Chapter 4 Chapter 4: The Child Who Possessed No Mana.

Chapter 4: The Child Who Possessed No Mana.

Jalena’s POV

The carriage stood perfectly still before the Gate of Transportation.

I sat with my hands folded tightly in my lap, staring through the window at the enormous stone archway ahead.

Beyond that gate was the Northern Kingdom. Beyond that gate was my future husband. My stomach twisted. What would Lord Remerian Vaughn think when he saw me? Surely, he'd expected Jonie. Beautiful, graceful, talented Jonie. Instead, the Leigh family had sent their forgotten daughter.

Their failure. The child without mana.

Would he be angry? Would he send me back? Or worse...would he consider the substitution an insult? I lowered my eyes. Perhaps I should tell him immediately.

Your Majesty, I'm sorry. I'm not the daughter you probably wanted.

My fingers tightened.

And I don't possess magic.

Suddenly...

WHOOOOM!

I jumped. Brilliant light exploded across the stone archway. My eyes widened as silver-blue mana spiraled upward, twisting into thousands of glowing symbols. The empty space between the pillars shimmered before transforming into what looked like liquid glass. 

I leaned toward the window.

"Oh..."

I'd read about Transportation Gates before, but I'd never actually seen one. Then again, I'd never seen much of anything as this was my first time leaving the Leigh estate.

Mother and Father had forbidden it.

If I wandered Bouvier's streets, someone might notice my face. Someone might notice I looked suspiciously similar to Owen and Jonie and then there would be questions. Questions the Leigh family couldn't afford.

"My Lady?"

I looked up; the chauffeur glanced back at me.

"The portal is ready. Once we cross, we'll have approximately three hours before reaching the castle."

"Oh." I smiled. "Thank you."

He nodded before facing forward. The carriage moved. I watched, utterly fascinated, as we entered the shimmering portal. For one breathtaking second, everything became light.

Then...snow! Everything was coated in a beautiful white! I've never seen anything like it. In the East, we barely even got a winter let alone snow. But here, the mountains the forests, the grounds...all covered in silver-white frost.

I gasped. The North...I pressed my fingers against the glass. It was beautiful.

And suddenly, painfully, I wondered...Are they happy now? My family, were they relieved? Afterall, they no longer had to hide me. No more worrying that someone would discover the Leighs had three children instead of two. No more hiding their manaless daughter in the attic. They could finally live as though I had never existed.

My stomach turned again because eventually, Lord Vaughn would discover the truth too. Everyone in the Leigh family possessed extraordinary magic. Everyone...except me.

Perhaps it had been inevitable from the beginning; after all, even my birth had been different.

---

Twenty Years Ago...

The night Josette Leigh went into labor, a magical seer told her she would be blessed three times. For my parents, the meaning seemed obvious.

Three children. Three extraordinary gifts. And initially...they appeared to be right.

Owen came first. According to the stories, the moment he entered the world, enormous magical spears manifested across Bouvier's skies. Hundreds of them, maybe even thousands. The military raised protective barriers across the capital as glowing weapons rained from the heavens.

My father had apparently laughed.

"My son!"

Mother, exhausted from labor, had cried tears of joy.

"Trayton...did you see?"

"I saw!"

"Our baby..."

"He's extraordinary."

Then came Jonie. The moment she was born, flowers erupted throughout Bouvier. Roses climbed stone towers. Moon lilies appeared along streets. Rare orchids bloomed from rooftops. And Jonie herself? She supposedly entered the world surrounded by flowers.

"My daughter," Mother whispered tearfully.

Father kissed her forehead.

"Two legendary manifestations."

Mother smiled.

"And one more."

Me. Except...I wouldn't come out. In fact...I was asleep. No matter how hard Mother pushed, I didn't move.

"Why isn't she responding?" Father demanded.

"We...we don't know, Your Grace."

"Her heartbeat?"

"Normal."

"Then wake her!"

"We've tried."

Eventually, Father used Celestial Restoration to manipulate Mother's body safely enough to force my delivery.

And when I finally did enter the world...nothing happened. No flowers. No weapons. No burst of mana. Apparently...I simply yawned. Still, my parents didn't lose hope.

Especially after I began displaying unusual intelligence. By age two, I could read and write at an adult level. I understood books written for adults and academics. Perhaps, they thought, my magic simply manifested differently.

They received their answer on our third birthday. Every child in the Eastern Kingdom underwent a mana revealing at age three. For the Leigh triplets, the ceremony was private. Father stood proudly beside Mother as the Archmage activated a crystalline platform known as the Mana Prism.

Owen went first.

The moment his tiny feet touched the Prism, light exploded across the chamber and numbers raced upward. The Archmage's mouth fell open.

"Extraordinary..."

Father stepped forward.

"How high?"

"Your Grace...these are among the highest mana readings I've ever recorded in a child."

Mother gasped as the Prism flashed again.

MAGICAL GIFT IDENTIFIED: THE CONJURER

A tiny spear materialized above Owen's head. Father laughed.

"Legendary Combat Magic!"

"Our son," Mother breathed.

Father lifted Owen into his arms.

"An Imperial General someday. Mark my words."

Then came Jonie. Flowers immediately blossomed around the Prism. The Archmage stared.

"Another extraordinary reading."

Mother clasped Father's arm.

"I knew it."

MAGICAL GIFT IDENTIFIED: ETERNAL GARDEN

"My beautiful girl!"

Mother swept Jonie into her arms.

"Legendary Nature Magic," the Archmage said. "Your Graces...two children with legendary-class abilities is exceptionally rare!"

Father beamed.

"They're Leighs."

Finally...it was my turn. My three-year-old self stepped onto the Prism and then...nothing happened. The Archmage frowned. Seconds passed. Then the screen scrambled. Numbers appeared and disappeared. Symbols flashed.

And finally...UNABLE TO IDENTIFY.

Silence filled the entire hall. Father's smile vanished.

"What does that mean?"

"I...I don't know. I've never seen this before."

"Run it again."

"Your Grace—"

"Again!"

The screen once again scrambled and then...UNABLE TO IDENTIFY. Mother stood abruptly.

"No. Your equipment is malfunctioning."

"Your Grace, the Prism—"

"Test her again!"

Again...nothing. They secretly summoned a specialist that evening. He examined me for hours. Mana channels, aura, elemental resonance, magical core...finally, he lowered his instruments.

"I'm sorry."

Mother stared at him.

"Sorry?"

"I cannot detect mana within the child."

Father went deathly still.

"Everyone has mana."

"Yes."

"So find hers."

"I've tried."

Mother's face whitened.

"What are you saying?"

The specialist hesitated.

"I believe your daughter possesses no measurable mana."

"No."

Mother backed away.

"No, that's impossible. I'm a Reed. My husband is a Leigh!"

Father paced furiously.

"What happens when people discover this?"

"Trayton—"

"The Leigh family has produced Grand Healers, Archmages, military commanders! What will they say when they learn my daughter cannot produce a single spark?"

Mother's breathing quickened.

"My patients...the Royal Court..." Then she looked toward me. "What will this do to our name?"

Father stopped. Silence stretched through the room. Then he said quietly,

"They won't know."

Mother stared at him.

"What?"

"We haven't publicly presented the children yet."

"Trayton..."

"The world knows we had children. It doesn't know there were three."

The Archmage stiffened.

"Your Grace, surely you aren't suggesting—"

"I am telling you that what happened inside this room remains inside this room."

The specialist swallowed. Father's gaze hardened.

"No one learns Jalena Leigh is our biological daughter."

And because Duke Trayton Leigh was one of the Eastern Region's greatest healers...because Duchess Josette Leigh was one of its most celebrated mental mages...everyone agreed.

The truth remained with the Archmage, the specialist, the Royal Family...and our household staff. Afterward, I moved into the attic. I wasn't allowed to call them Mother and Father and Owen and Jonie weren't my brother and sister.

Eventually, I started helping the maids. Then the cooks. Then the gardeners. And somewhere along the way...I simply became another servant.

The Leighs were never truly cruel to me. Cruelty required attention. Mostly, they simply treated me as though I were insignificant. And who could blame them? Even the servants possessed some magic.

A warming charm. Cleaning magic. Small levitation spells. Something that proved they at least belonged in this world. In a world where mana determined status, a person without any was practically an abomination.

So I read. I researched. I learned to cook. I memorized histories and languages and anything else I could get my hands on. Of course, none of it mattered to the Leighs.

Meanwhile, Owen became the youngest Imperial General in Bouvier's history. While Jonie became a celebrated Botanical Mage and Royal Florist.

The Kingdom adored the remarkable Leigh twins. No one ever knew there was a third. So perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised when they sent me North.

In truth...maybe my marriage had solved their greatest problem.

Me.

"We're here, My Lady."

I blinked. My head snapped toward the window and my breath disappeared. The castle rose against the snowy mountains like something from a storybook. Its towering walls shimmered like carved ice and glass. Silver spires pierced the cloudy sky while crystalline bridges connected enormous towers.

"It's..."

Beautiful. The carriage stopped. My bags were retrieved, and with trembling legs, I approached enormous double doors.

As soon as they opened, two rows of castle staff stood waiting...for me. My head immediately lowered. A gentleman approached. His expression was warm.

"Welcome. You must be Archduchess Leigh."

I froze. Archduchess? I'd never been addressed by my own title before.

"Y-Yes." I swallowed. "I'm Jalena Leigh, of the Leigh family. My family sends their thanks for such a wonderful invitation."

His smile widened.

"Greatly appreciated, My Lady. I am Henry Corvan, the estate's head butler. I'm at your service for any questions you may have or anything you may need."

I smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Corvan."

One by one, the servants greeted me. No one looked disgusted. No one questioned why I was there...at least for now.

"And these are Claire and Lydia," Henry continued. "Your lady's maids."

Two young women stepped forward. Claire grinned brightly.

"We're delighted to meet you, My Lady!"

Lydia nodded eagerly.

"Very delighted!"

I blinked.

"My...lady's maids?"

"Of course," Henry said. "They will attend to you personally."

"Oh."

Personally?

"Your lady's maids will show you to your chambers."

I hesitated.

"Um...will I not be meeting my fiancé?"

Henry paused.

"His Majesty is away on business and will return tomorrow morning."

"I see."

"He did, however, express his pleasure that you've arrived safely and intends to meet with you first thing tomorrow."

My heart fluttered nervously.

"Thank you."

Claire and Lydia led me upstairs. And they talked...constantly.

"That's the winter gallery!"

"And that's the royal library."

"You'll love the solarium."

"Claire, she just arrived!"

"I'm giving her information!"

I couldn't help but giggle. Their heads whipped around. Then both smiled. Eventually, we stopped before enormous silver doors. Claire and Lydia exchanged excited glances. Then, simultaneously, they announced...

"My Lady...welcome to Veyrholm."

They opened the doors and as I stepped inside...I froze. My eyes widened. My lips parted. My heart nearly stopped.

T-This... I stared at the enormous chamber before me. ...is MY room?