7 | "Aniya"

Glancing up at the sky, the clouds seemed a bit darker than usual. Later on, the clouds had slowly replaced the sun, the sky turned into a shade raven. As if gods comforting the depressed Elyse, droplets of crystal water start to fall down from the sky.

The sound and smell of the rain made Elyse feel sadder and lonelier as the image of the old Lucia keeps appearing in her mind.

There was nothing written in the book that Lucia gave birth to a child. Elyse can't process any information inside her head because it felt so fast to her. From birth, she wanted to serve the known master of the empire. The person who's behind the curtains and rules the world and the people.

A powerful yet frightful leader hiding behind the curtains of her room watching the outside gates of the castle.

But as soon as the empire fell into a ruined state, a new master arises and the previous master went missing. Her family died all of the sudden and was saved by Maria the 4th leader and is invited to be a student in the academy.

This is not the life that she wanted. All she ever wanted is to live peacefully with her family and with her future friends. Not to have the burdens she has now.

The warm and gentle voice of the old Lucia made her heart feel even more pain. The necklace seems to resonate with the painting of Aniya and also the necklace in the painting and also the one she wore today looked the same.

Questions keep rising from her head, but her heart remained strong. Because she knows one day, her questions will be answered and her family will be saved. She must find Lucia no matter what and also find the answers to what her mother said to her before she died.

"Elyse?" Wayne entered her room with a lady that looked elegant and lovely. Eyes that look sunset and hair that glows like gold. A lovely and beautiful appearance.

"Nice to meet you, I am Eli. A descendant of Lovelia." She introduced herself with her graceful words. Lovelia is also one of the Alphas. Regardless of her innocent and lovely appearance, Lovelia is a greedy and prideful person. She was the one who actually did betray Lucia and her family has not apologized until the present.

Which is why it made Elyse feel confused. If she had cursed the people, she hated the most — then why are they striving and not Elyse?

Elyse starts to feel jealousy and hatred towards Eli. Eli looked confused and just smiled. She turns her head away from her and looked outside calming her senses.

'it's okay, Elyse. It's not her fault. It's her ancestors' fault.'

"U-Uhm... I'm a member of the student council and so, you can count on me! Oh! Er- tomorrow morning I will give you a tour inside and outside of the academy. Is that alright with you?" She asked politely.

Elyse turns her stare to her again and nodded. Eli looked happy at her response.

"I heard you're a descendant of Aniya— ouch!" Wayne suddenly smacks her head making a sound that made Elyse look away.

"That way too hurt you dummy!" She said almost crying. "Aww, I'm a leader remember." He spoke. Eli starts to punch him with her face looking annoyed by his teasing. "I don't care! I'm still one of the descendants!" She said and Wayne just laughed.

Elyse was in awe to see Wayne smiling and she doesn't understand why. There's a part of him that is happy for him but also a part of her that feels regretful.

"Why do you say I'm Aniya's descendant?" Elyse asked which stopped Eli to punch Wayne.

"It's because of the necklace you're wearing." She spoke. Elyse touched her necklace and remembers the way they stare at those noble students to her.

Elyse thought it was something about Lucas, but it's not. The necklace looked similar to the painting which made the students think that she's Aniya's descendant.

'Those stares... felt very different to me.' she said in her mind biting off her lower lip — anxious about how the way the students glare at her.

"Can you explain to me who Aniya is?" She asked. Eli looked hesitant about what she'll say as if there was something that she mustn't know. Wayne sneakily gets out of the room as if leaving them alone.

"U-Uhm, I'll explain it to you tomorrow." She said scratching her head with a fake smile painted on her lips.

"I want to know it now. The time is long so it's okay to explain it to me little by little." Elyse glares at Eli with determination in her eyes. She believes that the history of Aniya must be the reason for her parents' death.

She already knows that Aniya is the villainess according to the legend. But no one knows why she did it and no one knows how suddenly Lucia went from kind and gentle to rough and sadistic villainess.

Eli sighs. She took in her cloak and took a candle lamp with her. She offered her hand to Elyse telling her to escort her.

"The moon is already out; we can take a stroll outside." She spoke. Elyse didn't know that the time went fast just by talking to Eli. Earlier, it was still afternoon but now it's already dark and the moon is already out.

"But don't you worry about the Principal or the Headmistress catching us strolling in the night?" Eli giggles. "Don't worry! I'm part of the supreme student council so I can use all my authority the way I will!" She giggles. Elyse couldn't help but smile a little, feeling reassured of the way Eli's presence sent comfort just by her gestures.

'I guess this must be the reason why Lovelia is seen to be kind and cheerful.' She thought as she reached out her hand to accept Eli's offer.

They both took a stroll inside the Academy's garden. A garden filled with beautiful moon and white roses, green grass, and trees. On the left side, was a lake that reflected the moon's perfect shape. On the right side is a veranda decorated with white roses and vanes. They took a seat inside the veranda and looked at the precious beautiful moon.

"It's already the snow moon," Eli mumbled.

The both of them went silent and it made Elyse feel a little uncomfortable so she broke the silence.

"So... about Aniya." She said almost in a whisper.

Eli smiled.

"Everyone already knew. She is the true villainess in the legend. Manipulating the innocent Lucia and also the other members of the Alphas by the orders of the above." Eli stares at the moon as her eyes glisten with sadness and regret filled her heart.

The wind blew gently and it played with Eli's golden hair shining under the bright moon.

"Aniya is actually a kind and gentle soul. She was born with a golden spoon in her mouth."

"She had three brothers; Henry, Edward, and Jason. Those three were known to be the most intelligent and legitimate children of Athena Family." Elyse stared at Eli listening to her story.

"Aniya is the illegitimate daughter of the Athena Family. No one wanted her nor ever love her. Of course, because she was a child born out of one mistake. As a child, she also wanted parental love. So, she did everything she could do."

"Things that she doesn't want to do; she starts to learn painting, learning 50 different languages, music, economics, politics, arts, and many more."

"It made Aniya's life pressure to the point that she fainted due to stress. Her mother whom she loves the most insulted and mistreated her. She said that Aniya was too weak to be a legitimate child of Athena Family."

"But since she's still stupid, she did everything her mother wanted which in the end she achieved her goal just by following her orders "

"Knowing that things are bad and can cause harm to everyone, she still continues to walk in the path filled with thorns and fire. She wanted more love. Because she believes that if she fails once again, her family might abandon her for good."

"The naive Aniya used Lucia as her tool. Fortunately, in the process, Aniya's heart full of steel and ice was melted just by Lucia's warmth of love. Afraid of her mother she still continues even though she knows that in the future Lucia will hate her."

"And when the truth was told, Aniya was right. She doesn't care if everyone hates her but Lucia. Lucia hates her and treated her like a tool just like how Aniya treated her first. In the end, she committed suicide."

"It's not because she was tired. But guilty to what she did to her."

Elyse couldn't utter a word after Eli told the truth. The story she just said didn't even match the legend in the book she read. Suddenly, her mother's words entered her mind.

"This is the price we have to pay..." She said and it made Eli shift her gaze from the moon towards her.

"Does that mean...?" Eli nodded.

"But there's still I didn't understand. How could you know the true story...?" She asked once more.

"It's because it's the curse that our Ancestors gave to us before they truly die." Elyse's eyes widen in shock.

"It is the price we all have to take. The burden we must have. And the memory that we must remember. Because in that way, we believe that maybe — just maybe one of us will save Her Majesty from her suffering and end this endless cold war." Eli starts crying as the tears fell from her eyes.

Feeling the painful guilt, she carries all these years. From the moment she was born, as if she was reborn as Lovelia she held all these burdens and regrets in her heart. She held all these years until the present.

Eli wipes off her tears and forced a smile. "But no one really knows the real story behind it. We all are descendants of them but each was chosen to bring all the burdens and regret to us. That's why no one knows it."

"To be honest, looking at you. I thought you were Lucia's descendant. But since we already have her descendant, we think you're Aniya's descendant. The necklace is an exemption though." She spoke.

"How do you know?" Eli shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. Maybe just a powerful instinct?" Eli laughed and it made Elyse feel a little better too.

While Eli told the story of Aniya, she felt as much as guilty toward Eli. It felt as if it was her own fault when it was not.

But matching on the words her mother left her before she died and the story Eli told earlier matched. Elyse felt determined and her eyes glisten glaring at Eli.

"Eli, how can I be a member of the council?" Eli looked surprised by her sudden question of Elyse.

"Eh?"

"Actually, I was suddenly invited here. The plan is to be adopted by the 4th leader first and then enter the Academy and also join hands with the council so I can help you to find Lucia." She spoke.

"So, you're the one we've been waiting for..." Eli whispered with her mouth gape gazing at her.

"I'm sorry?" Elyse didn't hear much of it which made her confused.

Eli's expression changed and smiled, "nothing!"

"Oh, if you want to enter the student council. Well, unfortunately, I cannot recommend you. It's against the rules." She said looking annoyed.

"Damn that old man," Eli whispered again and it made Elyse laugh. Eli looked way too far from the actual Lovelia. Elyse suddenly felt something as if she knew decades ago who Lovelia is.

"You need to get out old man's attention or else you cannot join. Hah!"

"Oh? Attention?"

"Yeah, seduce him or something." Elyse froze and it made Eli laugh.

"Haha! I'm kidding, of course! When I said attention, I meant your grades and how well you lead the people during tests provided by the student council president which is our old man." She spoke.

Eli stood up, patting and fixing her dress and cloak.

"It's getting late now. If that old man found us, I'll get grounded — or no maybe I'll be fired." She said with almost a whisper in her last sentence.

"Come on!" Eli holding Elyse's hand ran together going to their room as they both slept well that night.

But that is not the case for Elyse. Elyse sat down in her bed, staring at the sleeping Eli peacefully snoring.

She must find answers about Lucia or else she cannot save her family. That's right, she will just find her and when she finds her, she will use her powers to revive her family from death.

But aside from those thoughts that Elyse was having. Her inner desires were telling her to know her past — and to know a way how to save the pitiful Lucia.

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