1. "Nnnhhh"

Hmmm, where am I? I look around to find myself in a magnificent room. If I were to compare this room to the room I was recently gifted, I can only call my room lacking. The room's wall with their exquisite designs alone ranked the room higher than mine, not to mention the beautiful furniture. The bed was also a lot more comfortable making me want to fall asleep again The marble flooring on which you could see your reflection made the room a masterpiece.

Was everything that happened a dream? Hmm, but then why am I in this new room? I guess I'll have to look for answers. I start to get up but for some reason, I couldn't gather up the strength to do so. I was startled by this because nothing I had done would cause this. The scan doesn't affect physically and just uses some of the energy gained from absorbing magical energy. I don't remember anything else that could've done this.

'A.I. Chip why is my body in such a weak condition?'

'Host, the weakness is due to heavy blood loss because of foreign energy changing Host's 'physique' and loss of blood while contracting the magical beast.'

I contracted a magical beast? When did this happen? Hmm, wait you are kidding me so the senile old man wasn't as useless as I thought, huh. I still don't know what's in the egg, though. I will be taking my previous statement back he's still useless, rather where is the senile old man? Did the old man just run away after taking me as a disciple? And what about the egg where'd it go?

'A.I. Chip what happened to the egg and voice I saw and heard in the unique room?'

'The egg of the contracted beast has been found as a necklace around your neck. No data on 'the voice' found, would you like me to search the database again?'

I was startled by both the answers. The egg was too big to be put around my neck and as for the sneaky senile old man, the A.I. Chip couldn't hear him. Actually, why didn't I find the A.I. Chip not warning me suspicious earlier? I then reached around my neck to feel the necklace when I touch It I was startled by the softness of what seems to be the string. As I felt around my neck, I felt a stone that was warm to the touch and whenever I touched it a feeling of familiarity seemed to spring up.

'A.I. chip what was the change of physique that took place?'

'Host's body has been made more attuned to elements, the overall 'talent' of the body and its structures has spiked up, it seems host body went through a baptism which cleaned out certain 'filth' in host's body, and majority of host's blood seems to have been replaced by a foreign element.'

I didn't expect the senile old man to leave behind such a huge gift it seems he wasn't all that useless. I guess his rank could be upgraded from a child kidnapping senile old man to just a senile old man.

'A.I. Chip start creating the method for absorbing the unique energy compatible to my original magic absorbing structure and also check if you need to change the previous absorbing techniques to match my body better if you do go ahead.'

'Operations starting, the time required to form the new technique is approximately seven months. The time required to change the magic absorbing technique will be approximately three months, while the changes for the knight technique will require approximately one month.'

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'Prioritize the changes for the knight technique next the creation of the absorption technique and then the changes to previously changed absorption technique.'

It seems, I won't be able to absorb any energy anytime soon. I guess in a way it can help me stay completely under the radar. I don't think anyone can find out how much energy I have absorbed, but this fear of it being possible would've kept me from absorbing any energy for a year or so anyways.

Something's odd here if the senile old man was real then who brought me here and what is happening in the house? There's still the betrayal going on right? So they must've checked my room by now, I guess I lost all the trust of father again huh? But there's also the alibi of the assassin chasing me right? But the alibi can also be turned on me and turned into me leading the assassin to the secret area as I am not thought of as trustworthy by my own parents. I guess I will have to wait for my strength to come back to me before I can get to plead not guilty.

---After 30 minutes---

The door to the room suddenly opens and in comes father. I was startled by his sudden appearance as shouldn't I have been in the room with the illusion trap around it? He then calmly walks towards the bed I am situated on and looks at me as if in deep contemplation. He stares at me for a good ten seconds until he finally opens his mouth to talk.

"Is your body condition ok?"

I was startled by the question he asked as I expected him to start interrogating me right away. I then noticed my present condition and immediately went back to having a composed face. I don't want father getting angry with me again do I?

"Yes, I am fine, a little weak but I am doing fine."

Ah, I shouldn't have said the sentence like that, from all the ways to say, I am ok, did I have to use this way? I find it ironic on how I ended up using the exact phrase 'mother' used to say I am ok to father all the time when she was weak due to lack of energy after my birth. And these events were the exact reason of my iffy situation in the family.

See, father is making the funny face again, I guess he's holding back seeing my current condition? He then immediately changed back to his usual composed expression but this time you could see a little seriousness in it.

"Elizabeth what were you doing at the time of the raid on the house?"

"Father there was a raid on the house?"

He looked at me cynically it seems he doesn't trust me on the matter of not knowing about the raid.

"Yes, there was a raid on the house and your side of the mansion was particularly 'bloody'"

His tone was a little menacing this time. Even I found something fish this time even through my side of the mansion was particularly 'bloody' I heard no fighting sounds.

"Father I know nothing of the raid, rather I left the new room that you had assigned to me not long after going into it."

"New room? What are you talking about this was supposed to be your new room. Who took you to the new room?"

I was startled by this revelation, I mean that maid had looked after me from when I was born.

"I don't know her name but it was the maid that usually took care of me. Father, you can ask mother she saw me following the maid."

As soon as he heard me as if he caught on to something he rushed out of the room. I was startled with the train of events as I never expected the maid that took care of me to betray the house. But I knew it was possible as it was not like she liked me or anything. She was a maid I was her master and in this society, she wouldn't dare get friendly with me, rather she'd envy and hate me.

If you add to it a prize of money you would get a fantastic betrayal. But what I don't get is who betrayed the house? It can't be 'mother' as she doesn't have any reason to hate me this much rather even if she seems cold she has never done anything negative to me. I can only describe her feelings as complicated. So could it have been any of my uncles or aunts?

I mean the archducal house can't only be my parents and brother, right?

And the pipsqueak was most likely my 'brother', as for me? I was most likely meant to be kept alive so my marriage could bring benefits to the house if one of the relatives' children became the next archduke. Because I will be married into the castle I can't head the family and so if the heir, my 'brother', is killed the next heir will most likely be a cousin of mine.

I wonder who will end up being the master mind?