It was strange having Father dote on me during my recovery. He’d come check on me every chance he got after he was done with his work, and even took over meal duty sometimes, much to the girls’ chagrin. He fed me, completely oblivious to the daggers the girls were shooting at his back.

  When he found I was having trouble reading due to the strain on both my eyes and head, he picked up the books by the side of my bed and read them to me, even the dry research papers.

  “Stop.” I reached over and closed the thick textbook before him. “I can’t absorb it right now. But you don’t have to try so hard, Father.”

  “Daughter, I…”

  “It’s the past. I’m glad you’re spending time with me now. Just… no need to overdo it.”

  He stared at me. I knew part of him probably still saw the face of my mother in mine, so I tried to smile at him the way I imagined my mother might.

  He sank back in his seat, and continued holding my face in his gaze. I never knew what to do in situations like this.

  After a long pause, he spoke. “I only have myself to blame for missing how quickly you grew up.”

  “Father, I’m just strange.”

  He grabbed my hand. “No, just my daughter.”

  In the mornings, he’d walk me over to my training area in the gardens. My [System Rebuild] had progressed at the rate of 1% per day and I was now at 40%. My stats had recovered enough for me to walk about on my own, but there were still moments where bouts of wobbliness attacked me and I had to steady myself against his arm.

  The rebuild progress came in fits and spurts.

  I usually try to go through my full training regimen, or at least as much of it as my body would allow me to complete. Once I started being able to lift the training sword comfortably again, I went through my sword forms as well.

  It was nice being outside and moving in the cool autumn breeze. The scent of dried leaves filled my lungs as they crinkled beneath my steps.

  My muscles protested against the unaccustomed strain, but that was a good thing—a welcome respite from my days stuck in bed.

  At first, Father was content with just sitting back and watching me go through my sword forms. But he couldn’t help himself and approached me after a few mornings.

  “Daughter, you seem proficient with that weapon. But perhaps you might want to try something more… refined?”

  I wanted to laugh. Several of my ma?tre d'armes had mentioned how the greatsword wasn’t something befitting the Maid. But I had used it because it maximized my high [Strength] and didn’t punish me as much for my low [Agility] and [Quickness].

  That wasn’t the case anymore, I was quicker than I was strong. And in my current state, even using a longsword as a greatsword was… unwieldy.

  “If you are offering to teach me, Father, I’d be most grateful. Your skill with the rapier is renowned amongst the men.”

  A dry, raspy chuckle escaped his lips. “They said that, huh? I’d gladly teach you…” He stopped in the middle of reaching for a training weapon and turned back to me. “Would you like that lightning rapier back?”

  “The [Lightning Serpent]? That’s my gift to you, Father.”

  “That’s too fine a weapon to be given as a gift, child. Even to your Father. Where did you even get it from? I can’t imagine any shops around our estate carrying something of that quality. It’d be rare even here in the capital.”

  “It was from clearing the Bloomsil dungeon. I got it from the chest after I defeated the Boss.”

  Father chuckled again, shaking his head. “That’s right, you defeated a Dungeon Boss, all by yourself…” He turned a turquoise ring on his finger, his eyes growing distant. “Your mother also gave me her first Boss drop.”

  “I am her daughter as well.”

  —

  Training while under [System Rebuild] had some unexpected benefits. It seemed that performing my forms and exercises while I was so debilitated actually improved my rate of progress.

  It was like training with sandbags on.

  When I checked the details on my [Strength]...

  I noticed that the base amount had increased by three in only half a month’s time. A level of progress that eclipsed my previous records.

  It was hard to notice from the status screen:

  But all my other attributes except for [Toughness] had increased by one in such a short time.

  My [Intellect] had increased by two. Since I was under constant supervision, I couldn’t cast my usual battery of spells. But my mind was impacted by [System Rebuild] as well, and I was having trouble simply chaining [Shadow Fingers]. Again, the struggle turned out to be good practice for me.

  It made me almost want to keep this condition for a bit longer… almost.

  —

  The warm autumn sun was traveling toward the orange horizon when the caravan of our house carriages rumbled into town.

  Ben and I had decided to attend the Boisville harvest festival. Both Father and Mother were busy with matters at the Capital, some of which were certainly my fault, so we came in their place, as a dutiful son and daughter should.

  Besides, we had made a habit of going to the town’s main festivals ever since we danced at the spring one back when we were three, and the townspeople had always been welcoming.

  This time was no exception.

  Ben stepped out before us to a wave of exuberant cheers. Cries of his name mixed with “dashing young lord” amongst the clamour.

  But I wasn’t prepared for the surge of hands thrusting out for me when I descended from the carriage in my muted fall dress of knitted beige wool.

  “She’s here! She’s here!”

  “The Blue Flower!”

  “The Savior of Bloomsil!”

  “Our Lady!”

  Blue flowers rained down upon me. Some were made of thin paper, others of cloth, and a few were actual flowers with delicate live petals.

  Where did they get flowers like these in late autumn?

  Tomas hid behind me, clutching tight to my arm.

  I had promised to take him here to make up for choking him. But I hadn’t expected this kind of reception. I shot a quick glance over my shoulder to make sure the guards didn’t overreact to him catching a few stray flowers.

  My eyes met those of the grizzled guard captain from last time. I had thought he was only Anthony’s guard, but perhaps it was just the luck of the draw. In any case, he gave me a calm, measured nod, and his demeanor settled the other guards as well.

  “Relax, they’re just… glad to see me,” I assured Tomas.

  He was dressed in a farmhand’s trousers and a patchwork jacket. It was supposed to help him stay incognito, but the lack of dirt and the fine threads just made him stand out more.

  The royal guards with the obvious bulges of plate armor beneath their oversized brown robes didn’t help matters.

  This is supposed to be just a relaxing trip back home!

  “You must be used to crowds like this.”

  “Never this… excited… I’m glad your people are so happy to see you.” Tomas put on a brave face and stepped up beside me.

  “This is pretty unusual. I’ve never seen villagers this fanatical over their lord or lady,” Darren, Ben’s serious-faced friend, commented. He brushed aside a strand of his silver hair to reveal his pale blue eyes. A flicker of irritation appeared when none of the crowd paid him any attention. “More surprising when she’s not even the heir.”

  Ben moved up between Darren and me. He placed an arm around my shoulder, drawing another wave of cheers. “Jo did cleanse their dungeon. She basically saved their way of life.”

  “That actually happened? I thought that was all made up!” the tall red-haired boy, Loric, exclaimed, looking bewildered as he waded through the crowd to us.

  “My sister can do amazing things. I already told you guys,” Ben replied, strutting proudly.

  “But she’s only five! I mean she’s big for her age, but there’s no way she could’ve done all that,” the redhead shot back.

  “It wasn’t just me, Ben. Others helped and got seriously hurt.”

  Ben narrowed his eyes at the still-open cut on my cheek. “It wasn’t worth the price you paid.”

  I sighed and smiled at him.

  He’s just a kid, and I am his little sister. He wouldn’t understand.

  “It was my decision.” I waved to the cheering, youthful faces. “Let’s just enjoy ourselves. I promised the girls, and Tom here,” I gestured down at Tomas, “a fun time. Some good food, music and plenty of carefree dancing. That’s why you brought your friends here as well, right?”

  I waved to my maids, who had just disembarked from their own carriage. They waved back and hurried over, the colors of their new dresses swirling in the air along with their laughter.

  —

  The Mayor of Boisville and Winthrop greeted us as we approached the town center.

  The Mayor, a middle-aged man with a square face and thinning orange hair, welcomed us boisterously. He first knelt to Ben, addressing him respectfully.

  “Thank you, Lord Benjamin, heir to the lord of this domain, for gracing us with your presence this harvest day. May you enjoy the fruits of our labor this season. Please, allow youself and your friends to partake in all that our humble town has to offer today.”

  He also peppered me with flowery flattery, which I acknowledged with a cursory dip of my head.

  All part of the formalities.

  But then he added, “My Lady, we cannot begin to express our gratitude for what you’ve done to bring us prosperity. From clearing the dungeon of corruption, to securing our bountiful harvest…”

  Something about his words struck me as odd. “Harvest? I don’t understand. Why would I have anything to do with that?“

  The Mayor gaped at me. He shifted nervously, wringing his hands. “The priests… they started visiting the fields more often. They… uhm… mentioned something about ‘Isolde not neglecting her roots.’ And I was led to believe… that idea was planted by a certain Flower…”

  My eyes widened and shot down toward Tomas, who was looking pointedly away from me while still clutching to my arm.

  I had told him to guide them toward focusing more on the towns and villages, but it was supposed to be him doing the guiding.

  “Isolde has been neglecting her roots,” was just something I used to emphasize what was wrong.

  He wasn’t supposed to repeat it to others and then name me as the source!

  Tomas tugged at my sleeve, and I realized my hand was clenched. I forced it to relax. He must’ve sensed my agitation.

  He’s only five. And it’s my fault for trying to use him in the first place.

  There’s no betrayal here. No accusation of heresy. No prison or pyre awaited me.

  “So, how are you two liking life in the Capital? Can’t wait to get back home, right?”

  Winthrop swooped in, grinning as he ushered us toward a street lined by festive stalls. Strings of warm, orange and green lanterns crisscrossed overhead. Children and adults alike swarmed the stalls, their faces lit by the warm glow from above and the flames from the sizzling food grills.

  Lively musical notes trickled in from up ahead over the chorus of excited voices and the shouts of stall owners.

  “Uncle! Hope you aren’t too lonesome down here!” Ben clasped Winthrop’s arm, grinning broadly.

  “Naw, plenty of things to keep me busy. The House is going to be better than it used to be, just you see! Now, who are these friends of yours?”

  Ben introduced his classmates, and Winthrop regaled them with stories of Ben’s days training under him. He even mentioned the attack by the ‘bandits,’ which earned me a few curious glances from them.

  He already knew my maids, so he acknowledged them with easy hugs and warm smiles.

  The girls giggled in response, making me realize how popular Winthrop was. I guess I had overheard the maids and servants chattering of his good looks and his availability when I was working amongst them, but I mostly tuned those out.

  “And this is…?” Winthrop asked, turning his charm toward the boy beside me.

  “Tom. A friend of mine.”

  “Of course. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Tom. I do hope you find the festival and Bloomcrest to your liking,” Winthrop said with a bow and a sweep of his arm.

  He then smiled at Tomas. “I heard you’ve been taking good care of our Josephine while she’s sick.” His eyes flicked between us. He leaned in closer. “She does get into a fair bit of trouble, so I’m glad she has someone like you to support her.”

  “Yes, I would never betray her,” the prince declared, the seriousness of his words undercut by his squeaky voice.

  He had already forgotten my warning that he wouldn’t be able to keep such promises.

  The other boys and my girls had already run to the stalls. The cries of “juicy skewers”, “succulent sweet buns” and the light-hearted laughter were too much for poor Tomas. He pulled me forward, but I urged him to go ahead, and the flicker of hesitation disappeared from his face.

  A few of the royal guards trailed after him, so he should be fine.

  My legs wobbled as another momentary fit of dizziness from the [System Rebuild] seized me. I had to lean against Winthrop for support.

  “Are you well, niece? I heard things were dire.” He slipped an arm around my back as we followed the laughter of children. “I know you always try to put up a brave front. But… you can lean on me… like before.”

  “Before?” I looked up into his grey eyes, so much like Father’s and yet so different.

  But when had I ever leaned on him before?

  Then I remembered that I’d ridden with him on the way back from the ambush. I remembered being haunted by the memories of Mamen.

  What had I babble about back then? What did I reveal?

  It doesn’t matter.

  “That was but an instant. I’m fine now.” I broke away from him. Tomas was returning from a stall manned by a wizened old lady, clutching meat skewers in his hands. She waved at me.

  “This brings back memories.”