Inside an office, a blonde-haired elf with blue eyes sat at his desk and was busily doing some paperwork. Another elf with blonde hair and a well-trimmed beard was standing in front of him, his back straight and his hands behind his back.

“How is she doing?” [Nylian]

“The same as always, my lord. She is behaving herself and doing everything we tell her to.” [Servant]

The man sitting at the desk, Nylian, didn’t stop his hands as he asked his questions about the half-breed living in his house, the bane of his wife, Talindra.

“Is her education going well?” [Nylian]

“Yes, she is serious with her studies. She appears to have some problems with a few subjects, but the tutor is making sure that she learns everything we need her to.” [Servant]

“She hasn’t tried to leave the room?” [Nylian]

“No, she’s obediently staying in her room and hasn’t acted out in any way. If I may speak so boldly, her silence is unnerving.” [Servant]

“We have a guard stationed in shifts in front of her door. If she tries to leave, she will be spotted, so why are you afraid? That half-breed is also too young to manifest any powers.” [Nylian]

Nylian, having finished with a document, set it on the pile to his left and picked another one on the pile to his right. The servant, seeing how calm his master was, lowered his head in apology.

“You are absolutely right, my lord. It’s just that she hasn’t made any complaints or asked any questions for eight years. She simply nods and obeys without uttering a word. Her submissive personality and her drowsy expression sometimes frighten me. The way she looks at me with those mismatched eyes is unsettling. That half-breed makes me feel like she is planning something.” [Servant]

“How can she be plotting anything, Orist? She is only eight years old. Do you honestly believe that we would be outdone by a mere child, and a half-breed at that?” [Nylian]

“No, of course not. I apologize for the things I’ve said. They were unbecoming.” [Orist]

“It is alright. Anything else to report?” [Nylian]

“No, she is quiet and obedient. She also continues to have nightmares every night. It is quite strange. Do you believe it is some sort of curse, my lord?” [Orist]

“I doubt it. That child is uncharacteristically silent. She was even born into the world without crying. However, she could be acting tough and putting up a strong front. It might simply be how her repressed emotions manifest. Pay it no mind.” [Nylian]

“Yes, my lord.” [Orist]

Nylian nodded and asked the report that he was the most mindful of.

“What of the gossips from the other clans?” [Nylian]

“Nothing we did not expect. They are still in the dark as to what she even looks like. They can only fathom guesses and exchange theories. The heat has abated after eight years. The Luceran clan’s honor will not fall from this.” [Orist]

“Good. We need to make sure to keep it that way until we reveal her. Is that all the news you bring me?” [Nylian]

“Yes, that is the end of my report.” [Orist]

“Good. Warn me if anything comes up. If she suddenly manifests her powers, we must be there to see it and contain it if need be.” [Nylian]

“As you wish, Lord Nylian.” [Orist]

Giving a bow, the man acting as a servant turned and left the room, gently closing the door behind him. Nylian stopped writing and looked at the door. He sighed and massaged his forehead. They have kept that half-breed for eight years to see if she could become useful to them.

However, just her presence was already making the staff uneasy. What would it be like when her powers awaken? Even though she wasn’t doing anything, she was causing problems. He wondered if she was worth all the trouble his clan put up with.

“(Good grief, if her powers turn out to be pitiful, then all of this would have been a huge waste of time.)” [Nylian]

Nylian rubbed his forehead one last time and got back to his work. He decided that he would spend some quality time with his family to calm his nerves later on. Seeing the smiling faces of his son and daughter would surely heal his tired body and his loving wife would soothe his heart.

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“Is it you? The one they call the disgrace of the Luceran clan?” [???]

The unfriendly voice of a boy called out to the little girl clad in a white dress that was sitting at a table and taking a nap. She stirred and lifted her head from her arms. Gazing at the rare visitor and the only other person in this room, she blinked her eyes, yawned and tilted her head.

“Black hair and dark brown eyes. The right one is white like in the rumors too. So, you’re my eight year old sister, Ava.” [???]

The boy who wasn’t older than twelve looked at her with a frown on his face. Standing in front of the door was a blonde-haired boy that looked like his father. Arms crossed, he scanned the windowless room with his green eyes. There was a table with two chairs, a bed, a bookshelf and a wardrobe. There was also a door on the side that led to the bathroom.

This was the place where the half-breed had lived for eight years. It was her personal prison. She wasn’t allowed to leave, so everything she needed was taken to her. Besides when her food was brought, when cleaning needed to be done, when her tutor came to teach her or when someone came to check up on her, she was always alone.

“I’m Agis, the eldest son of the Luceran clan. I sneaked in here to see and warn you. Mother always looks in pain whenever you’re mentioned, so I wanted to see what kind of person you are.” [Agis]

Agis introduced himself all while looking down on the half-breed. Despite his introduction, she kept quiet and only stared at him with her sleepy-looking eyes.

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“You don’t look like mother at all and you always make her sad. I’ll never acknowledge you as my little sister. Saria is my little sister! She has white hair just like mother, unlike you and your black hair!” [Agis]

He pointed at the eight year old, black-haired elf and declared in a strong voice.

“Don’t cause any trouble! I won’t forgive you if you make my parents sad any more, you half-breed!” [Agis]

Saying his piece and nodding in satisfaction, Agis turned around and left the room, shooting the half-breed a derisive look before closing the door behind him. He felt like he had just defended his parents from misfortune and a sense of accomplishment welled up in him. But, he couldn’t tell this episode to anyone since he wasn’t allowed to see her. He wasn’t even allowed to get close to her room.

He was only lucky that he found a gap in between the shifts of the guards on duty. Security had become quite lax after the half-breed spent eight years following their orders.

Quickly sneaking away, he decided to go see his baby sister to heal his heart that returned from battle.

As for the elf that was imprisoned in her room…

“… What was that about?” [Ava]

She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Whatever Agis wanted to tell her, it passed through one ear and out the other. So far, her life was quite the pleasant one. She didn’t need to go anywhere and all of her meals were brought to her. She had plenty of clothes, she wasn’t cold during the night, the room was clean, the bed was comfortable and her education was assured. For eight years, she had been living without anything to worry about.

Besides the glares, the subtle complaints, the degrading insults, the daily harassment, the physically violent moments and some sudden outbursts from her tutor similar to Agis such as “Why should I waste my time to teach a half-breed?!”, her life was perfect. Compared to what she was expecting, this was practically heaven.

“(These elves are way too soft. They only slap me and they don’t even leave any serious bruises… Well, besides my teacher. Man, that is one thick book he carries around.)” [Ava]

Ava rubbed her head as she remembered that tome her tutor always had with him. Having grown used to pain long ago, the black-haired elf wasn’t bothered by her treatment. Normal eight year olds would be crying and wondering where their parents were and why they were being treated so unfairly, but she was quite happy that no one was watching her all day long.

Before, some chosen servants had to reluctantly take care of her until she was old enough to talk. Then, they happily left her alone inside her room. She didn’t cry or ask for her mother. Instead, she could take care of herself which surprised them since they thought that she would be unable to take baths, brush her teeth or dress herself. But, if she did have a sloppy appearance, they would have unreasonably hit her to teach her proper manners and they wouldn’t hold back.

Although she was a half-breed, she could still serve the clan depending on her abilities. The shame of the servant was the shame of the master. As such, she was also taught table manners and etiquette. These subjects were quite easy for her since she wasn’t a normal elf. The ones she had to pay careful attention to were history and geography. Her tutor also made sure that she remembered the names of every important figure so that she wouldn’t act out around them.

If there was one thing Ava didn’t like…

“(Ugh, I miss pants.)” [Ava]

It would be her clothes. Her small body was covered by a simple white dress with long sleeves and knee-length skirt. That was the only type of clothing that filled her wardrobe.

“(Do they know I hate dresses? Is this another form of harassment?)” [Ava]

Whether they wanted to give her a purer appearance because of her black hair or they wanted to scold her whenever she dirtied her clothes, her dresses were always simple and white.

Moreover, the elves, who valued bloodlines, certainly wouldn’t waste money on her whose veins carried dirty blood. So, they only used the necessary expenses. The bed was for sleeping, the bathroom was for hygiene, the wardrobe was to hold her clothes and the table was for eating and studying.

Such a cold and calculated room wouldn’t fit an ordinary eight year old at all, but it suited the black-haired elf’s needs… Except for the dresses.

“(… Whatever. Guess I should start training.)” [Ava]

With that, Ava got up, stretched her arms and began her usual routine. Since there wasn’t much space, she couldn’t do much except some light training to keep her body in shape. It wasn’t a good idea to train too much either when young because it would impede her growth.

That was why she did some push-ups, set-ups, squats and hopped around the room to make sure that she wouldn’t grow up to have a weak health from lack of exercise.

“(Gotta be careful when I move. The maid hates it when she has too much work to do.)” [Ava]

She got down and started doing push-ups, making sure that her muscles weren’t getting lazy. She went through her whole routine and dusted her dress. Afterwards, she reviewed what she was taught earlier by her tutor so that she would be ready for her next lesson.

Then, she went back to taking a nap while sitting at the table. The bed was too comfortable. She might fall asleep which was a bad idea given her tendency to have nightmares. Light naps were much better.

And that was how another peaceful day in Ava’s life passed by.

The same night, Ava got kidnapped.

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*Author* I'll be posting a chapter every now and then. This is sort of a change of pace to the other fiction I'm writing.