Cannon Fodder To Villainess

🏮66. Hidden Motives

Nova

Nova stared at the brushed metal mirror in the bathroom of what used to be a maids quarters and was currently Amber's home. luckily or unluckily, there were no maids to be seen.

Nova's dark blue eyes and childlike face stared back at her. Inside, there was a copper basin on a wooden stand, a large copper tub with a drain, a dark blue divider curtain, and an white polished stone bowl for excrement, which also had a drain in the floor. Amber had given Mabel leave to update the residence while she was gone, but it hadn't occurred to Nova that it would be undated in this way.

Mabel had been busy from morning until night, changing this and that around the residence, and making sure that Amber's pharmacy was in good working order. She had hardly seen Mabel, Fudd, or anyone else for the past couple of days. The only one she'd been spending any real time with was Fortis.

She looked over at the copper tub filled with water with a grimace on her face. Then she glanced behind herself and made sure that the bar of wood was securely fastened over the door; locking her in. She climbed into the steaming tub, closed the curtain, and quickly washed up. She washed up as quickly as possible, dried herself off, wrapped herself up in a thick black towel, pulled the curtain back, and climbed out of the tub.

When she stepped out of the tub, she was taller, with the appearance of a teenager, and the curves of a young woman. Her long wavy light brown hair had more gold and yellow in it than it had just a moment before and her once midnight blue eyes were indigo.

She looked back into the mirror at her older appearance with a determined look in her eyes. Her dark purple eyes glowed and her left palm glowed in a matching shade of purple. She gestured over herself. Then indigo smoke came out from her palm and surrounded her body. The smoke swirled around her for a moment before it dissipated and in its place stood Nova, just as she was normally. She blinked her eyes a couple of times, adjusting her vision, and looked back at her midnight blue eyes and childlike appearance once more.

Although she looked to be about nine or ten years old, today she was turning sixteen.

Her sixteenth birthday was supposed to be a huge milestone for her. It should've been her debut year.

Nova unbolted the bathroom door and quickly got dressed in a baggy light blue dress. Then she put on the dark blue cloak Amber bought her and bolted out the door before she could lose her nerve.

She briskly walked through the halls of the house until she came out the side door and slipped out. It was becoming easier and easier to walk around without being noticed. She walked past a bunch of guys constructing some new buildings. Where there were once trees, they were creating three new courtyards, behind the existing courtyards. The men who were working on the courtyards were all mages from the neighboring kingdom Mavire.

They had been hired to create the three courtyards by a woman with flaming red hair and gray-blue eyes. The woman who was barely thirty-three years old had a sixteen year old daughter, a fourteen year old daughter, and a son who had just turned twelve. All three of these children were Baron Frost's children and Amber's half siblings, whom she had yet to learn about.

The Past

Baron Frost had been a decorated soldier with the title of a Baron and the love of conquest in his heart. He had met the young Celine Morgonna, the eldest granddaughter of Duke Arien Morgonna at her coming of age ball. He had snuck into the ball while pretending like he had been invited with only one purpose, to attach himself to a higher noble Lady and raise his status. He was a charming rouge at the age of thirty-two, a man very familiar with the opposite sex whom had a strong hand in manipulation and seduction. In short, he was a well accomplished ladies man.

It didn't take long before he found his target, a mousy young woman who didn't speak often and mostly sat in the corner sipping punch from a small glass cup. She wasn't all that remarkable in appearance or mannerisms with her unassuming attitude, ash brown hair, and dark gray eyes. She didn't bother meeting anyone's eyes. She gave her attention solely to the little glass she was holding.

She was quite well dressed in the highest quality light green silk dress, seafoam green diamond necklace, and pink pearl headband. Each pearl in her headband was as big as a person's eye. It was obvious from her appearance that she was related to the Morgonna Dukedom in some way because of those diamonds and pearls. The Morgonna Dukedom was known for their Seafoam green colored diamond mine and their large pearls. When the baron saw her, he thought that it was a shame that such high quality materials had been wasted on such an unremarkable woman. Still he approached her with a charming smile on his face and glittering mischievous eyes.

She was a sheltered girl of only eighteen and had no previous experience with men, so it wasn't all that difficult for an accomplished rogue to capture her young heart. She had fallen hopelessly and helplessly in love. No amount of convincing from anyone would convince her to take her love goggles off. So couldn't see the red flags popping up all over the Baron and didn't want to. She would happily believe any nonsense the Baron spouted without question and easily became offended if others questioned him. A small part of her knew that he was unsavory, but she didn't want to face it.

It was during the time that Celine was hopelessly in love with Baron Frost, that Celine's grandpa arranged for her to marry the current Emperor at the time, Emperor Vionn Verglas, Emperor Gelid Verglas's father.

In a panic, Lady Celine Morgonna ran away with Baron Frost to elope, without informing him that she had an arranged engagement with the current emperor. As a result of the baron's impromptu nuptials, he forfeited a great deal of honor, was demoted in the military, lost lands, and wealth; while his new wife was kicked out of her family.

Emperor Vionn Verglas was humiliated since he had been forced to wear a green hat by a mere Baron. It was quite some time before people's tongues stopped wagging regarding that bit of juicy gossip. Upon his deathbed, it was known that he called his son Gelid to him, no one knew what Vionn said to him, but there was a great deal of speculation.

The Baron was furious, wanting to immediately annul their marriage, but by that time, Celine was already pregnant.

Baron Frost spent most of his time away from home filled with anger and resentment. He frittered their money away on drinking, gambling, women, and travel while Celine stayed home with their two children.

Celine was unaware that he had sold all of her valuables to make himself appear more appealing to the precious oldest daughter of a very wealthy and well known merchant in the neighboring kingdom of Mavire.

Just one year after Celine became his legal wife and gave birth to their daughter, Baron Frost found himself a wealthy mistress who would soon give birth to another child for him. However, it wasn't until many years later that he decided to bring his other hidden family home.

It was upon the occasion of his son, with Miss Regina Bluit, turning twelve, that his opinion on the matter changed drastically. You see, when a child turns twelve in this continent, their mana type is tested, and little young master Ray's primary mana type happens to be fire.