"Lady Charlotte, if you keep breaking your posture, we might have to end today's lesson early and resume tomorrow's at a much earlier time than usual."
"I apologise, Miss Alice. I think I'm just a bit distracted, given what's going on in the duchy."
Miss Alice sighed. "I know, I understand. He is your brother, after all."
"... and quite the brother really."
"Excuse me? Did you say something, Miss Alice?"
"No, my lady," replied Miss Alice. "I have said nothing at all."
However, Charlotte had heard what Miss Alice said, and with an annoyed, exasperated sigh, she stood up and walked toward the bookshelf in the room.
"Miss Alice, I'm tired of our lessons. How long do I have to keep doing etiquette for? My posture is perfect, I know how to speak to other noblemen and noblewomen, and not a single ball I've attended has gone south — not even remotely."
"Yes, yes, I know, Lady Charlotte. However, these are your father's commands, supported by your mother. It's not like I can say no, unless I want to lose my head."
Charlotte sighed again as her hands drifted across the bookshelf. She wasn't looking for anything in particular — it was simply a habit she'd developed whenever she felt anxious. And she had much reason to be anxious. As of late, Levi had begun acting strange, and to make matters worse, he had apparently fainted in the courtyard yesterday at odd hours. Now he was in the care of the duchy physicians, and no one except Father was and had been allowed to see him.
That made Charlotte even more uneasy. She had heard the whispers from servants: some claimed Levi had been possessed, others insisted he had awakened.
Wouldn't that be good if he did? Charlotte thought. At least all this pressure would no longer be on me.
"I'm tired," she muttered to herself as her mind dwelt on the issue at hand.
She was not on good terms with her brother—far from it. Levi had grown cold and distant, perhaps even cruel and sometimes unbecomingly rude. Sometimes he barely attended family meals, and when he did, he caused a scene. If not for the patience of their parents, Charlotte knew that in any other noble house, Levi would already have lost his title and his place as heir. Yet, surprisingly, the Duke had never once disqualified him, even though Levi had spent the last seven years threadless.
It was a surprise — but a welcome one. Perhaps the Duke had done it to spare Charlotte from pressure; she was still twelve years old after all, and there was only so much she could bear at her tender age. Or perhaps he had held onto hope for a day like this, where Levi might finally awaken.
And now, as tense as things were, Charlotte couldn't help but hope her brother was alive and well… and that the rumours of his awakening were true.
What if he becomes even worse after awakening? she thought. He'd now have the power to actually be more abusive… Oh gosh, I feel a headache coming on. This is not good.
Before she could spiral further, Miss Alice's shout snapped her back to reality.
"Charlotte!"
Wide-eyed, Charlotte turned. "Yes, Miss Alice?"
Miss Alice sighed in relief. "Good grief. If you haven't noticed already, your mother is over there."
Charlotte followed her gaze — and there stood her mother.
Lady Elara Mirabel Solareth, Duchess of Solareth. Regal and wreathed in red, her splendid dress draping gracefully. Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders, sharply contrasted by her bright blue eyes. She was not a textbook Solareth in appearance—most Solareth heirs had golden eyes. Her own features pointed to her foreign heritage, fitting for a princess from a neighbouring kingdom. However, that was a story for another day.
"Mother," Charlotte said.
"Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte," her mother replied. "It is not good to trouble Miss Alice, especially because she is here as a favour to the Duke."
"I know, Mother. It's just… I've been anxious, given what's going on in the duchy."
"I understand," her mother replied, "but it would be good for you to finish your etiquette lessons. I know you are anxious, but life goes on. The sun doesn't stop setting, nor does it stop rising. Life goes on, my love."
Charlotte sighed. "Yes, Mother. To what do I owe this pleasure now?"
"Oh, I just came to see my only and beloved daughter. Is that too much to ask?"
"Yes, Mother, it's too much to ask. You could have just waited in my room like you usually do."
"Well, there's no fun in that, now is there?"
Charlotte chuckled at their inside joke, and her mother responded with her own.
"Let's have a talk about Levi," she said.
Lady Elara stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click. For a moment, the air felt heavier—not tense, but full, as if the duchess brought the entire weight of the household's worries in with her.
Charlotte swallowed."...About Levi?"
A small, sad smile tugged at the duchess's lips."Yes. About your brother."
Miss Alice, quickly recognising she was now unnecessary, bowed toward the duchess. "If you require privacy, my lady, I shall take my leave."
"Thank you, Miss Alice," the duchess said. "We'll continue later."
Miss Alice nodded and quietly exited. The moment the door shut, Lady Elara crossed the room in a few graceful steps and placed her hand on Charlotte's cheek.
"My dear," she said softly, "I know things have been… confusing. And frightening."
Charlotte tried to look away, but her mother's hand guided her face back gently."Mother, I… I don't know what to think. One moment, Levi is cold and distant, the next there are rumours about him fainting, awakening, being possessed—people won't stop whispering, and no one will tell me anything. And father isn't saying a word."
The Duchess sighed. It was a weary sigh, a mother's sigh, one full of heaviness she clearly hadn't intended to share."Yes. The situation is delicate. Your father is… troubled. The whole duchy is a bit unsettled at the moment."
Charlotte frowned."So he did awaken?"
She hesitated just enough for Charlotte's heart to lurch.
"Mother?"
"…He did," the duchess finally admitted, her voice nearly a whisper. "He awakened yesterday."
Charlotte blinked. A breath she didn't know she was holding escaped in a shaky exhale.
"So the rumours were true…"
"Yes. But it is not as simple as that." Her mother let her hand drop and stepped past Charlotte, tracing her fingers across the book spines. It was clear where Charlotte got her habit of tracing the spines of books. "Your brother has always been… a complicated child."
Charlotte flinched."Mother-"
"I do not speak of his behaviour," the duchess said gently, turning back to her. "I speak of his heart. He has struggled more deeply than you or I could imagine." Her voice lowered. "And now, there are… circumstances around his awakening that your father and I must handle carefully."
"Circumstances?" Charlotte repeated. "What kind of circumstances?"
Lady Elara shook her head." I cannot say. Not yet. But what I can tell you is this—your brother is alive, he is stable, and he is… changed."
Charlotte stiffened."Changed… how?"
Her mother stepped close again, her expression soft yet strangely distant.
"You will see for yourself soon. But I want you to prepare, Charlotte. When you next face him… he will not be the boy you remember."
Charlotte's heart sank.
"…For better?" she whispered."Or worse?"
Lady Elara didn't answer immediately.
Only after a long, contemplative silence did she speak.
"For different," she said. "And sometimes… different is exactly what one might need the most."