Reincarnated As An Archmage’s Daughter

"Everyone?" Hania repeated, her voice climbing an octave. "What do you mean 'everyone'?"

Kofery's smile widened, and that was when Hania knew she was in trouble.

"Kofery. Kofery, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything, little moon. I just informed the court that you were awake. As Lusha commanded."

"You told them I was awake. Who is 'them'?"

Kofery adjusted his spectacles, the picture of innocence. "The entire Spider Court. All forty-seven thousand subjects. Give or take a few."

Hania's soul briefly left her body. "Forty-seven THOUSAND spiders?!"

"Forty-seven thousand subjects," Kofery corrected. "Some of them are spiders. Some are spider-adjacent. Some are just very enthusiastic about silk. Lusha has been preparing the Grand Hall for hours."

"She's been preparing for hours?! While I was asleep?! Why didn't anyone wake me?!"

"You needed rest. And Lusha said—" He paused. "She said you needed to look your best for your coronation."

Hania's brain short-circuited. "My WHAT?"

Before Kofery could answer, the door burst open.

Lusha swept into the room like a storm made of silk. Her eight spider legs clicked against the stone floor in a rhythm. In her hands, she carried a cascade of fabric that shimmered in colors Hania had never seen before: deep emerald that shifted to sapphire, gold that bled into rose, silver that caught the light and scattered like a sky full of stars.

"Rise and shine, little moon!" Lusha sang, her voice practically vibrating with excitement. "We have work to do!"

Hania stared at the fabric. "Lusha, what is that?"

"Your dress, obviously." The Queen spread the fabric with a flick of her wrists, revealing a gown that seemed to be made of liquid starlight. "I wove it myself. Seven layers of enchanted spider silk, each one a different color. The dyes are harvested from bioluminescent cave flowers that only bloom once every fifty years. I had to wake three of my eldest daughters from hibernation to help me harvest them."

"You woke your daughters from hibernation to make me a dress?"

"They were delighted. They haven't had a good project in decades." Lusha's eyes sparkled. "Now, up you get. We have to get you ready."

Hania barely had time to register what was happening before Lusha was lifting her out of Kofery's lap and carrying her toward the dressing area. Kofery tried to protest, but Lusha silenced him with a look.

"You can wait outside, Kofery. I'll handle the dressing."

"But—"

"Outside."

Kofery wisely chose to retreat. The door clicked shut behind him.

Hania found herself standing on a small platform in front of a mirror, surrounded by Lusha's many legs as the Queen began to work. The dress was laid out on a nearby table.

"Arms up," Lusha commanded.

Hania obeyed. The dress slid over her head like water, settling against her skin with warmth. The fabric moved with her, adjusting to her movements, and when she looked at her reflection, she barely recognized herself.

The dress was magnificent. The seven layers seemed to shift and flow independently, each one catching the light in a different way. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever worn.

"Lusha, this is..." She trailed off, unable to find the words.

"Perfect," Lusha finished with satisfaction. "Now, hold still. We need to do something about this hair."

She didn't use a brush or comb. Instead, her fingers moved through Hania's silver mane, her spider legs weaving in and out. As she worked, she began to sing a melodious tune in a language Hania didn't recognize.

"Lusha," Hania said carefully, "Kofery mentioned something about a coronation."

"Did he?" Lusha's voice was innocent. "How interesting."

"Lusha."

"His hearing has always been excellent. That's why I keep him around."

"Lusha, what coronation?"

The Queen's fingers never stopped moving. Neither did the singing.

"Lusha."

"The dress is spider silk, obviously. The colors represent the seven territories of my kingdom. The green is the Northern Caves, the blue is the Underground Lakes, the gold is the Crystal Caverns, the rose is the Blooming Depths, the silver is the Starlight Tunnels—"

"You're dodging."

"I'm multitasking."

Hania sighed. "Fine. Let's try a different question. Where's my father?"

Lusha's hands paused for half a second before resuming their work.

"Your father is... unavailable at the moment. But he would want you to enjoy this. To be celebrated and to know that you belong here."

"Is he going to be at this coronation?"

Lusha didn't answer. Her fingers kept moving, weaving Hania's silver hair into braids.

"Lusha."

"The ceremony is important, Hania. It's not just about you, it's about what you represent. The connection between the Noctis line and the Spider Court. The bond that has been forged through generations of alliance and trust."

"You're still dodging."

"I'm being strategic."

"You're being annoying."

Lusha's laughter echoed off the stone walls. "Oh, I've missed this. You're the only person in the world who talks to me like this. Everyone else is terrified of the eight legs. You just see a very enthusiastic aunt."

"You're not my aunt."

"I'm the closest thing you've got. Now hold still, I'm not done with the braids."

Hania held still, but her mind was racing. Lusha is definitely hiding something.

"Lusha, what's actually happening? You're not just dressing me up for a party. You're weaving me into a ceremony. What kind of ceremony?"

The Queen's eyes met Hania's in the mirror.

"You'll see," Lusha said softly. "Soon enough."

Before Hania could press further, Lusha stepped back, her work complete. Hania stared at her reflection in the mirror.

The silver hair had been woven into an elaborate crown of braids, threaded through with silk strands of every color. She looked like a princess from an old manhwa, the kind who was about to inherit a kingdom and didn't know it yet.

"Perfect," Lusha breathed. "Now, let's go."

Before Hania could protest, Lusha scooped her up and was moving. They glided through the silk palace, past the watching spiders, past the glowing mushrooms and the woven arches, until they reached a massive set of curtains made of seven colored silks.

Lusha set Hania down. "Ready?"

"Ready for what?"

Lusha's smile was the answer. Without another word, she reached out and swept the curtains aside.

Hania's breath caught in her throat.

Beyond the curtains was the open sky, or what passed for sky in the Spider Kingdom. The cavern's ceiling had vanished, replaced by an endless expanse of colourful light that scattered in every direction like a living aurora. And stretched across that impossible sky was a web.

It was enormous. The strands of silk were thicker than ship's ropes, woven together into a massive platform that floated in the air. The web stretched across the entire expanse, and on it stood hundreds... no, thousands of spiders. They had gathered in organized patterns, their eyes gleaming, their legs folded in respectful attention.

Hania stared. "Where is the physics?"

"Physics?" Lusha looked amused. "Physics is a suggestion. Spider silk is the law."

"But—floating—"

"Spider silk is naturally buoyant in mana-rich environments. It's basic science." Lusha stepped forward. As her foot touched the empty air, a web formed beneath her.

"You see?" Lusha's voice was warm. "Physics. Perfectly logical."

"That's not physics. That's magic pretending to be physics."

"Semantics. Now, come along."

Lusha reached back and took Hania's hand. Before Hania could protest, the Queen stepped onto the floating web, pulling the girl with her.

Hania gasped as her foot touched the surface. It was solid. The web held her weight without the slightest give. She looked down and saw the strands glowing beneath her feet, pulsing with a soft light that seemed to match her heartbeat.

"This is impossible," she muttered.

"This is Silkhariana. Everything is possible. Now, hold my hand. We're going to walk."

They walked across the floating web, and Hania tried not to look down. Below them, the spider subjects watched, hundreds of eyes gleaming with what might have been anticipation.

"Lusha," Hania said quietly, "what is this ceremony, really?"

The Queen stopped walking. She turned to face Hania.

"Two years ago," she said, "you disappeared. Your soul drifted into the void, and we couldn't reach you. Your father couldn't reach you. I couldn't reach you." She paused. "But I made a promise. To myself, to your father, and to the Spirits of the Silk." A pause. "I swore that if you returned to us, I would do everything in my power to keep you safe. To give you a place that was truly yours. A place where you would always return."

Hania's eyes widened. "Lusha..."

"And so, with the approval of the Spider Council and the blessing of the seven territories, I am formally naming you as the Princess of Silkhariana." Lusha's voice rang out across the web, echoing through the cavern. "Second in command after me. Heir to the Spider Throne."

The cavern erupted. Thousands of spiders raised their legs, and from their bodies came streams of silk that wove together in a magnificent canopy overhead. The webs formed intricate patterns, and they glowed with an inner light that filled the entire cavern.

Hania stared up at the canopy, her mouth open.

"When... when did you plan this?"

"I started the day you disappeared," Lusha admitted. "I told myself it was preparation in case you returned. But I think..." She paused. "I think I knew you would come back. And I wanted to be ready."

Hania couldn't speak. The words were stuck somewhere in her throat. She looked at the canopy, then at the thousands of spiders watching her, then at Lusha.

"You're crazy," she said.

Lusha laughed. "I'm a spider queen, dear. It's the same thing."

"How can that even work. I mean... I'm not a spider."

"Neither am I, technically. But I chose this. I built this. And now I want you to have a piece of it."

Hania swallowed. "Ah! What? But what about my father? What about—"

"Your father will find his way back to you. But while he does, while we wait, you need a family. One that won't leave you behind."

Hania looked at the spiders again. Their many eyes were watching her with what she realized was affection. Pride. Welcome.

"I don't even know your culture," she said. "I don't know your customs. I don't even know why your daughters hibernate or why your grandchildren are the size of my fist or why they even listen to me."

Lusha smiled. "Then we'll teach you. Welcome to Silkhariana, Princess."