Chapter 49: Heart of Flames, Fear as Fuel
Chapter 49: Heart of Flames, Fear as Fuel
Alicia Ascart went through one of the happiest days of her life.
Before entering the Ascart House, the time that Alicia had with her loved ones had always been limited. Her father, Larthe, due to his duties in the Knight Order, was rarely home, so spending long dull days with the servants was her norm.
But those days were broken the day her father suddenly left her.
She was adopted by the man her father died protecting, Marquess Carter.
In truth, Alicia did not have a good impression of Marquess Carter initially. No matter how mature or understanding she could be at other times, there was no way for her to reconcile herself with the situation and view favorably the man who took her father away from her.
That was why she was always respectful but distant to Marquess Carter. That was the limit of her self-control.
She treated Roel the same way during their first meeting too.
Alicia had actually heard of the vile rumors surrounding Roel prior to their first meeting, which was why she was trembling with trepidation the first time they met. She was afraid that he would become her new nightmare, just like those many others she had met before.
Thankfully, her worries proved to be unfounded this time.
Roel treated her far better than her wildest imagination. She never had any siblings before, but based on what she knew about the circle of nobility, not even blood-related siblings would treat each other that well, not to mention that she was just an adopted child.
Does he have some motive in mind?
Such thoughts had come to Alicia more than once. She had also listened to the discussions of the servants, but the conclusion she arrived at was that the only thing he could get from her was this body of hers, which was still passable in looks.
Is that it? Is my body what he wants? If that’s the case, I guess it’s all fine then.
That was what Alicia, who craved love, thought. She didn’t see any problems with entrusting her body to someone who treated her better than anyone else in the world. Rather, that was the compensation that he rightfully deserved.
The young Alicia knew very little about the affairs between men and women and didn’t quite understand what the notion signified, but she was aware of the lack of offspring in the Ascart House. She deemed it her responsibility to the house to bear children for Roel and raise them up.
It doesn’t sound too bad?
If she could continue staying by his side and enjoy such bliss, she felt that such a trade-off was completely acceptable. After having a taste of the sweet poison known as happiness and affection, she couldn’t bear the thought of returning back to her old days of pain and loneliness anymore.
That was why she had resolved to devote herself to Roel and spend everyday in bliss. She thought that these days could go on forever until the end of time.
But, old nightmares suddenly caught up. Once again, she found herself faced with the demon, Bron, and he tried to drag her back into the hell that she had barely escaped from. Just as she was about to drown in despair, Roel appeared once more and tore apart the vines entrapping her. He pulled her out from the darkness that was just moments away from engulfing her completely.
That night, while Roel remained unconscious after the incident, Alicia insisted on staying by his side. She pondered many things, and before she knew it, a spark of flame had already ignited in her heart. It burned with irrepressible intensity, searing her in both body and mind. She felt like she was going to be set alight.
This must be the love that adults speak of.
She previously thought of her feelings for Roel as a fair exchange, a give-and-take relationship. But right now, all she wanted was to give. She felt these sentiments were a manifestation of her love for Roel.
Her body, her soul, and her heart, she wanted to offer them all to the person whom she loved the most in the world. She found herself unable to curb these feelings anymore, and that was why she confessed to him.
To her relief, she received the response that she expected.
This was the moment that Alicia felt the happiest in her lifetime.
This should have been enough to satisfy her, but during her conversation with Roel, she couldn’t help but seriously think over some matters, namely the future of the Ascart House.
Roel berated her for trying to take on any blame for the incident, but it was a fact that she was the trigger behind the fallout between the Ascart House and the Elric House. She knew that Roel had replaced her as the Elrics’ new target.
Alicia had once heard from Carter that Roel’s potential as a transcendent was severely limited. In fact, it was unlikely for him to even obtain an Origin Attribute in the future. The plan had been for him to lie low and expand the Ascart House’s family tree quietly, but it was all in shambles, now that the Elric House was eyeing him.
He had inadvertently gotten himself embroiled in the factional rivalries of the Theocracy, thus placing himself right in the face of danger.
Even if Roel told her that she didn’t have to pay any heed to it, how could she possibly pretend that nothing had happened at all?
The old Alicia might have wept about it when no one was looking, but the current Alicia was going to handle it differently. She, too, had been changed by the incident.
From the moment she grabbed hold of the knife, her cowardice and weakness had been washed away. She used to wait for Roel to bring her the happiness she sought, but everything that had happened made her realize that she had to take a more proactive stance. She had to fight in order to steer the future in the direction she wanted and protect what she treasured.
Happiness might have come knocking on her door, but she had to reach out and grasp onto it tightly.
And, it was not beyond her means to do so.
It was not as if there had been no precedence to the circumstances that Roel was faced with. Houses like the Ascarts, from time to time, would find themselves faced with a generation where transcendental powers seemed to have suddenly vanished.
There were many ways to deal with this situation. One was to marry more spouses and have many children, but if the house was standing in the face of a powerful enemy, the wiser decision would be to marry a powerful spouse.
There were plenty of cases in history where powerful women protected their weaker husbands, and some of them had even been adapted into folktales and made commonplace. Alicia, as someone who possessed a bloodline, even if it was just a non-offensive Copper Bloodline, was able to grow faster as a transcendent than most others, making her suitable for the role.
She had already made up her mind to protect Roel no matter what happened.
And for that to happen, she needed strength.
…
Dong dong dong!
Standing in a silent corridor, Alicia knocked on the tall study room door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Lord Father.”
“Alicia? Come in.”
The man inside the study was a little surprised to hear Alicia’s voice, and he quickly gave her permission to enter.
Alicia pushed the door open and looked at the man sitting behind a wooden desk covered with documents. She got straight to the point.
“Lord Father, please teach me spells.”
“…”
Carter was taken aback by Alicia’s sudden request. He stared at the silver-haired girl standing before him in surprise, before the emotions reflected on his face gradually changed.
“Child, what is it that you want?”
“I wish to protect Lord Brother. For that, I need to become strong.”
“…”
Carter fell silent after hearing the girl’s reply. A conflicted look surfaced on his face as he struggled internally for a long while before finally speaking in a sobering tone.
“Alicia, the road of a transcendent isn’t as smooth-sailing as others think it to be. It’s filled with danger and horrors. Are you certain that you wish to walk on this path for another person?”
Carter had cast aside his identity as Roel’s father for the moment. He was asking this question from the standpoint of someone who had walked the same path that Alicia now sought.
Alicia looked seriously at Carter in response. The slight tinge of warmth she felt inside thinking about her resolution brought a smile on her face, and she answered determinedly.
“Yes, Lord Father. There’s nothing in this world that scares me more than the thought of losing big brother Roel. The danger and horrors I face will not knock me down; they’ll only make me stronger.”
“!!!”
Carter stared at the smiling girl with a dumbfounded look on his face. He thought that he was seeing things.
Her back was faced against the abyss, and the path ahead of her was filled with brilliant radiance.
O’ great Sia, this child…
Carter silently stood up from behind his desk and walked over to Alicia’s side. He squatted down to look her in the eye, and he spoke with words filled with such great conviction that they almost seemed prophetic.
“Alicia, you’ll become strong. I promise you that.”