The sun rose timidly over the snowy peaks, dyeing the sky with antique pink and pale gold.
The tall stained-glass windows of the Wing filtered the light into dancing beams that painted the floor with soft colors.
The d'Argêntea mansion awoke in rhythms: servants marching in silence, discreet bells announcing the day's first tasks, and the scent of freshly baked sweet bread dominating the hallways like a forgotten song.
Ligia woke wrapped in pearl silk, the sheets still creased from restless dreams
Her violet eyes opened slowly, reflecting the new color of her soul
For a moment, she didn't recognize the room
Or herself
Reincarnation demanded its price
Disconnected memories
Feelings of belonging and not belonging
"Miss, your clothes are ready"
Vael entered the room with the elegance of an imperial raven
Ligia rose without protest, walking to the silk screen where the uniform awaited her
A noble-cut white dress with scarlet details on the sleeves and collar
While Vael waited, his voice marked the day's rhythm
"Etiquette class with Lady Maelinne
Then, history of the dynasties allied with House d'Argêntea
And a break in the garden with Clarisse"
She sighed
But did not resist
Acceptance was the first step
---
The class took place under the watch of tall mirrors and floral rugs
Lady Maelinne was as sharp as a blade hidden in a lace fan
"Walk with your chin slightly raised
Never raise your voice
Look into someone's eyes only when you wish to dominate"
Ligia tried
She slipped up on a few rules
But Maelinne smiled with serene cruelty
"Look into someone's eyes only when you wish to dominate"
Ligia looked away by reflex
Then reclaimed the gaze
Dominance didn't come easily… yet
"A true heir doesn't learn
She only remembers who she used to be"
---
The midday sun touched the garden like a warm kiss
Ligia walked among the black rose beds, barefoot in the enchanted grass
Clarisse ran toward her, hair loose, bright yellow dress fluttering
"Lí! Let's play hide and seek"
She couldn't say no
Seeing Clarisse was like seeing herself—before the cracks
They ran between statues
Hid among the trees
Clarisse laughed
And Ligia smiled—without noticing
---
Back in her room that night, sitting before the mirror
She studied the woman beginning to emerge
Dressed in dark silk
Hair pinned in ceremonial braids
Far from the lost girl she had been
The system floated ethereal beside her, bored
"Besides being beautiful, you now know how to walk like a princess
And you haven't killed a single servant
Progress"
Ligia threw a pillow
She laughed
For real this time
---
The history class took place in the mansion crypts
The teacher spoke slowly—but each word carried the weight of a rune
"Auren didn't found a lineage
He founded an archetype
The vampire who refuses to be a shadow
The one who builds kingdoms"
Ligia listened in reverence
Her fingers touched the cold runes on the walls
And the memory of the chronicle pulsed
Bone swords
Whispered pacts
---
The next day, it was she who invited Clarisse
They made up stories
Ligia spoke of dragons that lived in mirrors
Clarisse invented happy endings
"Have you ever been a princess" Clarisse asked, sitting in her lap
"Maybe… something worse
Or better
Maybe a beautiful monster"
Clarisse laughed
"Then now you can be both"
---
At night, the bedroom ceiling sparkled with artificial stars dancing in enchanted spirals
Vael, more elegant than protocol itself, entered the room
He brought night tea in silence
The system lay beside her, purring with irony
"You're accepting"
"I have no choice" Ligia replied
"There's always a choice
But the right one is often the most uncomfortable"
She touched the rose brooch on her collar
"I'll live this life properly"
Even if I have to learn to love… again
The system purred more deeply
"Tears
This is going to make a great saga"
And for the first time, Ligia slept without fighting the dreams
---
The blue-tinged dusk of the next morning hovered between night and dawn
Sunlight peeked through the heavy curtains, drawing timid patterns on the floor
Ligia woke slowly
As if emerging from a thick lake of dreams
"Mmmghrghh..."
It was the day's first sound
A groan offended by the universe
She sat up in bed like a newly resurrected soul
Her hair spilled like living ink down her back
Her eyes blinked slowly, still swollen
She stood with effort...
CLAC—
The universe held its breath
"AAAARGH"
Hopping on one foot, holding the other in both hands
"DAMN THIS CURSED DEMON FURNITURE"
On the bed, the system yawned with demonic delight
"Good morning, uncoordinated host"
"Screw you, Pest
You saw it and didn't warn me"
"I live for these moments"
He rolled among the pillows
"Your suffering warms me more than the Empire's sun"
Ligia growled something and limped to the bathroom like a wounded warrior
The oval mirror floated above the sink—enchanted to follow her
Today, it only served to annoy
She brushed her teeth like she was slaying dragons
Pinned her hair up
Sank into the bath as if seeking redemption
Water flowed
Washing away sleep, pain, and the anger of existing without an instruction manual
---
Wrapped in a mist of lavender and mint, she returned to the room
The system watched her from the top of the bookshelf
She opened the wardrobe
Noble fabrics
Hand embroidery
Preservation enchantments
But she hesitated
Each piece seemed to tell a story that wasn't hers yet
She dressed slowly
Without hurry
Without excitement
A gesture more thought than action
Ivory slip
Sapphire blouse with long sleeves
White leather belt adorned with flowers
Charcoal-gray skirt with silver rose embroidery
Short enchanted boots
She stopped before the mirror
Said nothing
But her reflection said everything
Steady gaze, yet distant
Lips half-closed, holding words not yet ready
Upright posture
Shoulders tense—more than nobility requires
She pinned the crimson rose brooch in her hair
The gesture was calm
Precise
Like someone arming themselves for an invisible war
She turned
Looked at the room
The silence
The filtered light
There was something in the air
Not fear
But… the eve
And then, with determined steps, she began walking toward the door.