My mother was rarely by my side because of work. I would usually have a caretaker, a blind woman called Safia, come around before dinner time to take care of me. That way, they would not mind me being all by myself as they set off on the other side of the courtyard to work. I did not mind the change of pace though. Hellenia had been nothing but kind and affectionate to me even though I was not her flesh and blood. I did not see her any differently from a real mother.

After a healthy dinner, I dropped by the library to pick up a book regarding the special people mentioned earlier. Though my mistresses were probably not too keen on giving me tougher terms considering my apparent age, I believed the proper term for those people would be Conduits.

Upon retrieving the right book, I saw myself to my room and found my mother waiting for me with a change of clothes, ready to put me to bed.

“A book again? Is it a storybook this time?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“May I see?”

I handed her the book, somewhat hesitant, and she smiled wryly upon seeing the title. Though the subject was not exactly tough to understand, that only went for teens and adults. Biologically, I was five-turning-six years old, and this was not among the things that I should be concerning myself with. Nor normally interested in.

“It must be my fault…” she whispered. “I’ve never brought you outside before.”

“It’s okay, mama,” I said.

She set the book to the side and began to help me into my pajamas. I would normally prefer to get dressed by myself now and assert my independence, but I did not protest this time. These moments between my adoptive mother and myself had grown rare lately. I knew it would not last very long before I grew up. Though an adult inside, I wouldn’t say I did not enjoy the love of a parent. There was a pleasure in having someone to depend on. I had lost this privilege a bit too early in my last life.

“There are things I must tell you about tomorrow. Do you promise to listen to me?” she asked, as I stepped into the pants she was stretching open.

I nodded.

“Alright, dear. Take a seat.” She smoothed out my clothes before patting the space next to her.

I plopped on the low, platform bed and smiled, not bothering to hide my excitement.

“First, you must hold my hand. You must not let go,” she said, retrieving a comb she’d prepared earlier and running them through my locks. “Second, in case you get lost, you must find a guard. They wear very bright, dark red uniforms and they usually carry swords. Their uniforms will have a bright, golden dragon. You must go to them and stay in one place. They will protect you while I come find you.”

I nodded.

“Third, you must listen to what I say. If you misbehave, it may be the last time we leave.”

“Okay.”

“Now, we will be meeting a friend of mine tomorrow. His name is Laksa, and he will be testing you for your affinity. He is a kind man, so be sure to be courteous and greet him with respect, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good girl. If all goes well tomorrow, we should have some time to go around and play. Can you repeat everything I said just now?”

After parroting what I was told, I climbed to bed and slipped under the covers. Meanwhile, she stood up and went over to my open windows, eyeing the distant bright lights and the music that drifted off the opposite building. She pulled them close and locked them tight, turning to me with a light smile. “You can read for one hour, but you must sleep when I come to check on you. Alright?”

“Yes, mama.”

“Good. Good night, young one.” She reached for my forehead and planted a kiss on my hair. “I’ll come back later.”

As the door clicked close behind her, I reached for the book she had set aside and flipped through the first few pages. Unfortunately, I had a bad habit of dozing off while reading through stuff I found tedious. This was no exception. It must be the age, nevertheless. I wasn’t like this in my past life, but now I found it rather hard to keep focus.

When my mother came to check on me an hour later, it was to remove the open book that I was drooling on. She stirred me awake and guided me to properly lie down on my pillow, tucking me under the covers with a whisper of goodnight.

But tonight did not turn out good at all.

Sometimes, I would be tortured by dreams of the past, and it seemed this was such an occasion. These dreams made me realize how imperative it was for souls to forget their previous lifetimes. Not only did it offer a clean slate, it also offered peace.

There was peace in oblivion, and I wasn’t able to take it. This was partially due to my stubbornness during the reincarnation process. If only I had quickly accepted and listened, I probably would not be suffering as much now.

But, like they said, regret knocked only after the deed was done. This was the life I had now. There was no other way but to live it.

When my mother Hellenia came to wake me that morning, I struggled to get out of bed from the lack of proper sleep. Seeing her care for me, drawing baths and presenting me with clothes, reminded me so much of the mother I had in my previous life. The world hadn’t been kind to the both us then, and I was somewhat of a selfish girl. I probably brought her a lot of heartache.

I had to be a good child in this life, at the very least. I could not mend the wounds of the past, but I could make sure not to carve the same ones in this new one.

“Come on up, my red bean bun. Look at this!” Hellenia brought out a dress and ran a hand down the beautiful amaranthine fabric. It was the exact color of my eyes—an elegant, brooding red-purple that seemed to vibrate with a unique kind of energy and life.

“It’s pretty,” I told her, awed. I hadn’t even rubbed the crust out of my eyes, yet I was already rearing to go. “Is it mine?”

“Who else can wear this thing, you silly girl?” she said with a chuckle. “Your Mistress Kora surely won’t fit in here. Neither will I!’

I laughed. “Nope.”

“Ugh.” She waved a hand with a mocking roll of her eyes. “Wouldn’t want to imagine it, would we now?” She chuckled and stepped forward to help me put it on. “Your Mistress Neilly sewed it for you. So, you’ve got to go to her and thank her for it later, okay?”

I nodded eagerly.

After pulling me into the beautiful dress, Hellenia twisted my honeyed red locks into a crown of braids around my head before dabbing perfume on both my wrists and at the locks of my jaw. Sweet honeysuckle and citrusy hints filled the air. I sniffed, reminded of my previous life’s mother and her passion for scents. She had created the most wonderful perfumes.

Before I had the chance to delve back into those memories once more, my mother pulled me to the dining room for breakfast, my small hands in hers. We sauntered through the long halls, and I unwittingly began singing a Veneryan lullaby she had taught me. It wasn’t long before she joined, and we started filling the House with the song.

I entered the dining hall bashfully in my new clothes. The mistresses seemed delighted to see me in the dress. Mistress Neilly quickly ramped up compliments for her handicraft. Mistress Lamia, on the other hand, was as stone-cold as usual. However, I saw the faintest warmth in her eyes.

“Look at our beautiful princess!”

“Ooh, is that the dress Neilly made for you?”

“Pretty little thing!”

I nodded with a bright grin of my own, twirling in my matching amaranthine blouse and skirt. I then sank into my usual seat and, without waiting, started ravaging my breakfast.

“Look at her go.” Kora whistled.

“Evyionne,” Hellenia began with a laugh. “You cannot eat in such a hurry. Let me help you.”

I refused. “No. I can do it by myself.”

“If you choke, how can we leave? Besides, a lady should not act that way.”

“I’m not a lady yet,” I mumbled through a stuffed mouth. “But I’m definitely hungry.”

They all laughed.

“How long until we go?” I asked, swallowing.

“We haven’t even begun eating yet,” Hellenia said.

“But I’m already done.”

“No, you’re not.”

Fruits were pushed onto my plate. Seeing as I had to obey or risk our plans getting cancelled, I wolfed through a slice of melon, a handful of berries, and half a banana. I had finished rather quickly but my adoptive mother still wasn’t done with her main course.

After about five minutes of rest, I impatiently climbed to my mother’s lap, enjoying the comforts of her embrace and her reliable hands as she sliced through her sunny side up.

“Aren’t you done yet?” I muttered restlessly, watching her from below her chin as she chewed. I bent back, pushing the top of my head against her stomach, my feet sliding under the table.

“Evyionne,” my adoptive mother warningly intoned. “You don’t do this in front of the table, love. And you just ate. What if you get a tummy ache?”

“I love you though,” I told her sincerely, flashing my biggest of smiles. Would this hurry her up? Unlikely. Still, it didn’t hurt to put out a little charm. I would admit this whole affair had me a little too excited.

“Oh.” She laughed, picking me up to sit me properly on her lap. Her nose drew close to my ears where it brushed against my hair. Her lips grazed my forehead as she ran her long fingers down my stomach to straighten my clothes. “Look at you. I love you as well. Beautiful daughter, my little goddess. My perfect child, oh how I love you so. Don’t ever change.”

“Don’t worry,” I told her. “I won’t. I’ll always love you.”

“Yes, yes.” My mother smelled my hair and lay a kiss on my braided locks.

“What about us?” Mistress Marian pouted. “You don’t love us mistresses?”

“I’ll tell you after mama finishes eating,” I stated firmly, crossing my arms and sticking out my tongue at them.

“But that’s not fair,” she said.

They all laughed.

“This cunning little girl!”

“We raised such a devil!”

“Come on, Hellenia! Hurry on up! We need to know if Evyionne loves us too!” they joked.

“Alright, alright. How fast am I going?”

She hastened her pace. The mistresses smiled warmly.

Finally, her plate was clean.

“So what now, darling?”

“You did well,” I said. “I love all the mistresses!” I then turned to Hellenia impatiently. “Can we go now?”

“What?” Veronika intoned. “That’s it?”

I pulled on my mother’s fingers. “Please, please, please.”

“Alright, alright.” She stood, brushing down her dress. “Say goodbye to everyone.”

“Goodbye!” I exclaimed, waving my hand frantically and pulling Hellenia straight out of the door.

“Be careful, you two.”

“Bring us some treats when you come back.”

“Enjoy your day!”