3. Back To The Past (Part 2)

"Grandpa, where are Mother and Father? I … I want to meet them too."

Since Ariana still felt like she was in the afterlife presently, the first thing she asked was the whereabouts of her parents, whom she missed so much. But her question immediately made Andrew's movements stop. The man stared at his granddaughter for a long time, while James immediately took over and came over to talk to the girl.

"Lady Aria ... Did you forget? The Young Lady's parents ... They are in a better place now."

Ariana's brows knit together as she heard that answer. "Aren't I dead too? Are … Father and Mother somewhere else in this realm?"

"What exactly are you talking about?"

Andrew's expression changed again as his granddaughter started to say nonsense. He was about to be angry that the little girl dared to say that she had died so easily. His voice even got sharper. But when he received pleading glances from the butler in his house, the man tried to calm his emotions as he massaged the bridge of his nose in frustration while James tried to explain everything carefully.

"Lady Aria ... You are still alive and well as usual. Please don't frighten us like this. I'm certain, The Young Lady's parents also don't want you to continue to endanger yourself like back this."

Ariana's heart, beat faster as she listened to James' explanation. The girl just realized something after that. In the afterlife, she shouldn't have a beating heart anymore, right? The girl looked around her in confusion. Her dazed and lost gaze really started to make Andrew worry more and more as time went on.

"You sure the doctor said she was fine? Now, how can this kid start rambling on and say that he's dead and wants to see his parents?"

"Ah!"

James didn't have time to answer when Ariana suddenly blurted out a little. Her face looked terrified as she looked at the people around her again. Her whole body trembled, as she asked in an unsure voice to James, who was increasingly worried about his condition.

"Now ... What year is it, James?" She asked nervously. James glanced slightly at his master before he spoke. The lord is right. There's something wrong with the little lady right now.

"It is now the three hundred and the twentieth year since the Sigmund Kingdom was founded, Lady Aria. This year you will be twelve years old, do you remember?"

Ariana felt like her soul was being pulled out as she listened to James's words. Her shrunken body, her grandfather who's looking younger than what she last remembered, the accident of falling into the pool just as James spoke of. All of that happened because she went back to the year when she just lost her parents and fell into the pool accidentally.

She had rewound time and returned as twelve-year-old little Ariana.

"This ...."

Ariana couldn't believe that she had turned back time when she had decided to give up on her destiny. The girl didn't know whether to laugh or cry because of this incident. The girl stared at her tiny hands in amazement. No one knows how happy Ariana was when she saw those healthy hands again.

But since God has decided to take her back in time with the truth she wants, Ariana knows she should be grateful to be given a second chance to atone for the mistakes she made the first time. The girl wiped her tears violently, and she chuckled as her tears continued to fall and roll down her cheeks.

"Lady Aria, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Why you're crying again?"

Even though James had recently met Ariana for the first time, he knew that something was wrong when a little girl laughed and cried as Ariana did. James was anxious as he stared at Ariana's figure. The butler tried to ask for help from his master. But Andrew, the man, was lost in his own world when his eyes focused on Ariana who was still trying hard to stop her crying.

"I'm fine, James. However, I'm hungry. Can I eat something now?"

"You naughty girl. You scared James half to death just because you were hungry. Our family isn't poor enough that you need to cry just because you're hungry. James, bring all the food she can eat to her room today. I don't want people to see that our family has had someone as thin as a living skeleton like this child."

Ariana laughed softly as she watched her grandfather still unable to speak the truth as usual. In the past, Ariana might have thought that her grandfather was insulting her. But she knew about everything now. Even though her grandfather's mouth always utters harsh words, Ariana still knows that he really loves her all this time.

Hearing Ariana's sweet laugh, the two grown men who were there were shocked until they were speechless. Ariana would usually cry sadly when she heard Andrew's words until James always reminded Andrew not to talk too much in front of the little girl. But this time Ariana just chuckled when she heard her grandfather's snide remark. The two grown men glanced at each other before Andrew cleared his throat and got up from his sitting position.

"Don't cause any more trouble. I'm busy, I can't keep on fixing the trouble you're causing in this house."

Ariana smiled in response to her grandfather's words. "I understand Grandpa. Sorry I have troubled you all this time." The girl apologized sincerely to her grandfather. Ariana smiled as her grandfather looked surprised before the man let out a long sigh. This time, the man didn't curse anymore. Andrew nodded curtly. "Good, if you understand," he said before he left Ariana's room.

"Then, let me prepare your meal, Lady Aria."

Ariana nodded as James came out of his room not long after his grandfather came out. With great difficulty, Ariana forced her body into a sitting position. The girl's bright eyes scanned her surroundings with anticipation.

Ariana really missed this room. This private room is a witness of her growing up during her stay with her grandfather. Ariana does regret that she can't go back to the time when her parents were still alive and with her. Now that Ariana knew that their deaths were not normal, Ariana thought she might be able to prevent their deaths by avoiding the incident that led to their accident. But Ariana knew that being given a second chance would already be remarkable for a stupid girl like her. At least now she still had her grandfather, the person who could be her biggest support in this second chance.

After the girl finished making up her mind, Ariana knew that she came back for a reason. Saving her family is a top priority. In the past, because of her foolishness in believing every word of the queen, Ariana dared to leave her name and give up the title of Duchess when her grandfather breathed his last. She let the Alison family end there, allowing Queen Melisa and Emilio to torment the people who were under the Alison family's rule.

This time, she would no longer allow anyone to destroy the power that his family had maintained through the ages. She would not allow herself to remain with Emilio. Ariana will choose her family above anything else. And for that, she must break off her engagement with Emilio and strive to become a worthy successor to his grandfather.

It's no secret that the Alison family continues to lack the younger generation every year. Of the few families that existed, there would only be one or two successors that could be born with difficulty. That number was shrinking at a terrifying rate. Until only her father's family still survives in Alison's family.

Ariana's father was supposed to be the sole heir to the title of Duke after her grandfather died. But even her father, could not escape death and left Ariana as the only person who could inherit her grandfather's title.

Outsiders say that the Alison family's difficulty in producing offspring is due to the curse that befell the family. In a kingdom, only the royal family should have absolute power. But over the years, the Alison family's power has continued to grow until its status can be on par with the royal family. Not to mention, her family also had an elite army of knights that even the royal knights couldn't beat. Their strength was comparable at the government and military levels, making kings from generation to generation unable to even oppose the Alison family much.

The forces that oppose the government are the cause of the Alison family's curse. People say their family is doomed to extinction because it has dared to equalize with the royal family, which is considered sacred.

But Ariana no longer feels that the difficulty of having children in her family is due to the curse that people talk about. The girl was afraid that the shrinking of the population in her family was also due to someone's interference. Rumors of a curse shouldn't arise by themselves, either. Thinking about the possibility of someone intent on harming her family, Ariana could only think that the royal family really wanted to end her family's power to the core.

With such conditions, Ariana realized that her job was not only to prove to everyone that she could be a worthy heir to the family. She also has to survive various attacks and make sure her family can survive until the end of her life.