Part 30

Livia wakes before the sun begins to peek over the horizon.

Her room is still dark, the stale surroundings hidden from her view, but when she turns her head her eyes find the gentle sleeping face of her little sister easily. Livia blinks slowly, sleep still clinging to her consciousness. Dream and reality blur, and for a second, she is no longer staring at her sister. Another fuller body lays beside her instead.

She reaches out, her pale fingers trying to touch curly, midnight hair, but instead, her fingers get tangled up in long, snowy tresses.

Livia blinks again, and reality resettles itself around her. She pulls her hand away as if she had been scalded as her whole body suddenly feels cold despite being under a heavy and warm duvet.

Elias.

She had been dreaming about Elias.

And for once, it had not been a nightmare.

Livia stares blankly at the still slumbering Liliana, her mind a rainless storm. She lays there for four beats of her heart, letting the memories wash over her before she draws them back into the dark abyss of her mind. Livia sees no point in reminiscing for too long. She could not change the past. It was set in stone. All she could do was live with the consequence.

So, Livia turns away from her sister and casts her gaze to the large, balcony doors. Gaudy, hot pink curtains were pulled away to let in the dim light from outside. It was early morning. The new day is still shrouded in the dark of the night, but an innocent blue plays at the edges, growing steadily brighter.

She had a bit of time and took advantage of the dead silence of her room. The previous few days rushes past in her mind. Livia reviews everything over and over again, turning over the smallest detail until she had everything burned into her memory.

It had been going so well.

If only her mother hadn’t-

She was dwelling in the past again. It was a waste of her energy. Getting angry now would not help in the long run. Livia needed a clear head to move past the unfortunate interference of her mother. To see beyond it.

More than anything, she needed to figure out how to use it to her advantage. Livia still had a few hours before she was to meet with the king. She was determined to muster up something between then and now. With that vague plan in mind, she sets it aside.

What else to think about?

Oh. That was easy.

What exactly was she to do from this point on?

Revenge, Livia thinks automatically. But that was not enough. She needed to know the how, when, and where. Stupid, really, how she had not really thought about it in detail until now. Sure, Livia had the hazy fantasy of setting the bastard princes alight and dancing as they burned away. Enjoyed the image of snatching away Rodale’s precious crown, or watching with a devious smile as Orin lost his all-time love, Amelia. It was fun to think of all the ways in which she could make them suffer. But that’s all it had been up to this point. A sweet fancy and not an actual plan of action.

Livia had been so focused on getting concrete proof as a failsafe and clearing her name that her actual goal somehow got blurred out. Not to mention any satisfaction she had enjoyed seeing Rodale and Orin being humiliated in front of their people dried up almost as instantly as she felt it, leaving her feeling hollow and starved.

The king, Grail, had a way with words. He could make even the most horrible of faults sound like a minor mistake. It was infuriating but predictable. It was fine. Her trial was really only to lift her exile, to bring her closer to her targets. There was still the matter of her kidnapping and the ones responsible. Grail had proclaimed to be taking the matter seriously and that an ongoing investigation was in progress, but Livia knew how those things worked.

It would never be made public. Grail would want to keep it under wraps and handle everything in secret. As if Livia would let him.

She sneers to herself and shakes her head. She needed to get back on task but there was much to do.

So many people to ruin into oblivion.

Rodale. Orin. And now, King Grail.

But of course, she could not leave out her dear parents, either.

I want to see them all suffer, Livia thinks darkly, I want to see them drop off, one by one.

But did you know?

There are so many ways to hurt a person. To tear them down to the point they would never get back up.

Mentally. Physically. Verbally.

Livia would know.

She experienced it all.

Livia could still feel the bands around her arms and neck sometimes. The bone-chilling cold that seeped into her on that ship. The weak cries of women, girls, young, too young, that haunted her even when she had been in the royal palace. They had been dragged on a dark stage and stripped. Hands had groped and pulled at their bodies to better display them as prices had been shouted around them. One by one, they had been sold off.

The owners, the bidders had not even bothered with a mask to hide their identity. There had been no need of one. They had been in the Empire where slavery was a commodity.

You could tell from the look they had in their eyes. Not a single one had a shred of humanity. They leered openly and had boasted loudly of what exactly they had planned to do with their new purchase.

Any hope that they would be sold off to a fair and honorable owner was dashed instantly.

Despair had been so prevalent; Livia could taste it on her tongue.

And then she had been purchased for the imperial harem.

How could she ever repay back everything that had been done to her? How could she ever be able to pay off the debt that had accumulated in the year and months she had been away?

Livia owed so much to Rodale and Orin; it would take a lifetime to pay it in full.

Her revenge was not something she could plan out meticulously she was beginning to understand. It was on a whole other scale that it would be impossible for any scenario she could come up with to completely null her grave debt to the two princes of Wisteria.

So, what does she do?

It was simple.

Livia would simply torment them until her heart was content.

Why stick with a single revenge fantasy when she could see them all play out?

With her mind clear of burden Livia decides it’s time to get up. She untangles herself carefully from her sister's surprisingly stronghold, and pets at Liliana’s head when the younger girl starts to stir until she settles back into sleep. After, Livia removes herself from her bed and heads for the bathroom connected to her room.

It was time to get ready for the day.

She had an important meeting to attend to, after all.

“Miss Livia!” The stable boy is startled to see her when he turns around. He jumps in fright and his brown eyes widening in his surprise. The sun had just begun its ascension into the sky. The poor servant wasn’t expected to see anyone about so early.

“I need a carriage,” Livia says without prompt, her eyes going to the horse stall the stable boy just came out of. She had her black cloak on with the hood casting long shadows over her face. Underneath it, her dress was a plain grey and forgettable.

The stable boy gaps at her for a moment too long before she hastily sets down his bucket and cleaning cloth before bowing clumsily, “Yes, yes, of course. I will raise the head coachmen-”

“No. I wish to use the servant's carriage,” Livia cuts in, and her eyes wander to the black horse that has poked it head out to see what all the commotion was. Her hand comes up instantly to pet at its long snout and she marvels at just how soft and silky its coat was. It wasn’t unexpected. Nothing but the best for the house of Valentine.

“But Miss-”

“I suppose it is Lady Livia now,” She reminds him absently, almost gently. But he still cringes back as if she had snapped snootily at him. Then he stops. And blinks.

“Um,” he mumbles, still blinking in confusion. His eyes fall to her stomach before raising up, then back down again.

“Uh...”

Livia's eyes cut to him, unimpressed, “I do need that carriage prepared now.”

The stables boy jumps and hurries off, “Of course! I will prepare it now Lady Livia!”

He becomes so frazzled when Livia demands he steers the carriage that he forgets to inform the head coach of their departure in his haste to appease the newly returned lady of the house.

“Where would you like to be taken?” The stable boy asks while eyeing the worn-out rucksack Livia has over her shoulder.

She tosses it inside the carriage with no finesse and turns to him after brushing her hair off her shoulder.

“The capital, White Castle, to be specific. Take the most direct path and only stop to let the horses rest,” Livia states as she ignores the offered hand and gets in the carriage without help.

“The journey should not be longer than two hours, am I understood?” She says sharply.

The stable boy, now coachmen drop his sweaty hand and nod rapidly, “Yes, of course, Lady Livia.”

“Good. Once we arrive, head straight for the servant's entrance. Do not go to the front and do not announce my arrival. Is this also understood?”

The stable boy is obviously confused and unsure, but he is smart enough to hold his tongue and simply bow in acceptance.

Livia nods in approval, “That is all. Do not disturb me until we arrived.”

The coachman does another hasty bow even as Livia shuts the carriage door in his face before all but running to the front to steer the horses. They leave Valentine's Estate soon after.

“We are here, Lady Livia,” the coachmen call back after the carriage comes to a slow stop.

Livia puts the book she had been reading away and grabs her sack. She once again opens the door before the coachmen could, but this time she does use the offered hand to carefully step down the wooden steps. Her pride could be put aside for the sake of her child. Livia did not wish to risk injuring herself, even slightly.

She pulls her cloak hood up, and turns to the coachmen, “I will be back in two hours. Replenish yourself and the horses until then and be ready to set off at the designated time. If anyone asks who you are and why you are here, tell them you are just a humble servant delivering a small item to your mistress.”

The coachmen nervously bunch up his dab tunic, looking very nervous, “But Lady Livia, if it is a royal servant, I cannot-”

Livia steps closer to him, and her eye level rises up to meet his.

“You will,” She states easily, “And in return, I will say nothing about the two golden coins you stole from the head cook.”

The coachmen's hand fall to his left pocket as his mouth falling open and his face pales.

“H-How...?”

Livia just stares at him coldly, “You will do as you are told?”

The coachmen's hand falls away from his pants and he bows, “Of course Lady Livia. I will wait patiently for your return and tell no one of your visits.”

Livia hums, “Indeed. And do put in a good effort, Carl Banton. I know just how well you can lie, so make sure you put that skill to use. I better not hear a word of my visit until I deem it so.”

“As you wish.”

Livia's eyes linger on the back of Carl’s bowed head until she can see a faint tremble before she turns away without another word and disappears into the servant's entrance of White Castle.

“Have you heard? The crown prince had been re-engaged!”

“What?!? To whom!”

“You will not believe it. It is Lady Livia.”

“WHAT!?!”

“Shh! Keep your voice down!”

“How is that possible? Had she not only just returned!? Just what happened in that trial of hers!?”

“Well, the maid stationed at the front, who is a friend with a cook staff, who was dating this other maid said that her second friend was passing by and overheard it being announced!”

“No way!”

“Yes!”

“No! It is impossible! I heard the rumors! Isn’t it true that she is...pregnant!?”

“Well, I have not seen it for myself. But, the friend of the second maid I was talking to has two lovers in the royal guard, and she said that they said that they both saw Lady Livia's pregnant belly for themselves! Plus, my cousin, fourth removed, was there when Lady Livia first arrived, and she definitely saw her pregnant belly! She said she was huge. Likely carrying twin bastards.”

“Bastards!? The shame! How dare she even return in that state! Does Lady Livia have no pride!? She should have just stayed away.”

“I think so too. That little greedy bitch should have never come back. And now she is going to try and sully our crown prince and drag him down to her level!”

“Are you two talking about Lady Livia?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you hear she got engaged to our crown prince!?”

“Ugh. That is such old news.”

“I have just been made aware.”

“Well, did you also know that she did not kill that Ameblia girl?”

“Yes, I know of this one. That was the whole point of her trial, correct?”

“There is no way our crown prince was wrong. I’m sure it was just some misunderstanding.”

“But the king confirmed it.”

“WHAT!?”

“Hmph. Guess you did not know that, did you?”

“So, Crown Prince Rodale was wrong? He accused his fiancé of a heinous crime that was innocent of!? That is terrible!”

“Ex-fiancé!”

“Well, not anymore-”

“The nobles will not stand for it! They cannot! She is used goods. She is not fit to marry our crown prince!”

“While I do sympathies with Lady Livia’s plight, I am in agreement. She should be content to just get her status back and wealth back. To think she would take it a step further and get re-engaged to the crown prince is just too greedy.”

“Exactly! It’s all her fault! She should have never come back!”

“Yeah, our prince deserves someone better!”

“Alright, that is enough gossip. Hurry and finish preparing the princess breakfast, you two. She will scold you if you are even a second late.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“...Wait. Where is the princess's favorite teacup!?”

“What are you talking about? It’s right behind y-oh no. It’s gone!”

Livia walks past the two frantic royal maids, hidden from their sight, with the delicate china held between her pointer finger and thumb. As the young woman frantically searches for the teacup, she holds it up and squints at it. Faintly, she sees a warm glow of orange drifting off of it.

The magical signature of the only daughter of King Grail.

It will do.

A few moments later, Livia exits a room with a single fountain pen in hand and smoothly steps aside when Orin walks past her to enter. She glances further down the hall and thinks.

Knowing Rodale...he would be...

She turns in the opposite direction and turns left then right and makes another left. She walks further and stops beside a door almost identical to Orin’s study, but when she opens it, she sees a bare-bones bedroom decorated in a style fitting of a crown prince.

She spots the item she is after on the bedside table.

Livia gently plucks up the dried-up flower, professionally preserved, and turns it over in her hand. It closely resembles grapefruit and was a delicate pink-purple. It was a Wisteria. The flower could be found easily on trees just outside of White Castle as it bloomed year around in the kingdom that shared its name.

And yet, Rodale keeps this one close at hand, and his magic could be seen dancing strongly about on it.

It had been a gift.

To him, from Amelia.

Livia had seen the event play out, as she had been supposed to. It’s the trigger that pushes OG Livia over the edge.

She stares at it a moment longer before dumping it into the sack.

She leaves the room as quietly as she had entered, with one more destination in mind.

Livia recalls Kolton lives the furthest away out of all the siblings, in the same area of White Castle she had stayed only a day ago.

Livia easily finds the small hairpins that Amelia gifted Kolton on his dresser. It was a set of two, but she only takes one and before leaving the third prince's room.

From there, she visits the private library of the royal house. It has two guards stationed in front and has only one entrance. She slides up to one of the guards and waits patiently beside the woman.

Livia does not have to wait long. She soon sees Orin heading directly to the library, and he nods to the guards stationed as they open the door for him. Livia is careful. As Grail had stated, Orin is followed by two guards of his own, so she has to slip in after them without touching them.

After, she parts from the group of three and heads up the stairs on the right. Livia heads straight to the very back. She begins to count the bookcases as she passes them before she stops on the fifteen one and starts searching for a royal blue spine. She finds it just out of her immediate reach and glares up at it.

Her magical use was limited these days. There was only so much she could do in a day.

Livia growls a little. She hates when things do not go to plan. Whatever. She would make it count.

She reaches out and curls a single finger. The spine tilts back at a ninety-degree angle. There is a low rumble and the sound of something heavy moving despite nothing visible happening.

Livia smirks and steps forward, seemingly straight into the bookcase.

When she comes back out, she has two books in her hand. She drops on in her sack and opens the other to page six-thousand, three-hundred and forty-nine. Livia scans the small depiction of an item, taking in the details before she shuts the book close and dumps it into her sack with the other one.

She has to wait impatiently for Orin to leave and heads in the opposite direction of the second prince once he does.

Gaining entry to the treasury of the Wisteria Kingdom is embarrassingly easy.

She had been at the last steps, deep in the bowls of White Castle, when she heard a noble bragging loudly to a giggling audience. Some third cousin of King Grail, he loudly proclaimed as Livia strolled past his waving hands and into the opened treasury. The guards standing by remained impassive and kept vigilant even as Livia started scanning up the high shelves proudly displaying sparkling treasures of the country.

She bypasses the triple stack diamond neckless and matching earrings, the five golden crowns with multiple jewels, as well as all the fancy and complicated looking weaponry.

Her steps are light as she tries to avoid the mountain of gold coins, as not to make a sound, and turns to the other shelf, scanning away. The noble was now inside, pointing at one of the crowns.

“My father gifted this to the king during his coronation,” He was saying and a small applaud was met with this proclamation.

Livia was just becoming fed up with his constant boasting when she finally spots the small relic on a low shelf, behind another diamond necklace, this one had a deep purple amethyst at its center. She pays it no mind and grabs the item she came in here to get.

As she is exiting, Livia hears the sound of something fragile breaking on a stone floor and a loud curse. She shakes her head, bemused, and leaves the area completely.

“Your highness, we cannot accept this.” This is the first thing Livia hears when she enters King Grail's office right behind his secretary.

She raises an eyebrow at the crowded room, a little curious despite herself. It wasn’t unusual to see so many important officials in one room, but it was outside of court and a pre-determined summon. By the look on King Grail's face, this was not something he had planned.

Livia sticks close to the walls as she tunes into the discussion, though she could easily guess the topic.

“Livia Katrina Valentine is no longer fit to marry the crown prince,” The voice that had spoken up first continues. Livia eyes the man. He wasn’t that old. Probably in his early forties. He had a lined face, ashy brown hair, and startling orange eyes.

“Duke Howard, Duke Baston, Earl Westwood, and Marquess Milnrow, I don’t believe I summoned either of you to my office to discuss this particulate subject,” King Grail says sternly, unimpressed.

“But your highness, they all have come to speak to you of this matter.”

Livia glares at councilor Gibit. Was his voice always so hoarse and grating?

“Not just them. All of us!” Baron Reeve's distinctive washed-out yellow hair was put front and center when he pushed forward in the crowd.

There were low murmurs of agreement amongst the lower aristocrats, but not a single one stepped forward as the baron had. They were content to be a voice amongst the crowd.

“We cannot allow our Crown Prince to be engaged to Lady Livia, your highness! While it is unfortunate that my own daughter played a role in her circumstances, it was no fault of her own. Lady Livia had bullied my Amelia after all. Regardless of all of that, I think it is important that we make our disapproval clear. Lady Livia has been impregnated by a bastard child. Once word spread of her return and the state, she was in upon it, the Wisteria kingdom will become a laughing stock upon discovering that our crown prince had been re-engaged to a woman in that state!”

Baron Reeve was bold. He hobbled his way forward and his voice is dissent as if he had the station to do so. He stood side by side with the nobles that were above him and ignored the glares directed at him for doing so.

Livia tilts her head. The Baron's eyes, a dull blue, were ablaze with obvious ambition. Too obvious.

“Do not forget your place, baron,” Earl Westwood spat, glaring down his long nose at Baron Reeve.

The baron seems to realize what he did and bows with a red face, “Of course, apologies,” He says instantly and steps back in line.

“What Baron Reeve says is true,” Duke Howard says while not acknowledging the man he spoke of, “We all strongly do not approve of your decision to engage the crown prince to Lady Livia. Crown Prince Rodale made a simple mistake, he should not be punished so harshly for his actions. Surely, you are well aware of the backlash that will come out of this improper arrangement, your highness.”

“Yes! Duke Howard is right!”

“Lady Livia is unfit!”

“Please reconsider, your highness!”

“We can fix this mistake before word spread any further than it has.”

“That is correct. Please take back your statement, your highness!”

“Your highness, you mustn't let sentiment cloud your judgment,” Duke Baston says coldly, “A kingdom can only survive if the backbone of its spine does not bend and stay true.”

King Grail's face is an unreadable mask of stone. He leans back in his chair, his posture relaxes, as he says, “It seems there is a lot of discontent from my actions.”

Despite the words being almost lofty, the air in the room hardens and becomes heavy.

There is a small pause as the nobles exchanges unsubtle glances.

Livia now has a good view of their faces from her place behind King Grail. She had moved without a sound as they voiced their opinions. She carefully pulls out a small pin and waits for an opportunity.

“Your highness, all that we can ask of you is that you reconsider your decision,” Marquess Milnrow says smoothly, stepping forward. Out of all the men in the office, he looked the youngest and the most distinct. His hair was a slate grey, but Livia knew that did not depict his age. His face was lightly lined around the eyes, and he had small spectacles perched on his nose. What gave Livia pause was his eyes. They were a cool, wintery blue. Almost similar to Rodale’s much warmer in comparison and almost gentle.

Where has she seen those eyes from?

She swore she has seen them before...

“I, and all that has gathered here, feel like this matter should not be taken lightly and handled so one-sidedly. The fiancé of Crown Prince Rodale must be chosen carefully and meticulously, for the sake of the future of the Wisteria Kingdom. I must implore you, your highness, to please re-think your decision. Is Lady Livia, really the correct choice? After everything she has been through, surely, she must have lingering scars. We cannot ask her to take on the heavy mantle of the crown princess,” Marquees Milnrow continues on in that soothing voice of his.

King Grail says nothing for a long, lingering moment before...

“I will take your opinions under consideration,” He states simply.

“Your highness!”

“You must re-consider...!”

“Surely there is somebody else besides Lady Livia...”

Marquees Milnrow holds up a hand, and the voices fall silent. He bows, and the others follow his suit.

“That is all we can ask of you, your highness. We will dismiss ourselves now.”

Livia got the distinct impression that this was in fact, just the beginning. But she puts that aside as she works her magic, numbing a small spot on King Grails' neck and striking quick. When she pulls her hand back, the small pin has a dot of blood on it. She pulls out a small cloth and wipes off the pin on it.

There.

That concludes all the ingredients she needed for the spell.

Livia carefully folds up the small cloth with King Grail blood on it and puts it away in her sack. She does not waste a second and follows the parade of nobles out the door.

She walks some distance away from them and turns a dark corner. Livia takes stock of everything she gathers, making sure that she did not leave anything out. Once she does, she nods in silent approval, a cold smile of victory taking over her face.

While Livia had no direct path towards her revenge, it doesn’t mean she should sit idly by. From the Valentine estate to the White Castle, Livia had thought, and thought, and thought.

After being screwed over so royal by not only King Grail but her mother as well, she concluded now was an as good time as any to remove the kiddy gloves. Livia had held true to her resolve not to do anything drastic until her name was cleared, to play into the role that all would see her as. But now that her exile has been lifted...

Now that she took the first step on her path towards fulfilling retribution...

Livia thought it was best she gets started on the second step, and then the third, fourth, and so on. Until the debt she owed was paid off in full.

What better way to do so, than a little binding spell? Similar to the one that bound Sen to her. But different, less intimate, more one-sided, pressuring.

There were so many different ones, depending on the circumstances; One of truth. One of Promise. One of Commitment. One of Loyalty. One of Blood. One of Family.

And that was just scraping the surface.

Olds one's magic was truly the art of inventiveness. The only real limit was the user's expressiveness and intelligence.

Given the fact that Livia had almost a whole lifetime of memories dedicated to refining this particular craft, means she had the advantage no other did. Along with the knowledge of her first life, in a world of modern entertainment, she had an endless pool of ideas to draw from.

The only real challenge is deciding which one.