The Uncrowned King

New Life II

Éclair’s little body was harshly transferred into the arms of a flustered Grand Duke as his wife hastily herded her sons out of her room. Silverberg had to hold her in one arm with his sword with the other. His eyes roamed round her room, assessing.

The Grand Duchess shrieked when Silverberg made a move to follow her. “Get that monster away from my sons!”

It was an arrow shot straight into Éclair’s heart.

“Mother?”

“What monster?”

Cassius and Callum asked at the same time.

Éclair is aware of who Viviene is referring to. That hurts. What had she done to deserve that?

“My dear, this is…”

“Have you not seen what she had done?! Of the damage she could do?!” Viviene said, pointing at the ice statue of once was a maid name Paula. And now the Grand Duchess believe her magic.

Éclair coughed violently in reply to Viviene’s outburst. It didn’t escape her eyes the way the woman flinch from the sound before continuing to hastily herd her sons out of Éclair’s monster range. 

The two were arguing with her all the way.

“Mother, there’s no monster in there! Besides, Mira need water!” Callum reminded, twisting in his mother's hold to look on his little sister.

“She scream pretty loud because of that maid!” Cassius butted in. "It's the maid's fault!"

“Some servants will get it to her once you two had been look over.” Viviene answered lowly. “Where are the servants when they are needed?”

Harsh. Eclair thought, choosing to look at the flabbergasted Grand Duke. She needed some water but the man had not move from his spot, observing closely the ice statue that Éclair had made.

Éclair coughed again for Silverberg to notice. The man jolted from his trance and turned to look at her with an awestruck look on his face.

Why is he looking at her like that? Was that supposed to be the face of her father? 

“You have taken the curse of winter from this Kingdom, young one. You are not a monster.” He said, rocking her lightly. It remind her that her birthday is the day before the end of December. “No. You are a blessing to our land.”

Blessing, he said. If all of what he said is true, then that means Miracle is cursed with the power of winter.

She, Éclair named as Miracle is cursed with the power of winter. The Grand Duke had known her powers the moment he laid his eyes on her. It explained the look he had given her.

Éclair had suspicions before but it seems like Silverberg had only taken her because of her power not because of affection. 

She snorted. What was she expecting, exactly? That this man had suddenly love her? Because she look like him?

Who was she kidding? He doesn’t seem to care much about her well-being.

Silverberg waited for the servants to come in their frosted uniforms before handing her to Iris to care and walked out to follow his wife.

Disappointment reared its ugly head for a moment before Éclair scoffed it away.

Love is only for children.

Contrary to her small body, she is not a child.

Éclair is not the type to beg for scraps. She had done it before and it only ended with her disappointed, bitter and snappy.

She doesn’t want to live like that again.

There was no Lance to bravely approach her in this lifetime. To pull her into their small but so precious circle.

She let the tears fall from her eyes and Iris fuss over her. A bottle of water was thankfully shove in her mouth to prevent the extreme need to wail her hearts out. 

There was no denying the grief she felt losing her friends. Out of the things she missed the most in her previous life, it was them. She had nothing before they came into her life. Those three and a half years of friendship Eclair had with them is her happiest moments. It's hard to let it go even though it's gone forever. 

Now, she’ll have to make do of what she have and live as Miracle Winter Delvaux. Adopted but illegitimate in the eyes people.

After the incident, Miracle was transferred into the west wing. Her space in the Castle of Delvaux. She hadn’t heard anything about the incident; of who could have sent Paula and what exactly happened to her.

The manifestation of her magic might have save the marriage life of the Grand Duke and Duchess, it doesn’t change the fact that the whole freezing thing made them afraid of her. Hence she was banished in the west wing by the Grand Duchess with the pretense of protecting her. She was not stupid.

Everyone is afraid of her to the point she couldn’t hear anything outside her crib. No amount of information flows in this goddamn part of the castle. It felt like she’s the only living thing in the West Wing aside from the occasional maids.

Iris and Rolanda are reluctant to hold her. Every time they hold her, their hand and arms shook badly like they were expecting lose their limbs from simply touching her. It was honestly offending.

Miracle could feel the magic in her skin. The cold that she had somehow anxiously waiting is finally upon her. It lies beneath her skin. It was uncomfortable. She feels cold, dammit. But she had enough control and discipline not to unleash it on unsuspecting people.

The twins are forbidden by Viviene to visit her. But it was not enough to stop them from sneaking in her room.

The adorable little brats.

They always came at midnight when the maids and servants are asleep, sneaking in her room in their pajamas and telling her their daily activities. Sometimes they came to tell her a fable or two, bed time stories and lullabies.

Honestly, if only weren’t for the two of them she might die of boredom.

Silverberg came once in a while to check if she’s still breathing. That’s all he does, peek on her crib and nothing more.

Over the time, Miracle learned to hate the man. There are times she wanted to ask the man what he wanted as her first sentence.

A baby blurting out to her supposed to be father, “What the f**k do you want from me, old man?”

Wouldn’t that be a shock? It might give him a heart attack and brought chaos into their House.

That sounds fun. Miracle thought, wiggling her tired toes as she lay silently in her crib at night.

She just learned how to walk and it was tiring her jelly like body.  She missed her muscles. She might be small before but she’s athletic.

Rolanda and Iris are trying hard to teach her how to talk but Miracle refused to make a peep. Considering thoroughly her first word. She had been practicing in her mind. 

She would not start with a dada or mama. Eww.

It might be better if she combined the named of her twin brothers in one word. They deserved it with their efforts of sneaking into her room.

Cassum?

Calssius?

Calsium? She giggled at that.

Miracle blinked when she heard her window creak opened. It was a small sound that she easily distinguished with her exceptional hearing. Even in her previous life she had heightened senses that made her excel in almost everything athletic that somehow followed her in this new world, in her small body. Another unusual thing about her in this new life.

She blinked again when she saw a dark figure hovered above her. It’s a man. Face covered with a mask aside from his eyes with a dagger lifted above his head.

“Fwuck.” Miracle blurted out upon realizing he’s another assassin sent for her and snap her hands up.

The man startled upon hearing her curse. They both stared wide eyed at each other.

“Dish I shed jat awt lawd?”  She asked, in order to make sure.

Her pronunciation is a mess. It’s embarrassing.

The man’s eyes widen even more, shock evident on his face even with the mask.

Oh boy. Her first word is f**k.

“Ohhh yew jerk. Yer so dead.” Miracle deadpanned, inwardly lamenting her first word as she loosened her hold over the cold that is within her.

She watched him turned into an ice sculpture unable to defend himself from the blast of cold wind. It was terrifying how quick it was.

Just one moment he’s a breathing human and the next, he’s an unmoving statue. It was just a simple release of her power and the man is already a goner.

And she felt a sense of sick satisfaction of using it. She had grown used to the cold within her but there is something constricting inside her small body like an itch she couldn’t scratch that makes her restless. And releasing her power soothes it.

Miracle kind of understand now why the people inside the castle is afraid of her. In their eyes, she’s a loose cannon. A baby with an overwhelming and uncontrollable power.

Is that why they sent assassins? Did Silverberg told people about my power? That sounds kind of stupid. Unless he’s the type to brag that his adopted child is a talented magician. But it doesn’t feel like that. He doesn’t seems the type. Paula said it’s because I’m just a bastard when in fact I’m f*****g adopted. Miracle shut her eyes and mentally paced. Her powers unconsciously leaking out in agitation.

What on earth is happening? Damn, Viviene! I get the point of putting me here but damn, don’t I have a protection squad or something?! How is this i***t got in here?

She frowned when she heard a crack. Another? WHERE ARE MY BODYGUARDS?!

Miracle looked up, preparing for another assassin to stupidly peer on her but it didn’t came.

Instead, the assassin’s statue hovering over her shattered into tiny pieces showering her shock face with icy dust.

She immediately tightened her control over her powers, shivering in cold, fear and uncertainty.

When the twins visited her later at that night, they only noticed the opened window and nothing more. 

The evidence of her powers was gone and so was the body of the assassin.

No body. No blood. No bone. No ash.

No crime.

"Good night, baby." Callum said, after recounting their daily activities on her. His eyes half-lidded from lethargy.

"Know that we love you." Cassius said, leaning over to kiss the knuckles of her small fingers. He didn't make a comment of how cold her hands were like before. 

Miracle's heart warm considerably with their constant adoration and hope they would stay like that forever. 

"Love you." She replied, carefully enunciating the words for them. 

Twins blue eyes glistened wonderfully with her words. 

In their ears, its her official first word in this new life.