Caerina's laughter echoed through the Navre Marquess's residence. Her parents and brother stared in disbelief as she shared her tale. Sara nearly fainted at the thought of Caerina's misbehavior, unbecoming of a graceful noblewoman.
"You're not feverish, are you?" Nathan reached out to touch Caerina's forehead.
"No, I'm quite well. Why do you ask? Is something amiss?" Caerina's face was the picture of innocent confusion.
"Why have you gone mad suddenly after returning from the dead? Has a god bestowed upon you some sort of blessing?" Nathan inquired.
"Brother, let me tell you one thing." Caerina looked earnestly at Nathan. "I've suffered enough at the hands of Duke Wadson's residence. Do you think I would go back to my old life after such a tragic death?"
Nathan understood the reasoning behind Caerina's behavior.
"I see. You do have a point; indeed, we must seek retribution for Duke Wadson's actions. How dare he harm my only sister."
"But how will you get back at him? Our family's standing is far beneath the Wadsons'," Kledson asked.
Caerina's smirk was sly. "Of course, I'll fight him with wealth. Father and Mother needn't worry. I will make our family the richest around, so no one will dare bother us again."
Various sinister schemes crossed Caerina's mind. A business fanatic, she had solid plans for revenge against Heston and Brenda. They must pay for the role they played in Caerina's demise.
Although her parents didn't grasp the full intent of her words, they supported any plan she had, so long as Caerina didn't put herself in harm's way. For Caerina, that support was all she needed.
"Caerina Navre, nineteen, a young widow untouched. I refuse to resign myself to a dismal life and will rebuild my business from scratch," she murmured, applying her homemade mask to her face.
"Now, let's start with the most important thing. I must examine the kitchen's inventory to improve the bland food at this residence."
Caerina walked out of her room towards the kitchen. Everyone was asleep at this hour, leaving her alone to tend to her personal care.
She inspected each ingredient in the kitchen. There was a lack of salt or spices that would enhance the flavor of the food.
No wonder the meals were always so tasteless. She had heard salt was very expensive, which explained why her family couldn't afford it. "Well then, I'll start with the salt."
Caerina left the kitchen. She had found a new business opportunity. As she reached the end of the hallway, she inadvertently ran into Nathan.
"A ghost!" Nathan cried out in fear, backing away.
Caerina, too, started in surprise at Nathan's cry of a ghost.
"A ghost? Where?" Caerina looked around for the ghost Nathan mentioned.
"Caerina? Is that you?"
Nathan finally calmed down when he heard Caerina's voice. Truthfully, he was startled by her white-masked face.
"Could it be that I'm the 'ghost' you saw?" Caerina asked.
"Yes, it’s you, Caerina. You nearly gave me a heart attack. Also, why are you roaming the mansion looking like that?" Nathan complained.
"I'm just using a mask to treat my acne. Sorry for scaring you, Brother."
"It's alright, I thought you were a ghost."
Nathan steadied his breathing. His heart had been racing. Afterward, they went their separate ways as Nathan had things to attend to, and Caerina returned to her room.
The next day, Caerina scoured the library. She wanted to learn more about the world she lived in.
"So, in this world, people use aura for tasks like fighting and vanquishing undead? I see. It seems I must also learn about aura. My brother and father are aura users; they should be able to teach me."
Caerina decided to meet with Nathan and Kledson, curious about how aura worked. She found them practicing in the training field.
"Father, Brother!" Caerina called out to them as she approached.
"Caerina, what are you doing here?" Kledson asked.
"Can you teach me how to use aura?"
It was an unexpected request! Kledson and Nathan exchanged glances at her plea. The once frail girl who was reluctant to move now wanted to be taught aura use.
"You want to learn to wield aura?"
Caerina nodded vigorously. "Yes, teach me, please."
Her father and brother didn't immediately respond to Caerina's request. They discussed it quietly amongst themselves. Patiently, Caerina waited for their answer.
"Alright, Nathan will teach you how to wield aura," Kledson said.
Caerina was overjoyed at their acceptance of her request. She couldn't wait to start learning aura use.
"When can I begin my training?" Caerina inquired.
"Come to the training field tomorrow morning, but be aware that you shouldn't cry because the training will be difficult," Nathan advised.
"Okay, Brother. I'll be there tomorrow for the training."
True to her word, Caerina arrived at the training field early the next morning, eager to inspect the aura-infused space.
'Though the family has hit financial ruin, the Navre Marquess family possesses a strong command over aura. I can faintly sense an aura stirring within me. And my reason for learning aura is so that I can travel and source key materials for my business ventures,' Caerina contemplated.
After ten minutes, Nathan arrived at the field. He was impressed by his sister's eagerness to master aura control. However, something made Caerina grouse continuously.
"Hurry up, Caerina! Two more laps!"
Gasping for breath, Caerina felt frustrated with being pushed to complete ten laps of the field.
"Damn it! Why is this body so weak?! I used to be quite the athlete, especially running. This is aggravating!"
After running, Caerina rested briefly, then continued with more strenuous exercises. The final training was meditation beneath a waterfall.
"First, I'll show you what aura looks like," said Nathan.
Taking position, Nathan readied to release his aura at a tree. A gentle flash of light emitted from his hand, speeding towards the tree, destroying it. This was very different from magic; aura control was somewhat easier than spellcasting.
"Amazing. Now I’m even more eager to use aura myself." Caerina looked on in admiration at Nathan.
"Yes, now proceed to your last training. I'm sure you can master aura control like Father and me."
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