Consort Valeriana was already waiting in the dining room, her dinner gown simpler but still elegant.
"Elara, my dear, you look tired. Did you read too much today?" she asked with a gentle smile.
Elena nodded, realizing that his small body was indeed starting to feel tired. "Lots of good books, Mama."
"You need to get enough rest, darling. Tomorrow we have a tea invitation with the Main Empress and some of your older siblings," said Consort Valeriana while stroking Elena's hair.
Elena's heart beat faster. This was his first chance to meet other members of the royal family. An opportunity to gather more information and begin to understand the family dynamics.
"I will meet my siblings?" he asked, easily showing the enthusiasm appropriate for a child his age.
"Yes, darling. Perhaps this is the right time to reintroduce you to the family, after you have recovered from the accident," said Consort Valeriana. There was something in her tone—a subtle wariness—that did not escape Elena's attention.
While enjoying dinner, Elena pondered everything he had learned today. This world was far bigger and more complex than he had imagined. There was so much to learn—geography, politics, magic, social hierarchy, history...
But he had one advantage: an adult mind in a child's body. While others expected him to act like a normal three-year-old, he could observe, learn, and plan long-term strategies.
"After dinner, would you like to read a fairy tale book for Mama?" Consort Valeriana asked softly.
Elena nodded, although slightly surprised by the request. This was a test, he realized. His mother wanted to see how far the "accident" had affected his reading ability.
"Of course, Mama," he replied with an innocent smile.
That night, in Consort Valeriana's warm private sitting room, Elena read a fairy tale from a picture book—being careful not to read too fluently, occasionally pretending to struggle with words that should be difficult for a three-year-old.
Consort Valeriana listened with a smile, but Elena could feel the assessing gaze behind it.
"Elara, my dear," his mother said after the story was finished, "you read much better now. The palace physician is right—time is the best medicine."
"Mama," Elena asked in an innocent tone, taking advantage of the moment, "why do we live in a different pavilion from the Emperor?"
Consort Valeriana was silent for a moment, her gaze turning complex. "Because that is the rule of the palace, darling. Each consort has her own pavilion."
"Does Mama often meet the Emperor?"
Consort Valeriana's expression turned sad for a moment before forcing a smile. "The Emperor is very busy, Elara. He visits us when his time allows."
"Does Mama love the Emperor?" Elena asked, using his childish innocence to ask something that might be too direct.
This time, he clearly saw a flash of sadness in his mother's eyes before the woman forced a smile. "Of course, darling. He is your Mama's husband and your father. Now, it's time for bed. Tomorrow we have to look our best for the Main Empress."
Elena nodded and allowed himself to be carried to bed. As Consort Valeriana tucked him in and kissed his forehead, Elena felt the genuine affection in the gesture.
"Good night, Elara dear," his mother whispered.
"Good night, Mama," Elena replied.
As his mother left the room and the door closed, Elena lay in the dark, his mind actively planning. In his previous life, he was Elena Ferdinand, a reclusive teenager with an obsession with weapon mechanics, who died protecting his classmates.
Now, he was Lady Elara, the emperor's daughter from the sixth consort, with access to elite education, royal resources, and potential magic.
"In my previous life, I died protecting others," he thought, staring at the ceiling of his room. "In this life... what can I do with all this potential?"
Seeds of ambition began to grow within him. No longer the simple ambition to create weapon mechanisms in a basement. But a far greater ambition—to understand and master this new world, to combine his technical knowledge with the power of magic, to build a position of power and influence.
"I have a second chance," he thought, determination hardening within him. "And this time, I won't waste it."
With this determination, Elena—now Lady Elara—began to fall asleep, dreams of an unformed future dancing in his mind.