“Magic? Oh my, that is big indeed.”

  I sighed heavily as I listened, my eyes following the small forms of the girls still playing in the garden below me. Galene had led us to a guest room on the second floor and despite her protests that she wasn’t tired, my mother fell asleep almost instantly when I begged her to lay down with me. I knew days of sleeping on the ground had not been easy for her, and I made sure to wait until her breathing evened out before slipping out of bed.

  Now, I leaned out the open window, taking in all the scents and sounds of the palace grounds below. The servant’s gossip was filled with talk about me and my mother, and I glanced at the sun, which still seemed so high in the sky. Days in Polec were always short and I always found summer in the capital strange. The two girls were still running through the carefully maintained paths, their laughter echoing softly despite the heat. I let out another slow sigh, my thoughts drifting as I traced their movements, my mind elsewhere.

  I had used the mirror to confirm that my eyes had changed, and it seemed I could already control the ability at will. I didn’t doubt that my horns would soon follow, although a part of me hoped that since I already had control over my eyes, hiding my horns wouldn’t be as difficult this time around. Just because Isadora and Caspian highly suspected I was a Draconid didn’t mean I wanted to confirm it for them.

  I held my head in my hands, listening as two of the female servants gossiped about how handsome and cheery I was. I had expected my abilities to manifest on more or less the same timeline as before, but it seemed that something had accelerated the process. Was it because I already understood what I was? Or was it tied to my emotions, my memories of a life already lived and lost?

  I exhaled slowly, running my fingers through my hair as I leaned further into the open window. It beyond frustrating to be trapped in the body of a child, but at least I could expect to have my abilities sooner. How well I would be able to use them was another question and if I wanted to keep my existence a secret to Marquess Blackwood and Yssac, I needed to be careful who I let see the truth. After all, my mother and I had been dropped into the center of the empire’s power, surrounded by people with more influence than I had ever bothered to understand in my first life.

  It had all seemed so distant, so irrelevant back then. I hadn’t cared about noble politics, about the alliances and betrayals that shaped Naera’s future. After my mother was killed, all I had wanted was destruction. But this time was different; I had a chance to unravel what I had ignored before. A chance to understand why the Marquess had sought to use me, why Caspian and Isadora had accepted me into their palace so easily, why the empire had been willing to kill one of its own sacred protectors. If I wanted to keep my mother safe, I needed information.

  And there was no better place to start than the palace servants.

  I turned away from the window, letting my eyes shift to gold as I focused on the door. This was my first real test, to see just how potent my abilities were at such a young age. Could I charm them as easily as I had in my first life? Taking a slow breath, I stepped into the corridor, keeping my posture relaxed as I approached a pair of maids walking past. They stopped immediately when they noticed me, their expressions shifting to polite curiosity.

  “Oh? Little Master, what are you doing out of your room?” one of them asked, tilting her head.

  I let my golden eyes meet hers, pushing warmth into my voice. “I just wanted to explore a little. But you won’t tell anyone, right?”

  I watched as their eyes glazed over and I couldn’t help the smile that curled at the edges of my lips. The effect was instantaneous. Both maids blinked, their expressions softening as a slow, dazed sort of agreement settled over them.

  “Of course, little Master,” the first one murmured, her tone absent but agreeable.

  “No one needs to know,” the second echoed, nodding with a dreamy smile.

  I laughed softly as I walked past them, not bothering to pretend to act like a child. They would forget they had even spoken to anyone and return to their earlier conversation as if they had never seen me. The true test would be whether they would have a blank space in their memory, or be convinced it never happened. In my previous life as I got better at suggestions, there would be less empty spaces in the person's memory, convinced they were forgetting nothing. It was useful for sneaking around.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  As I moved down the hallway, I carefully pressed myself into the shadows, keeping to the edges of the corridor where the torchlight didn’t quite reach. It was a habit I had honed in my past life—staying unnoticed, slipping through places where I shouldn’t be, listening to whispers meant for more important ears. The halls of the imperial palace were far more vast and well-guarded than the Marquess’s estate had ever been, but the fundamental rule remained the same: people spoke more freely when they didn’t know they were being heard.

  I moved swiftly, my small footsteps muffled against the polished stone, my breathing steady and controlled. My ears picked up snippets of conversation from passing servants—nothing of interest yet, just idle gossip about the latest courtly scandals, complaints about demanding nobles, and remarks on the strange weather shift bringing an early heatwave to Theralis. But I was listening for one voice.

  Galene’s.

  “Are you sure? The boy said he could use magic?”

  “Yes, and it’s likely true. His mother seemed shaken by him admitting it so easily,”

  I stopped immediately, pressing myself against the smooth stone wall just outside the doorway. From my position, I could make out three figures—Galene and two other head servants, a man and a woman who both wore the slightly finer attire of senior staff. They were standing near a long wooden table, speaking in low voices, their posture tense. It seemed my performance had the intended affect and I listened closely, keeping my breathing even as I shifted to the safest position where I could remain unseen.

  “That woman…Lady Linota, was it? She isn’t well-versed in courtly matters, so I wonder why her Highness called her a lady.” the male servant muttered, shaking his head. “The only nobles in Polec are Blackwood and that awful son of his.”

  “Well if the son is magic, she’d be worthy of such a title, especially if she can use magic as well,” the older woman mused, folding her arms. “But if she did, she would have already been noticed, wouldn’t she? And the boy is only ten. He would have had to have been born with magic to be showing signs already.”

  “It’s not like it’s unlikely. Half breed children often manifest abilities at a young age and they are from Polec. Although if he is half beast, I doubt he would be very comfortable here in the capital, considering how warm it is,” Galene murmured, her voice thoughtful as she drummed her fingers against the polished wood of the table. “But that doesn't explain why her Highness took interest in him. She has never cared for magic, not since…”

  Galene trailed off, her voice dipping lower, but I caught the hesitation, the weight behind those unfinished words. The other two seemed to know what she meant, all of their expressions dropping and I hummed quietly to myself. A death, based on their expression and someone the princess cared about deeply, if it had led her to not want anything to do with magic since their passing. Considering there was another princess who had not been publicly revealed yet, I didn’t doubt that it was possible that there had been another secret sibling to Isadora. If Isadora’s sudden interest in magic had resurfaced after years of avoidance, it meant that either she had seen something in me that reminded her of this unknown person or she believed my abilities were worth the risk of reopening old wounds.

  I leaned forward slightly, straining my ears to catch the rest of their conversation, but just as Galene opened her mouth to speak again, I felt the lightest tug on my sleeve. Every muscle in my body went rigid. My first instinct was to lash out, to twist away and defend myself, but I forced myself to stillness. Slowly, I turned to see two pairs of eyes staring at me.

  It was the girl’s from the garden.

  “If you wanna listen, there’s a better spot,” the smaller one whispered, her bright blue eyes meeting mine as she tugged on my sleeve again. The other girl remained quiet, refusing to meet my gaze as her green hair shielded her face. I slowly nodded, letting the younger girl led me back down the hall. She quickly stopped in from of a door I hadn’t noticed before and easily opened it before herding me in. As soon as I stepped inside, I could clearly hear the conversation again, without even relying on my senses.

  “ – case, her Highness is talking to her parents about the two, so I suppose we’ll know more in the morning. We should get word soon if they are returning before dinner, or if they’ll be taking their meal with the Emperor and Empress.” Galene noted, her tone contemplative, as if weighing possibilities in her mind. The other two murmured their agreement, their conversation shifting into more mundane topics about meal preparations and servant rotations. I frowned, disappointed I hadn’t learned much nor had I learned the name of who died.

  “Oh, I hate duck! I wish the stupid chef would stop cooking it!” I turned as the younger girl pouted, clearly upset about overhearing what dinner would consist of. She stomped her feet and I almost laughed, barely managing to contain my amusement at how easily she expressed her displeasure. Whoever this girl was, she clearly had no reservations about making her opinions known. The older girl beside her, however, remained more reserved, keeping her eyes on the ground as if looking up would condemn her.

  “Um,” I started, but as soon as I spoke, the younger girl quickly interrupted me, her eyes sparking.

  “Oh, right, you’re the new boy we say in the garden. That is my friend, Tritetia,” she beamed, pointing to the girl with green hair before pointing to herself.

  “And I’m Valaine.”