I sighed as Gristle’s voice filled my room. The past weeks have been a series of new experiences for my young body, and despite my old memories I could feel the fear and hesitation of a shy child constantly trying to cloud my mind. Even now, within the comfort of my own room surrounded by Sylvia and the two other maids I have been relying on, I feel my throat catch. As if something in my mind is holding me back. At first, I thought it was the same silence caused by the Blight trauma, but now I believe the old Eunora is influencing me still.

Although, it’s tough to say she isn’t ‘me’.

The truth is, even if I wanted to remain as reserved as I once was, the memories of Maria have shown me what I could be. The memories of strength are tempting -enough to swallow my desire to keep quiet. They allowed me to handle the matters with Miss Turin with ease and confidence, creating new experiences that I never thought I could have. Now, with Gristle prattling on about assigning me knights, I am reminded of the main estate -where Eunora’s wants and needs were ignored in favor of the Countess’ commands. I feel the anxiety well inside of me, trying to leak out. But it’s as if the memories of Maria are a shield and a sword, all at once. Because unlike before, I can swallow those feelings and project a mask.

A mask of irritation and confidence.

And I don’t even need to activate [Steal Nerves] to do it.

“Rejected.” I huffed at Gristle as I took my time righting the sleeves of my jacket and adjusting my ponytail. After my hair had grown during my [Class] selection, I had never bothered to cut it. So, now, even pulled up, my curls reach past my shoulders. Sylvia had wanted to add in some braids, but I felt that would add too much ‘aristocracy’ to my appearance.

“My lady, you need a guard. Ple-”

“Gristle, I am going to be surrounded by knights. And children. And children knights.” I patted my hips lightly, making sure nothing felt uncomfortable and the outfit was settled properly, “Besides, I won’t be using the Dawn name. Who would attack me?”

Gristle had been holding his hands tightly together, but as I spoke I saw the tension in his body double, “About that, I feel you really shoul-”

I gave Gristle a sharp look, “No. I’d rather not cause a fuss by showing up as a member of the Dawn. If I really tried, I could hide our wealth entirely -but that would also be inconvenient.”

I didn’t expect the other children to care much about me being a Dawn, but the same couldn’t be said for the instructors or parents. The Fellan Swordsmanship Academy allowed anyone admittance so long as they passed a simple test and could afford the tuition, which according to Sylvia was only mildly expensive for a commoner at one silver per half-season. She had explained that most commoners typically made somewhere between a bronze and a silver every month, so they were able to save up enough for their children to attend for a couple years if they planned for it. After a year of classes, the students of the academy are allowed to take monster hunting quests from the school itself, which helps them offset the cost. Half the bounty goes towards the student’s tuition, and the remainder is paid out to the student. At the end of the day, the safest way to continue at the academy was to pay -so being a beacon of nobility would cause issues with the commoners. Not to mention that Count and Countess Dawn are the liege lords of Fellan and the surrounding valley, so merchant children and other members of the aristocracy who attend the school would immediately latch on to me while pushing away anyone they thought was beneath their station. No, being wealthy, but not a Dawn, would ensure troublesome things didn’t happen. A wealthy commoner, especially if they have yet to buy a family name, will put me in a nice position to be unremarkable.

Hopefully.

I have a headache already, I sighed to myself and tuned out Gristle’s continuous -and numerous, complaints. Looking back to the mirror, I did a final once-over of my outfit. The training clothes were exactly what I wanted, and I’d chosen the red-violet and white ombre set for the day. Satisfied, I turned away from the mirror and held up my hand for Gristle to take a breath. It was just after dawn, how he had so much fighting spirit I couldn’t understand.

“Gristle, if you want to keep fighting, follow me. I’m going to eat.”

“My lady, I am just trying to keep you safe.”

Gristle wasn’t particularly imposing even though he was over a head taller than me. He had a slim frame and a soft, boyish face. With wide green eyes and a gentle expression perpetually on his face. Over the past weeks at the estate, I’ve found Gristle to be cheerful and borderline overstepping in his friendliness -and it had all looked sincere. That isn’t to say he was putting on a gentle facade to fool me -well, not just me. But ever since I refused to bring guards inside the academy with me, there has been an undertone of annoyance in all of his gestures. Gristle has kept up his gentle words, but his eyes sharpened the longer I refused.

By the time we got to the dining room, even his voice was hardened. And while he still had a partial smile, I could see it twitching as if forced. Debating for a moment, I decided there was no harm in asking.

“Gristle,” I interrupted another of his endless pleas, “Tell me the truth.”

Pausing, he looked down and met my eyes, “Yes?”

“You have a bad personality, don’t you?”

I heard a snort behind and turned my head to see Sylvia covering her mouth. In shock, I just whipped my head back to Gristle -who had his own shocked expression.

“My lady!” Gristle jolted back, an incredulous look on his face, “I am simply trying to make sure you are prepared for the academy!”

“Sylvia agrees with me,” I gestured to the maid behind me, who had yet to fully stifle her laughter, “No need to pretend.”

With a huff, Gristle crossed his arms, “That’s quite a statement.”

“Gristle, listen,” I took the seat prepared to the right of the head position, and grabbed a cup of water. I held it up towards Gristle and smiled, “I’m sure the Count and Countess appreciate such gentle nudging. But...”

I brought the glass to my lips and took a sip before setting the drink down again.

“I am not them. And I am tired of platitudes. Much like Sylvia, with her cold tone and harsh nature, I simply wish for you to be yourself.”

Gristle, who had found himself speechless for a time with an odd look on his face, eventually found what he wanted to say and bowed his head slightly, “As you wish, Lady Dawn.”

“Now,” I sighed and stuck a fork into fruit resembling a violet tangerine, “I do not wish for any guards to accompany me to the swordsmanship academy -nor do I wish to use the Dawn name at the Academy. Tell me the alternatives that would allow us to technically still adhere to the Countess’ words.”

Gristle’s whole demeanor changed as he lifted his head, his shoulders relaxed and he shifted his weight back. No longer tense and, though there were no signs of annoyance, his gentle face still turned severe, “The Countess instructed us you need a knight to be overseeing your courses at the Academy and the Tower. She did not, however, say they had to be in the room.”

“Waiting right outside the door won’t work either,” I shook my head, “It’d be obvious they’re from this estate and anyone with half a brain would put two and two together.”

“We have some relatively young knights that came with you from Juvel, what if they accompany you but in training clothes?”

“Ah,” I tapped my lips with my fork, my mouth pressed tight, “Are they young enough to pass as students? Fellan only instructs students up to 18, correct?”

Gristle said something lightly to the maid who had come to him, and she quickly left the room.

“I’ve told Sir Rellar to send over the two youngest, yet capable, knights. The Baron’s son is a promising young knight and, if I remember correctly, he is only 15.”

“The Baron’s son?” I glanced at the two seats across from me, fully prepared. I’ve yet to see the Baron assigned to manage this estate, but I’ve been told he has two sons -one who is studying at the Tower and one who is a knight, “Speaking of, where has my father’s vassal been? I haven’t seen him at all since arriving.”

“Yes, he attained a rare squire [Class] when he had his Unlock -and he’s been training in Juvel diligently. The Baron himself has been at the Western noble meeting -he should be returning within the week.” Gristle paused, his eyes flitting to Sylvia and then back to me, “My lady, I have a question.”

“Yes?”

For a moment, Gristle seemed to hesitate before speaking, “Are you truly the Eunora I knew?”

OW! I grimaced as [Tight Lips] forcefully activated and a searing pain flashed behind my eyes.

“I both am and I am not.”

Zing.

“My unlock changed me in ways I didn’t expect.”

ZING.

I grit my teeth to bear through the increasing pain in my head.

Despite my vague answer, Gristle gave a short nod, “If you’ll permit another question?”

As the pain faded away, I nodded.

“What is your current level?”

I paused, slowly putting down the fork in my hand. At least Gristle had the decency to look nervous as he asked.

“Everyone besides Gristle and Sylvia.” Seven pairs of eyes, from the knights by the archway to the kitchen servant and the maids and manservants, snapped to me, “Out.”

As if fast-forwarding through time, they all quickly shuffled out of the dining room and down the hall. As their steps grew quieter I looked from Sylvia to Gristle, and I took a breath.

“Gristle, Sylvia, do either of you have a privacy [Skill]?”

Without hesitation Gristle and Sylvia both spoke.

“[Private Meeting]”

“[Hear No Evil]”

I felt the waves of magic pass through me, one after the other. Strictly speaking, [Skills] didn’t need to be spoken -and often weren’t, in order to conceal the person’s capabilities. The fact of this world is that one’s [Status Summary] is sacred, and only the Crown is legally permitted to collect data from it. Even then, it is one’s level, generalized [Class] category, and tier. Outside of the Crown's collection, it is forbidden to force [Status] details out of a person -though the logistics of persecuting this crime are above me. The two of them were speaking their [Skills] solely for my benefit.

“Why should I trust you, Gristle?” I met Gristle’s eyes before shifting to Sylvia, “Sylvia?”

Sylvia’s voice was calm, impassive as always, “My lady, I was not the one who asked.”

“Very well, I suppose we’ll come back to you then,” I couldn’t help the amusement that filled my voice.

Gristle’s mouth dropped as he quickly glanced at Sylvia, before clearing his throat and looking back to me, “My Lady, I am a faithful servant of the Dawn. I have been sworn to this family since I was a child.”

“That is not in your favor, Gristle,” As a look of confusion filled his face, I continued, “I didn’t ask why the Dawn’s should trust you. I asked why I should trust you.”

Almost instinctively, I could tell that Gristle was running through every interaction we’ve had since I arrived at Fellan. And likely he was thinking about what he had heard from the Countess. Putting two and two together, his expression changed and he whispered one word in horrific realization.

“Exile.”

“Technically, my time in Fellan is a pre-cursor to actual exile.” Despite the knot forming in my stomach, I forced a neutral tone, “On top of that, I am currently the fourth child of the Dawn. I am not the Countess. I am not the heir. I am not even the favored child.”

Without hesitation, Gristle asked, “Do you want to be?”

My eyebrows shot up.

“No.” I paused, “To be honest, I prefer living in obscurity. The Dawn name is heavy, and I don’t have the shoulders for that kind of burden.”

“My Lady,” Sylvia, who had looked uninterested previously, suddenly had an odd look, “What is it you want?”

I smiled softly, “I want to be left alone.”

Both of them looked stricken. After sharing a look of mutual understanding, it was Gristle who spoke first, “I have a [Skill] that enforces certain conditions when offering my... loyalty. It allows me to both pledge loyalty to someone and enable others to pledge loyalty under the same conditions.”

“I thought you already pledged fealty to the Countdom?”

“It has long been illegal in Maeve for Nobles to force [Skill] backed fealty. Though there are still ways to pressure servants into it, I haven’t had any such experience with the Dawns -or any of the Western territory, actually.”

As I just stared at Gristle for a long time, Sylvia filled the silence.

“What conditions can we set?”

“Ah, it’s currently limited to two conditions.” Gristle held up two fingers and wiggled them as he spoke, “I usually always set the second condition to invalidate the first condition if my life is being actively threatened -or I set a reasonable time limit.”

They spoke as if considering the contract seriously and my brow furrowed, “Are you two that interested in me?”

“Yes.” Sylvia and Gristle responded as one, causing me to widen my eyes. Despite Sylvia’s cold look and Gristle’s soft face, the words contained conviction.

“Well. All condition one needs to state is that you cannot share any aspect of my status without my express consent. As this will always be a concern of mine, yet would not necessarily put me in danger, if your lives are in danger you are released from the bound of this contract.”

Gristle raised his hand and spoke softly, “[Assassin’s Guarantee]”

I blinked.

Assassin?

Before I could unpack that any further, two incorporeal scrolls unfurled themselves in front of Gristle. I stood and walked over up to them to inspect translucent scrolls. As I looked at them, they were identical in content and included the two conditions mostly verbatim. However, they contained an extra line.

“Should the guarantor(s) willingly violate the agreed-upon conditions, the guarantor’s heart shall be seized and their life forsook.” I read aloud, “Are you two sure about this?”

Both of them nodded, and Gristle gestured. As he shifted his hand, one of the scrolls levitated to Sylvia, “Press your thumb above the space where your name is. It needs to recognize us as the guarantors first.”

Both of them promptly pressed their fingers up against the scroll, leaving a magical imprint of their fingerprint. As the two contracts levitated towards me, I sighed.

“Very well.” I pressed my thumb into each contract.

As soon as I pulled my hand back from the second contract, the scrolls folded in on themselves and compressed into motes of light. Half of the light flowed towards me, phasing through my skin and settling into my heart. The remainder flowed into Sylvia and Gristle.

Something inside of me felt fundamentally different. As if my very being was impacted. Nothing felt better or worse, simply not what it was.

After a moment, I sat back down and crossed my legs.

“There are a few details of my [Status] that are relevant to you two.”

Holding my hand out, I whispered, “[Share Status: Class and Level]”

In front of me hovered a familiar pink box, however this time it faced away from me. As Sylvia furrowed her brow and Gristle took a sharp breath, I already knew what they could see.

[Status Summary]

[Name: Eunora Dawn]

[Class: Young Lady of Darkness]

[Level: 13/20]

“The only other detail I will share today is that it is a [Rare] class.”

“I do have a follow-up.” Sylvia cooly stated and when I didn’t stop her she continued, “Why tell us this at all?”

I let a vicious grin spread, “Because you two, in particular, were bound to notice. My point is especially relevant right now -you barely look surprised!”

“Well, you do jump out of windows a bit too often to have a common class.”

“At least Gristle has the decency to be shocked.”

“And disturbed. How did yo-” I cut Griste off with a shake of my head.

“No more details.” I glanced out the window, watching the second sun begin to rise over the horizon, “It’s time for the Academy.”

[Status Summary]

[Name: Eunora Dawn]

[Race: Human]

[Age: 8]

[Unallocated Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality: 59 Endurance: 30]

[Strength: 32 Dexterity: 60]

[Perception: 113 Magic: 56]

[Luck: 45 Divinity: 103]

[Class: Young Lady of Darkness Level: 13/20]

[Class Skills: ]

Translucent Lv. 2, Shadow Manipulation Lv. 4, Shadow Conjuration Lv. 3

[Skills: ]

Otherworldly Lv. 1, Mental Fortitude Lv. 5, Quick Calculation Lv. 1,

Tight Lips Lv. 1, Steal Nerves Lv. 1, Sophism Lv. 1, Stealth Lv. 2,

Blade of Triumph Lv. 2

[Blade of Triumph: A Divine Blade is summoned from the aether that surrounds the Goddess of Perseverance, Mera. The Blade summoned depends on the need of the summoner. Only one who has earned the favor of Mera can call upon a Blade of Triumph, as the Blade is summoned from Mera’s personal arsenal. Each Blade has unique Attributes. A Blade of Triumph is not wielded, yet it is victorious. Mera has allowed for a Blade of Triumph to be summoned once every 30 days. Cooldown decreases as the Skill levels up. Current cooldown: 12 days 18 hours 26 minutes 07seconds.]

[Assassin’s Guarantee: You have signed a mana-soul contract. [2] Guarantors have made the following pledge:

Without the consent of the contractor, the guarantor(s) will not reveal, either directly or indirectly, the [Status] details of the contractor. If there is an imminent and true threat to the guarantor(s) life, and the reveal of the contractor’s Status details will fully resolve the threat, the mana-soul contract will be suspended for [1] hour(s).

Should the guarantor(s) willingly violate the agreed-upon conditions, the guarantor’s heart shall be seized and their life forsook. This contract lasts in perpetuity.]