As the early morning sun peeked through her curtains, Horatia's eyes flew open as she looked up at the ceiling with wide eyes.
Sitting up in bed, she turned to look at the spellbook sitting on her nightstand. If she really focused, she swore she could hear a tiny voice coming from the book telling her to open it.
It was infuriating.
Grabbing the book, she buried herself under the covers and looked at the cover of the spellbook once again. For a book that only covered the basics of magic, the pretty letters made her think that mages must be very wealthy to bother making such an intricate cover.
Tracing the lettering over and over, Horatia struggled with the idea of opening the book. But at the same time, she also felt guilty that Mabel went through so much trouble to acquire it.
If I try to use magic, will I really be cursed like Miss Mabel says? Is reading the spells the same as using magic? If I do get cursed, does that mean I'll be double-cursed since I'm already a wendigo?
It was too much.
Throwing the covers off her head, Horatia slid off her bed and looked around her room.
Scanning her bedroom, she tried to think of where a good hiding place might be when an idea appeared in her mind.
Opening her closet door, she walked in to see the rows of clothes and shoes she owned. Being a Marquess' daughter had its perks, she supposed.
Grabbing one of her many shoeboxes, she opened it to see a pair of small purple heels. "When did I get these?" Muttering under her breath, she stared at the shoes in confusion before shrugging and throwing them to the side.
Placing her book into the now-empty shoe box, she decided to mark its place by leaving one of her red ribbons on top of the box before placing it into the far corner of her closet.
Feeling a wave of guilt, she stared at the box for a few more seconds before sighing and standing up. "Sorry, Miss Mabel. But I really don't want Father or anyone else to find out and have you get in trouble because of my request."
…
After somehow managing to get through another insufferable family mealtime, Horatia found herself in the library once again.
Even though her formal education hadn't yet started, Mabel taught her how to read and write, and now, Horatia often found herself wandering around the long bookshelves whenever there was nothing else for her to do.
The library, in Horatia's opinion, was a wonderful place. Her father must have put a lot of effort into designing it because, as she absentmindedly ran her fingers along the spines of the books, she couldn't help but admire the cozy atmosphere of the library.
However, she's not here to admire the library today.
As she browsed the shelves, Horatia tried to find any books related to magic. Even if she didn't yet want to risk opening the spellbook, she was confident that there was at least one magic-related book in the library.
At least she hoped.
Miss Mabel mentioned once that magic has always been a big part of the empire's history. So maybe it's in some history books?
Managing to find the history section, Horatia couldn't help but grimace as she saw the size of the books.
"They're huge!" Looking at them in awe, Horatia managed to pull one off the bottom shelf and scan the title. "T-The Revo-Revo.." Furrowing her brow, Horatia struggled to pronounce the words and sighed in frustration.
"Do you need assistance, my lady?" Turning around to see who was behind her, she saw that it was Allerton. And for once, she was grateful that he was around.
Pointing to one of the words in the title of the book, she nodded. "I don't know what this word is, Mister Allerton. Can you help me?"
Crouching down so he's at her level, Allerton scanned the title and pointed to the word. "This, my lady, is the word revolution. Would you like to try saying it yourself?"
Nodding, Horatia looked at the word again and tried to slowly sound it out loud. "Rev-Revolution?" Looking up at Allerton, she smiled as he nodded in approval before she looked back at the book to read the entire title.
"The Revolution of the Curia Empire?" Scanning the title, Horatia couldn't help but frown.
Isn't that place to the south of our empire? I feel like I've read about this place before.
Sensing Horatia's discomfort, Allerton gently took the book from her hands and flipped through the pages. "This is quite an advanced book, my lady. Are you perhaps looking for a particular book about the Curia Empire?"
Shaking her head, Horatia turned away to look at the bookshelves, suddenly feeling a bit intimidated because of the large number. "Not about that place in particular. I was actually looking for a book about magic…"
Realizing what she said, she turned to look at Allerton and hastily waved her hands in the air, and she tried to explain herself.
"It's not what you think, Mister Allerton! It really isn't! The other kids at the fancy parties Father hosts always talk about magic! And I just wanted to learn about so I can talk to them about it too."
Looking away, she felt so nervous that she gripped the fabric of her dress tightly.
If Mister Allerton finds out what I'm hiding, then he'll definitely tell Father! I really can't let that happen!
Forcing herself to look back up at him, she gave him a nervous smile.
A tense few seconds passed before Allerton smiled and stood up. "I see. Despite the rules in place, your father does have some books on magic. However, I can allow you to read a select few."
Extending his hand for her to grab, he led her over to a section at the back of the library. "As long as you come and ask me for permission, I have no problem letting you read the ones you're allowed to have. So don't hesitate to come to me next time, my lady."
Looking at him with wide eyes as Horatia followed him, she managed to smile back at him and nod eagerly. "Alright! Next time, I'll ask you lots and lots of questions!"
Pleased with herself, Horatia couldn't help but think that everything was going quite smoothly.
Mister Allerton is nicer than I thought! It must just be his face that makes me nervous. Maybe I can ask him next time if Father won't mind letting me read some of the bigger books!
…
With her newly acquired book in hand, Horatia roamed the halls of the estate as she tried to find a good place to sit down and read.
Glancing out one of the windows, her eyes widened in surprise, and as she moved closer to get a better look, she saw that it had started to snow.
"It looks so pretty…some snowflakes look so sparkly!" Admiring the scenery, the sound of footsteps turned her attention away from the scenery, and as she turned around to see who it was, she saw her father standing behind her.
Standing awkwardly in front of her, the Marquess cleared his throat before motioning to the book in her hand. "Does that topic interest you? Are you interested in it? In magic, that is."
Oh, is that why he's here? Mister Allerton must've told him already. That was fast.
Feeling a bit disappointed, Horatia nodded. "Whenever you host parties, that's all the other kids ever talk about. So I thought that if I learned about magic, then I could also talk about it with them."
As her father looked down at her, Horatia struggled to figure out what he was thinking. He was always hard to read. Sometimes when she looked at the statues in the garden, she couldn't help but compare her father to the ones that had emotionless expressions.
As if he'd figured something out, her father, with a now very solemn expression, looked down at her. "Listen now, Horatia. While it's good to be interested in new things, we have a duty. Bearing the sins of our ancestors, we must never wield magic."
Tilting her head to the side, Horatia couldn't help but look at her father with a confused expression. "Because we'll then be double-cursed?"
Furrowing his brow, the Marquess looked at his daughter with a confused look. "Double-cursed? No, it's forbidden to use magic because we as wendigo must suppress our monstrous instincts at all costs. Even if it means that we cannot enjoy the luxuries of magic. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes, father.." Smiling, Horatia nods her head.
Pleased with himself, the Marquess cleared his throat and patted her on the head. "That's good. Just keep that in mind whenever you're reading about magic."
Watching her father walk away, Horatia's smile turned into a grimace as she wondered if what had just occurred had actually happened or not.
So, a wendigo doesn't get double-cursed if they use magic?