-Callia-

  Munching slowly on the first piece of chocolate in this life, I let the sweet bliss wash over me. Truly if there was one thing from my previous life I would bring to this one, it would be the food. Sure, there was plenty of super-processed garbage, but that didn’t mean it didn’t taste good. Though, the chocolate I am munching on now might be even better. It's hard to tell with so many years and an entire life between me and my last piece. It’s weird to think about how when thinking back to my past life, I think back to the same life as Callen. We definitely didn’t have two souls before passing, but we are now so different that suggesting we had the same soul to anyone would be more like a joke than a serious topic.

  “Chocolates? A fine choice.” A voice from the entry to the balcony reached over to me. At first I had assumed the unannounced visitor was a maid, but the smooth, elegant voice screamed powerful noble. Startled, I nearly choked on the chocolate I had been savoring. In the gap in my response, the lady elegantly strode into the hot tub, casually snatching a piece from my plate for herself.

  “Be careful about bringing these sweets near the hot water; they tend to melt even under normal temperatures.” She plopped the sweet into her mouth while leaning back against the far side. I finally managed to clearly see the woman in front of me. I swallowed nervously as a beautiful blond-haired, green-eyed bombshell of a woman leisurely raised her eyebrow at me. She was the kind of beauty that could seduce gay men and straight women. I struggled at a loss for words in my confusion on the unexpected visitor.

  “An introduction is an excellent place to start.” I numbly nodded my head to the silky smooth tone of her voice.

  “Ser Callia of Port Town.” I struggled to say more, but my brain was blank, leaving me struggling to even form words.

  “Mhm, that’s as northern as it gets. I suppose we can keep this casual since you are so flustered, my dear. I’m Karia Talia, third queen of the royal harem and daughter of former Duke Sorbek and sister of the current duke of the southern region. Not that that matters all that much. I’m far more interested in you.” Gracefully she drifted around the tub, sliding smoothly up against me. She was tall, even taller than Dad, and her grace was laced with hidden strength that was perfectly controlled. She pinched my chin, pulling my face up, and carefully inspected me. “Hmm, certainly you have decent if unrefined charm, but your reactions, strength, and build are far more interesting. Definitely not one of the useless vixens trying to seduce him, but that makes me like you even more. Tell me, how did you get my blockhead of a son to invite you? It’s rare enough for him to have any interest in women, and I’ve never found such an interesting gem make its way here.”

  I struggle to coherently speak as I piece together my mind. Finally a flicker of recognition escapes the trap that my mind was ensnared in. The blond hair and natural beauty finally clicked in as a vague image of Eland popped into mind. “Mother?!” my voice betrayed me by announcing only part of my realization that this was Eland’s mother out loud.

  “Oh dear, I didn’t expect such a bold declaration from my little northern cutie. I suppose I’ll have to accept.” She glomped me in a far too friendly hug as I let out a squeak in surprise. The crazy lady didn’t give me any chance to resist or even breathe as the concept of personal space transformed into a suggestion that was promptly ignored. “I suppose an official adoption is perhaps a bit too much; the husband would throw a fit, and maybe even me from the rooftop garden. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with my new daughter. It’s an opportunity that will make others absolutely envious.” She lifted me up, giving me a chance to breathe as she began carefully inspecting my body.

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  “My! You're only fourteen and already this big?! Maybe an official adoption isn’t impossible? No, the other bitches wouldn’t just accept it. The assassinations would ruin my week. I suppose I’m getting ahead of myself. Maybe a daughter-in-law would be acceptable? I have this gorgeous son that you’ve already met. The court ladies spend all their free time thirsting after him, but I’m sure you could chase off those pests!” With my body being examined like some sort of doll, I finally got enough air to correct my statement.

  “Eland’s mother,” the queen pouts a bit as she lets out a dramatic sigh.

  “I suppose I got a little excited. It’s just that my bore of a husband insists on using magic to only have male heirs. You must understand that I’ve been far more interested in a daughter, so we’ve been at an impasse where I’ve been thoroughly dissatisfied with my husband. He’s distracting himself with the other palace girls and wives while I’ve been relieving my frustration in the tower of monsters. Ripping the skull off ancient monsters can only satisfy for so long.” She finished with a depressive sigh while resting her head on her elbow and looking off tiredly towards the white tower. Moving back to my seat, I let out a sigh of relief. Somehow I managed to clear my head after the overeager display of motherly affection.

  “You asked why Prince Eland invited me to the palace. I helped him solve an issue with his job in the guard, but he thinks my brother died because of his negligence. My brother was just trapped in a special storage space, but Eland’s expression suggested he seemed to think I was delusional and insisted on repaying me. I didn’t know what the card meant until I was swept up in the flow and brought here.” Since Callen would be getting out sometime tomorrow, ideally, I figured transparency in this matter would be better than the alternative.

  “Hmm, that does sound like him.” She scoffed in dissatisfaction. “Such an extraordinary woman right before him, but all he can think about is that stupid job with the Imperial Guard. He doesn’t even realize I started the whole organization to give him somewhere to play with the commoners. Still, if he won’t claim you, that just means it's my responsibility.” The mischievous grin from before formed on her face as she raised her arms playfully, lunging back onto me. As the renewed suffocation took place, a whisper entered my ear. “Just because you weren’t asking doesn’t mean I won't adopt you!”

  The light of morning flickered into the room, disturbing me from my sleep. The soft pillows under me felt so heavenly that I couldn’t stand to be parted with them. My mind was fogged with early morning drowsiness that was interrupted as my bedding was ripped away from me, sending me flying briefly before bouncing off the floor.

  “Morning, sleepyhead! It’s time for some mother-daughter bonding! We’re going T-Rex hunting!” The slam of my head against the hard stone ended any semblance of drowsiness as I looked over at the knight fully clad in black full plate armor. It was the kind of black I had only seen once before in my life. Adamantium. Dad mentioned that the limited amount used in his prosthetic hands was worth more than his wither tree spear. I couldn’t imagine the sheer extravagance of full plate armor.

  Karia Talia

  Karia filed her nails carefully. Personal maintenance was essential to discipline. She grew up a girl of the South, and her father was one who always encouraged children to push their limits. Not in the "I lock you in an arena and you fight to the death" style but in the "you can overcome all adversity with perseverance" style. Karia lived by those words and relentlessly pushed herself to the utmost in all aspects. Her etiquette level was 86, her identify threat level was 78, and her charm was standing proudly at level 97. However, all of that paled in comparison to her hunting record. She proudly held three skills at the level 100 cap and was even blessed with a tier five skill.

  She lived a life by the sword, and when she heard of a boy in the capital making fun of her as a muscle-brained oaf, she hunted the fool down to teach him the error of his ways. The only problem was she pummeled the first prince. Normally being branded a criminal and enslaved to the injured royal family members would be her fate, but the king took interest. He offered her a chance to claim rulership of the kingdom by defeating him, but should she fail, she would accept life in service to him. Karia often wondered if she should’ve thought more about life as a criminal, but that bridge had been burned. The fight had been decisive and magically binding in ways Karia didn’t understand.

  The first night was the only night that was required of her to consummate the marriage, and it was all it took for her personal treasure, Eland, to come into the world. She personally hated most of the royal family, but life was easy enough since she could focus all her efforts on her precious boy. However, now that he had grown up into an independent young man, Karia found herself increasingly frustrated with the annoying politics of the capital. She sometimes fantasized about having another child, but her husband had long ago used magic to ensure only male children. Karia wanted to raise a daughter like herself to enjoy all the freedoms she once had, but the impasse was set, and Karia wouldn’t budge, so she just had to satisfy herself hunting in the white tower.

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