The Uncrowned King

New Life I

Reincarnation. It’s a bit cliché but it could be the only thing Éclair could think about this whole shebang. What else could explain how she turned into a baby in an unknown place? In front of a baby eating monster with no recollection of how she got there? Aside from that bloody car crash.

Yes. Éclair Martizo died in that car crash, along with her friends. And reincarnated as Miracle Winter Delvaux, adoptive daughter of the Grand Duke of Callin, Silverberg Delvaux. 

What happened to her friends, she doesn't know. Not to mention, her biological parents in this new world were truly dead. Killed by their own neighbors. Her new life started rather depressing.

She was still in the middle of processing everything but Éclair-Miracle could at least understand some things. She’s a 20 year old in a baby’s body for f***s sake!

First, the whole highness thing.  Grand Dukes are somehow related to a monarch, is what she kind of remember. Delvaux, she never heard or read anything about any Delvaux. This means she’s not in any book she had read or this is a whole new world. Her bet is on the latter which made it all the more confusing.

Second, the wariness of the knights with the man’s declaration of adopting her. They had tried to persuade him along the way but Silverberg was adamant to keep her. His wife, Grand Duchess Viviene Delvaux had a frail body that it’s only a miracle she managed to survive giving birth to her twin sons and can no longer carry another child.

The problem is, her appearance. Miracle actually has the same silver hair and blue eyes that Silverberg has, according to the people who manage to take a look at her. Which kind of problematic. Because it’s a rare bloodline trait of the Delvaux, the line of Grand Dukes/Duchess of Callin.

Mrs. Viviene has long curly blond hair that her twin boys, Cassius and Callum, inherited.

It was hard to believe that Miracle was adopted, with her silver hair and blue eyes.

Even when old man Silverberg had told Mrs. Vivienne the story of the orphaned child he picked up from the sacrificial ritual in the Lonely Mountain with the backing of his knights. Mrs. Viviene nodded and said she believe him when in truth she didn’t.

Éclair knows that face. Those eyes. That depreciating smile. That’s the face of a woman hurting inside. It was a familiar sight.

Ahhh. I’m too young to be this stressed.

The orphaned child had immediately turn into the bastard. The undeniable taint to the honorable Grand duke’s reputation.

The Duchess held her once before passing her along in the hands of her new caretakers and never see to her again.

She would laugh if she could in this body. It was a nostalgic feeling.

Éclair’s parents in her past life were busy people. One was busy with her job and the other is busy with his own life. Her father had affair with another woman that which push her mother to drown her sorrow in her work instead of facing the problem.

And Eclair was forgotten between all of that.

Once she had tried to get their attention by being rebellious. It ended up with her enrolled in a Karate class for discipline. And again. Taekwando class. And again. Jujitsu. And again. Aikido. And lastly. Tai Chi in China. That was the breaking point. She won every tournament her mentors had ask her to join but not even a single hair of her parents had shown.

It seems like Silverberg is a busy person and Viviene doesn’t care about her. The situation was no different from her past life.

It’s a good thing that she have magic in this new life. It’s the third most important discovery.  A silver lining in her dark and stormy future.

And most probably the reason why Silver adopted her. Likeliness aside.

He said that it was her who froze the Hydra. Hydra! The salivating multi headed monster looming before her was a Hydra!

And her eyes were actually gold, according to him. Miracle only copied his eyes, he explained to Mrs. Viviene. The rumors that she’s a bastard child had spread throughout the land and shook the Duchal State. The kind lady doesn’t believe him with that. Because there are no magic like that recorded in the books. And an infant manifesting any kind of magic is close to impossible. Éclair doesn’t have it in her to sympathize with the old man since the lady looked like she had enough of his bullshit.

Covering up his mistakes with magic, really? Poor Silverberg.

But it was enough to make Éclair think. Magic sounds convenient for her.

If she did copy the old man’s eyes then that means, shape shifting?

Also, Silverberg mention something about the season. Apparently, Winter is over.

Éclair doesn’t understand much of it but it sounds really convenient.

And maybe she could fix the discord between the Duke and Duchess. Honestly, she doesn’t want to be the cause of a broken family.

On one night, Miracle is lamenting her past life and contemplating her new life when she got a visit from the twins. There is not much to do in her little body than think of the what ifs.

Cassius and Callum in their seven year old glory, peeked on her cradle. They light up her magically installed nightlight, dangling little stars started glittering in the dark.

She was pretty sure it was midnight. What are they doing outside their bed?

“Oh. She’s awake.” One blond said, his voice adorably childish and droopy blue eyes wide. It’s Callum.

Éclair had to reach out for them, squealing. Because damn, they’re adorable. She doesn’t mind acting babyish on them.

“Hello, little sister.” The other one smiled warmly, pulling himself up on her cradle to hold one of her hand. Cute cute Cassius.

The twins adore her. They’re smart children but somehow all those nasty things that the maids were spouting in their hearing distance was ignored by them.

Ahh, the innocence of youth.

“Baby Mira looks okay, Cas.”

“Hmm.” Cassius hummed back, staring warmly at her. The boy was too smitten by her. Cute.

“I told you, it was just a bad dream.”

Ohh. It seems like Cassius had a nightmare about her. How adorable of him to check on her.

The concept of having a sibling was quite weird for her. She was an only child back then. Éclair thought it was like having friends. Kind of. But it felt different as she interacted with these two. They care for her a great deal. They looked at her with pure adoration she couldn’t help but squeal.

“Why is she awake though? Did we wake her?” Cassius asked, gently thumbing her tiny wrist.

“I think so.” Callum whispered back, yawning after.

Éclair let go of their hands. The boys need to go back to their bed now since they still have a lessons tomorrow morning. For seven years old they were already speaking fluently and formally and quite mature for their age.

The future of House Delvaux heavy on their tiny shoulders.

Someday, it would burdened her too. With all the rumors circling around her, it’s going to be hell.

“Oh my! Young master, what are you doing here?” She heard a maid voice exclaimed somewhere around the door. It was the newly hired maid, Paula.

That one particular don’t like her. Éclair could tell by the way the maid look at her.

Weird, Paula should not be here. New maids don’t have a night duty. Rolanda and Iris were her only nannies since she’s no fussy brat.

And what’s more, Cassius went abnormally pale as he looked on the direction of the voice.

Callum’s eyes narrowed suspiciously in response to his brother’s reaction.

“And you? What are you doing here?” he asked with the authority of a seven year old.

That was the heir alright.

“I came to check on the young lady.” Éclair heard the maid answered pleasantly.

“You’re not Iris.” Caissus said, voice full of suspicion and wariness.

“Iris is busy, young master.” Paula answered placating.

“Iris is never busy for Mira.” Callum shot back.

This is weird. Why are the twins picking a fight on a maid?

Éclair heard the maid heaved out a loud sigh. “I’m afraid I don’t have time for this. I’ll just have to get you out of the way.”

“You’re not taking Mira!” Cassius snarled before he disappeared from her line of sight with a bang.

Éclair startled and searched out for Callum but he also disappeared from her sight. And there was an odd choking sounds around the room. Her heart beat went a mile a minute.

“You should not care much, Young master. After all, she’s merely a bastard.”

Was the b***h choking her brothers?

Éclair didn’t have time to think, she screamed willing the magic Silver had said to answer her call. It was a bone chilling scream that put banshee’s to shame.

She was a silent kid because Éclair was still in the middle of mourning her past life. She can’t talk. She could only babble. No one could understand her. It was depressing. She had no choice but to hold it in.

And this Paula came and choke her brothers in this new life.

 How dare she—!

Éclair only stop screaming when the glass on the windows in the room shattered, glass and snow came showering inside. She stare wide eyed at her nightlight, it was frozen. The stars still glittering inside the ice.

Her ceiling was also frozen, icy spikes hanging dangerously above her.

Satisfaction curled warmly inside her stomach. She had magic! Éclair stared in fascination. No wonder Silverberg gave her a middle name ‘Winter’. She got Elsa-like powers!

Where are her brothers? She didn’t freeze them too, did she?

Someone suddenly peered on her cradle, her hand snap out in defense. Tiny little hands defending her tiny little body.

“Mira?” It was Cassius, Éclair waved her hands at him and wailed her relief on him as he quickly took her out in her crib and into his arms. There’s blood on his mouth. “Oh love. Let me look at you. Where did she hurt you? You’re cold. Why are you cold?”

Éclair smacked him on the face because Callum was still missing from her line of sight and she’s fine. Covered in frost but more than fine compared to him. She can practically smell the blood on him.

She heard a scrambling somewhere, Éclair stopped crying to prepare herself for another banshee screaming if the b***h was still moving. Where is that woman, anyway?

God, her throat itch.

 “What happened?” It was Callum, his voice groggy. Éclair started crying again. “Baby? Baby! Is she hurt?!”

Come here, you brat. She sniffled. Let me look at you.

Callum’s head was bleeding. Éclair started wailing again.

“Cal, she’s cold! And she won’t stop crying!” Cassius answered, voice slightly panicky when she won’t stop even if he rock her.

Where are those gossipy maids when they needed them? They needed medic here asap!

“She looks fine to me. Then why?” Callum pushed up his hair, not minding the blood covering his left eye as he took hold of her.

You’re bleeding on me! “Uwaaaah!”

“I don’t know!”

“MOTHER! FATHER! HELP!” Callum screamed, making her wince because of the volume of his voice. It was different when she’s the one screaming.

 “Oh. She stopped.”

Instead she switched into coughing. “Eugh!”

“Cal, water!” Cassius hissed at his brother, watching her worriedly. “Mira parched her throat with all that screaming.”

Callum started looking around. “Water. Water. There is no water here! Everything is frozen! WATER! BRING A BOTTLE OF WATER FOR MIRA!”

Something is seriously wrong with her brothers.

Help came in the form of Grand duke Silverberg kicking the door in her nursery off in its hinges, in his frosted night robe. His sword ready to cut everything in his path.

“What happened here?”

“A maid tried to kill Mira!” Callum quickly reported.

“Did someone brought Miracle a water bottle?” Cassius demanded.

"Callum! Cassius! What are you two doing in here?" It was Viviene and it was quite a surprise to hear her shout."What happened?! Oh my Celestia! Blood! Dear, hurry call our Physician!"