Thanks to that hug, I was able to calm down and think a bit more clearly. It wasn’t really that outlandish that this body in which I had reincarnated had dragon ancestry. I could have been reborn as an elf, a dwarf, or even a mythical creature that happens to look like a house cat. Those kinds of stories are quite popular recently too. Still, I think I was more than justified to think I was just a regular and plain homo sapiens. Not only did I looked like one, the author never made mention of this human-like dragon race, every other humanoid race presented in the game was distinct enough. I don’t think Violett ever sprouted horns from her forehead either; even during the bad endings she just summoned dragons to destroy the kingdom for her.

—But I still don’t get it —I said—, how could I defeat the… intruders? Even if my ancestors were dragons, I don’t have any significant amount of mana. Even Violett has more than I do.

—That shouldn’t matter. Mana is a gift of the god Enki towards humans, so that they could survive and thrive in this world. —Alyssa bluntly said.

I felt a pain in my chest when she mentioned that name. Enki. That was the person I had just seen in my dream, the one that had brought me to this world. They asked me for a favor, but… I didn’t hear it in my dream, and I couldn’t remember it either. I didn’t had much time to think about it, as Alyssa continued to speak.

—We came from the Abyss, the deep ocean, and we inherited an authority over everything weaker than us. Depending on our bloodline and willpower, we can manipulate the world without having to use mana at all. Some call it “true magic” or even “miracles”. Others call it “witchcraft”… or “heresy”. In any case, you must have tapped into that power to protect your daughter.

I still couldn’t fully believe it, mostly because I couldn’t quite remember doing it. Though, I heard once that people sometimes get amnesia during stressful situations.

—Does that mean even someone like me can do magic? —I asked.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested, it would be very helpful to have some way to protect myself and Violett, even if Alyssa was with us from now on. Also, it was magic. How could I not be tempted to learn how to use it.

Alyssa deviously smiled.

—Sure, I can teach you if you want —she said —the first thing you have to do is…

She stopped mid sentence, feeling the glare of the doctor directed at her. This time, she gave up.

—… to get fully recovered, of course. We’ll start once you are able to run again. Will that suffice?

—I’ll have to check her condition before I can approve, but that should be a good indication of her health —Maxwell begrudgingly said—, for the moment, you should rest. The Queen has left some of her guards around, and Alyssa will be at the next room, so you don’t have to worry about anything.

He got up from his chair and pushed Alyssa out of the room, turning off the main light source in my room before leaving. There was still a small glowing crystal set up over my nightstand, but it radiated just a dim and warm light, so I felt asleep shortly after. I was still feeling anxious, but at least with Violett between my arms, and knowing that Alyssa would be close, I thought that I would be safe. Because of that, I was a bit startled when I was suddenly woken up the next morning by a commotion. The events of that night flashed through my mind for a moment, but I came to realize that my baby was still next to me, still sleeping unfazed by the noise. Moreover, I recognized one of the voices speaking.

—Please, you have to let me talk to her! —she said.

—I’m sorry, miss, but we were told to not let anyone inside without the Queen’s authorization —a man said, presumably one of the guards that the doctor has speak of.

—Sophie, is that you? —I asked.

—M-madame! Yes, it is me!

—Let her come in.

—But your Majesty said… —one of the guards tried to refute.

—You seem to be forgetting on whose property you are standing —I said, trying to sound as stern as I could—, let her come, I’ll deal with the Queen later.

There was a moment of silence, surely the guards were unsure of how to proceed, but the door finally opened and Sophie entered the room, followed by the two guards.

—Madame —she said, with her hands over her chest, sounding relieved. Then she shook her head—. There is no time for that; they are going to take Carmila away!

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—What? What do you mean?

—Miss Carmila is being investigated as a possible accomplice of Miss Iridia —one of the guards said without a hint of delicacy or a second thought.

Sophie threw a glare against that man, and so did his own companion. I sighed. This was not the way I wanted to wake up just after what happened.

—Take me with her.

—B-but the doctor said you shouldn’t force yourself to walk! —Sophie worriedly said.

—Then, shall I carry you there, my lady? —Alyssa said, unexpectedly coming through the door.

Apparently, she had been standing out of my room with the guards all this time, and just decided to intervene at that moment. I imagine she was trying to tease me before, but I couldn’t trust on anyone else. Sophie was obviously too weak, and it would be improper to have the guards carry me when I was wearing just my nightgown. Alyssa looked decently strong, but if her claims about our magic were true, I knew she would be able to pick me up without problem.

—Please take me there —I said.

Alyssa was taken aback for an instant, but proceeded to approach my bed and scooped me on her arms, all while I was still carrying Violett. As we left the room, followed by Sophie and the two guards, I noticed Alyssa had a somewhat frustrated expression on her face.

As we approached the living room, I started to pick up on a quiet yet heated conversation. The looks on everyone’s face when they saw me enter were quite precious. Carmila was sitting surrounded by guards, looking surprised but composed. She was wearing casual clothes, which I don’t think I had seen her wearing ever before. There was someone else that was neither a soldier nor anyone I knew, an older man wearing an attire that made me think he was a bureaucrat of some sort. I would later come to know he was a judge in charge of our case. Finally, there was the doctor, the one that looked the most shocked out of everyone in that room.

—Rosanne, what the… —he said, and stopped himself for a moment, trying to calm down —what are you doing here, Madame?

—How can I stay in bed after I heard they were going to take one of my most trusted attendants as a prisoner?

—With all due respect, Madame —the older man said—, we are only taking her in custody for investigation. However, she was the one in charge of training the one that helped the assailants enter the house, we can’t discard the possibility that she was working with them all along.

—And I keep telling you, if she was working with them, she wouldn’t have been put to sleep with the rest of the others! —Maxwell said, sounding exasperated.

—Carmila, do you have anything to say? —I asked.

—I’m prepared to face my responsibilities. I have my resignation letter already prepared —she said without a doubt.

—I refuse to accept it. Now go get changed and get back to work.

Her eyes went wide open for a moment.

—U-understood, Madame —she said, getting up.

—Wait a minute, you can’t do that! —the older man said.

—Huh? —I grunted—, you dare to tell ME what to do in MY house?!

I must not have been too intimidating, seeing as how I was practically paralyzed and being carried at the moment, all while having a baby sleeping on my arms, but he still stepped back a bit.

—N-no, I wouldn’t dare. But her Majesty’s orders…

—I’ll send her a letter to explain everything, will that suffice?

He nodded, and I proceeded to ask for paper and a pen. I was sat on a chair next the table, but of course, I still couldn’t hold onto the pen properly, so I had to have Sophie write the letter for me. In it, I assured Erzi that I was fine and healthy, and that I was grateful for her help, but that Carmila and the other attendants were under my supervision and protection. I also invited her to visit us during the weekend, since otherwise she would appear the next day if she could. I was tempted to ask her to take her guards back, but I felt this would only make her more worried. I’ll have to discuss it with her personally. The judge went back to the capital after I gave him the letter. And as soon as the door closed behind him, the doctor started to reprimand everyone at the room.

—Where do I even begin? —he said in a frustrated tone, rubbing the bridge of his nose—, Alyssa, I won’t even say anything to you, but you two were supposed to stop things like this from happening!

The two guards who had been at my door looked at each other for a moment.

—And how could we have stopped her? —one of them dared to say.

Maxwell grunted, not wanting to accept they had a point. He then turned towards Sophie, but before he could say anything, he must have felt a shiver from the glare I was throwing at him.

—If you want to chastise anyone, start with me —I said.

—Oh, don’t think just because you are convalescent I’m going to go easy on you. What were you thinking? We have no idea what’s your condition! Your spine could have snap in two when Alyssa picked you up, or the discussion could have triggered your blood pressure to drop, or—

—Maxwell —I said—, I’m fine. You have been working really hard these days, and you are worried, so I get that you are a bit cranky. And I’m really grateful, I really am. I’m still going to need your help, but you don’t need to carry all the weight anymore.

He looked at me with confusion on his face, looking as if he was trying to come up with a rebuttal, but after a few seconds he let out a sigh and sat in a nearby chair.

—Fine, let’s have breakfast before something else happens —he said under his breath.

Gabby and other of my attendants came to prepare everything and take everyone’s order. They all seemed relieved to see me awake, and Gabby even wanted to give me a hug, but the Doctor stopped her, saying it would have to wait until I had fully recovered. He got sunny side eggs with bacon and toasts, and a cup of coffee that he kept refilling, while I got another plate full of mush like the day before. Fortunately, I was starting to recover my sense of taste, so at the very least I got to savor it. Alyssa had asked for a very complicated dish, but Gabby just went to prepare it without saying another thing, and both she and Alyssa seemed happy with the result. Violett’s breakfast wasn’t that much different than mine, and Sophie helped feed both of us. It was a bit embarrassing, considering how many people were still on the room. As we were finishing up, Carmila came to the room, now wearing her uniform.

—Madame, are you sure about…

—The actions of Iridia were her own. I have chosen to believe in you, don’t disappoint me.

She nodded with a barely noticeable smile, and proceeded to return to her work mode by telling the other attendants that weren’t doing anything to go back to their chores.