Fitting in — Maribelle

My room in the Valbeck mansion is the biggest bedroom I’ve ever seen. The bed itself if easily big enough for a whole family. I even have my own bathroom. I took a bubble bath. It was nice.

Right now, the maids are helping me get dressed for dinner. I’m being encased in a fancy purple dress. They’re even draping a diamond necklace around my neck. When they style my hair, I tell them I want to keep my flower. It contains my sword, and I don’t yet feel completely safe here. It’s best to stay armed.

The robes Bezvillia gave me are folded up nicely and placed in the wardrobe. I wouldn’t want to lose them. They’re quite durable, unlike this dress. I feel like I’ll shred this thing if I make any sudden movements. Maybe next time I should ask for something less restricting.

When the maids are finally done dressing me up, I check myself out in the mirror.

Wow. I definitely got prettier over the last two years, though the dress certainly helps. I wish I had Bezvillia’s mystique, but I can’t quite emulate it. One day, maybe.

The maids tell me that Joseph wants to talk to me. I am escorted to a private room, in which I find Joseph and another man who I don’t recognize. He is an elderly man with a strong aura.

“Ah, Maribelle, you’re here. You look beautiful,” Joseph says.

“Thanks. Who’s this?”

“He’s a trusted friend of mine, Lord Samuel Silverleaf. I called in a favor with him to help you with your cover story.”

“My cover story?”

“Yes. Samuel will say that you’re his daughter.”

“Okay. Thank you, Samuel.”

“I wanted to meet you first, of course. I didn’t believe Joseph when he told me a girl Kevin’s age had an aura worthy of a silver grade adventurer, but he wasn’t kidding. He insisted that I didn’t need to know where you came from, but now I’m rather curious.”

“I’m sorry. I won’t tell you.”

“Fine. Joseph, don’t let her disgrace my family’s name. Maribelle, as the head of house Silverleaf, I hereby grant you the right to use our name. You’re a Silverleaf now.”

Huh, I guess I’m officially a noblewoman. That was fast.

The three of us make our way to the dining room. There is a long rectangular table on which food is being arranged, decorative banners hanging on the walls.

“Maribelle, I’ve been meaning to ask, how did you get along with Kevin?” Joseph asks.

“I think there’s potential for us to become quite close.”

“I’m happy to hear that. Oh, speaking of which, there's the young lad.”

Kevin enters the dining room, dressed in a nice suit, his hair now combed. He blushes when he sees me. Crap. I was hoping it would stay platonic, Joseph’s enthusiasm be damned.

“Doesn’t she look beautiful, son?”

Ugh. I feel like I’m on display. Maybe being a noble wasn’t the brilliant idea I thought it was.

“Uh, yeah,” Kevin says, averting his gaze after a moment of staring.

“I would like him better if he was a little more confident,” I whisper to Joseph.

The man practically chokes on his own tongue. He clears his throat.

“Me too, Maribelle.”

“What did she say?” Kevin asks.

“It’s nothing, son. We’ll talk about it later.”

A woman with long blonde hair and grey eyes comes striding over. She smiles at me.

“You must be Maribelle. I heard about you from Joseph. He said your aura caught his eye. Now I see why. You’re really quite something.”

“Maribelle, this is my wife, Patricia,” Joseph says.

“Nice to meet you.”

My eyes are drawn to a pendant she wears, a silver medallion with swirling engravings slightly reminiscent of those on my sword. It’s an enchantment in the ancient cambian script. This one is quite a bit more pleasing to the eye than Bezvillia’s enchantments. The maker clearly had mortal sensibilities in mind.

“I like your necklace.”

“Yes, it’s a family heirloom which we pass down to the spouse of the first-born son.”

So Joseph is the first-born? I wonder how Richard ended up with the title of High Lord instead.

“It’s said to grant Hella’s blessing to one’s children, but mostly it’s just a pretty trinket.”

“Hella, huh,” I say, looking at Kevin to gauge his reaction.

He flinches. Yup, definitely Hella.

“Why, got your eye on it? Who knows, maybe you’ll wear it one day.”

Gods, not her too.

A crowd of people slowly gathers in the dining room. The population of the mansion is quite large, as it houses a whole extended family. For a while, my life becomes a blur of repetitive introductions to people whose names I don’t remember. Practically everyone mentions my aura in some capacity. Yes, I get it, I’m a freak of nature. Deal with it.

I’m relieved when dinner actually starts because I can focus on my food. There is a whole feast of deliciously seasoned meats and veggies, juices, wines, and beautifully presented desserts.

Just as I’m starting to enjoy myself, a haggard bald man stumbles into the dining room. Conversations cut out as the room goes silent to look at him.

His eyes meet mine and he turns pale.

It seems that he didn’t hide in the slums like he said he would. Minds change, I suppose.

“Tornilius! Finally. Have you brought back my son?” Richard asks.

Tornilius kneels, glancing at me once again. I smile at him. He gulps, and turns to Richard, speaking in a somber tone.

“My lord, I must regretfully bring tragic news. Damien died in the southern mountains.”

Richard stands up from his chair, his aura bursting out as he clenches his fists.

“No, he can’t be dead. Are you certain? Did you bring back his body?”

Tornilius shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath, as if he’s preparing himself for something physically strenuous. He speaks quietly.

“My lord, he was fed to Kalamath, the Feasting One.”

Well, that’s not at all what I told him to say. Like glass breaking inside my skull, I immediately get a splitting headache, the consequence of him managing to defy my voice. Fortunately, I spoke vaguely enough back then that the breaking of my voice wouldn’t severely harm me. My spirit was only slightly damaged, and the headache should go away in a few hours.

I should let it slide. The poor guy seems stressed. Richard is screaming at him.

“The drakelings got him? I’ll have those lizards wiped off the face of the earth!”

Lightning erupts out of Richard’s body, singing the carpet and blowing up a nearby fruitcake. He slams his fist on the table, smashing through the wood.

“Tornilius! How did you learn of his death?”

“I saw it with my own eyes. I was captured by the drakelings too.”

“Then why do you still live?”

“Kalamath ended his feast. He flew away, and I escaped in the commotion.”

“Kalamath has been feasting for centuries. Are you saying he feasted just long enough to eat my son, but not to eat you?”

“Yes, my lord.”

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Richard slowly sits back down in his chair. He takes a deep breath.

“Your story is ridiculous. You will tell me the truth. Clara, bring out the orb of honesty.”

A servant quickly dashes away into another room. Everyone sits in silence as they wait for her to return. She comes back carrying a pale crystal sphere which she carries on a cloth. She presents the orb to Tornilius.

“Hold it,” Richard orders.

Tornilius cringes at the order. He obediently picks up the orb, wincing in agony as he touches it. My eyes widen slightly when his quiet whimpers of pain come out as spirit declarations.

Does the orb force you to use the divine voice? How is that possible?

“Tell me the truth!” Richard screams.

“Kalamath really flew away right before I was going to be fed to him!”

“Is Damien dead?”

“Yes!”

Tornilius drops the orb back on the cloth, gasping for breath, blood dripping out of his nose.

Richard breaks down in tears, sobbing into his hands. Joseph pats him on the back.

For just a moment, I feel sorry for him. My sympathy is snuffed out the moment I remember the horrible things Damien did to me and Mom. He would have killed me. This is how it had to be.

Tornilius is looking at me, terrified. I smile and nod, to tell him he did great, but it doesn’t help. Maybe he just thinks my nod is confirming his imminent death.

“I must remarry, and have another heir, or our family is ruined,” Richard says quietly.

“With Damien gone, Kevin will be expected to participate in the royal tournament,” Patricia says, eyeing her son with worry.

Kevin looks sick to his stomach. Richard glares at the boy, disdain visible through his grief.

“He will disgrace our family. We will lose favor with the Arvali,” Richard says.

Kevin shrinks in his seat. He looks like he is going to cry. Nobody disputes Richard’s words.

Richard sneers, and continues.

“Yes, you all know it to be true. He is weak, unworthy of carrying the Valbeck name. That’s why you brought in that Silverleaf whore, isn’t it? Joseph, how shameful can you be, poaching talent from another house because your own blood is inadequate?”

“I have not been poached. If I marry someone, it will be because I love him, not because I am pressured to do so. Try to use me, and I will leave.”

“Ha! Joseph, you’re pathetic! She already made you her bitch. Why don’t you prostrate yourself and beg her to participate in the tournament in Kevin’s stead?”

“Silence!” Joseph bellows.

“Girl, you say you’ll only marry someone you love? I did that, and look where it got me. My wife died in childbirth, and now my only son is gone as well. Take some advice from an old man and be like Patricia here. Marry for power. Focus on yourself while your husband fucks his whores.”

“You insolent worm!” Joseph screams.

“What are you going to do about it brother? I proved years ago that I’m more than strong enough to crush you. Your weakness lost you your title, and it spawned your worthless heir. You are nothing.”

Joseph grits his teeth, and walks out to the room, stopping by the door to say one last thing.

“I’m only letting this slide because you’re grieving, brother. I am not beneath you.”

He leaves.

“I will help arrange the funeral,” Patricia says.

Lightning strikes the table, the blast splattering soup on me.

“Get out. All of you.”

In silence, everyone walks out, leaving Richard to grieve alone.

On my way back to my room, I am approached by Kevin.

“Maribelle, I know this is too much to ask, but you have to save me.”

“Save you? What do you mean?”

“The royal tournament is brutal. People die there, people like me. I can’t do it.”

“What are you asking, exactly?”

“The participant is always either the family’s heir, or a special talent being shown off. If we get married, you could fight instead of me.”

“No way. Not happening.”

“Please! I could seriously die!”

“Just get stronger. You have Hella’s seed of power, don’t you?”

“I have no idea how to use it! The royal tournament is in two weeks. It’s not enough time!”

“How about this? I’ll train you and help you prepare. I’m sure your father will help too.”

“But—”

“I know there’s a lot of pressure on you. It sounds like Damien ran away to avoid participating in this very tournament, did he not? He probably had the same fears. He broke under the weight of your family’s expectations. You can do better. Rise to meet those expectations.”

“Yes, but you’re so strong, can’t you just—”

“Kevin, stop being a coward.”

He shrinks back from me, like a wounded animal. Oh gods, I want to slap him.

“If you can’t handle the pressure, just run away like your cousin did. I don’t think anyone would stop you.”

He looks like he’s about to cry. I almost feel pity.

“When you said you would do something impossible, I thought you had something driving you. Now I realize what you meant. You declared your goal impossible so that you could give up. You don’t want to read every book, you just want an excuse to hide from the world.”

He starts to cry. I’m starting to feel a little bit guilty. Should I be comforting him instead?

No.

“Your life is on the line. Are you going to just let yourself die?”

He shakes his head.

“Then train. You only have two weeks? So what? Do what needs to be done!”

He wipes his face and takes a deep breath.

“Can I really become strong enough in two weeks?”

“That’s up to you.”

I turn around and step into my room, slamming the door behind me.

Holy shit. What have I jumped into? This family is a mess.

Whatever. If I don’t like it, I can always go back to Adriana’s place. It’s not like they’re treating me badly. I even have a surprising amount of leverage here. We’ll see how it goes.

Right now, I’m covered in lentil soup, so I’m going to take a bath.

While I’m disrobing, a knock comes on the door.

“Hold on, I’m changing.” I shout through the door.

“Someone is at the mansion. He claims to be your brother,” A maid’s voice shouts back.

“Oh, tell him I’m busy taking a bubble bath and he can go back to Adriana’s place.”

“He’s really your brother? He didn’t even know you were a Silverleaf!”

“We’re not related by blood, but he’s a close friend of mine. Be nice to him.”

“Understood, my lady.”

Ugh, finally. I go into the bathroom and fill the tub with hot water and scented soap. I slide in, enjoying the blissful warmth around my body. I get very comfortable, soon drifting off to sleep.

I feel something wrap around me, glittering chains of silver and gold. They pull me through a tunnel of blinding light.

Fuck. Not this again.

“You are a servant of the grey witch, are you not? Why do you offer help to my hero?”

A four-eyed humanoid figure in golden robes stands before me, towering overhead, massive and imposing. Her flesh is ghostly pale and her eyes are a radiant grey-blue. Her hair is silver.

“Hella? Get the fuck out of my dreams.”

“Answer my question. You do not have a seed of power. I may not need to order my hero to destroy you.”

I laugh. She’s going to ask Kevin to kill me? Fucking hilarious.

“Tell me where your loyalties lie, Maribelle. You speak with the divine voice, one of few humans to ever follow such a path. The white pantheon would usually not allow for your existence, but it might be possible to make an exception. I would wish to have you as an ally, if possible.

“Why did you even choose Kevin as your hero? There must have been better options.”

“I need not explain myself to you. Answer my question.”

“I’m helping Kevin because I feel like it. I may have promised to be Bezvillia’s ally, but I’ll still make my own choices.”

“I see. Perhaps it is indeed necessary for my hero to kill you.”

“If you want to kill me, come down to earth and fight me yourself!”

“I’m certain you know that I cannot do that. Not yet.”

“Because you’re afraid of a couple lizards?”

“Yes. Unlike the abomination you serve, I respect the stratification of realms. The earth is the domain of the dragons, just as the deep is the domain of the krakens, and the heavens are the domain of the cambians. This shall be the natural order, for as long as the calamity slumbers and his promise remains silent.”

“I’m going to break the Grey Talisman, just so you know.”

Hella’s face contorts into an enraged scowl, her form growing to that of a colossal titan, towering overhead.

“The white pantheon will stop you.”

“You can try.”

“Foolish insect. You will know the power of the gods. We do not need to leave the astral realm to crush you.”

A searing pain shoots through my head as I begin to die, golden light tearing through me within the dream.

My well-trained instincts immediately kick in. I push through the pain to concentrate my aura in my brain, surging power to force myself awake. I open my eyes.

I am in excruciating pain. Blood is dripping out of my nose, tainting the bathwater.

“Ow, fucking hurts. Thank you, Bez.”

If Bezvillia hadn’t taught me how to defend against oneiromancy, a right unique to the cambians, I would be a dead woman right now.

Okay, I’ll admit it. Gods are terrifying. Hopefully Hella isn’t petty enough to do that every time I sleep. It would be annoying, but I would probably survive. Bez’s training was basically exactly that, except for the part where I die if I mess up.

I wash my face off with the bathwater and I get dressed in casual clothes. The pain isn’t going away. It might take me a little while to recover from that attack. It’s not the kind of damage I can just push out of my body.

I lie down on my bed, gently massaging the back of my neck.

There is another knock on the door.

“Ugh. What is it?” I shout.

“Your friend is still here. He insisted on waiting. He’s asking if you’re done with your bath yet.”

I get up, stomping out of the room. The servant squeaks as I burst out of my bedroom door and storm through the halls. When I open the front door to the mansion, I see Ferry waiting out in the street with an annoyed expression. He notices me, and comes running over.

“Maribelle? Finally. What happened? Why are you living at the Valbeck mansion?”

“Didn’t Adriana explain it to you?”

“She just said Joseph Valbeck offered to house you for the summer and you accepted.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“This is dangerous, Maribelle.”

“I’m fine, Ferry.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“That’s because… it’s not important. Believe it or not, the Valbecks are treating me fairly well. Things are a little complicated, socially speaking, but I can handle it.”

“Okay, I have no idea what you think you’re doing, but if it all blows up in your face, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Consider me warned.”

“Fine. I’ll be at Adriana’s place if you need me. Enjoy your stay, princess.”

He turns around and walks away.

“Ferry?”

He turns back and glares at me.

“Be safe, okay?”

“Yeah. You too,” he says.

I walk back to my room, a little disgruntled. Ferry seems really annoyed that I’m staying here.

Whatever. He can deal with it. It’s time for bed.

Fortunately, Hella doesn’t try to smite me again. I dream about normal stuff, like destroying the Valbeck mansion with entropomancy while I laugh maniacally.

It’s just a dream. It doesn’t mean anything. Really.

When I wake up the next morning, my headache from Hella’s attack feels much better than before. The lingering pain reminds me of the order she said she would give Kevin.

I get dressed, and tell the servants I want to speak with Kevin as soon as possible. They take me to his room, and I wait while he gets dressed.

He steps out of his bedroom, not looking too well. His eyes are bloodshot.

“Hey Kevin, we need to talk in private.”

He looks scared. I push him into his bedroom, stepping in and shutting the door behind us.

“Hella talked to you last night about me, didn’t she?”

He collapses down on his bed, a defeated expression on his face.

“Maribelle, are you really the servant of a dark exile?”

“I serve no one. I am friends with Bezvillia. I can also be friends with you, so relax.”

“So it’s true.”

“Kevin, I know Hella wants you to kill me. Sorry. I realize this puts you in an awkward position.”

“Yeah, you think?”

“I have a solution, though,” I say.

“What solution?”

“You try to kill me, but only after I help train you. That way you can convince Hella not to smite you, and you also get to survive the tournament. It’s a win-win.”

“You would train someone who would become your enemy?”

“I won’t let you kill me, so it’s fine. We’ll be friends. You’ll try to kill me, and I’ll laugh at your pathetic attempts at my life. It’ll be good times.”

“You’re insane.”

“What? You have a better idea?”

He looks at the floor for several seconds.

“No. I don’t.”

“That’s that, then. Are we good?”

“I guess.”

I sit down on the bed beside him. I put my hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t let me, or your family, or Hella boss you around. Live the way you want to live.”

I get up and walk towards the door.

“When do we start my training?”

I smile.

“How about right now?”