Her Trail

3.

It seems like what I said and did was a big deal. After Shane and Bella told the Duke what happened, days later, a man arrived at the House of White Dragon.

I am currently sitting at the meeting hall together with Bella, the Duke, big brother, and the man I do not know.

"Hmm. It seems like your daughter is a genius, Duke Dallas." The stranger said.

My father sits in front of me proudly, he did not say anything but I can see his arrogant smirk.

"She is a Fleyr, after all." The man said in addition.

He asked again what happened the other day. Father made sure Bella did not miss any information about what I did. But she cannot exactly explain asthma.

"Can you elaborate it for me, young miss?"

I can't believe this is a very trivial thing for them! Asthma is common knowledge in my past life, this world never ceases to weird me out.

"It is a long-term disease in the lungs..."

Once more I explained it to them. I even answered all of his questions, especially the "unique" terms according to him. My throat almost hurt because of talking too much. He asked me to enumerate the symptoms, the causes, the diagnosis, and even the treatment.

While the man I do not know is busy jotting down notes, my Father is sitting seriously and just listening to everything I say, while Bella looks so amazed.

"Great! Great! You are a young genius, you miss! Forgive me for I haven't introduced myself a while ago, I was driven by my excitement. I am Adalius Ellsworth, a scholar. And I will be your tutor from now on."

He bows in front of me after that.

But wait, tutor? I scan Elora's memory, oh, not every girl can learn and go to the academy, only those nobles girls are lucky enough to go to school like the boys. As for me, it seems like even though I am Noble, the Duke won't allow me to go outside.

Elora asked her Mom about it but the Duke said she is too young to go outside. In the academy, no maids or knights are allowed to go inside.

After the meeting, Sir Adalius bid farewell to us. He will come back every day after this to teach me. I still have a lot to learn about this world so I am a bit excited.

"Papa!"

I stood in front of the Duke. He looks at me and held my waist to let me sit on his lap, I was a bit shock by his sudden gesture, but I can't help myself but smile at him.

"How do you know about those things?"

Oh s**t. How do I explain this? I could not answer him immediately. It was like my brain is loading.

Think Elora Ember!

"U-Uh, I read about that, Papa."

His eyebrow turns up, "Really?"

"Really! Are you proud of me, Papa?"

He touches my head. Slowly lifting the side of his lips.

"You look like a rabbit while talking non-stop awhile ago."

I was dumbfounded at what I just heard. What did he say? Rabbit?!

He called this beauty rabbit?! Oh gosh, I want to smack his face, he should be thankful that I need to be on his good side.

But my pout cannot hide what I really feel.

"You look more like a lost puppy now."

I swear, my expression cannot be described right now. If I am in my past life my face could pass as a meme.

Why is he always comparing me to an animal?

"Papa, we look alike. I got my genes from you."

"Yes."

"So I am not like a rabbit or a puppy?"

"You still are."

Oh gosh, I give up talking to this brute. I sulk while sitting on his lap, he did not do anything though, he just watches me sulk and pout for a long time.

"The young Master is here."

I turned in the direction my brother had entered. He swiftly brings himself in front of the couch we were in. Looks like he didn't like what he is seeing.

"Elora, come here beside me, Father will be tired, you're like a pig."

I can imagine another meme-like face. What's wrong with this father and son and their comparisons?

"I am spending time with your sister because she'll sad after I go to the palace."

"And I am also here to spend time with her because she will cry and will miss me when I go back to the Academy."

E-Eh?! What's with the atmosphere, It felt so suffocating! These two!

I stand up from sitting on Father's lap. I did my usual bow to excuse myself.

"Papa, big brother, I forgot, I have something to do with Bella. I will spend time with you tomorrow."

I run towards Bella who looked like a statue waiting for me to leave the place. Finally, I can breathe. They are releasing some bad energy inside. They should talk and endure the atmosphere themselves.

"Bella, I saw carriages entering the House of White Dragon yesterday, who arrived?"

"Oh! That was Dragon Knights of the Fleyrs! They came back from a war, some of them are still injured. The remaining Knights that didn't go are also here, including the head of the Knights."

Injured? If they came back from a war, they must be greatly injured. I wanted to check them out but I am just a twelve-year-old girl in this world. They will be weirded out if they saw me treating the wounds.

I wish I grow older fastly. They will doubt me if I show my skills here, and I am just slightly entering the heart of Father and big brother.

But I feel sad, I want to do something.

"Young miss, don't worry, the House of White Dragon has five healers."

Healers? Elora is young so even if I scan her memory in my mind, it seems like she's not fully aware of everything.

"What are healers, Bella?"

"Uhm, they are a very rare kind, my lady." She started telling me what she knew while we were walking. "Healers are very few in our large kingdom. The palace just had ten of them. Your house has five. The other houses had three as maximum. The hospitals for nobles had five and seven as maximum. But sadly, the hospital for poor and middle class only had two as a maximum."

That is a very sad reality of this place.

"There are only a few of them every Kingdom, but there are a lot of wizards—"

"Wizards?!" I cannot hold my shock.

"Yes, my lady, they are working in the Wizards Temple."

Oh my goodness. I don't know why this news still shocks me after dying and living again in another person's body, but still, if there are wizards, they must be other creatures here! If it was a movie, and I am the main lead, I will surely encounter one of them!

"So what I am saying is, healers just heal visible wounds, counter a curse, they are very knowledgeable about poisons, but the disease that's like what Bella has, they can't do something about that."

Oh, speaking of Bella, she needs an inhaler so next time she had an asthma attack and I am not present she will be fine.

But making an inhaler myself is beyond my ability, I am a doctor, not a manufacturer.

Wait. I remembered something.

"Bella, how come the carriage that entered yesterday doesn't have any horse?"

"It was designed like that. The Duke owns that business, but that carriage works with magic."

Great!

"Can you introduce me to a craftsman, Bella?"

Bella touches her chin, thinking deeply.

"Hmm, I know someone but not from the Duke's men. He is really talented, but he's poor so no one really notices him."

I clap my hand in glee.

"Then invite him over when he's free! I would love to meet him."

When the next day came, I had breakfast with my brother and father. I noticed that they liked inviting me these days. Especially father, he invited me over to his office, and now, I am so bored, what does he want me to do? Watch him do his work?

"Papa, do you want to try this macaron? This is very tasty!"

I run in his direction, I stretch my hand to reach him because there is a table between us. I brought the macaron close to his mouth.

"I don't like sweets."

I am really close to frowning but I manage to form another smile.

"Papa, pretty please?"

I used my embarrassing puppy eyes just to get what I want!

He slowly opens his mouth to take a bite on the macaroon. I notice that he never eat any sweet food every time we were eating so I came up with this evil plan. Big brother also despises sweets. There's really something wrong with their taste. No wonder their life is so boring, it was all black and white. It's time to add some colors using macarons!

"Is it tasty, Papa?"

"It's a food for rabbits, they're not for humans."

Did he just lowkey insulted my love of my life macarons?

This is war.

"You are ugly, Papa," I said that with my most beautiful smile.

He smirked.

"You look like me. That makes you ugly too."

I did not know what to reply so I frowned and rushed back to my previous position. I sat at the one-person couch and watch him do his work again. Thankfully, my big brother fetches me to do something together with him.

We went to the barn where the horses are. Big brother ride in one of the horses, when he is already comfortable riding it, he offered his hand to help me up.

Oh gosh, this is one of the hobbies of the nobles.

"Brother, d-do I have to ride with you?"

I'm afraid, so don't ask me to ride that thing!

"Of course, hold my hand."

Can I draw a crying emoji on my face, I don't think I will survive this. I am just a small twelve-year-old kid, I'd die if I fall on that horse.

Seems like luck is on my side, I manage to go up without even a scratch.

Big brother let the horse walk at first until it slowly runs.

I clung tightly to his coat, I do not care if I messed it up.

"Look around."

I hesitatingly did what he asked me to do. Now that I turn my head away from his chest, I realized that we are in the garden on the east part of House of White Dragon. I only go to the garden in front of the House, I'm not aware that there's a garden as beautiful as this in the House. The gazebo not far away is like a big golden cage, there's even a lake and small mixed gold and white boats floating in it.

"This is my mother's garden."

Oh. I remember, Elora and Memphis came from different mothers. The Mother of Memphis died while giving birth, after three years, the Duke met her Mom and she gave birth to Elora. The Duke did not marry her Mom, but he let her stay in House of White Dragon, of course, he allows this body's owner to carry his surname.

Elora's mother, and now also my mother must have suffered a lot. The Duke never really cares for her, she was just someone he got pregnant. He is really a jerk, but maybe it's all for the best. It's sadder to be in a loveless marriage.

But, in a world like this, loveless marriage is like a trend. Parents do the work for their children, they choose partners for us. From Elora's memories, she heard that there's already a girl for her older brother.

Now, I'm curious who the lucky but somehow unlucky girl is.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Uh, your fiancee, big brother, did you already met her?"

His expression did not even change.

"Yes."

"Really? Are you fine with that?"

"Of course, it's for the House and for my position in the future."

Why did I expect that kind of answer from him? He's really like something who doesn't care even about the things like that. I hope his fiancee is a good person, otherwise, I'd do my best to convince father to choose a better person.

But of course, I need to build my relationship with both of them before suggesting something like that.

"Brother, what if you find someone you love even though you already have your fiancee?"

He ruffled my hair. My eyebrow almost touch because he ruins my hairstyle!

"I doubt that. Who does things like that."

Does things like that? You mean love?

Oh, wait and I'll make you and father all in love with me and my overloading cuteness!