Guardian

"My lord, my lady," Alfred said with a pitiful gaze as we sat in our father's study. "A messenger from the Imperial palace visited us yesterday night," he continued, looking away, avoiding my and Helly's gazes. "The carriage his grace and her grace were riding was attacked by bandits, and the duke and duchess sadly lost their lives during the attack."

"What... what do you mean? That's impossible. Father is a master swordsman, and he has the goddess Athena serving him. Mere bandits wouldn't be able to kill him. This is impossible," Helly shouted, his tears lacing his vibrant gold eyes. "Stop joking, Alfred. This is just a sick joke," he continued to shout.

"Mama... Papa," I said, feeling the pain I had experienced in my previous life coming back to me.

"Look at what you did now, you're making Calli cry. Say it's a joke. It's a joke, right?" Helly demanded, his own tears now falling.

I walked closer to my brother and gave him a tight hug, crying alongside him. If I had only come back a week or two earlier, all this could have been avoided. I'm a failure, I really am.

"Calli, stop crying," Helly comforted me as he himself continued to weep.

"My Lord, my Lady. It is already evening, I suggest you go and rest. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow," Alfred advised, and I decided to take his advice.

I couldn't sleep alone tonight, so I opted to sleep in Helly's room. I was tired from both the crying and mental anguish. I quickly fell asleep next to my brother.

My sleep was restless, and I woke up in the early hours of the morning. Everyone was asleep by now except for a certain silver-haired ten-year-old who stared out the window.

"Helly," I called out, my tear-glazed eyes fixed on him.

"I don't believe it. Dad was too strong to die from a bandit attack," he said, clutching his shirt. "I don't think it was a simple attack. What if..."

"What if?" I asked, waiting for him to continue.

"It's nothing, Calli. You should go back to sleep," he said, standing up and walking toward me.

"I can't," I said, shaking my head, as he patted my hair.

"Yes, you can," he pushed me down onto the bed and tucked me in. I felt a weird tingly shock as soon as we made skin contact. My mind didn't get a chance to linger on the feeling because a bright golden light erupted in the room.

I closed my eyes due to the brightness. Helly held me in a close hug, afraid it might be dangerous. This didn't happen in my past life; I don't remember anything like this. After the light had subsided, a figure stood in front of us. Clad in golden armor, similar to our eyes, a shield, and a sword in hand. Shimmering gold hair and eyes resembling a thick forest.

Helly and I knew this figure very well. The god who had served Father for the longest time. The goddess of wisdom, courage, and warfare, Athena.

"A-Athena," I said, looking at her figure illuminated by a golden light.

She moved toward us, standing in front of my brother before bowing her head and disappearing.

"What...what just happened, big brother?" I asked, looking at him, surprised.

"I think... I think I just became Athena's new master," he said, looking back at me, equally surprised. "We should keep this a secret for now, okay?" I nodded at him.

Keeping this a secret is the best option. The only reason my brother died was that he was actively trying to rebel against our uncle. At the time, Helio was young, naive, and full of hope. He fell for Elizabeth's tricks, and it cost him his life. This time, I would be Helly's guardian angel, just as Elizabeth was Uncle's guardian.