𝑽𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑂𝑅 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒐𝒏? (𝙒𝙈𝙈𝘼𝙋)

9 - "It's Either You're With Me Now...Or Against Me"

"Uncle Roger! Can you tell me more about my mother?"
Little Anastasia asked, her little legs swinging back and forth. She sat at her Uncle Roger's lap while he breezes around the memories of him and Selene

Roger chuckles at how excited little Ana was when he agrees as he takes a memory stone from his desk drawer

"Here..use your mana to activate it Anastasia"
He gives the artifact to little Ana. She first touches and feels the smooth texture of the stone before using a pinch of her mana

The stone glowed for a hot minute before a what it looks like a hologram projected itself in front of them. Anastasia's eyes glimmered at awe, the stone was able to do this kind of thing?

"Wow...Look uncle! It's mother!"
She points at the hologram that projected her mother, Selene, playing the violin. Roger laughs at how excited she was when she sees her mother's figure. She loves her mother and that's a fact

"Yes, this is your mother when she was around 13 years old. The event your seeing right now was the former emperor's birthday, your mother played the violin for his former Majesty"
He pats her head while she still stares at the elegant gestures of her mother, the way she moves along with the way she plays the violin

"Uncle...do you think..."

"I can meet mother later again at midnight?"

×——————————————×

"Kiel! There you are!"
Little Anastasia goes in for a tackled hug from the back, surprising the snow haired boy. A small blush grew on little Ijekiel's checks as he leans unto the hug as well

"Ana...weren't you just with Father just now?"
He questions her. Little Ana tilted her head, deciding to respond

"I told Uncle that I suddenly wanted to see you! And here I am"
Ijekiel felt his entire face what up

'She...wanted to see me?'

"Anyways, let's go study together Kiel! Jeanette is currently asleep so I don't know who to study with"
Anastasia had a bright smile on her face. The angelic aura he felt made him...warm

"Alright..how about the library?"

×——————————————×

"Sigh...those were good moments"
Current Anastasia was at her father's office, his head resting on her lap as he went for an afternoon rest after she suggested it to him due to the mountains of paperwork he finished earlier

"I still wonder...is it really by eliminating them that the curse will disappear mother? That's what you told me when I was about 13 years old. So many mysteries still unsolved or even discovered"
In habit, she plays with her father's golden locks as she goes down on memory lane

"Mama!"

"Darling? What is it?"

"Why do you keep visiting only at midnight to early morning? And why do you only visit a few days a week or even a month?"
Selene went quiet, trying to think of an explanation