The king's hand shook as he tried to process the truth in front of him. He took another step forward, his voice barely above a whisper. "You... you're my daughter. But how are you so... grown? And what have you done to your appearance?" The king stumbled backward, his eyes darting between Ophelia and the fallen guards. He couldn't deny the truth any longer, but he refused to believe it. "You were a child just this morning!"
Alicia looked at Ophelia with a mixture of awe and fear, her mind scrambling to find an explanation. "Perhaps she has inherited some sort of special skill. One that allows her to age rapidly?"
Ophelia smirked, enjoying the shocked expressions on their faces. She crossed her arms, the fabric of her dress shifting elegantly with each movement.
"You're right, Alicia. It is a intrinsic skill I was born with—the ability to age rapidly and overcome my weakness as an infant. I am no longer the newborn you once knew. I've grown into a woman." Ophelia couldn't believe there was an explanation for something so absurd, but then again, she was living in a world where magic and skills existed. All logic was thrown out the window.
"Ehehe, that explains it then! My little sister is more special than I initially thought!" Alicia seemed to be piecing things together with a smile. Her eyes darted between Ophelia and Invidia, unable to believe what she was seeing, but accepting it nonetheless. "Our family sure is one of a kind, huh?" Alicia was awestruck, but her voice was firm. "I've heard of such cases in other kingdoms. Intrinsic skills that allow newborns to mature quickly. But I never thought..."
Ophelia laughed, the sound echoing through the hall. She raised her hand, and a spark of magic danced between her fingers. "Ohoho! I was merely born lucky! A little change in our family lineage shouldn't hurt, no?"
The king took a tentative step forward, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. He reached out a shaking hand toward Ophelia. "My daughter... all grown up..." Ophelia watched her father's emotional reaction with mixed feelings. Part of her wanted to reject his love, to show him how much he had hurt her in the past, but another part didn't mind receiving some form of care.
The king embraced Ophelia tightly as tears finally fell down his cheeks. He held her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, oblivious to her disgusted expression. Ophelia stood stiffly in his arms, her heart torn between anger and confusion.
Alicia watched the scene with a complicated expression, her eyes flickering between Ophelia's face and Invidia's watchful stance, but she adored it nonetheless.
"My beautiful daughter... you've grown into such a fierce young woman already." The king pulled back, cupping Ophelia's face in his hands. Ophelia twitched in her brow, watching the tears roll down his cheek, though she sighed and accepted it.
Alicia slowly stepped forward, her own eyes glistening with emotion. She stopped beside them and gently reached out to pat Ophelia's head—a small smile playing on her lips. "Ehehe, would you look at that? My little sister is taller than me now." Ophelia blinked, caught off guard by Alicia's playful gesture. She hadn't expected this kind of reaction from either of them, though she willingly accepted Alicia's kindness, remembering everything she had done for her in the past.
"It seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Both my daughters are destined for greatness."
Ophelia could feel her heart swell with affection as she looked at Alicia. Despite everything, she couldn't help but remember the kindness and support she had given her in her past life as Yuto. "I may be tall, but it is you who has more beauty." Ophelia took Alicia's hand which made the princess widen her eyes. Seemingly out of nowhere, she pressed her lips against her soft hand in a chaste kiss. The action was small, but it carried the weight of love.
"Oh! T-There is no need for that, sister, you're also a princess just like me…" Alicia blushed slightly at the unexpected gesture but didn't pull away. She squeezed Ophelia's hand, feeling a certain warmth in her heart that wouldn't come from a sibling.
The king watched the interaction with curiosity while Invidia observed silently from behind.
"It matters not. You're deserving of such respect, even if it's from a sibling, my dear sister." Ophelia straightened up, her expression carefully neutral as she maintained her composure. She might have been more open with her feelings in her past life, but now she had to be cautious with her emotions since she was part of the family.
The king cleared his throat, as he wiped away his tears, finally taking notice of Envy and Wrath once again. "Ophelia, my dear, who are these... companions of yours? And what exactly is going on here?" Invidia stepped forward, bowing respectfully to the king. Wrath, having calmed down, also moved closer, their form casting a shadow over the scene.
Ophelia raised an eyebrow at her father's question, her tone cool and controlled. "These are my loyal companions. Behind me is Envy, and behind you is Wrath. As for what happened, Wrath tends to lose her cool a lot. She just needs guidance, father." Even though what she said was a lie, part of it was true. These Cardinal Sins did need guidance of some kind, otherwise, they'd be living without personality and only exist to serve her. While that may seem pleasant, it's not what Ophelia exactly wanted.
"Wrath... that monster killed my men!" He frowned, glaring at Ulysses from behind as she scowled back at him like like a beast. Jubilius was enraged, but such anger would make him cough like a madman, feeling his body become groggy.
Alicia placed a hand on her father's arm, trying to calm him down. "Father, please listen. Ophelia has clearly grown into someone with extraordinary power if she can command these two. We should hear her out, and besides, you're ill, you can't be getting upset."
Ophelia heard Alicia say that their father had been ill once before, but this was the second time. It must've been serious.
"Father is ill? What sort of illness if I may ask?"
"Father's health has been declining recently. He's been experiencing serious Mana Cancer, and it's been wearing him down."
"Mana cancer?" Asked Ophelia with curious eyes.
"Yes." Nodded Alicia, holding onto their father. "Mana Cancer is extremely dangerous. Father has fought a powerful Hexbeast in the past who threatened to destroy the Ambrosia Kingdom. These creatures are created by high levels of concentrated mana, and often feed on other lifeforms nucleus', but without proper protection, they can give you this cancerous disease."
"I'll be fine…" The king attempted to protest, but Alicia shushed him gently.
"It's true, Father. The healers of Ambrosia have been saying you need to rest more." Ophelia studied her father closely, noting the slight tremor in his hands and the dark circles under his eyes. She hadn't realized how weak he was—the only logical conclusion was that he'd been hiding it.
"What does this Mana Cancer do?" Asked Ophelia with a finger against her chin in thought.
Alicia, saddened by her question, averted her gaze. "It's a cancerous disease that slowly eats away at the body, soul, and sometimes even the nucleus if it's not treated properly. It's also known to cause informational overload, which sometimes causes outright death. Luckily, we have expert healers who saved Father and prevented it from getting any worse." Alicia smiled, albeit briefly, as realization dawned upon her. "Though it seems to not be helping…"
All living things had a nucleus, and lifeforms were known to collect mana with it. Sometimes referred to as a specialized metaphysical organ that exist for maintaining and absorbing mana from the atmosphere into their bodies, as well as managing their useful conversion and release, the Nucleus was important in the arts of magic.
Magic is the art of projecting your ideas into reality in the form of a spell. There were three main universal components for performing the arts of magic. One was the mind, two was the soul, and three was the nucleus.
The mind is where Willpower is exerted. Without willpower, one cannot give shape to their ideas and perform the spell.
The soul is the gateway for mana to release. Mana comes from the nucleus, but it needs a way to exit the nucleus without causing accidental Informational overload to the user, or other repercussions, that's where the soul comes in. The soul allows mana to travel from the nucleus in small quantities, or however much the user is trying to manifest, allowing them to then control it with their willpower. It acts somewhat like a stabilizing gateway.
Meanwhile, the Nucleus was the container. It was a Metaphysical Organ that held mana inside of it, allowing the user to bring out however much they want.
Some ideas that a magician would want to project require mana. Absurd, and complex ideas require high levels of mana, while simple and coherent ideas require less.
Since mana was purely information of the world, too much of that information caused King Jubilius to become weaker as a result, thanks to the powerful Hexbeast he battled in the past.
"Hm, I see." Ophelia's expression remained neutral, but her mind was racing with possibilities. She could see the opportunity here - her father's illness would leave a power vacuum, and with her newfound powers and loyal companions... she could take over the throne.
Alicia continued, her voice filled with genuine concern. "I'm afraid the healers of Ambrosia don't know how much longer he can continue ruling the Kingdom, I worry for our future."
The king tried to speak again, but his voice came out weak and raspy. "I'm fine... I just need to rest..."
Ophelia took a step closer to her father, studying him carefully. She placed a hand on his forehead, pretending to check his temperature. "Oh, father… I'm sorry for what you have to go through." Inside, she was calculating. She could feel the weight of the throne already, and the potential of ruling without interference. But she maintained her facade of concern, gently supporting her father as he swayed unsteadily.