--

Aria’s status was unique.

She was born as the darling of her family simply because her birth was accompanied by an auspicious phenomenon. The sky above the Desolate City was painted with violet and gold, and there was a beam of light that shone directly upon her tiny body.

It’s a well-known fact that martial physiques manifest completely during the initiation ceremony that happens at 16 years old.

Aria was an outlier. Her martial physique was already active as soon as she was born.

The Violet Gold Saint Martial Body is a martial physique that not only practically guarantees that she will become a martial arts prodigy, but it also extends her natural lifespan, naturally doubles the amount of chakra she converts, and automatically raises it to an incredible quality. Additionally, it also increased her comprehension and gave her this beautiful ’Violet Gold Pupils’ that allows her to see through the intentions of those around her.

Usually, it’s not a good thing for martial physiques to be active this early. Children need time to develop. The initiation ceremony isn’t delayed up to 16 years of age solely because the adults want to give their youth a peaceful life for some time before sending them to the dangers of the world.

The most important reason was for safety and stability. Initiating the awakening of martial physiques at 16 and starting the martial practice from there allows the youth to practice with more confidence and fewer risks.

At 16 years of age, they’re practically considered young adults. They possess more awareness of the world and could understand the importance of responsibilities; that’s why this is a more stable period for them to start their martial practice.

If they go younger than this, the chances of mistakes, accidents, regrets, and early death become a lot higher. Which is why it’s delayed for that long.

Obviously, the Carmichaels raised their concern over this too. But they can’t change the fact that Aria’s martial physique was already active.

Hell, she even made it to the Honor Roll, too. She was listed on the Martial Physique Ranking List, and she was placed at #7 as a mere infant.

But her name there was listed as Celestine Carmichael. She was raised as Aria Carmichael.

Because of the commotion this raised, Desolate City entered a really precarious state back then.

In a desperate move, the Carmichaels were forced to do a switcheroo.

Once the phenomenon of Aria’s birth ended and the Honor Roll began manifesting, the family head switched Aria with another infant he fetched somewhere.

He literally grabbed the first female infant he saw outside of the clan and swaddled it with the same cloth that baby Aira had. Then he sent Aria away to an orphanage owned by the family and hid her there.

It’s cruel, yes. But this was for the longevity and goals of the family. And as the family head, he had his priorities.

Even Aria’s parents played along. They’re not stupid. They know what Aria’s addition to the Honor Roll meant. And they gave the performance of a lifetime.

In the end, ’Celestine Carmichael’ was killed, assassinated by the sworn enemies of the Carmichaels. The whole family mourned her loss; even her ’parents’ went crazy with grief, marching to the headquarters of the assassins and wiping them out of existence in the name of a blood feud.

Meanwhile, Aria grew up in an orphange. She was loved, cared for, and educated well.

She was then ’adopted’ by the Carmichaels at age eight. More specifically, the same couple who ’lost’ their precious daughter.

The Carmichaels were blonde and had baby blue eyes; that’s one of their main defining traits. Aria had long black hair and violet-gold pupils, which made her look like an outsider compared to them, so the ’adopted’ act became really convincing.

Aria wasn’t left ignorant of the truth, though.

Her parents and the family head told her the truth about her birth once she became more comfortable with the family. They’re not scared of letting her know this early because they have a way to prevent her from telling anybody they don’t approve of this information.

Everybody in the family also knew, and they too bear the same ’ban’ that prevents them from revealing this information.

That’s the story of how the Carmichaels managed to avert the disaster brought by sudden fortune.

Although they did have to sacrifice someone, they did their best to make up for this mistake through various but indirect means.

The whole world thought that the Carmichaels lost their heir, but she’s alive and living very well, and right under their noses too.

Alas, everything would’ve been perfect if Aria hadn’t been shackled by some trash during her time in the orphange.

**

After more than sixteen years, Aria had grown into a fine young lady.

She was tall, lean, fair, and extremely beautiful. Because of her beauty, grace, and status, the line of her suitors could wrap twice around the circumference of the Desolate City.

Alas, none of them caught her eyes. It wasn’t just because the Carmichaels had a strict standard for their future son-in-law, but Aria herself doesn’t think too highly of them. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

In her eyes, there’s only one man worthy of her, and that is Sieghart Augustine Fletcher. Sieg, for short.

He’s her childhood best friend, someone who used to be her fierce protector, the one she promised to marry, the most hardworking man she ever knew, and the biggest dreamer of all.

Sieg once promised her the moon and stars, and her young mind completely believed it. Even now that she’s matured, she still holds on to that promise.

Alas, their love story was bound to be difficult. Because during their awakening ceremony, Aria ’awakened’ an Epic Grade Martial Physique, while Sieg, poor Sieg, only awakened a Common Grade 5 Martial Physique, which is the worst of the worst.

**

"How was it? Did it help?" Aria asked, casting a worried glance at Sieg.

She just watched him go over the stretching exercises and breathing method of the Green Lotus Core Technique and felt hopeful.

Aria wasn’t ignorant to what’s happening around the world. She’s not raised like that. Obviously, she was aware of the Green Lotus Core Technique’s appearance. She too received a copy.

But before she practiced it, her mind thought of Sieg and how much this could help him. She knows that he has been struggling since their initiation ceremony. She wasn’t blind, deaf, or ignorant.

Sieg even tapered their time together out of shame, which broke her heart a bit. But she knew where he was coming from.

But all of these worries melted when she saw the relieved and comforted smile on Sieg’s face.

"It’s good. It does exactly as it advertised," Sieg sounded a bit hoarse; she knew that he gets like that when he’s really moved. Which meant that the effects of the Green Lotus Core Technique on him were really good. He’s just downplaying it to prevent her from worrying.

"That’s good. That’s really good." Aria was relieved, greatly so.

As the young heir of the Carmichaels, what she wants is what she gets. Did she not try to give Sieg some kind of help or support when she learned of his misfortune? Of course, she did!

She practically demanded them on the spot. She doesn’t care whether her parents or his relatives become dissatisfied with her. They’ve got so much stuff in their treasury, most of which are being left rotten anyway. Telling her that she can’t even do this much would seriously piss her off, and that’s the last thing her family wants to happen.

But Sieg had his own pride. He refused anything she was more than willing to give no matter how tempting it was.

He ’reasoned’ that she will anger her adopted family by taking these out without permission. After all, he doesn’t know that she’s the real heir.

Aria is both vexed and infuriated at his repeated rejections. But she also admired his stupid pride.

In the end, she could only design ways for Sieg to ’naturally’ get the stuff she wants to give him anyway. She’ll make it work one way or another. After all, if he wants to be her husband, he cannot stay weak for long. And she certainly doesn’t mind helping him out, even if she needs to use indirect methods to do so.

Aria won’t settle for anybody else. To her, if Sieg doesn’t become her husband, then she’d rather live the rest of her life single and unmarried.

She’s too weak to stand behind her decision, but she already made up her mind.

There’s simply nobody that could replace Sieg in her heart. It’s not going to happen.

If only she didn’t agree when Sieg said that they’d only be a couple once he was stronger than her; she would’ve been much happier by now. At least, that’s what she thinks.

Not far from where these two were, a few shadows hid amongst the trees and dense foliage. They were the shadow corps of the Carmichaels, ones that were specifically instructed to guard and protect Aria.

And watching their precious young lady fawn over that trash made their gums and palms itch uncomfortably.

’Oh, little ancestor. Why him? ’