---
Giovanni was dreaming.
It was a good dream, for once. He was standing in a vast, empty space, and the void behind his ribs was quiet, and nothing was expected of him. No training. No expectations. No—
*"Goo goo ga ga!"*
Giovanni's eyes snapped open.
*"Wakey wakey, little star!"*
He was immediately greeted by a splitting headache and the translucent face of a sixteen-year-old ghost hovering inches from his own. Elizabeth was grinning at him, her sunken eyes sparkling with far too much energy for someone who had literally died.
Giovanni stared at her.
He blinked.
She was still there.
*"Good morning!"* Elizabeth chirped. *"Did you sleep well? You were snoring a little. It was kind of cute, actually. Like a little baby."*
Giovanni's lips twitched.
"First of all," he said, his voice hoarse from sleep, "I do not snore. Second of all, do not call me 'little star.' That is my aunt's name for me. Only my aunt."
Elizabeth's grin widened. *"Nope."*
Giovanni stared at her.
"Nope?"
*"Nope. I'm going to call you whatever I want. Little star. Little diamond. Little grumpy-pants. The options are endless."*
Giovanni let out a tired sigh. He had been awake for less than a minute, and he was already exhausted.
"Do as you please," he muttered, rubbing his temples.
Elizabeth gasped dramatically. *"Really? Just like that? You're giving up already? That's no fun."*
"I am not giving up. I am choosing not to waste energy on an argument I cannot win." He paused, then looked at her more carefully. "You said you could come in and out of the grimoire on your own?"
*"Yep!"* Elizabeth floated upward, doing a little spin. *"I've been out here for a while, actually. Inspecting your room. You know, getting the lay of the land."*
Giovanni's eyes narrowed. "You were in my room? While I was sleeping?"
*"Relax, kid. I wasn't watching you sleep or anything creepy like that. I was just... exploring."* She gestured around the room. *"It's very clean, by the way. For a boy living alone, I mean. Very tidy. Very organized. Very—"* She paused, tapping her chin. *"Actually, wait. You're a noble, aren't you? Nobles are almost always filthy rich. You probably have, like, a dozen maids doing all the work for you. So of course it's clean."*
She nodded to herself, looking very satisfied with her deduction.
*"Yes. That makes sense. My detective skills are unparalleled."*
Giovanni opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. He had a feeling that arguing with her would be pointless.
Elizabeth continued, apparently unable to stop talking. *"Oh! And when the maid came in earlier, I was still out. She walked right past me! Didn't even flinch! I was like, right there, waving my arms, going 'helloooo, can you see me?' and she just—"* Elizabeth mimed walking past herself, her expression one of exaggerated bewilderment. *"Nothing. Zero reaction. It was kind of insulting, actually."*
"So no one else can see you," Giovanni said, more to himself than to her. "Only me."
*"Seems that way!"* Elizabeth said cheerfully. *"Which means you're stuck with me, little star. No take-backs."*
Giovanni closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
*This is my life now,* he thought. *This is what I have to deal with.*
"Young master?"
A maid had appeared beside his bed, her expression carefully neutral. Giovanni had no idea how long she had been standing there, or how much of his one-sided conversation she had heard. If she had heard anything, she gave no sign of it.
"You're finally awake," she said. "It's almost time for breakfast. Please wash up and head to the dining hall."
Giovanni nodded. "Thank you. I'll be there shortly."
The maid bowed and left.
Elizabeth floated down until she was eye-level with Giovanni, her translucent form flickering slightly. *"Ooh, breakfast! What are we having? Do nobles eat fancy stuff like caviar and truffles and—"*
"We are not having anything," Giovanni said, climbing out of bed. "You are going back to the grimoire, and I am going to breakfast. Alone."
*"What? No fair! I want to see the dining hall!"*
"No."
*"Please?"*
"No."
*"Pretty please with a—"*
"No."
Elizabeth pouted, her bottom lip sticking out in an exaggerated expression of disappointment. *"You're no fun, little star."*
Giovanni didn't respond. He simply picked up his grimoire from the bedside table and held it out expectantly.
Elizabeth sighed dramatically—a truly impressive feat for someone who didn't technically need to breathe—and dissolved into motes of light that flowed back into the cracked diamond.
Giovanni stared at the grimoire for a moment. The crack was still there, a thin hairline fracture running diagonally across the five-sided diamond. He traced it with his thumb, frowning.
*I need to figure out what this means,* he thought. *And I need to figure out what to do about her.*
He set the grimoire down and began to get dressed.
---
The dining hall was warm and bright, filled with the smell of fresh bread and honey and smoked meats. Aunt Elara was already seated, looking even better than she had the day before. Lord Cassius sat at the head of the table, his expression as tired and distant as ever.
Giovanni took his seat, keeping his face carefully neutral.
Then Elizabeth popped out of the grimoire.
*"Wow!"* she exclaimed, floating upward and spinning in a slow circle. *"This is fancy! Look at all this food! Is that honey? I love honey! I haven't had honey in forever! Well, I haven't had anything in forever, technically, since I'm dead and all, but—"*
Giovanni's eyes twitched.
*Go back,* he thought furiously, hoping she could hear him. *Go back right now.*
Elizabeth, apparently, could hear him. She turned to look at him, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
*"Nope,"* she said.
And then she started making faces at Lord Cassius.
Giovanni's blood ran cold.
Elizabeth floated behind his uncle, her translucent form hovering just over his shoulder. She puffed out her cheeks, crossed her eyes, and used two fingers to push her face into an exaggerated expression of stern disapproval.
*"Look at me,"* she said in a deep, booming voice that only Giovanni could hear. *"I'm Lord Cassius Rosenthal. I'm so serious all the time. Go to your instructor, Giovanni. Be a proper noble, Giovanni. I never smile because I'm too busy being important."*
Giovanni's lips pressed together in a thin line. He was *not* going to laugh. He was *not*.
Elizabeth floated to his other side, still making faces. *"Oh no, my food is so boring. I'm going to push it around my plate and look sad. That's what important people do. Look at me being important and sad."*
Giovanni's shoulders shook. Just slightly.
"Giovanni?"
He looked up. Aunt Elara was watching him with a concerned expression.
"Is something wrong, little star? You look like you're constipated. Do you need to poop?"
Lord Cassius choked on his drink.
Giovanni's face went bright red.
"Aunt Elara!" he sputtered. "That is—you cannot just—"
Lord Cassius coughed, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Elara, please. It is inappropriate to say such things in the dining area."
Aunt Elara pouted. "You're uselessly strict, Cassius. The boy looks uncomfortable. I'm just concerned."
Giovanni wanted to sink into the floor and never come back. Elizabeth, meanwhile, was howling with laughter, her translucent form flickering as she doubled over.
*"Oh my god!"* she wheezed. *"She asked if you needed to poop! In front of everyone! This is the best thing that's happened all day!"*
Giovanni shot her a vicious glare.
Elizabeth yelped and immediately stopped laughing. She held up her hands in surrender and dissolved back into the grimoire without another word.
Giovanni took a deep breath. "I am fine, Aunt Elara. Just... tired from yesterday's training. I need to rest, and then I will be fine."
Aunt Elara didn't look convinced, but she let it go after she minded him to not overdo his training.
The rest of breakfast passed without incident.
---
After breakfast, Giovanni retreated to the gardens.
The Rosenthal estate had extensive grounds—carefully manicured hedges, winding stone paths, fountains that burbled softly in the morning light. It was peaceful here. Quiet. A good place to think.
Giovanni walked slowly, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression thoughtful. The crack in his grimoire. The girl in his head. The fragments of another world. Everything was piling up, and he didn't know what to do about any of it.
Elizabeth popped out of the grimoire.
*"Hey,"* she said, floating beside him. *"That thing you did back at the dining table? Not cool."*
Giovanni didn't look at her. "I told you to behave yourself in front of my family."
*"I was behaving! I was just making funny faces. It's not my fault your uncle has no sense of humor."*
Giovanni stopped walking. He turned to face her, his turquoise eyes cold.
"My uncle is a busy man. He has responsibilities. He does not need a ghost making faces at him while he is trying to eat."
Elizabeth pouted. *"You're way too serious, kid. You should smile more. Play more. You're four years old, for crying out loud. Act like it."*
Giovanni's jaw tightened. "I have a duty. As a noble of the Diamond Kingdom, I—"
Elizabeth interrupted him with a mocking impression, her voice pitched high and nasally. *"Oh, look at me! I'm Giovanni! I'm a noble from the Diamond Kingdom! I'm gonna be putting the Heart, Spade, and Club Kingdoms in their place!"*
Giovanni blinked.
He stared at her.
*"What?"* Elizabeth said, grinning. *"Too accurate?"*
"You..." Giovanni shook his head slowly. "You have an inkling about my ambitions, it seems. But there is no Club Kingdom on this continent."
Elizabeth's grin froze.
*"Oh,"* she said. *"Right. What did I say? Club? That's not a thing?"*
"No." Giovanni's eyes narrowed. "There is a Clover Kingdom."
Elizabeth looked like someone had handed a gun to an overly eager child. Her expression was caught somewhere between panic and forced casualness.
*"Hey,"* she said, her voice too light. *"Are there, like, three royal houses? Silva, Vermillion, and Kira?"*
Giovanni's suspicion deepened. "Why do you know all this?"
*"Just answer the question,"* Elizabeth said quickly.
Giovanni studied her for a moment. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"Yes. There are three royal houses. But in the past, there used to be one royal house—the Silvamillion Clover house. Later they branched into the three royal houses, from which they select the king. The king's children may not necessarily inherit the throne."
*"Oh, right, right,"* Elizabeth said, nodding rapidly. Then she paused. *"Do you know about Mereoleona? Fire magic? Female? Rowdy? Known to be invincible on the battlefield?"*
Giovanni frowned. "I am not aware of any such figure. There is one female mage of particular renown—Acier Silva. She was known as the Steel War Princess, undefeated in one-on-one combat."
Elizabeth's expression flickered.
*"Okay,"* she said slowly. *"Okay. And... we're in the Diamond Kingdom, right?"*
Giovanni gave her a puzzled look. "Yes. You know this."
Elizabeth was quiet for a moment.
Then she smiled.
It was a smile that looked worse than crying.
*"Hey, kid,"* she said, her voice suddenly very soft. *"Let's get the fuck out of here."*
Giovanni blinked. "What?"
*"This kingdom is doomed. Let's take refuge in the Clover Kingdom."*
---
Giovanni stared at her.
"I... what?"
Elizabeth floated closer, her translucent form flickering with agitation. *"I'm serious, kid. We need to leave. Like, now. Pack your bags. Steal a horse. Whatever. We need to go."*
Giovanni held up his hands. "Slow down. What are you talking about? Why would the Diamond Kingdom be doomed?"
Elizabeth opened her mouth, then closed it. She looked conflicted—like she wanted to say something but couldn't.
*"I... I can't explain it. Not yet. But trust me, kid. I know things. Things I shouldn't know. And one of those things is that the Diamond Kingdom is not a good place to be."*
Giovanni's eyes narrowed. "What things?"
*"I can't tell you."*
"Why not?"
*"Because I don't fully understand them myself! I just—"* She ran her hands through her hair, frustrated. *"Look, I woke up in your grimoire with a bunch of information in my head that doesn't make sense. Some of it matches what I'm seeing, and some of it doesn't. But the stuff that matches... it's bad, kid. Really bad."*
Giovanni was quiet for a long moment.
He thought about the fragments—the visions of another world, the peasant boy who defied noble status, the stories he had somehow known without being taught. He thought about the crack in his grimoire, the legend of the devil within, the way his magic had fractured reality in the courtyard.
*She's not the only one with strange knowledge,* he realized. *I have it too.*
"Elizabeth," he said slowly. "What do you know about the Clover Kingdom?"
Elizabeth hesitated. *"I know... I know it's where the story takes place. The story I read. The one about Asta who wanted to become the Wizard King."*
Giovanni's breath caught.
*The peasant boy, Asta.*
"You know about him?"
Elizabeth's eyes widened. *"Wait. You know about him too? Are you a reincarnator senior?"*
Giovanni didn't answer. He was too busy thinking.
*The fragments. The visions. The story about magic. It's all connected. She knows about the Clover Kingdom. And I know about it because... because...*
He didn't know why. He didn't understand any of this.
But one thing was clear: Elizabeth knew more than she was saying. And if he wanted answers, he needed to keep her close.
"I am not leaving the Diamond Kingdom," he said firmly.
Elizabeth groaned. *"Kid, come on—"*
"I am a Rosenthal. My family has served this kingdom for generations. I have a duty—"
*"Duty, duty, duty! That's all you ever talk about!"* Elizabeth threw her hands up in exasperation. *"You're four years old! You shouldn't have duties! You should be playing and laughing and—and eating honey and making friends and—"*
"I am not like other children," Giovanni said quietly.
Elizabeth stopped.
She looked at him—really looked at him—and something in her expression softened.
*"No,"* she said. *"I guess you're not."*
They stood in silence for a moment. The garden was quiet around them—the soft burble of fountains, the rustle of wind through the hedges, the distant call of birds.
*"Okay,"* Elizabeth said finally. *"Okay. We'll stay. For now."*
Giovanni nodded. "Thank you."
*"But I'm not happy about it."*
"I did not ask you to be happy about it."
Elizabeth pouted. *"You're no fun, little star. But we need to talk about what to do from now on."*
Giovanni sighed. "Stop calling me that."
*"Nope."*
"Elizabeth—"
*"Nope, nope, nope."*
Giovanni closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
But despite everything—despite the confusion, the fear, the uncertainty—he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.
He felt like he wasn't alone.
And that, at least, was something.
---
**End of Chapter 6**