Author's Reincarnation in a Fantasy Setting

"How...how do you?" at this point, it was more like she was asking this question to herself. Reflecting on the past events and trying to figure out, what she did that leaked her secret?

But, sadly for her, this wasn't all I knew. I don't think there will be any other student in this academy with as many secrets as her. There was still more to come, I was only getting started now.

"You ran away from your house and came to this academy to escape, because the authority of the Zaforths academy is even higher than the royal noble, and of course, the Rosenberg family is one of them. Means they can't force expel you from this school, making it a perfect spot for hiding for 4 years straight."

This was right; the authority of the Zaforths Magic Academy was even higher than the three royal noble families. This was because the main motive of this academy was to produce heroes who can save the world. This 'hero-producing system' had taken top priority; hence the academy was also given a higher authority.

No matter which family you were from, except the king no one can interfere with the rules set by the academy. And not leaving the campus until graduation was one of them. Ellyn knew about this, that's why she came to take shelter here.

"Isn't that right, Ellyn?" I asked as I held her from her chin and forced her to look at me.

She didn't reply and averted her eyes. But this doesn't mean I was going to stop here.

"But Ellyn…getting tired of playing the 'perfect heiress role' wasn't the real reason you ran away, yes?" I said.

As soon as those words left my mouth, her eyes widened and she looked at me with surprise. "H-Hey…W-Wait! D-Don't tell me you know about that as well?" she spoke in a trembling voice.

"Of course, I know. The real reason you escaped was that you were going to get killed, and by your own family that is."

She started shaking and trembling in fear, her face went pale and she wasn't able to respond to me anymore. Hence, I continued.

"Yeah, actually, you were never tired of playing that role. In fact, you were already used to it; and you quite liked it as well. In the end, it was just an excuse. The real reason you escaped was that you were going to get killed by your own family. The first attack was done right after your mother's death, right? It happened because well, this is something no one knows about but, you are not really the heiress of the Rosenberg family, ain't that true?"

Tears welled up in her eyes; maybe she was recalling those past events. Then, with her left hand, she clenched her chest around her heart and while crying she slid down and sat on her knees.

I stared down at her; my eyes were probably not of a normal 15-year-old right now.

"You were adopted into the family at the age of 5. Your mother was not able to bear a child even after trying many times, she gave up at one point but then she found you—a petty little girl who was helplessly straying on the roads. Looking at your condition and accepting the fact that she can't give birth to a child of her own; she adopted you.

From then your life as an heiress began. However, your father never liked you, he was against the idea of adopting you from the start. But due to your mother, he bared with it. Though she died when you reached the age of 14, and a few months after that your father did a second marriage, bring home a new wife, and then the real heiress of the Rosenberg family was born.

Since there was now a child who had the family blood in her veins, you were not needed anymore. Hence, your father decided to erase you. Multiple indirect attempts were made to kill you, but somehow—call it a work of fate or whatever—you survived. But deep in your heart, you also knew, that you only survived because all the attempts were indirect since your father can't kill you openly—it'll cause an uprising and many riots, he was also bound by political laws.

Though, you feared what will happen if they made a direct attempt? What if one night you are alone in a room, an unknown person comes in and strangles you to death, and in public it was announced as an assassination done by the opposition?

You feared that outcome more than anything, that's why you decided to escape. And then—"

"Then I met with Leon," the one to complete the sentence was not me, but Ellyn herself. Till now she was just listening like a stiff statue as I unfolded her past layer by layer before her. But she spoke now, though her voice still sounded trembling.

"When I was trying to find a way to escape and a place to take shelter, I met Leon. It was when I barely survived from under a collapsing house—an attempt to kill me, that time he came and saved me. And I don't know why maybe I wanted someone to listen to my problems or I just wanted someone to rely on…I told him the truth about what was going on with me.

Surprisingly, instead of ratting me out to my family, he decided to help me. He told me about this academy, then with the savings I had and what money my mom left for me; I enrolled here. I thought this was a safe place, the reason I stayed with Leon all day was because of our relationship and he also said to protect me if my family troubles me in the academy too.

But…I didn't know someone like you will be here. J-Just who are you? How do you even know about all this, about my past?"