As Alicia crumpled to the floor, her body was caught just in time by a hasty maid beside her as gasps followed suit.
Loud cries erupted, and chaos quickly brewed inside the mourning chamber.
Several courtiers moved toward her while others stared at the miracle seated upright on the bed.
King Jubilius froze, his hand still resting on her forehead. Tears continued to spill from sheer disbelief. "She's... alive?" He whispered, bewildered in his tone.
"Fetch the Royal Physician! Now!" Sophie screamed, snapping into action as her maternal instincts overpowered her mourning.
Running to her daughter's side, the mother's trembling hand brushed the strands of Ophelia's hair back.
"Ophelia... my darling... my little girl...!" Her voice cracked as she stroked her daughter's cheek.
Ophelia blinked slowly as her eyes adjusted to the bright light from above.
Her gaze fell to her mother's tear-streaked face, and for a moment... her lips twitched.
"I died...?" She whispered, her voice hoarse. "And came back to life?"
"She speaks!" A steward cried from behind, dropping his scrolls in shock.
"Make way, move!" Shouted a physician as he shoved through the crowd.
A cadre of nurses and magicians followed, swarming the room like bees around honey. They heard the Queen's calling and got right into action without hesitation.
Amidst the chaos and urgent calls for medical supplies, Ophelia stared ahead blankly, unmoved by the clamor around her.
"Stand back," the Royal Physician said, lifting his gloved hand over the girl's body. "Vital Sense." A golden ring expanded from his palm, rotating once, then twice, before a translucent outline of Ophelia's body appeared midair.
The chart flickered to life as lines of glowing script flowed across her form.
"She's… breathing. Internal injuries, healed. Mana… stable? Heartbeat strong…" His voice trembled with disbelief. "There's no sign of death trauma. Not even residual blood clots. It's as if… she never died."
Vital sense was a skill that allowed the user to scan a target's entire body, internally and externally, for physical, magical, or spiritual abnormalities. Injuries, curses, fractures, internal bleeding, magic residue, or soul fractures are all detected instantly.
"Thank the Elohim!" Said King Jubilius, huffing a sigh of relief. "This is a miracle indeed… by Odin himself."
The Royal Physician stood up, nodding his head with a smile.
"It most certainly is, my Lord! Your daughter will make a full recovery, but first, she must rest. Sleeping is important. I'm afraid she'll miss out on the rest of the festival."
Jubilius nodded understandably.
"Very well, thank you, Gaies."
The physician bowed.
"Of course my lord."
("The Royal Physician? So this must be the man taking care of my father and his Mana Cancer. I wonder if he has the same goal as those other doctors I killed when I was born. It's hard to trust anyone in this corrupt kingdom.")
After being declared miraculously stabilized, Ophelia was left to rest finally.
She remained in her same clothes as her mother, Sophie, never left her side.
Alicia, after waking up and being reassured of her sister's safety, refused to speak. She sat in silence at the foot of the bed, too emotionally overwhelmed to process anything.
The entire castle was placed on high alert, guards doubling at every post in case Tanimoto had any other plans in store for Ophelia.
Whispers of resurrection spread like wildfire, and rumors ranging from divine intervention to forbidden necromancy came about.
But little did they know, the true reason behind Ophelia's death was far more manipulative.
("Fools, every last one of you. So easy to manipulate... so easy to put under my command. This Kingdom will fall in due time.")
Ophelia smiled, albeit barely, already planning her next course of action.
"Do you remember anything, dear?" Sophie, still standing in the room, sat beside Ophelia.
"I-I'm afraid not... mother... my memory is all blurry." Ophelia held her head in false pain, pretending to ache. "The only thing I can remember was being killed by... Tanimoto..."
Sophie scowled at her response, gripping the sheets atop the mattress.
"Do not worry... dear... I'll make sure that fake hero pays for his crimes! He will be executed immediately at dawn, no ifs or buts!"
King Jubilius also appeared upset at this revelation, but also concerned.
"Things are only getting worse." Proclaimed the King, crossing his arms while staring at the floor in deep thought. "If we lose another hero... who truly knows if we can defeat the Eater of Worlds? But... he deserves it! He will pay for his crimes."
Alicia stood still, her face still riddled with shock.
"We'll make sure of it..." Said Sophie, gripping Ophelia's hand. "Hero or not, you're more important to us, Ophelia!"
("Naturally, Mother. The first step to conquering this world is wrapping you lot around my finger like puppet strings")
"He killed everyone... and I only tried to stop him..." Ophelia closed her eyes, torn apart by everything. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, but she brushed them aside.
King Jubilius approached Sophie's side, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.
"We must let her rest, dear, the physician said she needs sleep to recover."
Sophie lowered her head in shame before nodding.
"We are proud of you, my sweet Ophelia. You were born only yesterday, and yet you know right from wrong! You only did what was right and tried saving everyone." Sophie kept a grip on her daughters hand before standing up with a big smile. "Please get some rest, you need it my sweet child."
Ophelia nodded as King Jubilius smiled, visibly proud of his heir.
"Thank you, Mother and Father." Ophelia smiled as they nodded their heads before walking off.
Alicia followed behind them, still in shock as she took one last glance at Ophelia, now leaving the room.
("Hm? No words from Alicia, huh? Is she overthinking? Could it be she found out... who I am? No, that's illogical. Perhaps she's experiencing shock. The only one overthinking things right now is me.")
20 minutes later, when the chamber cleared out to allow Ophelia proper rest, the princess sat alone on her bed gazing out her window.
("Tanimoto is now captured by the hands of Royalty... there is no escape for that swine. Everyone has turned against him and wants to see him dead. Finally... I can watch him suffer like a cockroach beneath my boot!")
Ophelia felt a rush of euphoria bloom in her chest.
There was a cruel, satisfaction as she envisioned Tanimoto rotting in that dark cell. The image of his terrified face, and knowing he'll die, made her lips curl into a delighted smile.
Finally, justice... her justice, was being served! And the world would never suspect the puppet strings in her hands.
"I wonder..." She whispered to herself, smiling ominously. "Should I visit him before his execution and laugh in his face? It would be delightful to see his bewildered look."
The door suddenly creaked open in front of her as a familiar face walked in. "You're still awake, sister...?" It was Alicia. "I didn't want to sleep… not until I saw you again."
Her voice was soft and cautious as she hesitated to move forward.
Alicia finally stepped into the room with nervous fingers wringing together. Her eyes were also red, indicating she was crying.
"You've already seen me." Ophelia replied lightly. "Should I pose?"
"Huh? You're such a brat." Alicia's voice cracked despite the scolding words as she chuckled. Her eyes were shown with tears, but she quickly wiped them away, embarrassed. "I thought you were gone forever. You stopped breathing, your skin went cold, and—"
"I am fine my dear sister, do not worry about me, I'll recover in no time."
Alicia didn't answer. She walked to the bed, hesitated only once, and then sat beside her sister on the mattress's edge. Their shoulders nearly touched.
"I hated seeing you like that." Alicia muttered, on the verge of crying just from thinking about it. "Lying there like... like a doll someone threw away."
"I always assumed everyone would be happy if I disappeared." Ophelia said calmly. Her eyes scanned Alicia's face, not with malice, but something far sadder. "I was only born yesterday, and yet Mother and Father are receiving backlash from the public. They say I'm some sort of witch, or resurrection of some evil demon lord, considering I grew up so fast."
"That's not true, and you know it!"
Ophelia was lying. No one ever said such a thing. Pity from others is all that she desired. Needless to say, it was pity play.
It allowed her to control others, gain power, or extract resources. Such tactics were often subtle and could be very effective, because most people are naturally empathetic and want to help those who are suffering.
Ophelia was a genius mastermind, thanks to the nature of Chaos.
"Humu." Ophelia chuckled as her lips curled faintly into a smile. "Death makes everyone so soft."
"No, it makes me honest!" Alicia replied, a little too quickly.
"Very well." Ophelia closed her eyes, nodding her head. "Do not spend so much time in here with me, I am fine, Alicia, go enjoy the festival before the ceremony."
Alicia lifted her brows before gazing out the window, seeing how it was becoming evening.
The ceremony for the heroes was going to start very soon.
"Yes… you're right, I must attend the ceremony next to mother." Alicia stood up from the bed, but not before planting a kiss on Ophelia's forehead.
"Oh?" Ophelia widened her eyes, taken aback by such affection. Despite their sibling connection… something else stirred deeply inside her chest.
"I'll return soon, Ophelia, please sleep well."
"I look forward to it…" Muttered the princess.