011 · A Soul Violation

"Everything will be alright, okay? Let's not worry about the lost memories and rejoice with the benefits of it. We'll still look for the culprit who attacked you make them pay for harming my baby daughter," she kissed the crown of my head. "Don't worry about anything. Mom is from a very powerful family, my dad is the Duke of the north, one of the most powerful men in the Empire, I'll talk to him about this and ask help to get the Mage's Tower to send some tutors for you."

"Tutors from the Mage's Tower?" I beamed.

"You still remember their power?" She giggled.

I nodded, "Yes! They are extraordinary."

"Not more than you!" Andrey purred.

"You are even more special, Liya!" Kirill told me.

"Let's keep this from leaving this room for now," dad exclaimed, petting my head. "We'll relay to the Emperor about your memory condition and the attack, but that's as far as we'll say. If we let it out that you are a three type, and that you possess spatial and dream magic, while you still have no control, your enemies and ours will do everything to exploit that to harm us. We've been harmed enough for a lifetime."

He is right, but I had to trust them with this, hiding it for any longer wouldn't be good for me at all. In fact, it would only shorten my chances of survival as Diana, and I don't want to die any time now, I've had my fill of that. Making it all public as I am now, would also shorten my chances drastically, all of my, now, enemies would come cascading after me to kill me before I learn how to control it, and I can't let that happen.

I won't get Diana's memories like I did when I came to this world as Eleanor, 17 years ago, because this isn't reincarnation or transmigration, this is a soul violation. There is no memory recovery when you swap bodies with someone, the book talked about that countless times as Sofiya, aka old Thalia, was the main female lead and she had done that. So, this is different, the real soul of my new body died when she was 19, and when Yeji transmigrated here she probably had the same experience I had as Eleanor, regaining her memories and all.

Whereas, now, we were both still alive, even if unconscious, when our souls were swapped by someone else with dubious intentions and the abilities to practice this forbidden magic is two people unrelated to them. It's annoying, since I won't be able to understand fully what real Diana or my cousin were up to, but it was for the best when I think about the magic within this body. Ary was right, whatever is it that the memories had on Diana and Yeji, it doesn't work on me because I have none of them, and that somehow was the key to unlock this.

If I learn how to control it, I won't need saving from anybody, and I won't need to fear, I will be strong enough to protect myself and those I come to care about. In all honesty, I never truly cared about anyone as Eleanor, not truly, I did love being her, but the memories of the real soul always made me hold back, because a part of me felt like I had intruded in her life. I don't think that will happen now, especially when I didn't like the real Diana at all to begin with.

"...Liya?" Mom caressed my back, "Are you okay?"

"Is anything troubling you, darling?" Dad asked.

I swallowed, unused to how they actually care for Diana... for me, after spending 17 years being unloved by my family as Eleanor both before and after marriage, after losing all the family I had as Alina... it's bittersweet, but I think I can get used to it. I'll just stay away from dangerous men.

"Mhm, I was just thinking if I had been in bad waters with Duchess Eleanor when she passed away, thinking of how bad our relationship probably was, if my maid words seemed to leave sub-intended that I wanted her dead," sigh. "Is it even okay for me to go today?"

They shared a tense look, probably because they know Eleanor wasn't to blame for our conflicts, "Don't dwell on the past, Liya," Andrey petted my back softly, "The conflicts you had with the Duchess were all caused by Countess Sofiya Vasilache."

"That one is a vile scheming wrench," Kirill hissed disgusted, "she's been using you for a while, we are just glad that your lack of memories snapped you out of it. She kept scheming things and throwing you in the eye of the storm she started to take the fall, and play the good Lady. Her and that psychopath of a fiancee of hers are as vile as they come, they have no saving at all."

"Horrible companies, horrible influences," mom snapped annoyed. "We never approved of you with her, she's nothing but a two faced snake, and we had to go along with her shit for you. But not anymore," she turned to me, "right?"

"Not at all," I affirmed her, them all. "I want nothing with them, we can use the attack on me that took my memories to have a free leave away from them. Cut all connections, since we are on the Crown Prince's side and not on the Archduke's. They aren't friendly with one another, right?"

The four nodded in relief with my reassurance and the idea I gave, "We'll do that. Now," dad stood up, then my brothers followed, and soon mom did bringing me with her, "don't think about your past history with Duchess Eleanor, that's not important now, we should focus on what's to come and how to train you. We'll make sure to change how those bastards in the Empire see you, darling."

"And let's think thrice before befriending anyone again, yeah?" Kirill mumbled anxiously. "Let's avoid another Sofiya from coming around."

I chuckled softly, "I'll do that."

"Then we shall go, the funeral will begin soon," father exclaimed. "You look beautiful, darling, just like your mother."

"That's the best compliment I could have gotten, mother is dashingly beautiful, after all," I smiled and mother blushed. "We all are."

"We all are," Kirill said with a smug on.

"I'm more handsome than you," Andrey poked.

He glared at him, "No, I am. And, I am taller."

"Hey, you brat, I am tall," Andrey groaned.

"And I'm taller than you," Kirill grinned.

"We are pretty much the same height," he gasped.

Kirill barked a laugh, "1.93 and 1.98 are not the same thing, at all, brother, we are 5 cm apart."

"I am 1.95 not 1.93!" Andrey groaned baffled.

"If you're 1.95, I'm 2 meters tall," Kirill cackled, and when Andrey was going to hit him, he ran out of my chambers.

"Come back here, you unbearable brat," Andrey yelled, running after him, and I couldn't help smiling at their childish exchange.

"Ugh, my blood pressure," father sighed.