby to the capital. I will have two words with them."
Yulna could only stand and watch. Making such an effort wasn't good for her lady; it would only increase her pain when no one was there to witness it. But she also knew that her mistress would not back down now. That was just how she was—if she wanted something, she would do it no matter the obstacles.
So, Yulna simply lowered her head in defeat, all the professionalism she tried so hard to maintain before her lady melting away.
"You're not doing a very good job, are you, Yulna?"
Yulna lifted her head to see her lady's mocking smile.
"Anyway, take the tray—I don't care where—and bring me what I asked for. I will take a cold bath."
Yulna sighed helplessly. It had become a habit now. She only hoped her daughter, Yven, wouldn't pick up the habit from her. Without another word, Yulna turned and left the room.
Viktoria remained standing alone for a few moment, her expression cold and her thoughts unreadable. Soon after, she moved toward the bathroom inside her quarters, ignoring the pain eating her from the inside as if it were nothing.