“Miss, I was wondering why you decided to handle the cooks that way?” Amelia’s tender hands scrubbed the younger girl’s hair as the other rested in a wooden tub full of steaming water. “I mean, did you really need to go there half clothed and wave a knife around?” The concern in the redhead’s voice failed to completely masked the clear disapproval of the girl’s actions the night before. If it wasn’t for the fact that the girl was still recovering she’d gone with having this conversation last night instead of waiting.
Emma didn’t notice, or at the very least pay attention to, the tone of the maid’s voice and instead answered with an indifferent tone, “Tell me, do I have money?”
“No Miss.” Amelia’s forehead creased as she tried to figure out where the girl was going with this.
“Do I have authority over the entire staff?”
“No Miss.”
“Then do I have the respect of the manor?”
“No Miss. But what-”
With a small wave the girl silenced the woman behind her, “I don’t have money, power, or respect. All that I can use then is fear to cow them into behaving properly. It won’t work as a long term solution, but for now it’s more than enough to ensure we get some proper treatment.”
The maid didn’t say anything as she realized that despite the Young Miss not being aware of the past she still had a firm grasp of her position. It gave her a little more respect for the girl that she didn’t have before. She silently finished washing the black hair and began drying it gently.
“Also, please stop calling me ‘miss’ all the time. Emma is good enough. This goes double if we leave the manor.”
“I can’t-”
Ignoring the attempt of protest the girl kept speaking, “So what did you tell Father last night?”
Her hands stopped for a moment before continuing to work the hair dry, “I don’t know what you mean Miss.”
The girl’s golden eyes rolled in their sockets to look up at the woman, “Don’t lie. You left around half an hour after you thought I was asleep. Considering that you have gone as far as neglecting to sleep while I was sick in a house full of servants who treat me as lower than they are means that either you have a high sense of mortality or you were instructed to take care of me. Seeing as you slipped out last night and didn’t come back with anything, I can only imagine that you went to report. And seeing as Father is the one in charge of the manor I naturally assumed it was him.”
Amelia’s hands stopped again as she stared at the girl in front of her, the shock written clearly on her face. Was this the same young miss she’d been taking care of for the last twelve years? Did the Goddess give her more than just curing her fever?
The gold eyes traced back down to the water in the tub, “So, seeing as you wear your emotions so openly I can only gather it really was my Father.”
“Yes Miss,” the voice was barely a whisper, the shock flashing across the redhead’s face like a bolt of lightning before the woman suppressed it.
“And you talked about me, correct?”
“Yes Miss.”
There was a trace of a smile on her face now, “Good. That means that he actually has some level of love for his own flesh and blood. Living out here in the servant’s quarters and allowing me to be bullied by the servants had me concerned that he didn’t see me as his own daughter. This will make things easier later.”
Amelia didn’t respond, only because she didn’t know how to. In a single night the girl who had been oblivious for years suddenly knew the truth that her own father was actually watching over her. The changes the girl was showing were just too many to keep up with. Was it just her memory loss that had lead to her personality change? Was there something more that was influencing her? Did the goddess do it?
The pair finished the girl’s bath in silence, but the quiet was broken as the woman toweled the girl’s back dry. “Miss, there is something on your back.” The tone was an anxious one, and it softened the coldness the girl was feeling towards her maid a little. It seemed that the maid didn’t help her completely out of orders.
Emma frowned as she thought of something. “What does it look like?”
“A series of layered gold rings filled with symbols I’ve never seen.”
Something flickered in the girl’s eyes but she didn’t voice her thoughts, “Is it about the size of a plate?”
“Yes Miss.”
“Then you can ignore it. It’s just something the Goddess left me to help me learn medicine.”
Learn medicine? The redhead’s mind swam desperately as it drowned in its own shock. The goddess had passed along medical knowledge to the girl too? Just how favored was this child?
The maid quickly dressed the girl in a faded green dress, braided the long black hair before coiling it into a bun atop the young maiden’s head. She was fastening the hooks on the eyes of the girl’s pair of worn brown boots when the door was swung open without even a knock.
Amelia was the first to look, her expression turning dark as she recognized the perpetrator of abuse on the already rickety door. Julianna, the sixth child of the manor, and the main abuser of her miss.
The person in the door was a girl only a few years older than the one sitting in front of the vanity, but her face was shaped more like an overly ripe plum than the leaner look of the girl on the stool. Her eyes where the family blue instead of Emma’s gold “So you really aren’t dead. Good, good.”
An eyebrow raised over the emotionless gold eyes, “And why would I die?”
The arrogant expression on Julianna froze a little, before softening a little in mockery, “It seems you don’t remember running out onto the pond after your shawl then.”
Emma switched legs to allow Amelia to do up the other boot, “Even if I don’t remember it that doesn’t change that you haven’t answered my question. I’m someone who has been saved by the Goddess of Healing once in my life, why should I just die so easily later?”
The older girl’s mouth flapped as she saw the confidence on her younger sister’s face. That gentle mocking smile the girl wore only made the anger in her heart grow. The useless cripple had the gall to not die and then mock her over it? This wasn’t something she’d let slide so easily. “So you think you’re so loved by that goddess? Then why can’t you cultivate Martial Force?” A pressure erupted from her as the girl stomped across the small room, threatening to press the young miss and her servant into the floor. “You’re just some trash that got lucky once and want to hide behind it now.”
“Only the Fifth level of body refinement and you think you have the right to bully me?” The gold eyes hardened as the girl rose to her feet. There was no energy emanating from her body as she stood in front of her sister, but she stood straight and firm like a pillar as her eyes meeting the other girl’s, “The ocean is far vaster and the mountain is much taller than you are. Don’t regret your choices later. Whatever enmity was between us before is forgotten, but if you want to start a new account I’ll gladly tally your sins for you.”
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Julianna’s face was turning red as her blood pressure soared. “What sins you crippled little slut? Strength is king and the weak are only beggars. And a king never sins.”
The sound of bubbling laughter from the younger miss caused both women in the room to look at Emma in shock. Who was this crazy child?
“True, ‘might makes right’ in the eyes of most, but when someone stronger comes along the unjust always regret it. You may see yourself as strong now, but remember this: I will surpass you and you will regret it”
“Surpass me? Make me regret it? Ha! A cripple like you can’t even strangle a chicken much less pass me!” The sound of a slap was like a crisp whipcrack in the small room, as the younger girl bent to one side from the blow. Her feet didn’t shift though despite her waist folding nearly in half sideways. Blood was trickling from the split in her lip from the blow, but the eyes didn’t show any of the fear that they used to hold only a few days prior. “The next time such filth comes out of your lips I’ll gladly beat you until you remember your place.”
Emma still didn’t show any emotion on her face as she slowly righted herself, though there was something in her eyes that made Amelia step back in fear. “That’s your first sin. Remember, I’m counting them now.” Without saying anymore the girl pushed past the older child and left the room, her boots plodding through the snow.
Away from the frightened maid and the loud swearing of her sister the girl’s face softened into a grin, “I’ve seen the peaks of heaven and she wants to frighten me with that pathetic show of strength? She might as well be an ant trying to frighten a dragon.” Without waiting for Amelia to follow her she turned along the walking path away from the manor and aimed herself towards the residence of Doctor Leigh that lay near the eastern part of the manor to see the old man who handled the family’s medical needs. While Amelia was gone the night before she’d gotten a good look at her body’s condition and while she was willing to leave it before, the show her sister just tried to give made it clear that to keep her pride as a goddess intact she needed to regain her strength.
The only problem was she couldn’t wield her Divine Force. Divine Force was an innate part of a deity’s soul and something they could use and manipulate effortlessly but she couldn’t use it. Today’s discovery of the Heavenly Binding Seal on her back had solved that mystery but created new ones. Was it needed for her to hold a mortal body, or was it something placed on her? Usually such a seal was only used as a punishment for a major crime amongst the deities, but her only crimes in the tens of thousands of years she had existed were only sloth and drunkenness, something that was pretty common amongst many of the gods.
There was some hope to be found though as the body she had gained was unique as far as she knew in that it had both the Blood Gates of a Martial Force practitioner, but it had the Mage Gates of a Sage as well. The first were a series of over a hundred small gates that existed in the veins and when activated in specific sequences could increase the body of the user. The most common amongst mortals with as many as thirty of every hundred having them. The latter was a series of eight large gates in the spine of a sage, each allowing the person to control stronger forces than the one before it and use that force to alter the world around the body. Only one in several thousand held those gates inside of their body, giving them access to world shaking power that was only restricted by the need to chant to cast spells.
As far as her knowledge went, the existence of both inside of one body was supposed to be impossible because it was too similar to the Divine Force that was wielded by the gods. It wasn’t perfect, but merging the two forces was very close to the perfect energy used by the deities. And yet this child had both. Was that why she almost died as an infant? To prevent a heaven defying body from existing? Was this why she was inside of the child’s body? The questions only piled up further and further and it made her head ache.
But the questions could wait. For now she needed to fix the dried out and cracked condition of those gates. And for that she needed herbs to make medicine with. Which led to her visit to Doctor Leigh. She was supposed to see him as a follow up to her fever according to Amelia, but to her the only important thing now was fixing the wrongs piled up against this body. Though the list of things she needed to do got a little longer thanks to the internal damage her sister gave her with that slap.
Doctor Leigh was the only one in his small home when she arrived but he still greeted her like he was greeting the Duke himself. That small kindness was enough to make her like him immediately.
“It’s so good to see you up and about Little Miss. I wasn’t sure you’d make it through the night with that fever, but here you are safe and sound!” His smile was warm and infectious as he poured her a cup of tea before pouring another for himself, a book set aside on the table between them as they spoke.
Tactfully she didn’t bring up the matter of the original Emma most likely having died that night, nor of her “dream” of Argent, but instead smiled back just as warmly, “Indeed. I must thank you for your efforts Doctor.”
He waved a hand to dismiss her statement, “This old man didn’t do much. It’s the kindness of the gods and your own will that turned that around more than my simple medicines. Now what can this old set of bones help Little Miss with?”
She didn’t answer immediately, choosing instead to sip the tea she’d been given, only to find eyebrows shooting up as she found the drink strangely delightful. It was naturally slightly sweet but it was mostly minty. “What is this?”
“Sweet Mint. It’s good for circulation and eases joint pain. I find it helps my old bones in the winter.”
“It’s delicious. I can’t remember anything like it.” She looked up at him with an excited gleam in her eye, “You can use medicinal plants like this?”
The smile gained a touch of amusement at her excitement, “Of course. It’s not really a true medical skill, but I find this a good way to enjoy the Sweet Mint without chewing on it as the leaves themselves are bitter even though the sap inside isn’t.”
She was on her third cup before her excitement in the new discovery finally settled enough for her to bring up why she came, “I need some medicinal ingredients.”
His white eyebrows barely twitched upwards, “Oh? Has Little Miss fallen in love with my tea?” His tone was playful, but his jab wasn’t too far off the mark as her cheeks turned a little red in response to his teasing.
“While I do indeed want some of your tea, I feel you need it more than I want it. I’ll just ask for the recipe instead. No, I need the ingredients for Blood Cleansing Powder as well as seven stalks of Serpent Grass, two Jackalope livers, three lengths of Dragon Ivy and a Bleeding Toadstool.”
The amusement faded from the old man’s face, “Little Miss, half of those are poisonous. While I can give you some Blood Cleansing Powder, I can’t rightfully give you poisonous plants.”
She didn’t respond at first, choosing instead to indulge in a little more of the tea first. “I know they’re poisonous. I’m actually counting on those poisons to help repair the damaged gates in my body.”
The teacup that had been held so firmly in the doctor’s wrinkled hands slipped free, tumbling out of his hands and onto the floor. “You mean to say you found a cure Little Miss?”
Instead of answering she just smiled, “I trust you can keep this between us for now as it may not work as well as I hope. In all honesty this is my first time trying this and as such I wanted someone reliable to monitor me when I do it just in case it fails.”
The expression on his face was dark, but the light in his eyes betrayed his excitement. A medicine that could repair damaged gates in the body? He’d read about such things while trying to treat the Little Miss, but could never uncover an actual recipe for that kind of medicine. And now she was claiming to have it? His heart was full of concern but at the same time he had hope for her to be right.
She was finishing her fourth cup, as well as the pot of tea, when he finally spoke, “Alright, we’ll do it, but only if we prepare two sets of medicine and I take it first. I need to ensure that this won’t actually kill you before I can agree to letting you do such a thing.”
The smile on her face had a level of confidence he’d never seen before on her face, “Of course it’ll work, but if it makes you feel more at ease we can approach it as you requested.”
Doctor Leigh’s face lightened considerably as his usual smile returned, “Very good. Let me get you the Blood Cleansing Powder now.”
Emma was only halfway back to her small home when Amelia found her, as well as the pouch of Blood Cleansing Powder that she carried, a frantic look on the maid’s face.
“Miss!”
Seeing the look on the older girl’s face a frown crept onto the young face, “Calm down. Now what’s wrong?”
“Jeffrey Darton is here to see you.”
“Who?”
“Your fiance!”
Emma’s frown darkened a little more, “I have one of those?”
“Yes! But he says he’s here to talk to you about the engagement. I’m afraid he’s here to break off the engagement!” Amelia’s concern was mounting. Her miss had changed so much in only a day but had forgotten her own fiance. What did that mean?
The frown vanished immediately, and bloomed into a smile, “Oh? Well that’s fine then. I’ll see him if that’s all he wants. I mean I can’t keep a fiance that I don’t even love enough to remember after a little fever.” The pouch moved from Emma’s hand to the hands of her confused maid.
“You can’t break off the engagement Miss! This was arranged by your father with the Count of Trell before you were born. If you break this off it’s like you’re slapping both your father and the Count’s reputations!”
The cold look that she’d worn when Julianna slapped her came back when Amelia said this, “It’s my marriage. Of course I can.” Before the redhead had a chance to say anymore the girl was gone, her boots stomping towards the manor.
“Oh please let the Miss not do anything foolish.” A quick prayer by a flustered woman was just as quickly ignored in the heavens. What god has time to reign in some little girl?