Solitary Lady

Chapter 7

Based on everything that had happened, I could tell that May understood the situation now. As I expected, May began trembling the moment she met my eyes, as if she had taken a glimpse into my mind.

“I...”

She immediately bowed her head and apologized.

“I’m sorry, my lady. I have disappointed you, miss.”

Whatever she was thinking to herself, at least she was acting polite now. Others may have rebelled a little longer after being around me for so many years, but she quickly noticed my change and acted accordingly. That was one of her strong suits that I had discovered in my past lives. It was handy to have quick-witted staff that would not make me go through too much trouble.

“I will prepare the water again straight away.”

May hastily began working. The water on the floor was wiped clean, and warm water was prepared soon after. May was now being obedient and polite.

I finished washing my face and headed to my changing room. I opened the doors to find it exactly the way I had remembered.

“These won’t do,” I muttered to myself.

May flinched as I spoke quietly. Her eyes were full of suspicion, wondering if I was going to flip the entire wardrobe over like I did the water bowl.

Ever since my stepmother came to Inoaden, I had always worn dresses that covered my entire body, from my neck to my wrists. They were all dark and gloomy as well. That was the result of being told that a lady’s beauty came from frugality and modesty. My late stepmother had told me that, and I had faithfully followed her instructions. But ironically, she had only bought bright and colorful clothes for Gabrielle.

I did not know at the time, but now I was certain that she had hated me. After all that I went through, I did not care much about clothes now. Yet I did not feel like keeping things that reminded me of bad memories of the past, especially after last night’s dream.

I reached out a hand toward my wardrobe.

Whoosh!

The bland, modest dresses began to turn into flower petals at my touch, and a sweet floral scent spread throughout the room. The Power appeared in the form of realizing one’s intentions, and while my power had not fully formed yet, meaning there was a limit to what I could do, this was nothing too difficult.

My gloomy clothes transforming into bright and colorful petals and fluttering down to the floor was quite a sight. I did not have that many clothes in the first place, so it did not take long for my entire wardrobe to be filled with petals instead. They soon poured out, piling up on the floor around my ankles. I was now left with no dresses to wear, but I did not care. Unlike the roses that had blossomed in the garden, I had turned the clothing into something else entirely, so they would not disappear by others touching them.

“M-my lady, what...”

“Clean this up,” I ordered May as she stood gaping at the petals on the floor.

I turned around and exited my dressing room, stepping over the carpet of flowers.

* * *

I remembered that I had fallen asleep immediately after having dinner last night, so I ordered for a bath to be prepared. I must have gotten used to living in a cell during my former life.

May probably thought I was being indecisive by asking for water to wash my face, then asking for a bath. But when our eyes met, she flinched and hid her expression. May was acting much more cautiously around me, presumably because she had seen me turn all my clothes into flower petals.

I had to get changed after my bath, but I had emptied out my entire dressing room, so I simply wore another sleeping gown. May seemed to think it was preposterous, but I did not care what other people thought of me.

I had no appetite after eating so much the evening prior, so I skipped breakfast.

“My lady, Lord Inoaden wants to see you,” someone called out.

My father was staying home today instead of going out.

I was sitting by my window, enjoying the sunlight, when I answered the maid. “Tell him to come here himself.”

I didn’t even turn to look at her

“Pardon?”

“If he has something to say, he should come here himself.”

The maid’s eyes widened. May, who was watching me nervously by the door, gasped in shock as well. The maid looked at me as if asking whether she should truly relay my message, but I did not repeat myself. She eventually left my room hesitantly.

* * *

“Have you completely lost your mind?”

A moment later, I was facing my father’s stiff expression.

“Go summon the doctor,” he ordered. “Your master must have injured her head yesterday.”

“Yes, my lord. I will summon him straight away!”

May rushed out of my room at my father’s cold look. It seemed like she had been waiting for him to suggest it, thinking that I had lost my mind as well.

“I hope you are not acting so insolently because of what happened in the garden.”

His face was much colder than usual. He seemed to think that my sudden change of attitude was because of my awakening of Power. He thought me to be an arrogant brat who was acting out after gaining some power out of sheer luck. That's what it looked like, at least.

“What happened yesterday was not an awakening of your Power, so do not think about spreading nonsense outside our walls.”

He seemed to truly believe it. He could not accept the fact that I had the Power that was always given to the heir of the house. He was sure that there was some kind of mistake, that Ricardo and Gabrielle had seen wrong, or that a momentary event had just occurred.

I cannot leave out the story about our family if I am to explain the Power that I showed yesterday in the garden. House Inoaden has been one of the four most distinguished families to exist since our nation's founding. It is said that the four families’ founders had helped the first king, a demi-god, when he came to this land and became the ruler. The four were thus blessed with ancient sacred blood, just like the king.

Having the ancient blood meant having special powers. However, as time passed, some families lost the glory of their pasts and were no longer able to use their Powers. Fortunately, Inoaden was not one of them and continued its sacred line.

The four families were compared to the four seasons. The House of Inoaden was called the “house of spring,” or “house of flowers,” because traces of our Power appeared as fully blossomed flowers. When direct family members used their Powers, deep red roses would appear like the family’s emblem. The more Inoaden blood a family member had, the redder their hair became, resembling roses.

However, the Power did not last forever in the Inoaden family. Since a few generations ago, only the heir among the direct descendants would be blessed with it. Thus, we called the Power “flowering,” and the heir with the gift was called “the Heir of Roses.”

Unlike Ricardo, who had vivid red hair since birth, I had pink hair, which being a direct family member, was hard to believe. I’m sure that was one of the main reasons why my father could not love me.

Leaning back, I placed an arm on the windowsill, not paying attention to my father’s words. Warm sunlight was coming in through the open window. It was perfect weather for a nap.

My father repeatedly emphasized that yesterday’s incident was a misunderstanding and that I should not go around talking nonsense about it to anyone else.

Feeling drowsy under the sunlight, I opened my mouth to speak. “No.”

“What?” he snapped.

“Why should I do as you say?”