Chapter 7: The Girl From Another World
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The garden was quiet.
Morning light filtered through the carefully trimmed hedges, casting dappled shadows across the stone path. A fountain burbled softly in the distance, its water catching the sunlight and scattering it into tiny rainbows. Birds sang in the ancient oaks that lined the estate walls, their calls a gentle counterpoint to the rustle of wind through leaves.
It was peaceful. Serene. The kind of place where a young noble might come to think, to reflect, to escape the weight of expectation.
Giovanni Rosenthal stood in the middle of it all, his hands clasped behind his back, his turquoise eyes fixed on the translucent figure floating beside him.
Elizabeth was grinning at him. That was never a good sign.
*"So, kid,"* she said, her voice carrying that particular tone of mischief he was already learning to dread. *"Senior? You're not a reincarnator, are you?"*
Giovanni blinked.
"I... what?"
*"A reincarnator,"* Elizabeth repeated, as though the word were obvious. *"You know. Like, you died and got reborn in another world as a noble? That kind of thing?"*
Giovanni stared at her for a long moment. The word *died* echoed in his mind, uncomfortably close to questions he had been avoiding for days.
"If you are asking," he said slowly, "whether I have been reborn... I do not believe so. I have always been Giovanni Rosenthal. I have always lived in this kingdom. I have memories of my childhood—fragments, yes, but they are *my* memories."
Elizabeth tilted her head, her sunken eyes narrowing thoughtfully. *"Hmm. But you know about Asta. And the Clover Kingdom. And the three royal houses. That's not normal for a four-year-old Diamond Kingdom noble."*
Giovanni's jaw tightened.
*She's not wrong.*
He had been avoiding this conversation. Avoiding the questions that had been piling up since the night of the courtyard incident. Avoiding the truth that he himself didn't fully understand.
But Elizabeth was watching him with those dark, knowing eyes, and he knew he couldn't put it off any longer.
"I will tell you what I know," he said quietly. "But you must listen without interrupting."
Elizabeth mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key.
Giovanni took a deep breath.
"Several nights ago—the night before I destroyed the courtyard—I was practicing my magic. Alone. In the training grounds. It was late, and I could not sleep, and I thought..." He paused, his expression flickering. "I thought that if I practiced enough, I might finally gain control."
Elizabeth nodded, her usual playfulness absent.
"A fracture appeared in the air," Giovanni continued. "Not a spell. Not something I intended. It simply... *happened*. A tear in space, opening before me. And through that tear, I saw..." He trailed off, struggling to find the words.
*"Another world,"* Elizabeth supplied softly.
Giovanni nodded. "Yes. I saw fragments. Images. A boy with no magic, fighting against impossible odds. A kingdom called Clover. Stories I had never been taught, knowledge I had never earned." He looked at her. "And then the fracture closed, and I was left with memories that were not my own."
Elizabeth was quiet for a moment.
*"Yeah,"* she said finally. *"I was there. On the other side, I mean."* She rubbed the back of her neck, looking almost sheepish. *"It was really dark, and I was really tired, so I just kind of... went back to sleep? I thought I was having a weird dream."*
Giovanni stared at her.
"You... went back to sleep?"
*"In my defense, I was a sick person my whole life! Sleep was kind of my whole thing!"*
Giovanni opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
He decided, after a moment of consideration, that this was not worth dwelling on.
"Introduce yourself properly," he said instead. "No jokes. No games. Tell me who you are and why you know what you know."
Elizabeth pouted, but there was something more serious in her expression now. She floated down until she was eye-level with him, her translucent form flickering slightly in the morning light.
*"My name is Elizabeth,"* she said. *"I'm sixteen years old. I haven't finished school, so I don't have any certificates, and I never had a job, and I never got married, and I never—"*
Giovanni bit his lip to keep calm.
"I already know your name," he interrupted. "Tell me about your world. Why do you have those memories?"
Elizabeth hesitated.
*"I... watched them,"* she said finally. *"The stories. The anime and manga."*
Giovanni frowned. "What are those?"
Elizabeth's expression shifted—confusion, then understanding, then something like amusement.
*"Oh boy. Okay. How do I explain this?"* She tapped her chin, thinking. *"Imagine a story. Like a book, right? But instead of reading it, you *watch* it. Moving pictures. People acting out the story with voices and music and everything."*
Giovanni's frown deepened. "Like an opera?"
*"Kind of! But not really. It's..."* Elizabeth groaned, running her hands through her hair. *"It's hard to explain without showing you. If only I could just—"* She paused, her eyes widening. *"If only I could show you my memories directly."*
Giovanni gave her a strange look.
"That... might be possible."
Elizabeth's face lit up. *"Really?"*
Giovanni nodded slowly, his mind working through the implications. "We can communicate telepathically. No one else can see or hear you. Our minds are already connected through the grimoire." He paused. "It is plausible that we share the same mental psyche. If that is the case, then transferring memories might be possible."
Elizabeth stared at him with a blank expression.
*"Oh,"* she said. *"Okay."*
Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "You did not understand a single word I said."
*"Not even a little bit!"* Elizabeth said cheerfully. *"But it sounded smart, so I'm going to assume you know what you're doing."*
Giovanni sighed.
"Come closer," he said. "And do not resist."
Elizabeth floated toward him, then paused. A smirk spread across her face.
*"Young master,"* she said, her voice taking on a playful, breathy tone. *"You sure know how to play. But us peasant girls also have feelings, you know. They cannot be toyed with so easily."* She crossed her arms over her chest, feigning modesty. *"I am not that kind of girl."*
Giovanni's lips twitched.
*I am not like those fat, greasy bastards,* he thought furiously, his mental voice sharp. *I will never be that kind of scum. I will only be with women who want to be with me.*
Elizabeth's smirk widened. *"Women? Like, multiple? Little star, you sure are ambitious."*
Giovanni's ears turned red, but he kept his expression composed.
"It is quite normal for nobles and wealthy merchants to have multiple partners," he said stiffly. "Even my uncle has several lovers in other estates besides my aunt."
Elizabeth's mouth fell open.
*"Wait. You mean the serious, perpetually sad Lord Cassius?"* She looked genuinely stunned. *"I did not expect him to know how to play. If I were a prince, I'd have a harem too."*
Giovanni blinked.
"You mean a princess?"
*"No, I mean a prince,"* Elizabeth said, waving a hand dismissively. *"It is too early for a 'boy' like you to understand such advanced concepts."*
Giovanni gave her a flat look.
"You are homosexual," he said. "And you wish to be a man."
Elizabeth's jaw dropped.
*"Wait—kid—how do you know such advanced concepts? You're four years old!"*
Giovanni flicked his wavy blond hair, an arrogant glint in his turquoise eyes.
"I have matured," he said, "after reading my aunt's hidden stash of novels. Secretly."
Elizabeth's mouth hung open.
*"It seems,"* she said slowly, *"that modern people and ancient people aren't so different after all."* She shook her head, then fixed him with a curious look. *"But how do you know about those fat, greasy scum nobles? You're four. You shouldn't know anything about that."*
Giovanni's expression darkened.
"The first time I received my grimoire," he said quietly, "I sneaked out from home. I went on an investigation. I tried to find the secrets of other noble houses." He paused, his turquoise eyes cold. "Unfortunately, all I saw was darkness beneath that shiny exterior."
Elizabeth was quiet for a moment.
*"Well,"* she said finally, *"if you become strong enough, maybe you could change it."*
Giovanni nodded slowly.
"Yes. The royal family has been corrupted for far too long. And so are the nobles." His voice hardened. "It is my duty to set things right. That is my dream. And I will do so, no matter how many sacrifices I have to make."
Elizabeth shivered, her translucent form flickering.
*"Okay,"* she said, her voice a little shaky. *"Let's not talk about this anymore. You're giving me goosebumps."*
Giovanni nodded, his expression softening.
"Very well."
He reached out and took her hands.
Elizabeth's eyes widened. A blush spread across her pale, translucent cheeks.
*"Little star,"* she said, her voice flustered. *"Even if you take my body, you will never have my heart."*
Giovanni gave her a flat look.
"You are a ghost," he said. "You have no body to speak of."
Elizabeth blinked.
*"Then how are you holding my hand?"* She looked down at their joined hands, then back up at him. *"Wait. You're holding my hand. How?"*
Giovanni smirked.
"It is but a small trick," he said, "for someone of my stature."
Elizabeth's expression shifted from surprise to annoyance.
*"You're annoying,"* she said.
Giovanni's smirk widened.
"The mediocre are always envious of those with superior talent and resources."
Elizabeth pouted.
*"Why are you holding my hand, anyway?"*
Giovanni's smirk softened into something more serious.
"Wait," he said. "And see."
Elizabeth opened her mouth to respond—
And then the world went white.
A blinding radiance erupted from Giovanni's hands—not a whirlpool, not a vortex, but a sudden, violent flash of light that swallowed everything in an instant. It was like a flashbang, a burst of pure brilliance that seared through Elizabeth's vision and left her reeling.
She didn't feel herself being pulled anywhere. She didn't feel space twisting or reality bending. She just felt *light*—everywhere, all at once, blinding her completely.
And then, just as suddenly as it had come, it was gone.
- - -
Hey guy! It's the author here! This was short chapter but I'll tryto make it up later.
Leave your thoughts in the comments.