The morning at House Valemortis was remarkably peaceful. The maids woke up early to get everything ready, and the corridors, meticulously clean, made one forget that dust even existed. Everyone's schedule was tight, but even the busiest had time for small personal luxuries. Amidst the greatest adversities, the mansion remained a sanctuary of peace and serenity.
But something different permeated the air that morning. The employees watched with curious eyes a small girl. She didn't seem to understand the concept of personal space, class, or good manners. Elyandra walked by her side, with a trembling smile and struggling to maintain her composure, while the other girl, Eliora, hugged her arm as if it were a new teddy bear, her eyes shining intensely.
"I don't remember her being like this the first time I met her... What could have changed in her after all this time?", Elyandra wondered, feeling the warmth of Eliora's arm and the vibrant energy she emanated.
— Lady Belladonna, has something happened recently? — Elyandra asked, subtly trying to understand the reason for that proximity.
— What are you talking about? — Eliora replied, tilting her head to the side.
— Well... You seem happy, in a way. Our last meeting, well, you had a bit more class.
As if the question were harmless, Eliora only smiled in response. She let go of Elyandra's arm but continued walking by her side, her steps full of an uncommon lightness.
— It's not every day that I have the opportunity to leave home, even more so when I am requested. I didn't expect to receive a letter from you like that, out of the blue, and inviting me to your house. I kind of got quite joyful — she confessed, with an almost disconcerting sincerity.
— Ah... Well, it's good that you could come. I just didn't expect you to come straight away, I thought you would be busy with other matters and that you would get in touch to set a day.
Eliora laughed subtly, making a gesture with her hand, as if to reassure Elyandra.
— It's not like I have so many things to do. I'm the type who does things out of interest.
The statement left Elyandra stunned for a moment, but she quickly composed herself, focusing on her main objective.
— How about some tea? I know it's early, but I would like to catch up a bit, if it's not bad for you.
The proposal was received with a cheerful smile from Eliora, who shook her head in agreement. The two headed to the backyard of House Valemortis, where an adorned table already awaited them. Eliora, to Elyandra's surprise, sat by her side instead of in the chair in front of her. Elyandra saw the gesture as a clear invasion of personal space, but decided to ignore it for now.
— Very well, to what do I owe this invitation?
— Well... How can I say... — Elyandra hesitated, looking for the right words.
— Could it be that you finally decided to follow the paths of divine light? I knew it! Lady Elyandra would never turn her back on the Goddess.
"Turn my back? Aside from my studies on religion, I never actually cared about that.", thought Elyandra, staring at Eliora with a disconcerted smile and a muffled laugh.
— Yeah... I still don't know if I want to follow that path, sorry for not being aligned with your expectations at the moment.
Eliora stared at her with a doubtful look, as if she were looking for something. Then, she picked up the teacup.
— All right, but changing the subject, the Valemortis mansion is quite a peaceful place, isn't it? — Eliora said, observing the employees working and the calm of the place. — I imagined that here would be a very rigid place and more... I don't know how to put it into words, but I imagined that here there would be a lot of muscular guards with brute faces and maybe dragon heads hanging on the walls, besides swords in every corner.
The description so vivid made Elyandra break her good-girl mask and burst into laughter, a rare moment for her.
— Did I say something funny? — questioned Eliora, with her face somewhat flushed.
— Ah... Sorry, I just imagined something kind of strange — stated Elyandra, recovering from the laughing fit. — I don't judge you for thinking like that. When I think, for example, of Lady Vancroft, I imagine that she lives on a gigantic ship with fish ornaments and that her parents are excellent fishermen.
The image projected in the minds of both girls made them burst into laughter again. Eliora couldn't contain her laughter, and Elyandra laughed until her eyes watered.
— That doesn't seem right, she would be angry if she knew about that — stated Eliora, trying to calm down.
— It's just a joke, calm down — countered Elyandra, calming the girl while both laughed even louder.
The banter continued for a few minutes, and mundane conversations about unusual subjects were debated. The conversation of minutes seemed to take seconds, until Elyandra noticed that both the tea and the cookies that the employees had brought were gone.
"Gone? Wait... How long have we been talking?!" She looked to the side and saw Eliora fixing her hair with her fingers while looking at herself in the pocket mirror she had brought with her. She adjusted her bangs and smiled at her own reflection. The scene made Elyandra stop for a few seconds to reflect. "It's actually been a very long time since I've had a peaceful conversation like this." The girl then settled in her chair, got cozy and looked at the tree above them that protected them from the sunlight.
— What a pleasant tranquility...
Eliora stretched and also looked up. Both seemed so different, but at the same time, they seemed like good friends.
— Miss Eliora, it might be a bit of an intrusive question, but do you like being part of the Church? I mean, is the faith in the Goddess something that you actually believe in?
The question, apparently simple, made Eliora close her eyes for a moment. She assumed a serene expression while she thought.
— Hmmm, it's a very specific question.
The two girls lowered their heads and faced each other. Eliora Belladonna, a girl who had been born in the warm, cozy and faithful light, a girl of golden hair with a sense of loyalty to her faith that could be seen just in the way she carried herself. In front of her was Elyandra Valemortis, a girl with a reincarnated soul, born in the imposing, disciplined and honored House Valemortis, a girl raised in perfection to become a model of high society. Two perfectly different girls, but at that moment, they seemed equal.
— Perhaps you expect me to say something like 'the light is the true path' or that 'the Goddess guides us', accompanied by some phrase of the sort, but... — The girl smiled, a warm smile that seemed to affect even Elyandra's reincarnated mind. — Is there really something or a motive that can truly justify your convictions?
— Something... That justifies?
— Of course. You could say that there must be something that led me to this path, or perhaps you could say that it's because I was born being directed to the faith... But it's not quite like that. It's true that I had all the guidance, however... — The girl brought her hand to the front of Elyandra's face, her palm open upward. — When you truly love something, there doesn't necessarily need to be a justification. I love the Divine Light like a daughter loves her mother, that's enough for me. I don't need a deep study of the word, much less someone inducing me to it, it's not necessary.
Her hand then began to glow, and a small sphere of light came out of her palm, floating in front of her. Elyandra stared at it carefully, seeking the meaning behind the gesture.
— The light above us shines so intensely to the point of blinding us, but this little ball in front of us, as small as it may be, is pleasant to the eyes. It warms our minds and hearts. It is nothing more than a gift that was given to us as a present by the Goddess.
The small ball floated with a contained glow, it was in a way affectionate, conveying a peaceful and even mesmerizing sensation.
— Many of us aren't even worthy of being able to see the true glow present in the light, but the will to be able to live the divine, is all I really need. It's all I want.
— Everything... you want... — whispered Elyandra, feeling the weight and the honesty of those words.
The small orb floated towards her. Elyandra, carefully, held it in her hands, and the small and fragile orb seemed to bounce on her palm. Even if subtle, it was in a way comforting.
— ...I think it's time to go back — stated Eliora, getting up.
The orb then vanished as quickly as it had formed. As for Elyandra, she turned her eyes to the girl who was waiting for her.
— Well... It was a wonderful conversation, thank you for yielding part of your time to me today.
The afternoon seemed to have arrived in the blink of an eye, the orange sky illuminated the path to the imposing gate of the Valemortis mansion. Elyandra watched Eliora get into her carriage and, in a wave of hands, they said goodbye.
"Today was a comforting day... Wait a moment, I should have asked her to help me with my healing magic! I can't believe I forgot about that!", the girl brought her hands to her head in panic, which caught the attention of the employees around her who looked at each other confused.
Even though she didn't achieve her goal, Elyandra seemed peaceful, perhaps a little more motivated than before. She turned around and promptly returned to the mansion.
Later that night, a carriage returned to the mansion, the Valemortis coat of arms highlighting its arrival. In front of the mansion, Altheria waited silently. Upon the carriage stopping, the guards knelt in respect and the door opened. In imposing steps that announced his arrival, Vaelric Valemortis stood in front of Altheria. Both stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. Even if their reunion was a wish of both, they had important matters to deal with.
— The content of the letter... Is it true? — questioned Altheria with a serious look.
The man's look was neutral, a look that Altheria knew better than anyone.
— The documents you sent me were intercepted before I could analyze them. The convoy was attacked and destroyed, there were no survivors. Whoever it was was experienced, we didn't find even traces of who it could be or what kind of magic its users were fluent in...
— That... makes things complicated. This way, any means we could use to get to the culprits were destroyed.
Altheria was smart enough to know that the documents present in that place could very well be forged, or even decoys that would take them away from their real problem, but she knew that those involved in that trade had to have a connection with buyers. Filtering all of them to reach those with unique bonds or interests would be the best path, but without the evidence, the stake had been destroyed without even leaving ground zero.
— As much as I want to, we cannot take any initiative, Altheria. Even being part of military affairs, our family would come into the Empire's sights if we started invading noble houses or local businesses in search of pure-blood buyers, even more so if we don't have any concrete proof.
Both stared at each other until Altheria looked at the Valemortis mansion.
— So we have no other path to follow? This would be the best one?
Vaelric listened to his wife's question in silence, he didn't need to answer. Altheria knew him to the point of being able to read him like an open book.
— Will she understand?
— I don't need her to understand.
— Vaelric! She is your daughter, how can you treat this this way?!
— ...It's because I care about her that I don't expect her approval.
A problem that seemed to have no momentary solution knocked at the Valemortis' door, a problem that only gave one way out for Vaelric, one that he had no doubts about.