Rise of Winter, Week 3, Day 7

Freddie watched as Georgia’s face went pale.

“It’s all right!” Freddie rushed out, catching the frantic way that the woman’s eyes began darting from her to the Duke. “It’s okay. The Skill is barely Level 5. You’re right. I’m neither Skilled nor skilled with its use.”

The Duke shot Freddie a look, then shook his head, “It’s fine, really.”

What followed was an extremely awkward exam, with Freddie silent and Georgia giving stilted commands.

“All right, usually, I would produce the antidote and let it handle the poison. But because it’s been several hours, and Lady Fredericka is still freshly Awakened, I would like leave to use a Skill on her.”

Georgia’s words were directed at Bridian and the Duke, not Freddie. But Freddie was the one who responded.

“Go for it. Will it get rid of the poison all at once?”

“It will, my Lady,” Georgia said nervously, looking from Freddie to the Duke, who gave a fond sigh and waved her onward. “It will only take a moment, and it should feel like a sweeping warmth. Not quite gentle, but not painful either. All right?”

Freddie nodded, “Sounds like a plan.”

And then Georgia was running her hand over the tightness in Freddie’s arm, her hand glowing a pale yellow. The light shifted and moved from Georgia’s hand into Freddie’s shoulder, sinking below the skin.

Georgia was right, the warmth that seeped into her was too much to be called gentle, but it was nothing compared to the magma of her mana. Freddie didn’t even shiver as the foreign mana flooded her veins and wip[ed through her arm. Then Georgia was running her hand over Freddie’s leg, and the sensation doubled.

It was only present for a minute, and when the warmth died down, Freddie could already feel how the tightness was lifted.

“Thank you, Georgia,” Freddie said, relief filling her.

“Any time, my Lady.” Georgia’s smile was soft, and she patted Freddie on the head.

“Thank you,” Bridian parroted. “I expect we can trust you to keep Freddie’s Skill to yourself?”

“Of course, my Lord.” Georgia bowed her head seriously, “I would never betray Nemo.”

Freddie tuned out the rest of the conversation as she stretched her arms and legs. They were back to perfect condition.

“I bet I could take that guy down now,” she mumbled to herself as the adults talked.

It was a short few minutes later when Georgia left, and Bridian sat back down.

“Rules,” the Duke said simply.

Freddie leaned back into the chair she’d settled into and nodded reluctantly.

“One: you will keep [Bright as a Flickering Flame] active as often as you’re able, with mana regeneration potions if you run out.”

“I can do that,” she said leadingly, waiting for her grandfather to continue.

“Two: you will spend the next few days relaxing. Outside of casual Skill use and [Bright as a Flickering Flame], I don’t want you pushing yourself. It wouldn’t do for you to show up exhausted to your Affirmation.”

“Does that mean—”

“You are not allowed to spar with the knights. I know you and Tiltham trained [Quick Fight] together, so you’ve got some experience, but I do not want any more injuries. You need to leave in top shape, am I understood?”

Freddie’s mouth was pressed into a frown but still she nodded. “Is that all?”

“It is. Now, go —get!” The Duke waved his hands mockingly, “I have other work to do.”

A smile bloomed on Freddie’s face, “All right, all right. [Bright as a Flickering Flame]”

She brought her Skill to bear and the room shifted around her. The magma from her veins flowed out from every pore in her body and suffused the air. Freddie watched as the looks on her family’s face lightened.

“I’m not sure it’s a good thing that you can calm me, so, my star,” Bridian sighed but waved Freddie off as well.

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Marasha caught Freddie sneaking into the triplet's class time easily, as the woman was already looking for her. It was obvious in the way she perfectly intercepted Freddie down the very hall where the girl’s brothers were known to be stuck in the daytime.

Maybe it’s a coincidence, Freddie mused before snorting. Unlikely. She has that glint in her eye, the one that says I’m about to be dressed down with a smile.

“Ah, Lady Fredericka, there you are,” Marasha cooed, a soft smile decorating her face. She was so gentle with Freddie, even when she was about to— “You weren’t in your room when I called, and it was time for your Affirmation lessons.”

Freddie tried to backpedal, tried to escape, but the woman’s smile kept her plastered where she was.

“Oh, hello, Marasha, I was just—” Freddie started.

“Running away to play with your brothers?” Marasha finished for her.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“I wouldn’t say that, I was just checking—” Freddie was trying to come up with a story, a reason, something that would make Marasha ease off. It nearly worked if the woman hadn’t interrupted once again.

“In on their progress? I believe Grisham is monitoring that himself, my Lady.” Marasha’s voice maintained the gentle teasing she always had, but it didn’t ease the sting of the pointed remark.

Defeated, Freddie held up her hands in front of her, pretending to be chained, “You caught me. Take me away, Marasha. I’m ready for the gallows.”

Marasha covered her mouth and laughed lightly, “Now, now, it’ll only take a bit of your time. I promise.”

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Marasha was a liar.

After dragging Freddie back to her room and seating her at the table, the governess gave her an entire book on The Etiquette of the Noblesse that Freddie knew would take her at least a day to get through.

“Do I have to read this?” Freddie pleaded, “Can’t you just give me the basics?”

“Absolutely not, Lady Fredericka,” Marasha said. “You are the heir to the House of Nemo, a Child of the Void.”

Ugh, Freddie groaned internally, flipping through the pages. At least there are some pictures.

It had been over a decade since Kalina had touched a book in elsewhere, meanwhile, Freddie of the before had been reading etiquette and arithmetic books for a while. They were boring, and so Freddie, before, would run to the plains and climb trees to escape the torture. Freddie of now wanted very much to do the same.

Unfortunately for Freddie, Marasha was guarding the door. And, sure, maybe Freddie could brute force her way out, but it was Marasha. The actual sweetest lady Freddie had ever known. There was a reason Freddie of before liked her so much, despite reading being the bane of her existence.

“Marashaaaa,” Freddie whined, sliding the book away from herself while giving the woman pleading eyes.

“Lady Frederickaaaaa,” Marasha mimicked, “You need to know the details, the purpose, the reason behind the actions of your Affirmation. It’s not just the motions. It’s the intention.”

“You can tell me those, right?” Freddie asked hopefully.

“I can only add context.” Marasha quickly shut her down.

“You’re going to make me read the whole thing?” Freddie sagged in her seat.

“I am, and then we’ll go over it, chapter by chapter.”

“Grandpa told me to relax.” She tried one last time.

“This will only take a few hours of your day.” Marasha’s sweet smile had an edge, then. “Each day until your Affirmation.”

The governess slid the book back into Freddie’s hands and tapped the cover, “Now. Begin.”

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The Etiquette of the Noblesse

Chapter One: The Affirmation of Noble Heritage

The Affirmation is to establish one’s presence before the Gods of this realm. It is to verify the Noble in question is not Anathema to the Gods. In addition, it will establish a baseline of Divinity. It is the only way to verify that a Noble is of true birth and that the Noble line remains blessed by the Gods.

A newly Awakened Noble with call upon one of the Divine, either by name or indirectly, and a God will answer in their capacity. This can vary from a flash of light to a full Descent. The presence of the Divine, shown to the witnessing Priest of Abelia, the Goddess of Truth, will allow the priest to verify that the Noble in question has met the sole requirement of Nobility: a Divinity score above zero.

The Noble shall Commune with the Divine, either in the presence of an audience of one, the Priest of Abelia, or more.

When interacting with the Priest of Abelia one must…

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“Don’t lie outright, don’t tell half-truths, don’t lie by omission,” Freddie went down the list, one by one, before eventually releasing a guttural noise. “This is ridiculous! You can’t lie by omission? That doesn’t even make sense.”

“They are old rules, my Lady. As long as you stick to ‘I’ statements, such as ‘I believe’ or ‘I feel,’ there are hardly any problems.” Marasha was reading her own book but set it down as Freddie stared at her open-mouthed.

“I mean this sincerely: this is so stupid,” Freddie stated roughly.

“Yes, well, stupid or not, you must read through it.”

And then Marasha went back to reading.

Freddie stared at a single page until lunchtime, at which point Marasha exasperatedly sent her away to eat downstairs.

“Be gone, and enjoy a break,” Marasha waved her off, and Freddie was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so she all but ran out of her room.

“Ok, bye!” Freddie shouted as she hustled out the door and worked her way down to the dining room.

When she got there, the triplets were sitting primly in their usual seats —Hue next to their mother, then Les, and finally Gene halfway down the small table meant for small family meals. This was not the dining room used for estate dinners, where upwards of twenty Nemos were known to gather. Despite the presence of Freddie’s aunts and uncles on the estate, only the main branch of the family lived in the manor. The aunts and uncles often had work with the Duke for their individual projects for the Duchy though, so they milled about here and there.

“Mom,” Freddie said, smiling.

“My star,” came Aster’s harmonious voice, “You’re got quite the nerve showing your face here.”

Immediately, Freddie froze, her eyes searching her mother’s facial expression to see what she was talking about. It looked, well, normal —which is to say: loving, adoring, calm. Not accusing or harsh as the words would have one believe.

“I do?” Freddie furrowed her brows as she took an empty seat near the head of the table and glanced at the triplets, eating happily.

“Your father,” Aster said slowly, holding a bit of food up, inspecting it casually, “Told me about your upcoming excursion.”

Freddie’s mother ate the bite of food daintily, as a Lady Nemo ought to. It turned Freddie’s stomach, and not with nerves.

“You’re mad?” Freddie said testily, “That I want to gain experience?”

Aster shot Freddie a look, “Do you think it’s because of you wanting to gain experience?”

Grabbing a fork and digging into her lunch, Freddie ignored her mother. Instead, she focused on her plate.

“What are you planning on doing once you gain experience?” Aster continued conversationally. “When will it stop? You spent three weeks gaining competence, does that make you invincible? Obviously not after this morning with Georgia.”

Freddie took another bite, chewing viciously. Aster continued eyeing her daughter. The Heir of Nemo. A Child of the Void. Fredericka Nemo. Named for the Star in the Dark. The Lord of the Void.

“Hmm? Well? Have you thought about it? Have you considered when your bid for strength will come to an end?”

Freddie continued to inhale her lunch for a silent few minutes, the only conversation between the triplets, until she stood up and looked her mother in the eye.

“It doesn’t.”

“What?” Aster asked, confusion written across her face.

“My bid for strength. It’ll never end. You should get used to it.”