Chapter 3: What’s?
7 years later
Seven years have passed since Roro's miraculous birth. The tiny baby with blonde hair and golden eyes has grown into a bright and vibrant toddler. She got a new family, a new name, and a new world. She grew up in a huge palace, with many servants to serve her at all times. Everything she needed was always available.
In the new world, Roro had a new name given to her by her father whom she had never seen in her 7 years of life , namely Genevieve. However, as long as she could live comfortably with her mother, Roro would not blame her father's absence. After all, her mother never once told her about her father, but one thing is for sure, Roro here realises that she was reincarnated in a noble family, more precisely, Roro was born as the child of an archduke. She realises that she is blue-blooded, as well as the daughter of a wealthy ruler.
After several years of living in the palace with her mother Giselle, Roro finally managed to overcome the language barrier in the world she was born into. She can understand and communicate fluently despite her young age. As someone who came from a different world, language was a big challenge for Roro. She felt frustrated because it was difficult for her to understand the intentions of the people around her. Therefore, for Roro, learning the language she was born in became a necessity. When Roro finally managed to master the language, it was the first significant achievement for her since she arrived in this new world.
Since Roro was born into a new world, one that was so foreign to a Roro who came from the modern world before, she felt that there were so many things she needed to get used to. Starting from getting used to being a high-class noble, how nobles behave, and the things that nobles usually do.
So even though Roro has managed to master the language, she feels that the world is still full of things that are hard to understand. Language is only the first entry point into the complexity of her new world. Roro also realised that as a noble, she had to learn to adapt to the demands of her title and status.
Since the age of 5, Genevieve had received intensive lessons in the manners, customs and etiquette that prevailed among the nobility. She learnt how to walk gracefully, speak politely, and maintain a demeanour befitting her status. Every day, she was mentored by experienced tutors, who taught her about etiquette and the norms to follow.
Genevieve sometimes felt exhausted by the high demands and discipline. But her own mother also told her that she had to attend every exercise. Her mum also often told her that this was just trivial learning, which every other noble child did as well.
"Ugh!, I'm tired", said Genevieve in a Weak voice.
"What's so hard about it Genevieve?", asked Genevieve's mother from across the hall.
"Oops", Genevieve was surprised by her mother's sudden question. "N-nothing mum", Genevieve responded nervously.
"Oh, really?", her mother was still curious about what her daughter was muttering.
"Yes!...it's nothing important. By the way, why did you come to my room?", Genevieve asked with the intention of changing the subject.
"I'm here to give you my dear child's daily medicine", her mother replied with a smile.
"That medicine again! You know how much I dislike that medicine, don't you? It makes me weak and lethargic.", replied Genevieve with a tone of displeasure and opposition.
"Come on Genevieve. You should take this medicine every day, it's good for you", said her mother as she handed her a glass filled with the medicine.
"Ugh!", cried Roro as she asked about the benefits of the medicine her mum had given her.
"If I'm being honest, this is a small dose of poison that will increase your immunity to poison", her mother finally revealed the truth about the medicine.
"Poison?!", Genevieve gasped in surprise.
Little did she know that the medicine her mother had been giving her was poison. Genevieve just couldn't believe it, how could her mum give her poison on a daily basis without a care in the world.
"How can you give me poison every day!", Genevieve said in an emotional tone.
"I know you're smart Genevieve, I just want you to be safe".
"Safe from what mum!,...isn't there anything that can threaten me because I'm the Archduke's daughter!"
"That's why you're not safe Genevieve, you were born into the Arcduke of Alberd's family" Giselle's face looked worried and tense.
"Where the Archduke of Alberd is the symbol of the Emperor's shadow. Where we are required to always protect the Emperor from all kinds of threats. We will never be safe, even in our own families there is also a rivalry where we will kill each other to see how far we can survive." Giselle said with her eyes reflecting the anxiety and uncertainty that Genevieve had seen for the first time.
"What competition mum?...why do we have to compete and kill each other?", Genevieve asked with a serious face.
"You see, my child, there will always be competition in this family. Even you will be involved in this rivalry soon. Where this rivalry must force you to fight with your fellow brothers and sisters."
"What, rivalry between... brothers and sisters? Do I have brothers and sisters?", Genevieve asked with her eyes wide open, as if surprised at what her mother had told her.
Genevieve had never realised that she had siblings before. To be honest, she had been living in the castle alone with her mother and the servants for a long time. She was never allowed to leave the castle grounds.
"Yes Genevieve, you have half-brothers and sisters." Genevieve's mother replied with a difficult face and a flat voice.
"Wh...what?... half-brothers and sisters?,That means my father had another wife and another child?" Genevieve asked again with an angry face.
"That's right. Your father had other wives, four to be exact. Each wife has their own children."
"WHAT!....dad has 4 wives!, and each of them has their own child!", screamed Genevieve with a flushed face with her eyes directly on her mother's eyes.
"....." Her mum just silent.
Genevieve could only get angry with her mum's silence. Genevieve's anger was unstoppable, her hands clenched into fists and she bit her own mouth. Genevieve never imagined her family would be like this since she was given a second life in another world. She was absolutely furious with the truth her mother had suddenly told her. Genevieve's emotions were unstoppable.
"GET OUT!,...GET OUT!,...Get out of my room!", Genevieve shouted angrily at her mother.
"Genevieve..."
Hearing the angry screams of her daughter who had always been cheerful and happy with her broke her heart. Her heart was not strong enough to deal with the current situation. Then with a face full of regret, Giselle left the room of her child who was currently very angry with her. She could only hope to make up with her daughter soon.
**
"Huft...huft..."
After Genevieve saw her mother leave as soon as possible from her room, she quickly closed the door to her room. By now Genevieve was feeling very shaken by everything her mother had said earlier. She tried to calm down and cool her head.
"Half-brother&sister, huh?"
Genevieve thought back to what her mother had said. She had never been told anything about her family by her mother, she only knew that she was a noble. It was as if her mother was trying to hide everything about her family from Genevieve. It was like her mum
like her mother was keeping a lot of secrets that would not be revealed to her.
'Maybe I should ask Mum at dinner about her family... I'll tell her to reveal everything' Genevieve thought.
Genevieve was going to ask her mum everything tonight. It was going to be a night of revelations for Genevieve, where she would get all the answers straight from her mum. This time Genevieve would listen to the truth without involving her emotions, so that she could digest everything her mum had to say.
****
When day turns to night, the sun finally disappears. The moment Genevieve had been waiting for finally arrived. She couldn't wait to hear the truth about everything at the dinner table.
Genevieve walked to the table in her blue dress. She decided to come early to dinner. After arriving at the dining room, Genevieve sat down in her chair. From a young age Genevieve had always eaten dinner with just her mum at a very large long table. There were many empty chairs around where she and her mother sat, including the one for her father.
"Do my stepbrothers&stepsis feel the same way I do?"
While Genevieve was thinking about her brothers and sisters, her mother Giselle had already arrived at the dining room. Giselle then sat down where she usually sat. When Giselle sat down, she looked at her daughter's face with a guilty look. She felt that she had given her daughter a burden.
Realising that Giselle's mother was in front of her, Genevieve immediately looked into Giselle's eyes and spontaneously spoke, "Hello mum, I'm sorry for what I did this afternoon. I am now in a stable condition. Can you tell me about our family, and how I came to have a stepmother, stepbrother, and a stepsister?".
Her mum, who had been looking at Genevieve, then realised how important it was for her to reveal what her family was like.
"Well Genevieve, I'm going to tell you everything I know about your father's family. I'm going to explain everything from the beginning, and I'm also going to explain what your mother and your other half-sisters&brother are like".
Giselle's mouth began to move up and down, revealing the truth to Genevieve at the dinner table. Giselle told her about the rules of the family, as well as how many half-sisters&brother she had and their names. Not only that, her mother began to reveal about the origins of her mother's family, how her mother married her father, and the reason why her mother gave her poisonous drugs every day. Giselle also continued to answer Genevieve's questions, answering each one with the whole truth, until time passed. She didn't realise that hours had passed. Giselle, knowing this, immediately ended their conversation.
Each of them returned to her room accompanied by her servants. Geneviéve, who was escorted to her room by her servants, immediately told them to leave. Geneviéve locked all the doors and windows, then walked straight to her bed.
In bed she looked at the painting above her and thought about all the information she had received from her mother. In her mind she realised that the first thing she had to do was survive in this family.
This family had various rules for all its descendants, including rules that required its descendants to undergo extreme training. Where the extreme training requires each descendant of the Archduke to risk her life, this test is used to test the eligibility of each descendant. From what her mother told her, Genevieve had to take part in the training when she was 8 years old. Since this training involved lives at stake, her mother Giselle tried to increase Genevieve's chances of survival by giving her immunity to poison.
'How horrible is this descent training? .... that mum gives me poison every day, just to make me immune to poison'-thought Genevieve while holding tightly to her pillow, 'I have to survive until the end of the descent test anyway' said Genevieve in her heart with a strong determination to survive.
Genevieve finally thought about everything that her mother had said. In Genevieve's mind, she never expected her second life to be like this. There were many family problems, a half-sister&brother she never knew about, hereditary tests, and the origins of her family. Then, without realising it, she fell asleep on her own. Genevieve slept with her big pillow in her hand, she slept very soundly.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone