Chapter — The Awakening of Elea
Mis, 20 Ves 910 Aven — 9:00
The morning rays filtered through the silk curtains, subdued, almost respectful, settling gently on the light marble of a luxurious room where everything seemed to have found its place a long time ago.
A perfect order.
A muffled silence.
In the center of the room sat a large bed with immaculate sheets, large and welcoming.
Lying in his heart lay a young girl.
His body was calm, his breathing regular.
Her hair already told an impossible story:
on the left, a pure white, luminous, almost unreal;
on the right, a deep, dense black, like a starless night.
To the left of the bed, the window let in light, separated from it by a chest of drawers with sober lines, made up of six drawers with silver handles.
Opposite the bed stood a spacious, almost empty wardrobe, accompanied by a basket overflowing with neatly folded clothes.
To the right, another chest of drawers, leaning against a mirror, held combs, brushes and small mirrors, silent witnesses of an intimacy to come.
The young girl woke up.
His eyelids quivered, then his right eye slowly opened:
a crimson red iris, split with a gold cross, around a pupil of the same hue.
Then the left eye followed:
a yellow-gold iris crossed by a white cross, encircling a crimson pupil.
She was fully awake.
A moment of surprise flashed in his eyes, a brief disorientation... then everything came back.
The memories lined up.
The pain.
The test.
Survival.
She took a deep breath, regaining her composure.
Objectively, the situation was not that unpleasant.
She fell back into the bed, letting her thoughts drift.
This bed is dangerous...
He's too sweet. It makes you want to let your guard down.
But can I really close both eyes, when in the shadows my end could come at any moment?
I don't know all my enemies yet.
She stayed like that for several minutes, hugging the pillow against her with an almost childish tenderness, before pulling herself together.
She stood up.
His gaze traveled around the room, then stopped on his reflection in the wardrobe mirror.
His hair was messy.
She walked closer, observing her image in silence, before noticing the basket full of clothes next to it.
The strangeness of the thing brushed against her... but she paid no attention to it.
She walked around the bed to the right and opened the bathroom door.
The cold marble beneath her feet surprised her.
Everything was immaculate.
Too clean.
As if no one had ever set foot there.
She turned on the hot water tap, tested the temperature with her toe, then slowly stepped into the bath.
The heat enveloped him immediately, loosening his muscles, soothing his bruised body.
A sigh of relief escaped him.
The bath is sacred…
Along with music, art and sport, that's what relaxes me the most.
She stayed like that for about thirty minutes, letting the water do its work.
Once out, still slightly soaked, she went to the dresser, took out a hair dryer and let the heat run through her hair, penetrating to her scalp.
The feeling was comforting.
Comb and brush in hand, she styled her hair while softly whistling a familiar melody.
Dressed a few minutes later, she wore a tight long-sleeved top covering her neck, a short sleeveless navy blue jacket, black jeans falling over matching sneakers, worn over dark red socks.
A half-high black hat topped his head.
On his wrist, a black watch with a white jade bracelet.
Around her neck, a silver necklace representing a Möbius ribbon, slipped under her top.
She left the room through the door by the wardrobe and walked down the hallway.
A long red carpet with rectilinear patterns stretched out in front of her.
The mansion was huge: five floors, a hundred rooms, twenty per level.
The dining room was at the bottom, accessible only by a wide central marble staircase.
She went downstairs.
His steps sounded soft, regular, measured.
She walked without haste, with a natural, almost majestic grace.
Arriving on the ground floor, she faced the large exit door.
On the left, the kitchen.
On the right, Caesar's office.
Behind her, two large doors framed the staircase.
She turned and opened one.
Light invades space.
The two doors opened onto a large dining room.
A huge table, capable of accommodating around fifty guests, occupied the center.
Large windows let in so much light that the five chandeliers — one central and four cardinal — remained useless.
At the head of the table was Caesar.
Aliss sat down on the third chair on the left.
Caesar greeted her with a slight smile.
She replied.
— Welcome home, dear little girl.
And if you're wondering...welcome to Elea, the place we were before.
- How so ? Aliss asked.
— This is where the children of the main line grew up... like your father, in the past.
Today, it is just a vacation home for them.
He paused, amused.
— You are sitting in exactly the same place as him.
This little brat… incredible, isn't it?
But this proves that you are his daughter.
You inherited his instinct — to choose the place where he feels safe.
His gaze became softer.
— Perhaps it's his paternal love that still guides you… don't you think?
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