Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Father’s Study

When Julia entered the garden she was mesmerized. The garden itself was well taken care of, all the flowers and shrubs have been trimmed, watered, and in orderly spots. Tobias had taken purchase underneath a purple willow tree. He was all by himself reading aloud his book, even giving the characters voices. only stopping to eat a bit of his sandwich. Julia was nervous to disrupt his entertaining reading session but she took the initiative. 

She tip-toed her way behind the tree, “What are you reading?” She poked her head down at her brother. 

Tobias jumped out of his skin, letting out a small yelp too.

Julia took a seat next to him, “Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to know what you were reading.”

“Uh- no you are okay Julia… I’m reading a book about pirates and their adventures at sea!” At first, he was scared to speak to Julia but when he talked about his book his eyes lit up.

“Well tell me about the pirates and their adventured at sea,” Julia smiled at Tobias, she herself an avid reader was excited to hear more about what book this was and Tobias’s interests.

Tobias happily explained the plot of his book up until the point where Julia interrupted him. He got really into it and even acted on some of the scenes. He did get a little embarrassed when he mentioned the romance between the the ship’s doctor and the first mate. But Julia laughed it off with him. 

“When did you like books Julia?” Tobias innocently asked Julia.

Julia panicking on the inside responds with, “I just picked it up and I’ve been wanting someone to read with,” she smiled.

Lies.

“Oh, well I’ve always wanted a reading buddy! Hey do you want to act out this scene with me?” Surprising Tobias is fine with Julias answer.

“Sure what’s happening?” Julia leans over to read some of the text.

“So! The captain, Marty, is being betrayed by one of his friends. That friend being Alex, who I already told you about their crazy history with Marty,” Tobias leans over and rolls his eyes when he talked about Alex.

“Yes I know about Alex, he wants the treasure to make himself the king of the oceans while Marty wants to help his friends and save the ocean from bad people like Alex, did I get that right?”

“Yes, you did thank you for paying attention. Okay back to where I was, oh yes the cave of despair! Who do you want to read? Alex or Marty?” Tobias asked while handing the book to Julia.

“I’ll play Alex, playing the villain can be fun sometimes,” Julias smiles.

“Yeah sure Julia,” Tobias said unamused. “Then I’ll be Marty, we should get some sticks for our swords and I can use my picnic basket for treasure.”

“Alright, do you need the book to read from?” Julia asked.

“Nope! I know the book by heart by now!” Tobias posted.

Julia let out a little laugh as she saw Tobias’s face, he was very proud of the fact he memorized his book better than his own school work. Julia begin studying the book for what she was meant to do, then something stood out to her. The terminology used in the fight was one that was familiar to her. It was fencing, the very thing she was going to the Olympics for. Tobias came back after a few minutes with two sticks that were long enough to be considered swords but not as deadly.

“Ready Julia?” Tobias asked Julia, stick at the ready.

Julia copied his stance and nodded to him.

While Tobias put himself into position, albeit a sloppy one compared to Julia whose muscle memory was still retained even though she was in a different body.  

“Hey tell me when you’re ready okay Julia?” Tobias shouted.

Julia’s head was still studying the book but give him a simple thumbs up. For a good few minutes, Julia was muttering to herself about the positions Marty and Alex were fighting in, from what she could tell it was a free for all on where the swords hit, or as she would know as Épée.

“Lunge, attack, dodge, Perry, then counter-attack. Seems simple enough,” Julia mutters. “Okay all done!!” She shouts to Tobias.

Tobias’s ears perked right up again, which caused him to fall back into position.

He clears his throat, “Ah-ha! Alex it was you who stole the treasure!” 

Julia was startled a bit by the sudden switch in gears but went along with her brother, “Of course it was me Marty! Who else? You have taken almost everything from me, so it is only logical to take the one thing that will make me king of the seas again!”

“I won’t let you take it!” Tobias shouts, very convincingly.

“Then you will have to fight me old friend!” Julia responds word for word, but not as well as her brother.

Just like in Tobias’s novel Julia makes the first move, lunging forward to try to sweep Tobias off of his balance. Which does work, but sadly it was not scripted. But without missing a beat Tobias pulls himself up going to attack Julia, which Julia dodges with ease and parried her brother's attacks. Julia’s movements are almost quick as lightning compared to Tobias but he still pushes through. By this point, the children's dual Julia abandoned the script by accident. After four long years of just wasting away Julia could fence again, and even better her body still retained the muscle memory from all those years ago.

After a few moments, some of Tobias’s maids had gathered around to watch the children dual. While Tobias had been taking lessons in swordsmanship he wasn’t on the level that Julia was at that moment. And from the knowledge of the maids at the moment, she had never once picked up anything that was sword-like. It was quite the spectacle for everyone to watch.

“Hey, Julia you mind slowing down a bit?” Tobias asks, now completely out of breath.

Julia upon hearing his words snapped out of her trance, “Oh! I'm so sorry Tobias! Here let me help you up,” Julia tosses her stick aside and rushes to her brother's side. “Here one of you maids be useful for once and get him some water,” she commanded the already nervous which they quickly disperse to get Tobias some water and other items.

The crowd of people disperses revealing Ian, Julia and Tobias’s father. He watched the whole battle. But he goes unnoticed by the children.

“I’m sorry Tobias, are you hurt did I hurt you!” Julia bombards Tobias with so many sorries and genuine worry.

Tobias laughs it off, “Hahaha I’m okay Julie, can I call you that? Anywho, you were really cool! How did you learn all that?! Also at this point just call me Tobi,” Tobias chuckles but then goes back to asking her all these questions.

At this point, Ian makes himself known and speaks up, “Yes Julia how did you learn all this?” He asks her.

Julia face turned from a look of worry to pure shock, “Uh… how much of that did you watch father?”

“All of it young lady, I think I need to have a word with you now,” Julia could tell from his tone of voice, her father was not pleased.

“Hey dad I’m okay, don’t get her in trouble please,” Tobias pleads with his father.

“Oh she’s not in trouble, I just need to have a talk with her.”

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Julia got up from the ground and wipes off the dirt from her skirt, “Yes father, let us have a word in your study,” she says with a smile. Julia knows this is the opportunity she has been looking for. She has spoken to Ingrid and Tobias, all that was left her to tackle was to speak to her father, Ian.

 “Hmm, alright let's go Julia,” Ian shoots her intrigued side-eye and begins to walk away expecting her to follow.

“Go on sis, I’ll be fine.”

Julia nodded goes to catch up to her father.

Ian and Julia walked in silence, leaving Julia to wonder if all of her family were this solemn in private. The only thing that was making any noise was Ian’s cane, which was never talked about in the original novel. Most of Julia’s family were lambs to be slaughtered for character motivation. Which Julia saw it as one of the poorly written aspects of the novel.

As per usual Julia was lost in thought and then being stopped in her tracks by Ian who was unlocking his office. His office was much lighter than Ingrids. Instead of dark wood, his office opts for a white and blue look, almost like it was meant to contrast his wife. 

Ian sits down at his desk and begins to speak, “Julia, what is going on with you today?” He asks

“What do you mean father?” Julia answers with a smile on her face.

“For one this morning, you were spacing out and you were calmer than normal. Then you actually went to see your mother and now I see you dueling with Tobias, which is more confusing but we will deal with that later. Don’t think I wouldn’t catch on to you.”

Julia grabs the chair from the corner and drags it over to the desk and seats herself down, now staring her father down. “I had a change of heart, or I woke up so to speak. Mother is slowly dying and I know if I left things unchanged I would regret it, especially after I went into her office and found the letters she sent you while you on a mission, you know the one where you were sent off four months after you were married.”

Ian’s stern father facade broke after Julia mentioned those letters like she struck a nerve. Then he looks down and breaks into laughter. Which took Julia by surprise.

“Haha! You are just like your mother, always snooping around where she shouldn’t have,” Ian smiles at Julia.

“So you aren’t mad at me for the Tobi thing right?” Julia asks more confused at what is happening now.

“On the contrary no I am not, but I wondering how you learned swordsmanship.”

Julia scrambles to think of a logical excuse, more or less giving away that she hadn’t thought this far into her plans, “I uh found time to watch Tobi when he was taking his lessons and just copied him?” She eventually responds but is not very confident in her answer.

Her father just looks at her and sighs, “Sadly that’s how your mother learned too, how about I get you some real lessons before you poke someone's eye out okay?” 

Ingrid knew swordsmanship too?

Julia was happy to hear that she could take real lessons on swords but now to hear that her own mother knew it too, was a little shock for her. But then again the author left many details out about Julia’s family in the main novel. For this to be a real detail the author must have put it down in a note somewhere.

“I thank you father but who will be my teacher? Will I be taught alongside Tobias with his teacher?” Julis asks.

“Of course not, you are too advanced for them at the moment. Besides I need to work out every once in and while so I will train you,” Ian got up and rolled his shoulder as he went to grab his cane. “But seeing as our schedules aren’t exactly in line with each other the training times will differ.”

“Yes, but what about uh that,” Julia gestured to his cane.

“Oh, this? It only acts up every once and a while, so not an issue since it is an old wound.”

Julia looked at her smiling father and then again at the cane, “Well if you know your limits and what and what not to do, I am just fine with this arrangement.”

Ian smiled at her and began to talk about many sword-related things to his daughter. Once all of them regrouped at lunch, Tobias joined in on the conversation. All three of them had a lovely time just talking and making jokes, and just being a family. For once. This continued until the end of dinner when all three of them decided to end their day and regroup tomorrow.

The rest of the day flew by. Julia spent her day with Tobias reading and giggling about the contents of their books. After dinner passed Julia went back to her room, but on the way, she passed the library. She peeked in and matched her enjoyment she saw that no one was there. 

 Julia came into the room with only one section in mind, information on the history of the empire and the goddess. Julia ran her hands across the textbooks' soft spines, the gold lettering glittering in the setting sun. She had favored one thing about this library and it was that it was only one of three libraries that remained uncensored. Meaning that she and her family had access to almostall information without the annoyance of the empire's propaganda. The only other libraries that have such information happened just to be the royal family’s and the church. Both of them are much larger and have a bit more in-depth information on their subjects. Julia’s family just happens to be the smaller in between. After a bit of searching, Julia found the needed books and, feeling satisfied took her books with her back to her room. 

Once she made it back to her room she immediately went to work. She rushed to her desk and cleared off the contents to make room for the copious amounts of research she was going to go through. She spent hours reading her books making annotations on the pages where she needed her information writing things on separate pieces of paper and pinning each to her wall. This consumed her night and her attention, all of this new information fascinated her. Julia was able to learn things that the novel never provided. Things about the goddess and the royal family’s history.

After toiling away for hours into the night, Julia stepped back to look at her work. Seeing dozens upon dozens of notes on her wall all tied together with one central note as a stand-in for the soon-to-be saintess. In which Julia only has five more years until she officially steps into the novel. At the top of the mess is the pile containing all about the church. 

As far as Julia knew the church is meant to be the only thing in the empire that stands for peace and no more bloodshed which they claim is “the will of the goddess”. But the uncensored texts said otherwise. The church acts as a under the table help to the royal family. 

Next was the royal family, it is common knowledge that this empire would be not what it is without the spilled blood of our enemies. But it fails to mention the previous emperor's lust for power and blood, and the fact they spilled anyone blood to get what they want. Which is only the surface of the lore of this world. In the novel the only exception to the horrible emperors was the original male lead himself, Prince Laurence. He was meant to be this symbol of peace and justice after the havoc Julia raised at him and the saintess, and yet according to the previous Julia, he was the one who ruined her life.

“How much longer until the cracks start forming Laurence? How much longer…” Julia muttered to herself.

But a faint rumbling of her stomach ruined Julia’s train of thought. Julia decided it was best to head to the kitchen to get a late-night snack. Julia quickly changed into her nightgown, grabbed a lone candle stick to light her way and then was off. Her trip was very uneventful due to it being so late at night. 

Julia gathered up some leftover loves of bread from dinner and made herself a little cup of tea. While she ate her food in the quiet of the night she could hear two voices in the pantry fighting. Or what sounded like it, it was very muffled, but she could only make out a few words.

“What was that girl doing in her room?!” One male voice said.

“I don’t know but I don’t like her snooping around, it's making our job much worse,” the female voice complained.

“How am I making their job worse?” Julia thought.

“Well just in case she snoops more you better hide it, we don’t need anyone getting suspicious of us, or he will cut off heads,” the man said.

“Suspicious?!” Julia thought again, growing more concerned.

“Yeah yeah, I'll hide her meds behind the flour and we will get it in the morning,” the woman said.

The two agreed with each other, and their voices trailed off, leaving Julia alone in the kitchen. The only thing that Julia could about think was what was behind the flour in the pantry. She rushed to find out when she knew the coast was clear. Once she went inside and she reached her hand behind the large bag of flour at her eye level. Her hand moved around until she felt a small bottle, which she grabbed to bring to her light so she could get a better look at.

Once she brought it to her face, she first noticed its smell. The same smell that has bothered her all day, the same smell of her mothers office, the smell of her mothers so called medicine, the uncomfortable smell of almonds. Its very smell made Julia’s face contort into a look of disgust. She left the kitchen with the bottle in her hand, and as she was walking down the hall she poured the contents onto a near by plant. But she kept the bottle with her as she walked back to her room to turn in for the night.

Unknown to her, once the liquid made contact with the plant it began to slowly wither into a rotten mess.

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