133 130. Sudden Nuisance, Part III

CHAOS CAME CLOSER TO ME AND FOR a second I thought I had seen a glimpse of worry in his ice-blue eyes. {"Your ribs are broken."} Oh?

Yes, I felt when it happened, but I didn't think he could tell as well. It means I really can't hide anything from his arrogant ass.

Can Val hear you? {"No. I'm talking through our bond like before, don't worry. Do you want me to heal you?"} Aren't you supposed to be like a destructive type of spirit? Can you heal me? {"It's complicated, but yes, I can."} It doesn't sound safe. {"It isn't!"} How reassuring. {"If you keep mocking me, I won't help you!"} Alright, but it can't be so easy, can it? {"No. But it's your choice. Either stay with five broken ribs, and ask for a physician in your parents' manor, which will raise questions of how this happened, or accept my help."} If you say it like that... alright, heal me, please! {"It'll hurt, try to bear it or your brother will get worried,"} that's not so good.

With a smirk, he pushed me to the ground and sat over my ribcage, then I felt like some kind of freezing, and at the same time burning wind was entering my body. If I thought I was in pain before, this time made me realize I was wrong. It was as if a small part of my soul was being consumed by darkness and that hurt like hell.

Conscious of Val's presence, and that he wasn't paying attention because he was preparing to get ready for what I was about to teach him, I swallowed it. The pain and the screams that wanted to get out of my throat. But then, it all stopped and I felt alright again.

{"If it the situation hadn't asked for it, I would never have done this, Natasha. My way of healing is a double-edged sword for you. At the same time as you are healing your broken bones, you are also hurting yourself in a way,"} I looked at him and saw how he didn't seem well. {"I end up hurting you."} What do you mean you hurt me? {"We can't talk about this here, human. Not with your brother here."}

Sighing, I got up. "Did you use up a lot of your magic, Val?" He turned to me and I saw how he seemed to be tired. "You look paler than usual. If you prefer to train tomorrow, I'll understand!"

He bit his bottom lip. "No. I think it'll be better for me to train like this. I'm running out of magic, we spend more than three hours training you, so I'm kind of tired. But the other reason for us to be here is for me to train my swordsmanship, I won't be needing my magic."

"Indeed. But that doesn't change the fact that you are tired, Val. Keep in mind that I will not go easy on you, just because you are my little brother, okay? So, do you want to keep training today?" He didn't look good.

"Yes!" As stubborn as me.

"Nice. You have to strengthen your mind as well. Let's do it like this, we'll go back to the city for about an hour, have some breakfast somewhere people won't bother us, and then we'll come back. You need to eat before physical training, or, tired as you are now, you will faint. After we put some food on our stomachs we'll come back and begin your training!" When he was about to say something against it, I spoke first. "Besides, I'm also tired and I need food!"

His shoulders went down in relief, which made me and Chaos chuckle softly.

"Alright, let's eat!" Then he headed to where Thunderbolt was. "Oh, my Goddess, Nat," he yelled and I suddenly felt scared of the possibility of having to freeze the horses to death. "You also spared them. There's a circle around Moondust and Thunderbolt, without the slightest sign of ice in it! How amazing!"

{"You must be doing it subconsciously,"} Chaos pondered and turned to me, amused. {"How interesting. But it's probably because deep down, even your cells know that you care for both your brother and the two horses. I doubt that if there was someone you have zero connection to, the person will be spared of this magic of yours."}

"Can you stop discouraging me, please?"

He teased. {"There's only one thing that could possibly discourage you, Natasha,"} he turned to where Val was then back to me. {"Don't be dramatic. We both know that no matter what I say to provoke you, it won't discourage you at all."}

That made me roll my eyes. "Just... be encouraging, alright?"

{"Since when is chaos encouraging, human?"} He mocked again. {"Come on, you shouldn't expect that from me at all."} But then his aura changed and he seemed worried again. {"Jokes aside, your magic when out of control is extremely dangerous, Natasha. You have to be aware of that,"} he signed to the ice around us, {"because all of this happened when you got pissed. Imagine if you lose your cool in the middle of the Imperial Capital. Yes, I'll be there to suppress your power, but if there are sharp people around they will all notice the magic within you."}

I gulped. "I know. I'm aware of it."

{"What would your dad do if he were to learn of this magic of yours?"} My dad?

"No idea. But I do not wish to know that so soon," Chaos chuckled softly.

"Dad you probably make her his heiress!" Val came over with Thunderbolt and held Moondust by the leash. "And Natasha knows it. Don't you, sis?" He spoke smiling at me. "But she doesn't want that, because she wants me to get that position. However, sis, wouldn't it be better if you become dad's heiress, and then, give it to me when I'm ready? Because I don't how keeping Octavian as the heir for the time being would be a good idea. Have you seen that ego of his?"

I mounted Moondust, and Chaos sat in front of me. "Val, I don't want people to learn about me having magic yet. It'll be a fuss, and chaos will break out," I side-looked the cat, "nothing personal." He scoffed at that, unbothered. "And at the moment, I'm focused on doing things in secret, building connections, investing, getting more money for me to use as I please without our family's knowledge. Having the spotlight of high society turned directly at my face wouldn't be a wise choice now, would it?"

{"Is it okay to tell him all of this?"} He spoke in my mind again, and I nodded.

"Seeing it thought your perspective, it would only be prejudicial to you," he stopped his horse right when we got out of the line of ice I had created. "Nat, have you heard a rumor that went around the Knights back on Leopenia?" A lot of rumors go around them.

"Is it about me?"

"Kind of, but not necessarily," he took a deep breath. "I never told you about it, because I thought it would make you sad with yourself for not having magic. But," he side-looked at the damage I caused, "I supposed that won't be a problem now."

Chaos turned his head to Val, curious, {"What is it about?"}

"It's about Octavian. Some of the Knights believe he isn't dad's son!"

That made me burst out laughing, but then, as I saw that he was serious, I stopped. "I never heard about that. Are you serious? Like, I know mom is a bitch, but do you really think she would cheat on our dad? Our dad of all people? Who would do something like that?" Everybody knows that he was the most wanted man before he married our mom. All woman from our Empire and out of it had their eyes on him.

Val sighed. "Would you really be surprised, sis?"

"Well, no. But, we are talking about our dad. Who would she cheat on him with?"

"Octavian doesn't look like our dad at all, Nat. Neither physically, nor in personality, or magically speaking. Not to mention that he isn't smart like we, and, liking or not, Dalilah is. He's the spitting image of mom and... our uncle!" My eyes widened in shock.

"Are you suggesting that our uncle," the bastard who made the spell for mom to put on me, "is Octavian's dad? He's her brother! That would be disgusting," but it would also explain Octavian's actions towards me.

Chaos's eyes turned to me, and he seemed terrified, {"Did he ever try something back in your past life, Natasha?"} Again, Val was unaware of our talk. {"Did he?"} He did more than try. {"What?"}

"Yes, sister, I know it sounds terrible, but that's what they have been saying for some years now. Because it seems like mom and dad only married when they learned about him being pregnant with Octavian when dad was spending a season on the Ludwick Kingdom. They say Octavian wasn't supposed to be the heir, but..." he gulped and avoided my eyes, "you were. Because if Octavian isn't dad's son, that would make you his firstborn!"

I said nothing, too stunned to speak.

Valerian turned to me, curious to see my reaction once I hadn't said anything. "What if it is true?"

"Val," I took a deep breath. "Let's not dig too deep on this, alright? I do not want to think about what that would entail, at all! The last thing I wish is to hold a high position like next Grand Duchess. I'm satisfied with being just a Duchess, ruling the furthest and coldest territory on the sphere."

{"Being the Heiress Apparent would give you power, human,"} Chaos pointed, out loud this time. {"Everybody would come crawling at your feet, wanting to have a good ground with the next Grand Duchess. Wouldn't it be good?"}

I giggled sarcastically, "If I was a person who craves for that kind of power ad visibility, like Dalilah or Octavian, then yes, it would!" Sigh. "This is causing me a headache. Let's not think about this. As far as we know, it's all just a rumor. A horrible and disgusting rumor, at that."

"But, what if," I stopped him mid-sentence.

"Valerian," he gulped noticing how serious I was. "I love you, but if you keep insisting on this, I'll punch you in the face. I may seem fine on the surface, but I'm burning with anger and frustration inside, brother. Please, just leave me alone regarding this matter for today, and let's focus on our training. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay, sorry."

"Don't be. I'm just not in the right mind for any of this. It's just too much to handle for now. And I really hope it isn't true, otherwise, it could cause a war between our House and the Ludwick Kingdom. After all, we, Nicholais, have enough power alone to cause quite the destruction," I turned to Chaos, "especially now that we have him on our side."

Chaos took that as a compliment though, {"Indeed, I could easily destroy all humanity,"} what? {"But mother would be dissatisfied with me, and I do not want that. So, let's be cool."}

"You could do what?" Val asked kind of scared.