Chapter 2. The Duke’s youngest daughter

It had been eight years since Remesis had returned to her childhood body.

The hardest part was the first few years. It was extremely burdensome to pretend to be a helpless infant when you were a grown woman inside. Sometimes, Remesis wanted to die of shame.

When she had to throw childish tantrums at the maids, or eat disgusting-tasting formula, the girl tried to think it wasn't happening to her.

«What an embarrassment…»

Fortunately, this torture didn't last long. The older the girl got, the more she took off her «disguise». She didn't care even if the people around her suspected something or called her a born genius.

Remesis knew that no matter how capable she was, the people around her would not accept her because of her disadvantaged background. So she decided to stop pretending to be a naive child.

At four years old, Remesis' vocabulary was much larger than the average child of that age. She could hold cutlery on her own and even went to bed on schedule.

This behavior naturally shocked the maids who served her. It seemed as if their little mistress was an adult.

Gradually, word of this spread throughout the estate.

It was said that the Duke's youngest daughter, cursed by an unlucky star, was ahead of her older sister and brothers in development. Michel was eight, Katrina was seven, and Livius was five. But suddenly this little girl was much more mature than them.

«What a miracle… Is there such a thing?»

A burning topic of discussion among the servants in the manor, was the 'superpowers' of their youngest mistress. The originally neglected child had suddenly attracted a lot of attention.

Undoubtedly, had Remesis not been under the «curse», there would have been much more talk about it.

At the age of five, Remesis had mastered the alphabet and could read fluently. The exact sciences and humanities did not fail her either. Though no one taught her etiquette, it was as if the girl knew from birth how to behave.

All this continued until the Duke found out about it. The Grand Duke of the Nadal Empire was already aware that his daughter was somewhat different from ordinary children. But he hadn't paid much attention to it before.

In any case, a child born under an unlucky star had no future. No matter what abilities she possessed, it wouldn't help clear her name from the bad omen of the Remesis star.

For now…

— Your Grace, I think this girl is without a doubt the greatest talent born in our empire.

— What?

One day, one of the professors from the Imperial Research Center came to their estate, interested in the rumors of the Duke's youngest daughter's unusual abilities.

An elegant man in a white suit whose every movement was polished and deliberate. This was what one of the great minds of the Nadal Empire looked like.

— Lady Remesis is only eight years old, but I am truly amazed at the level of her intellectual ability. At such a young age, she has already mastered the entire educational program for the children of nobles.

When the representative of an esteemed academic institution told him this in all seriousness, Duke Carter was stunned, to say the least.

— Is this really the case…?

Until he had been told this directly to his face, the man had not considered his daughter as something worth discussing. But now.

— Your Lordship, rest assured, Lady Remesis is a true nugget of our empire!

Michael Carter remained silent, pondering the professor's words. For some reason, at this very moment, he was suddenly confused.

— And what do you propose? — The duke asked in a hoarse voice.

He could not believe that such a busy man could come to his residence for nothing.

— You are right… I have some ulterior motive,» the professor coughed into his fist, «In fact, if you give your approval, I would like to personally train your daughter.

— What?

The man's eyes widened as he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

— Although Lady Remesis is too young to enter our institute, I believe that such a talent should not be missed. Therefore, as an exception, I am willing to give her private lessons.

«…»

Michael Carter was silent.

Izoklin Hasher, the distinguished professor of the imperial institute, was a man with a big name. Even the emperor highly valued his merits for his contribution to the scientific development of the country. That such a person volunteered to teach Remesis was a complete surprise to him.

The duke clasped his hands together and looked at the professor intently.

— Mr. Hasher, you know that my daughter…

— Carries a «bad omen»? — The professor interrupted him, — Yes, I am aware of that. However, if this child can benefit the empire, doesn't that mean her existence isn't so useless?

Duke Carter pressed his lips together.

— Thank you for paying us a visit, Mr. Hasher. I will consider the matter and inform you of my decision shortly.

— I look forward to it.

The professor smiled pleasantly, bowing to him. The door closed with a muffled creak.

Left alone, the duke let out a heavy sigh.

Despite his advanced age, his features were still expressive. His blue eyes were furrowed with deep wrinkles. His dark hair was slightly streaked with gray. Right now, the Grand Duke of the Nadal Empire did not know what to do.

Leaning back in his chair, he tensely pondered the professor's words.

«Is this girl… really that gifted?»

The man frowned involuntarily, remembering the daughter he had barely seen. Aside from occasional meetings at the manor, they had never spent time together. Moreover, Remesis didn't seem to seek out any contact with her family at all.

Duke Carter hadn't paid attention to it before, but his youngest daughter was indeed a strange child.

Unlike normal children who reached for their parents' affection, Remesis' behavior was much more aloof.

From a very young age, this child was completely independent and didn't need anyone's support.

The only reason the Duke left his daughter, born to be the harbinger of trouble and misfortune in his home, was because of her blood. He couldn't just give the blood child of the ducal family to an orphanage.

It would leave a mark on their reputation as a pillar of the empire.

Whoever she was, Michael Carter thought he could reconcile himself to her existence. Until he was faced with this problem.

With a heavy hand, the duke pulled a letter from the emperor from a pulled-out desk drawer. A formal proposal of engagement.

The man's lips curved into a thin line.

The ruler of the Nadal Empire wanted to marry his eldest daughter, the deposed hereditary princess, to his daughter Remesis. Not to say the proposal was all that unexpected.

No one in the empire would agree to marry a cursed princess except an equally cursed child. For the Emperor and Duke Carter, it was the best way to remove the burden from their shoulders.

At first, the birth of Asil Nara Asheloth was eagerly awaited not only in the palace, but throughout the empire. It was the first child of the newly enthroned emperor.

According to tradition, she inherited the right to the throne while still in her mother's womb. There was no sign of trouble. However.

The day the newborn princess was born horrified everyone. The astrologer traced the position of her star on the map and announced a disappointing conclusion — the birth of the princess entails a terrible curse.

The most ominous was the so-called «black» star, Asdal. It was also called the «death star.» A child born under it was nothing less than the devil incarnate.

When the terrible truth came out, naturally, such a person could not be left at the head of state.

Asil was stripped of her title as Crown Princess the day she was born. And her mother was demoted to concubine and exiled to the Eastern Palace for daring to give birth to such a child and disgrace the imperial family.

For several years now, another princess, Aveline Nevita Asheloth, has been the heiress. Her mother was once a common woman in the Emperor's harem, but everything changed when her daughter was born. Avelyn was born under the star Orkenina.

This star heralded the birth of the benefactor of the empire. Few descendants of the royal family received such a blessing. Therefore, the fate of the concubine's daughter was obviously sealed.

That woman became the new empress, and Aveline took the place of her elder sister. Thanks to her fortunate birth, Aveline lived without caring about anything in the world. Whereas the deposed princess.....

As far as the Duke heard, she didn't even have her own palace. The princess born under the death star lived in a servants' annex and was deprived of all the privileges of her position. This year she was to be twelve years old.

And now, for the first time in all these years, the emperor was about to give her a «gift». It was an engagement. To a similarly cursed child from another powerful family.

The emperor had sent this formal marriage agreement a few days ago, and if everything worked out, the ceremony would take place in less than a month. Afterward, instead of a wedding trip, the two of them would be sent north.

As compensation for the lost place of crown princess, the emperor had decided to grant his daughter the title of princess of the north. However, in reality, it sounded more like a mockery.

For decades, the north had been a barren land with nothing but monsters and barbarians. The once great northern power had become an abandoned wasteland.

In reality, it only meant leaving two children to die.

Running his gaze over the emperor's letter, the duke froze in indecision. In essence, he was losing nothing on his part. And maybe even gains. After all, this was a legitimate opportunity to be related to the imperial family and receive dividends from it.

Until yesterday, the thought that he was about to send his own daughter to certain death had not troubled him. After all, this child was doomed to an unhappy fate from the beginning.

The Carter family had three other children who, unlike Remesis, were «normal». The death of this child really meant nothing to him. However…

The professor's words made him hesitate. Could it be that the engagement decision was hasty? Perhaps this child could bring more value to their family in another way.

Pondering this, the duke pulled the bell, and a few minutes later his daughter's personal maid appeared before him.

— What is Remesis doing now?

— My lady… She's… Reading books.

A slight look of surprise flashed across the Duke's face, but it dissipated immediately. It seems the rumors were true. The child really does spend all her time in the library.

— What kind of books?

— Mostly about land management.

When Duke Carter heard this, his eyebrows furrowed. She's reading such difficult books at the age of eight? Why?

Even Michel didn't start learning his duties as heir until he was ten. But unlike him, Remesis won't even be able to claim ownership of these very lands in the future.

— Why?

The man sincerely couldn't understand why she was wasting her time on this.

— I… I don't know…

At first, the maid stared mesmerizedly into his topaz eyes, after which she guiltily lowered her head.

«Actually, Mistress isn't too talkative, and never initiates us into her plans.»

«Ah, so that's how it is.»

The duke nodded slowly.

— Then tell her to come here. I'm going to discuss something with her in person.

— O-okay, sir!

The maid couldn't believe her ears — this was the first time since she was born that the master had decided to have a private audience with the young lady.

«I wonder what they are going to discuss?»

Tortured by genuine curiosity, the maid soon left the duke's office.