Luna sat quietly, finishing the last of her simple morning meal , thin barley porridge and a slice of honeyed bread...
Though the food was plain, it warmed her from within, a gentle start to a cold mountain day.
At just nine years old, her appetite was small...
She sat near the frosted window of her room, watching snowflakes drift like white embers through the air.
Her small hands, still too delicate for the training she longed for, clenched around the edge of her chair.
"Let's begin working on strengthening the mana channels in her body networks that every noble child of her bloodline was born with, but not every one of them mastered."
Even the male lead himself couldn't manifest it to a certain level like 10 , And me , Mine level , "luna chuckles ".. since her level according to the novel is incomprehensible...
But still I have to strengthen this weak body mana channels or I might burn myself to death ...
If I want to be prepared… if I want to be worthy, she thought, I have to begin, even if I'm still weak.
She was wondering about her Fiance ....
A political engagement, arranged when she was only five, and still shrouded in secrecy. Not even Isabella seems to know , Count really didn't bothered tsk
Only that he came from a powerful house and that one day soon, perhaps I would be expected to stand beside him...
But that's still has a long time ....
A knock at the door.
"Luna," Isabella's voice came gently from the other side. "Get dressed, dear...
The carriage is nearly ready."
Luna moved with purpose. She pulled on her winter clothes: a simple slate-blue woolen dress, a soft ivory coat with rabbit fur trim, and matching gloves. Her hat was a little large, but it kept her ears warm.
Her appearance, as always, held a quiet, almost ethereal elegance her blue-jewel eyes glimmered with the cold morning light, and her white hair, silky and fine, spilled to her torso like woven moonlight...
When she stepped outside, the air bit her cheeks, crisp and clear.
The forest that blanketed the mountainside below them sparkled beneath layers of snow, its silence sacred.
It was a view Luna adored raw, endless, and honest. The kind of beauty that made her forget her reality , even for a moment.
The carriage was a dark mahogany construct, its wheels already dusted with fresh snow. Two black horses stamped and snorted before it, steaming breath curling into the air.
Isabella stood beside it, dressed in a winter cloak of muted lavender, her dress modest but impeccably tailored.
She gave Luna a small smile and offered her hand.
Inside the carriage, the warmth returned, aided by a charm woven into the velvet seats.
"Where are we going, Isabella?" Luna asked as the carriage began to move.
"To Duke Velmora's castle," Isabella said, smoothing her gloves. "He sent a formal invitation late last night.
The duke is hosting a private tea, though I suspect there is more than tea on his mind."
Luna tilted her head. "Is he… ?" Nevermind
Isabella hesitated for a breath.
"He is careful, Luna. So as you should be .
But these are difficult times for him. The Velmora estate is still strong, but their finances have begun to decline. Even the Duke is alcohol addict .There are whispers of internal tension… and that's why I want you to listen more than speak today."
"I understand," Luna said softly, though a small flame of curiosity flickered inside her.
Why would a declining duke invite a girl like me?perhaps because I am now his lover daughter, his Duchess is dead . He might be asking her today for a hand in Marriage...
Tea party my ass...
The mountains rolled by outside, each peak wrapped in a blanket of white. Inside her coat, Luna closed her eyes and began to feel for the mana flow within her body. Threads of energy faint, sluggish traced up her spine, into her limbs.
She concentrated, breathing slowly.
Not today, she told herself. But soon, they'll grow more stronger.
I have realised something that in this world , in this prodigy body , I can grow stronger and stronger ....Luna expressions were full of charisma ...
The carriage turned onto a wide, cobbled road bordered by winter-blighted rosebushes. Ahead, rising out of the mist and frost like an ancient beast, stood Velmora Castle. Tall stone towers, pointed rooftops, and banners fluttering in the wind. It looked dignified… but tired.
Just like its master.
As they approached, a man in a dark cloak watched from a high balcony eyes cold, calculating.
He turned away before they could see his face.
Inside the castle, something was waiting for Luna not just tea, not just politics.
And far away, in a different castle entirely, a young boy with eyes like a storm read a letter sealed with the Velmora crest.
He smiled, faintly.
Status window : Male lead , 7 years old
Young master of Velmora Duchy ....