Lady Gustova

Chapter 7

Upon hearing that the guards detected mana usage within the premise, more precisely, in the drawing-room where Elaine and her brother met, King Kelvion left Duke Gustova alone. The Duke came as expected, but the King did not inform him of his son's mistake. Of course, it was illegal to use magic without permission, but the King doubted that Gerard would use it to harm people.

"Ah, I summoned my spirit to send a message to my brother, Your Majesty," Gerard explained, embarrassed. He forgot that it was not allowed to use magic in the Royal Palace. "Forgive me for violating the law."

"I see." King Kelvion smiled. "It is all right."

"Is Your Majesty busy?" Elaine asked. "Brother Gerard offered to bring me to the Academy. Would Your Majesty like to come with us as well?"

"What coincidence. I was planning to go there as well." The King nodded. "We can depart with the Royal carriage."

As soon as the King agreed, the three of them left the Royal Palace. When some noticed that the Royal carriage passed the road, their eyes would sparkle at the luxurious vehicle, and the sea of people would part and bow in respect. Elaine peeked through the carriage window along the trip, interested in the trade between the citizens and business people occurring around her as well. The King and Gerard could only observe her with caring eyes, finding her reaction adorable.

"Welcome to the Academy." The King stepped out of the Royal carriage first, offering his hand to the young lady of the Gustova Dukedom. Elaine took King Kelvion's hand gladly, curiously looking around, and Gerard followed behind.

"It is like another castle in the kingdom," Elaine said in awe. "Our kingdom is not the typical kingdom, is it, Your Majesty?"

King Kelvion laughed at her compliment. "I am delighted to hear that."

"They built the Academy on a huge and isolated plot of land." Gerard smiled. "It is also said that it is vaster than the Royal Palace. The Academy has many uses, after all, ranging from studies to sword and magic training."

"Well, let us greet the Headmaster." The King suggested. "He is one of my closest confidants, so I trusted him with the information regarding your condition, Elaine."

Lady Elaine nodded.

They walked up the stairs to the Headmaster's office and met his secretary.

"Blessings and Glory to the King of Athelis." The secretary was surprised by His Majesty's sudden visit, along with Lord Gerard's and Lady Elaine's. "Greetings to the young Lord and Lady of the Gustova Dukedom."

"Is Exarion busy?" His Majesty asked.

"No." The woman in glasses searched for the Headmaster's schedule, answering the King immediately. "He is in his office, Your Majesty."

"Thank you." The King nodded and knocked on the Headmaster's office. Then, without even receiving a response yet, His Majesty opened the door.

"Your Majesty?" Headmaster Exarion took his spectacles off and jumped off his seat. "I apologise for not greeting Your Majesty properly as I was not informed of this visit."

Headmaster Exarion looked younger than the King, but he looked as worn out as King Kelvion. Dark circles covered his bright blue eyes, and his glimmering silver hair was messy. If he were not wearing such a grand white robe, the Headmaster would look like an overworked and abused worker.

"I did come here suddenly." The King said, telling his old friend to be at ease. "I brought Gerard and Elaine with me."

"Greetings, Headmaster." Gerard bowed. Elaine followed Gerard and curtsied.

"Yes, yes." The Headmaster ushered the teenagers to take a seat. "What brought Your Majesty here today? Is it about the progress of the cure for Lady Elaine's memory loss?"

"Pardon me?" Elaine blinked, tilting her head. "A cure...?"

"I requested Exarion to develop a cure for you." His Majesty explained. "The Academy's people are competent, so it should not be an impossible task."

"Well, it has only been a couple of days since your request, Your Majesty." Headmaster Exarion rubbed his eyes. "I have been losing sleep due to researching for this particular case, as you can see."

"Interestingly, Lady Elaine lost her memories but was able to remember certain practices." The Headmaster's eyes lit up. "I have never heard of such a circumstance."

Gerard was thankful to the Headmaster and His Majesty's effort to help Elaine, smiling to himself. "She also regains her knowledge immediately after reading a sentence from a book, Headmaster. However, she still could not remember whose faces belong to whom after reading the Royal Family's tree."

"I see..." The Headmaster stared at Elaine with curiosity.

"Brother..." Elaine held him back, overwhelmed by the conversation regarding her health. She was grateful, but at the same time, conflicted. Looking at the Headmaster's tired appearance made her feel guilty.

"Your Majesty, please take back the request," Elaine said.

"...Why?" The King questioned. The Headmaster and Gerard frowned as well.

"The cure is indeed a tempting offer, but if it means that I would be troubling more people..." Elaine felt uncomfortable.

"It is not troubling at all, Lady Elaine." The Headmaster reassured the young lady. "I just get too invested in my research, you see. It is an awful habit of mine, so please do not be disturbed by it."

"Still..." Elaine clenched onto her dress. "The pressure to complete the cure as soon as possible must be stressful, not only to the Headmaster but others that are helping to develop the cure."

"Furthermore, I believe I am the only person who experienced this illness amongst the people in the kingdom," Elaine stated. There was never a record of medicine to cure memory loss of the medical books she read. She was the very first case. "No matter how much the Headmaster searches, it would be a dead end."

"We do not know unless we try, Elaine." Gerard tried to convince his little sister. "It would not hurt to put an effort. There is no telling what the result would be."

Elaine pursed her lips.

"If you do not wish for it, then I will do as you say, Elaine." The King did not want to press Elaine into accepting the development for the cure. It does concern her, after all. Exarion and Gerard opposed the idea, however, looking at His Majesty with puzzled expressions.

"Then, please stop the research and development for the cure, Your Majesty."

Gerard had no idea what was going through his little sister's mind. Perhaps it was because he had not experienced memory loss. However, even he understood that they had lost the opportunity to help Elaine regain her memories.

"...I am afraid, Brother," Elaine said her concerns as soon as the siblings left the Headmaster's office without His Majesty. "I fear that having my memories return would lead to unpleasant thoughts appearing in my mind."

"I think that your anxieties are without reason," Gerard told her with desperate eyes. "The best people in the kingdom are willing to find a cure for you, yet you rejected them. Is it that frightening to have your childhood back?"

Elaine took a deep breath and stared Gerard straight in the eyes. "Heartbreak is more painful than a physical scar, Brother."

Gerard paused at her words.

"You said that I fell in love with Prince Lucas when we were engaged, but he was unresponsive towards me." Elaine sighed. "If I remembered my emotional attachment towards Prince Lucas, whom I single-handedly broke our engagement with, could you imagine the pain I would feel? I sabotaged my own chance at love."

Gerard could not muster a response to her words. Her argument made sense, especially since he's seen Elaine's sad eyes when the Prince would leave her for another. "I did not think ahead like you did, sister. Forgive me for burdening you with my opinions."

"I only wanted Brother to understand my thoughts." Elaine held Gerard's hand, telling him that she was not the least bit mad at him. "There is always a reason behind my actions."

"Yes."

With their minor disagreement set aside, Gerard decided to take his mind off by giving Elaine a tour around the Academy. They were lucky that the students still had class, allowing them to comfortably navigate the Academy's grounds.

Elaine learnt that the ballroom and cafeteria occupied the first floor. In contrast, various classrooms, each having a different use, filled the second and third level. The highest story on the building was where the Headmaster's office was located. However, they did not venture deeper into the highest floor as it was prohibited.

Apart from the main building was the library, the training grounds and the Fort, where students do magic training. There were also stables, lakes and gardens for the noble children to socialise with each other. However, some did private magic training at the lakes and even at the forest located close to the Academy.

As they were short on time, Gerard could only take his little sister as far as the Fort. He decided that he would show Elaine the rest some other time, and both of them headed back to the main building to search for His Majesty.

Time flew by quickly, and Gerard did not realise that classes had already been over when he finished the tour. He cussed at himself internally, panicking as swarms of noble children filled the empty hallways. Gerard grabbed Elaine's hands in a hurry and turned around, not wanting anyone to notice her presence. Elaine silently cooperated with her brother; she also did not want to hear what opinions they had on her.

However, they bumped into someone at their escape, causing Elaine to crash on her brother's back.

"Gerard?" An unfamiliar man who had mesmerising hazel brown eyes and soft auburn hair called after her brother. Elaine recovered from her impact with her brother and peeked through his back, curious of the man's identity. "Why are you in the Academy?"

"That is none of your business." Gerard covered Elaine's sight, hiding her behind him. "Now, move out of my way."

The man noticed Gerard's hidden arm and pulled it out, shocked to see that he was holding someone's hand--a woman's. "Are you hiding your lover or something? Let me see the woman, hm~?"

"Cut it out, Barry." Gerard pulled back, irritated at his mere presence. "Stop poking your head in my business."

"Ouch." Barry pretended to be hurt. "I am one of your closest friends. How could you be this cold to me?"

Elaine squeezed her brother's hand. Gerard looked back at his sister, shaking his head and instructing her to stay silent.

However, Elaine was growing impatient. Finally, not wanting her brother's friend to misunderstand him any longer, she let go of Gerard's hand and stepped aside, curtsying towards 'Barry'. "Greetings, Lord Barry."

Gerard stiffened at his little sister's greeting. He stared at her, startled.

"...Pardon me, Lady Elaine." The man's cheeks flushed slightly, embarrassed. "I made a wrong assumption. Forgive me for mistaking the lady as Gerard's lover. I was only joking."

"There is nothing to apologise for, Lord Barry." Elaine gave him a warm smile. "However, I wish your lordship would refrain from making such jokes in the future. It would cause weird rumours to develop if heard, and we do not want that, do we?"

"Yes, of course." Barry gulped. Barry Timotheus Grant was the son of Marquis Grant, and he knew that his friend's little sister was an elegant beauty. However, he often felt nervous around her, perhaps due to her maturity.

"But, it seems that rumour was false?" Barry mumbled to himself.

"...What rumour?" Gerard raised his eyebrow.

"Well, many of the rumours spreading concern your little sister lately," Barry answered. "One of them was that Lady Elaine had lost her memories."

Gerard and Elaine flinched, warily glancing at each other. 'How did it spread this quickly?'

Elaine pondered, and she deduced that the main culprits were either the maids from the Royal Palace or the Gustova Dukedom. Maids love gossip as it was their only source of entertainment whilst working in a house. So whether it was morally right or not, they did not care.

It is also possible that the exempted employees Elaine called during her announcement eavesdropped on the others conversing by mistake, causing them to overhear the sensitive information.

Either way, the word had already spread, which Elaine already expected would happen. However, she thought that it was too early to be found out.

"The rumours are false, right?" Lord Barry felt nervous at their silence. "Lady Elaine recognised me at first glance."

"I did not know you are the type to revel in such gossip," Gerard said with a disgusted face, feigning ignorance to his question. "Let us go, sister."

Elaine grabbed onto Gerard's sleeve, whispering. "I believe Lord Barry should know, Brother."

"There is no need, little sister," Gerard whispered back. "He is not family. He is not suspicious of your behaviour either."

"People who are close to our family should know. If it were others, then I would leave it be, Brother." Elaine argued.

Barry watched in amusement at the siblings' argument. It was true that he did not enjoy entertaining himself with rumours. However, the Gustova family's movements have been strange lately that he had to listen to the current news.

Prince Lucas' faction started to crumble when the nobles heard the unification between the Gustova Dukedom and the Royal Family failed to fall through.

On the other hand, King Kelvion's concubine, Ginna Daryl Connolly, has started to execute her plans to be Queen as she heard the news. Unfortunately, since she failed to be His Majesty's consort initially, her children do not have the right to inherit the throne. However, with reasonable excuse and help from countless nobles, she is in the process of securing her position, though King Kelvion is making it as difficult as possible.

Then, there were the Gustovas, who returned to being neutral. They have produced exceptional children since the founding of Athelis, and this generation's is no different.

Noah Hugh Gustova was known for his flexibility in various fields, making him the perfect heir apparent to the Gustova Dukedom. Additionally, Gerard Eugene Gustova did not covet his brother's inheritance, focusing solely on his swordsmanship and magic to aid the future Duke and the kingdom.

Lastly, there was Elaine Louise Gustova, recognised as the flower of Athelis. She was not a woman to be underestimated as well. Not many know of this fact, but she was a genius prodigy in her studies. If given a chance to prove her worth, the young lady would receive many marriage proposals from greedy nobles. However, a few years ago, rumours attacking the innocent beauty started emerging, labelling her as a vile woman instead.

After thinking hard, Barry felt that he was lucky to become friends with Gerard. It is no lie to say that he did have hidden intentions with approaching the man at first. However, after spending some time with the Gustovas, he sincerely treated the young lord as his friend. Lord Barry also knew that the rumours circulating the lady were exaggerated and were nothing but fabrications. The Grant Marquessate had become the Gustova Dukedom's ally before he even knew it.

"Lord Barry?" Lady Elaine was only a step away from Barry, peering into his face. He did not realise the lady was already so close to him. Barry glanced at Gerard, who was frowning with his arms folded, and it seemed like he was pouting. It was an unusual sight.

"Yes." Barry cleared his throat, bringing his attention back to Lady Elaine.

"To answer your question, I memorised whose faces belong to whom as I read a book regarding the kingdom's families bloodline beforehand," Elaine told him. "So, yes. The rumours saying that I lost my memories are accurate."

"..." Barry's lips parted. He was surprised at her bluntness.

"I do hope, however, that your lordship will keep this information to yourself?" Elaine tilted her head, negotiating with Lord Barry. "Brother Gerard agreed to allow family friends to know if they kept their mouths sealed."

"Of course." Lord Barry nodded. "It is not my right to tell others of your ladyship's situation."

"That is a relief." Lady Elaine gave him a soft smile, causing Lord Barry to blush. Gerard could only glare at his reaction. "Then, please stay good friends with my brother."

"Yes, Lady Elaine." Lord Barry lowered his head at her request.

"Now, if you could please excuse us." Gerard clenched his jaw while forcing a smile, attempting to bring Elaine away from Barry.

"It was a pleasure to meet your lordship." Elaine curtsied to Lord Barry.

"Likewise, Lady Elaine." Barry bowed to Elaine properly.

"That is no way to treat a friend, Brother Gerard." Elaine nagged her brother immediately after saying goodbye to Lord Barry, earning her a smile from the young lord of Marquess Grant.