Vishka's Guidance System
Eduard Heversham
Likeability: -25% (+5%)
Vishka's Guidance System
Callan Heversham
Likeability: 16% (+4%)
My words faltered the atmosphere between us. Eduard and Callan both grimaced with a mix of hurt and vexation. They shared a look before Eduard's gaze bore into mine. His heavy sigh disrupted the silence as he rubbed his temples as if trying to alleviate a headache.
Callan tightened his hand around the arm of his chair, pulling a face of displeasure.
"This is my fault," Callan mumbled with regret. "It's because of what I did, isn't it? You can't trust us anymore."
"That was an action I will be discussing with father about." Eduard briefly glared at Callan before returning back to me, I frowned as his features flickered for a moment. Was that sorrow?
Callan flinched at Eduard's words but nodded sullenly.
Oh, so Callan had told Eduard about Cassandra's necklace?
"I will no longer allow your stupidity, Callan, or your foolishness, Lynette, to tarnish our family name." Eduard continued.
"What does that mean?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes.
"It means I will deal with this mess." Eduard sighed again, his shoulders dropping. "You will have to remain as a trainee until spring. Do your best to stay out of trouble or draw any unnecessary attention. The capital nobles are already gossiping about your actions. We don't need any more rumours."
"You mean you don't want me to become an embarrassment?" I said with a sarcastic tone.
Why did rumours always follow me like a plague?
Eduard tightened his lips as he gripped his hands together. "Your actions in the past have been rash and inappropriate of your station."
"And you think locking me away in the manor was the solution to that?" I scoffed.
It wasn't only Rodger's actions that had caused me pain in that manor.
Eduard was always fixated on our reputation rather than my own well-being.
Like father like son, I suppose.
"I did that for your benefit." Eduard strained his voice, his gaze hardening.
Callan looked between us as tension began to form. He hesitated, "Lynette, Eduard had you housebound so Father wouldn't punish you instead."
"Callan!" Eduard snapped with fury.
"What! It's the truth!" Callan raised his hands in protest.
I raised an eyebrow at the intense stare they shared.
It was obvious from Eduard's reaction that something was up with them. However, if Eduard truly thought that restricting me to my room had been for my benefit, he was severely lacking better judgement.
My upper lip lift lifted as memories of my first life flitted into my mind, of my youth, alone in my solitude between those four walls. I was too afraid to go against them, to dare to venture out like I had in my second life. If my disease hadn't taken my life in my first life, my loneliness and bitter depression may have instead.
It was no use lamenting that now.
"It doesn't matter." I sighed in resignation, making them both look at me. "Roger punished me regardless."
Eduard stilled in his seat, his eyes widening as Callan paled.
"W-what do you mean?" Callan asked quietly beside me.
My lips lifted into a rueful smile. "Roger reminded me I was unwanted by his actions every day. Do you know he made a point of never refuelling the mage lamps in my rooms? Or that he never let me use the horse carriages? I was only permitted to use Kreshna, as that was all I was fit for."
They probably thought it was my own choice. I did like Kreshna.
Eduard's temples twitched. "I did not know that."
Callan relaxed a little but remained uneasy.
I nodded bitterly. "Exactly. You didn't know. You were never there to see how I was treated."
A trace of guilt flickered in Eduard's eyes, mirroring Callan's. "Callan and I will make a point of returning to Talbour more often in the future."
"In the future?" I asked, apprehensive. "I have already said I will not be returning to Talbour," not as a Heversham, at least.
"Yes. You will," Eduard defied, making me scowl. "Don't make that face," he said, narrowing his eyes. "You will struggle to pass the combat exam as you are. Even if you did, you are a noble. The tribunal will not revoke your adoption, as we will not allow it."
I clenched my fists at Eduard's words, feeling the emotions I had been withholding rising. "You can't force me to go back," I retorted, my voice sharp. "I've made my decision and the tribunal will be a fair hearing. You have no power do so."
Why was he always so stubborn!
I had been fairly civil during this conversation, but I was reaching my limit. I had let them dictate my fate all three of my lives.
Not this time.
Eduard's expression hardened, his jaw set. "You will go back, Lynette." He paused as a shudder of conflict moved his features. "It's for your own good."
"My own good? Is that what you think sending me back to that hellish place is for me!" I could no longer hold back my restraint. The thudding of my heart ricocheted in my chest as my anger burst against Eduard's blatant dismissal of my will. "You really don't care about what I want, do you?" I said as my face contorted to an ugly smile. "Did you enjoy shutting me away? Is my presence here truly so inconceivable to you? It wasn't only Roger that made that place miserable for me."
Eduard's eyes shook at my words, but he quickly steeled his scowl. "You do not belong here, Lynette!"
"I belong wherever I wish", my voice raised before a laugh escaped my throat. "Eduard, it's this arrogant attitude of yours that I can not wait to be free of."
Eduard visibly held back as the fury in his eyes ignited with a mix of emotions. "I will not allow you to remove yourself from this family!" he shouted with a slam of his fist against the hard wood of the table.
"Enough!" Callan interjected, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "This isn't helping anyone. We need to find a solution that works for all of us."
I looked at Callan my chest rising with my anger as silence hung between us. I hadn't even realised I had stood, slowly settling down back into my seat. Callan's attempt to diffuse the escalating confrontation was unlike him. But then again, it was usually Callan causing the arguments, this could be the first time he could be considered the reasonable one.
However, no matter what Callan may suggest, deep down, I knew that the divide between Eduard and I ran too deep to be bridged by mere words, not after my experiences.
"There's no solution," I muttered resentfully, feeling the brunt of our discord pressing down on me like a leaden blanket. "I'm tired of fighting, tired of trying to fit into a mould that was never meant for me. I will become a summoner, and you won't be able to make me return. Not as a Heversham."
Not if my life depended on it.
Eduard's frustration peaked, "Lynette!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing through the room. "You can't become a summoner. You have no core. Why won't you understand that?"
I met Eduard's exasperated gaze head-on, my own eyes flashing with defiance as Callan pulled at his hair in frustration.
"It may be small, but I do have one, Eduard. Just watch me."
The air crackled with tension as our confrontation reached its zenith. Eduard's jaw clenched, his expression a mask of conflicting emotions. Behind him, Callan watched silently, his eyes darting between us, torn between loyalty to his brother and what I had to guess was empathy for my plight.
"I won't let you throw your life away," Eduard finally declared, his voice tinged with desperation and something else I hadn't heard before. "You're meant for more than this, Lynette. Becoming a summoner will only get you killed."
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"And who are you to decide that?" I shot back, "This is my life, Eduard, not yours. I'll decide what I do, even if it means defying you and the rest of your family."
If I die, it will be my own choice.
The weight of our words reverberating between us like a tangible force.
Eduard's gaze fluctuated, a glimmer of reluctance in his eyes. "Fine," he relented, his voice cold. "Do what you will, Lynette. But be prepared to return to Talbour as a Heversham. That is your fate."
With that, he turned and strode out of the room, leaving me alone with Callan and the echoes of our tumultuous confrontation.
Vishka's Guidance System
Eduard Heversham
Likeability: -31% (-6%)
Vishka's Guidance System
Callan Heversham
Likeability: 15% (-1%)
***
Callan walked beside me, the evening bells sounded as we walked. We hadn't remained in Eduard's office long, since without Eduard, we were not permitted to stay. Callan had offered to take me back to the trainee quarters, and I hadn't the energy to refuse.
"Lynette," Callan broached, breaking the dense atmosphere between us. "Are you alright?" he asked, his concern evident in his brow furrow.
I glanced at him, offering a slight nod.
"I'll be fine," I replied, though the words felt hollow even to my own ears.
Callan's gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before he sighed, his expression reflecting his frustration.
"I'm sorry about Eduard," he said, clicking his tongue. "He means well, even if he doesn't always show it."
"Probably," I murmured half-heartedly, acknowledging Callan's apology with a small smile. It was still strange how Callan treated me now, but his familiar looks of disdain and irritation had faded.
"It's just... difficult sometimes," I said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
In all my life's Eduard had been difficult.
"Eduard is just concerned about your safety."
"He has a funny way of showing that" I frowned. If he truly cared for my safety, he wouldn't send me back to that manor.
"You know as well as I do that he-"
"Won't say no to Roger?" I interrupted Callan with a pointed raise of my eyebrow.
Callan looked down at his feet but nodded, his face taut. "I don't get it either. Why is he so insistent? But Lynette-"Callan hurried his pace to step in front of me. "Isn't revoking your adoption extreme?"
"Would Eduard or Roger have listened to me if I didn't?" I said, pushing past him.
Callan opened his mouth, then closed it again before tugging on his brown hair. "I don't know anymore!" he exclaimed, letting out a noise similar to a cry into the air. "I get that you want to do what you want, Lynette. I truly do, but being a footguard is dangerous. I understand why Eduard is worried, but I also understand why you want to stay." Callan stopped and pulled his hand down his face in frustration.
"I just wish you-"Callan continued before stopping himself.
"What?" I asked as his lips sealed tightly into a frown.
What did he want to say exactly?
"Never mind" Callan sighed frustrated as he shook his head. "Do you actually have a technique for below a grade one?" he quickly tried to change the subject with a curious gaze.
I hesitantly looked away from Callan. Although my heart had settled down somewhat, the echo of my argument with Eduard still reverberated in my mind.
I had hoped that maybe Eduard and Callan would have understood me a little more. But I shouldn't have been so foolish as to expect Eduard to go along with my request to revoke my adoption. He was prideful and stubborn.
They could never understand.
They hadn't experienced their own deaths.
"I do," I said, nodding.
"Where on earth did you get it?" Callan frowned roughly, grabbing my arm to pull us to a stop. "You know using a gathering technique beyond your core can kill you, right?"
"I know," I sighed, pulling his calloused hand away. "Lieutenant Cragborn told me about the risk of my core shattering."
"Shattering and poisoning you beyond repair!" Callan exclaimed loudly, causing a few passing heads to turn our way. "There is no way you have a technique that is safe for you."
I upturned my lip.
Why did they always doubt me?
"So you don't trust me?"
"I—" Callan stalled with a grimace. "I just find it hard to believe that you miraculously found a technique that doesn't exist."
I hesitated my step. I guess his disbelief was founded.
How much truth should I tell him?
There was no way I was going to reveal Albert. That would open up more questions I don't know how to answer without seeming insane.
However, it would only make me more suspicious if I didn't give a valid explanation for suddenly knowing a technique that didn't exist. I will have to reveal it properly at some point, but only after I prove it works.
"I found it in the cavern that Rian and I fell in," I said, quickly turning from Callan to continue our path.
Callan's jaw was left open as he scrambled after me. "You found it in the cavern?" he asked, his voice hitched in shock.
"There was an old temple," I answered carefully, choosing my words. This information wasn't new. Rian and I had told Lord Azriel. It should be okay to tell Callan this much. Though, I hadn't told Lord Azriel this part.
I flickered my gaze to Callan, "I found something that gave me the technique when I touched it."
"You found a skill scroll?" Callan rubbed his head, his eyebrows lifting. "That's why you're so confident," he said more as a statement than a question.
"Something like that," I hesitantly smiled.
Technically, Albus had granted me the technique through a skill scroll. The memory stone that contained him was probably more equivalent to a library of knowledge, though.
"Wait—" Callan scrunched his eyebrows in thought. "How do you know it's safe? Using a technique beyond your core's capacity..." His face paled as he reached out to me again.
"I know," I folded my arms close, causing Callan to drop his outreached hand. "I've been practising with it. It's running now in my mindscape. I can handle it. I wouldn't use it if I didn't think I could."
However, I haven't noticed any difference with Albus taking a part of the little aether it gathers to support himself.
"You accessed your mindscape?" Callan once again sounded surprised.
"Yes. When I picked up the item that gave me the skill."
Callan looked at me incredulously as we reached closer to the trainee quarters. "You really are full of secrets," he mumbled, but I caught his words.
What would he think if he knew the full truth?
"Just promise me you'll be careful, Lynette." He stopped outside the doorway that led to my lodging here in Alinor Keep. His face frowned with what I was learning to be his concern. "I don't want to lose you, not again."
I froze at the steps.
Slowly, I turned to face him and saw the honesty in his words through the light grey eyes watching me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke as an emotion stirred within me that I had long kept buried.
"I promise," I replied softly, meeting his gaze. "I'll be careful."
Callan awkwardly smiled and nodded. "All right, I'll trust you-" he said, pausing with a new expression I hadn't seen before as his voice quietened. "-Sister."
I pressed my lips together tightly. That one word was enough to convey his feelings on my request for my adoption revocation.
A wave of conflict washed over me, catching me off guard. It was a simple word, yet the way he had spoken, it had caught my throat tight.
Vishka's Guidance System
Callan Heversham
Likeability: 17% (+2%)
***
Smoke drifted visibly throughout the dimly lit room in thick coils as pipes were sparked by hands adorned in gold and diamonds. The dealer, dressed impeccably in black and red, exchanged cards as he raked a new pile of coins to the centre of the table. My finger traced the rim of the glass, the smell of the alcohol lost to my senses as I puffed on a long pipe of dream clove. Its vapours dulled my mind, relaxing my muscles and setting me in a state of calm.
The dealer's gaze flickered briefly to me with a glint of curiosity. I smiled, twirling a strand of my raven hair as I took my time to gather coins. The other players watched in anticipation and apprehension as I confidently offered my bet to increase the wager.
The men around me grumbled as they either folded or glared at me.
"Well, well, well. Afraid to take up my bluff?" I chuckled in satisfaction as the dealer called my win and raked the winnings to me.
"You're cheating!" one of the players abruptly stood, slamming his hands onto the table. He pointed a finger at me with an accusing snarl.
"What a sore loser," I huffed, angering him more. "Maybe you should improve your card skills before playing with higher-ranked nobles."
The man bashed his fist in rage against the table. I jolted at the action as he stormed toward me. Before I could react, his hands were grabbing the collar of my black dress, heaving me out of my chair as he pushed me against the wall, his vile breath slithering over my skin.
I twisted my lips, my heart racing. "What? You think attacking a weak woman will make up for you losing your savings?" I laughed mockingly.
His eyes blazed with a dangerous intensity at my taunts. "You are nothing but a pitiful commoner masquerading as a noble. I should put you out of your misery," he sneered with cruelty.
"Maybe you should," I said, dropping my smile and meeting his glare.
I was destined to die anyway.
The door to our private room lurched open, the smoke pulling into the new space provided. A set of dark grey eyes spanned the room before falling upon us, their rage simmering.
My collar was released, dropping my feet back to the floor ungracefully as Eduard marched to us. He snapped his hand around my wrist and pulled me without a word from the room and into the bustling ballroom.
Nobles danced in pairs, sipping on their drinks as they chatted, unaware of the dark room and its gambling inhabitants. I was dragged to a space shielded by large plant vases before Eduard finally released me.
"What do you think you are doing!" he whisper shouted, afraid that others would hear our discussion.
I sighed.
"I was having fun. Have you heard of it?" I retorted to the man who had killed me in my past life. His abandonment of my treatment had led to my disease taking my life, alone and afraid. I have no resolve to respect him.
Eduard did not appreciate my remark. "You reek of dream clove. Have you no decorum?"
"Oh, decorum, no, maybe I lost it." I giggled, feeling light.
His hand immediately rushed to my forehead as he frowned, displeased. "You are coming home. Now. You are in no state to be here." He forcefully began to lead me away to the exit.
I pulled back against his strength with futile. "To lock me away again? I think not!" I protested rather loudly drawing some attention.
"Lynette!" Eduard barred his teeth as he began to walk faster. "You are embarrassing yourself."
"Oh, what a shame that must be for you" I rolled my eyes as he finally got us out of the door and into the fresh open air. Its crispness tackled my skin, sending goosebumps up my bare arms.
Eduard changed tactics and swooped his arms under my legs. "Hey, what are you-" I let out a squeal as he lifted me, preventing my attempts to escape.
"Let me down!" I pumped my fists into his chest, but he carried on as my best efforts were merely non-existent.
"You are lucky I found you and not Father" he said low with that cold tone of his. His eyes looking ahead.
I stopped my fist in mid-air and gave up fighting. "Is it luck? I would say it was unlucky. I didn't know you would be home so soon."
"I will forget you said that." Eduard finally gave me that signature glare of his.
"Do what you want. Father never knows when I indulge in my hobby." I said, causing Eduard to frown down at me, limp in his arms.
"You were not permitted to attend any social events in our absence." Eduard scolded, making me raise an eyebrow, a bubbling laugh escaping my lips. My mind feeling fuzzy.
"Oh dear Eduard, why ever would I listen to you again?" I lifted my hand to grasp his chin tightly, forcing him closer to my face. "You are the bane of my existence."