Shadow Guardians

The sun is already peeking out and Elvira was not able to get some sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. She was able to make her way to the kitchen and drink some water and even ate a piece of bread because she got hungry after meeting an annoying spirit.

After going back to her room, she turned over the bed multiple times but unable to return to sleep, and the culprit Ivo is still chatting away beside her bed. Ivo followed her after they met, she tried to leave him in the room but he gave a pitiful puppylike look and she was unable to turn him away.

He keeps talking to her even when she is not even replying. She sighed. "Don't you ever get tired of talking?"

"It's been long since my words are heard, I guess I am so excited. All those things I want to say all these years, finally someone can listen. Don't you think it's wonderful?" Ivo looked at her with twinkling eyes.

Elvira shook her head. "I can't believe that you are the First King..." Elvira mumbled.

Ivo is shocked and vigorously shook his head. "That can't be... I'm not a King!"

Elvira looked at him with doubt. "How do you know?"

Ivo sheepishly smiled. "Kings have crown and I don't have one."

Elvira held her head and sighed even more. "Maybe you're right... How could a King be this stupid."

Ivo laughed. "You're a funny kid. Though your father is much sillier than you at that age."

Elvira shrugged her shoulders at the mention of her father.

Ivo smiled but his eyes looked serious. "You are different from the kid I see before."

Elvira looked back at Ivo's eyes. "How so?"

Ivo looked at her eyes deeply. "Your eyes are different, aside from your hair that has become weird."

Elvira gave a pout. 'I thought he found out that I am not the original Elvira.' "So, just because my hair and eyes are weird, I am different than before?"

Ivo shook his head. "I like you now than before. You..." He paused, hesitating before he continued. "You used to look at people like how others looked at bugs... Though you now look at them indifferently as if you have nothing to do with them but the scorn in your eyes has disappeared. You just look at them as if they are scenery passing you by, yet you sometimes give off a certain amount of empathy."

Elvira's gaze faltered at Ivo's words but did not interrupt him.

Ivo, seeing she is not giving any reaction, decided to continue. "I have been quite adept in observing people after staying here for years. I am also quite sensitive to people's emotions. I don't know why you can suddenly see me but I have been watching over you since you were born here in this mansion. You have always been mature beyond your age, but you before would never care for anyone, no matter how much your former self hide it I can sense the contempt she had towards the servants. But now, not only that contempt disappeared but you showed empathy from time to time, like when you chose those two maids of yours."

Elvira closed her eyes and avoided Ivo's gaze but she did not stop him from his words.

Ivo smiled at her action. "You could have harshly told me to leave you alone, you could have yelled at me and get mad but you did not. You patiently listened to all my ramblings despite how you want to get back to sleep. You cared for my feelings more than yours. That is why, no matter the reason, I like you better now."

Elvira frowned. "You knew yet you did not stop talking!?" she opened her eyes and glared at Ivo.

Ivo bellowed in laughter. "Hahaha. Finally, some reaction. I was wondering when you'll blow up. You have to release all those pent up feelings of yours. You've built quite a wall, I was kind of scared for you, you're too mature for your age."

Elvira is stunned as if she was caught doing something bad, she is flustered. "Whatever, stop talking!" she yelled and laid down quickly covering herself with a quilt.

Ivo chuckled. "And you're cuter than before." Suddenly, his vision blurred and he keeled over.

Elvira heard a groan and she peeked from the quilt and saw Ivo in the ground. Elvira is shocked by the scene and quickly came over to help but her hands only passed through Ivo's arm.

"What happened to you?" Elvira asked.

Ivo laughed weakly. "Are you worried?"

Elvira frowned. "Just curious, a ghost getting sick is news to me."

Ivo stood up. "It's nothing, I have been away from that room for some time, I need to go back to get my strength back. I'll see you later." With those words, Ivo left, passing through the wall.

Elvira is speechless. 'I should remind him to always use the door.'

She has not yet recovered her mind when she heard a knock and Roza and Erna came inside.

"Oh, our little Miss is awake." Roza happily went to her side.

Erna looked at her closely and said. "Miss, did you not sleep well? Your eyes have dark circles." Erna became worried.

"I woke up thirsty and went down the kitchen. I was not able to fall asleep again." Elvira replied nonchalantly.

Roza became agitated. "Miss, you should have woke us up. It's our negligence that you had to make such trip."

Elvira shook her head. "Just start placing a glass of water on my bedside."

Erna is puzzled. "Miss, there is already a glass of water on your bedside table. It is untouched."

Elvira followed Erna's line of sight and saw a glass filled with water and is covered by a white cloth.

"Oh, I did not see that." Elvira scratched her head, she clearly did not see anything on her bedside table that is why she went out of her room.

...........

After breakfast, Sonya informed her that her teacher is waiting for her at the Parlor.

'At the Parlor? What is Teacher Ormand doing at the Parlor?' Elvira thought to herself as she stood up and made her way to the Mansion's Parlor.

Upon Entering, she saw a beautiful woman sitting on the sofa.

The woman stood up when she saw her enter.

"Miss." The woman bowed her head a little in greeting and smiled politely at her.

Seeing her stunned appearance, the woman continued. "I am Viviana Arete, your etiquette teacher. You may call me Miss Vivi." Viviana smiled kindly.

Elvira politely curtsied but was stopped by Miss Vivi. "Miss, curtsies are for nobilities, I am just a common person who teaches children proper manners and conduct. Just a small bow of the head is enough in greeting back. A bow with the head, like a nod, is used to respectfully greet non-nobles."

"I see." Elvira corrected her posture and bowed her head, greeting Miss Vivi. "Greetings Miss Vivi, please take care of me from now on."

Miss Vivi smiled at her with a warm gaze. "Of course Miss. We will start only with the basics today."

..........

Even if Miss Vivi told her they will be doing basics, it was no walk in the park. She started nitpicking on Elvira's posture in sitting, standing, walking, even speaking. She has commented on everything and by the time they were done, Elvira is exhausted both physically and mentally.

She sighed. "Her warm smile is a lie, she is really scary..."

Erna and Roza heard her mumbling while they fixed her afternoon tea, they both looked at each other and laughed a little.

"Miss, you should enjoy your tea first and relax a bit. Miss Vivi is renowned for being a good and strict teacher." Roza put a plate of butter cookies in front of her.

Erna stood on one side and spoke while stifling a laugh. "She might join your next tea time."

Elvira shuddered at the thought, having lunch with her is already quite a chore.

After her tea time, she got ready to go to the library when she saw a familiar face entering through the walls.

"Elvira, are you going to the library?" Ivo excitedly asked her as if their morning conversation did not exist.

She ignored him and continued to walk.

Ivo followed her into the library, she sat and started reading totally ignoring him.

Ivo made a face after being ignored for a long time. "Why are you ignoring me? You weren't like that towards that stupid spirit."

Elvira looked up in confusion. She looked towards Erna and Roza and said. "Can you leave me for a while? I wish to be alone."

Erna and Roza are hesitant, but nodded their head and left the library.

Elvira then looked towards Ivo. "You're the only spirit I know, who else would I treat differently?"

Ivo grinned. "You're finally talking to me?"

Elvira frowned and Ivo hurriedly continued. "Seraphis is also a spirit, quite different from me but a spirit nonetheless."

Elvira is surprised. "But he can be seen by others, I saw nanny Sonya greet him once, so he can't be a ghost."

Ivo snorted. "He is not a ghost, have you read that book 'The Great Andeolus' yet? The reason why no other nations dare to attack Andeolus is not just because of the pledge of peace. Andeolus is the only nation loved and blessed by the spirits. When an Andeolan citizen is born, a spirit is also awakened to protect him. Usually, these spirits are another form like animals or plants and even weapons or armor, but in the cases of people with strong magic, their spirits can have the ability to transform into a human. Seraphis is human because his master is strong. The spirit's power is always equal or more than that of his master but can never be weaker."

Elvira became even more curious. "So even Erna and Roza has one?"

"Spirits, also known as Shadow guardians they are usually connected to their masters through their souls. Those two maids of yours have one each and they are in another form and cannot transform yet into a human." Ivo nodded his head as he explained.

Elvira turned her head to the side. "Then, how come I do not know of them? How about Elvi... my Shadow Guardian?"

Ivo's smile faded and looked away, he was silent for a while before he spoke slowly. "They did not know... You were born with a spirit, but it disappeared a few seconds after it awakened. Sometimes I would feel its presence fluctuate on your body especially if I concentrate hard enough. They all claim you were born without a Shadow Guardian though, that is why they are careful around you and never showed the spirits."

Elvira smiled and thought to herself. 'Maybe I don't have a Shadow Guardian because I am not of this world at all.'

Elvira tested her hypothesis. "Can you concentrate now and see if I really have a Shadow Guardian?"

Ivo nodded his head. "Yes, I can." He closed his eyes and tried to feel the presence of the spirit on Elvira's body. Usually, he can feel the slight tremor of its existence, but now, there was nothing.

Ivo opened his eyes after a few minutes of trying, and he looked at Elvira and shook his head. "Nothing... I'm sorry."

Elvira nodded her head, she already expected it after all. Even in the backstory of the Villainess, the head writer showed her, it was said that one of the driving forces of the villainess going mad is her lack of a guardian. At first, she thought it was talking about her parents, but now she feels it pertains to the shadow guardian.

There was no love lost, so Elvira was able to quickly move on without any fluctuations in her emotions.

"I see, too bad then." Elvira buried her little head on her book once again.

This time, Ivo did not disturb her, he just stood there deep in thought as he looked at Elvira.