The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 20

Artizea quickly grew fond of Evron.

Everyone was kind to her, and no one ignored her. Even the busiest of people would give her a slight nod or greet her, occasionally asking if there was anything they could help with. Whenever people spoke to her, they would lean slightly forward and meet her eyes.

The room they had prepared for her was always kept clean, and the linens were changed regularly, always smelling fresh. Everything was just so lovely.

Cedric, though, was busy and didn’t show himself much in the mornings. But, during the afternoon snack time, he would always come by with treats and join her for dinner every night.

Afterward, they would either draw pictures or play with puzzles until it was time for bed. Artizea found both excitement and unease in this routine.

The unease came from knowing that Cedric wasn’t doing this because it was truly fun for him. But the joy came from understanding that, even though it wasn’t something he necessarily enjoyed, he still played with her to make her happy.

‘I can read picture books on my own…’

Artizea often thought when Cedric would read to her before bed. She could read more difficult books too, but she didn’t mention it because she liked when he read to her.

She simply wished that these good times, the moments when Cedric was in a good mood, would last just a little longer.

But she had also made a resolution not to regret it when it ended. She already felt that she had received more than enough. Kindness given to someone like her was surplus. It wasn’t hers to claim, so she shouldn’t be greedy.

Kind moments were so precious. When her mother had shown her kindness, she had felt the happiest in the world, and now, these moments with Cedric made her second happiest.

‘It’s sweet…’

As she sat sipping her warm cocoa, in her pretty clothes and enjoying her own little living room, Artizea was filled with happiness.

Her living room, her teacup. It was really nice. The cocoa with marshmallows was delicious.

“What are you doing?”

Pavel suddenly strode into her living room. Artizea, lost in her thoughts, didn’t react until he grabbed her cocoa cup away from her.

“Ah!”

“Such a baby. Drinking stuff like this.”

Pavel had felt competitive since Cedric had started drinking tea without sugar, mimicking the adults. Though he found the tea to be too bland. He snatched the drink away from Artizea, taking a big gulp, and before she could protest, her little cup was almost half empty.

“Ahh!”

Artizea swung her feet, which were still hovering above the ground. She wanted to protest loudly that it was her cup, but she didn’t have the courage to speak up. Instead, she just made a pitiful, frustrated face. The amused Pavel handed the cup back to her.

Seeing her face made him want to tease her more. If her reaction was a little more dramatic, it would have been even more entertaining, but he was a bit disappointed.

“So, what are you really doing here?”

“I was playing.”

“This is playing?”

Pavel asked, surprised, as he thought sitting still wasn’t really a game. Artizea tilted her head to the side.

“So what do you do to play, Your Highness?”

“Ride horses or play soccer?”

He paused, then remembered that Artizea couldn’t even ride a horse or dance yet. Polo was completely out of the question, and she was too young for things like tennis.

He thought those were more of an adult’s games, so Pavel began seriously considering what kind of games he could play with a younger child.

“How about hide and seek?”

A few years ago, he would have considered playing tag or hide and seek as his primary games, but now, with his growing age, he had a more generous attitude and suggested it.

Artizea stared at him in surprise. When she was younger, the nanny had taught her and Lawrence these kinds of games. But it had always been focused on Lawrence, with the governess and the maids mostly playing around him.

After Lawrence no longer needed a nanny, they had stopped playing games like that. Artizea hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking.

“Will you look for me?”

“You want me to be the seeker? Well, you could try finding me, too.”

“I’ll definitely find you!”

Artizea said, nodding vigorously. Pavel chuckled and grabbed her hand.

“Let’s go!”

“Where are we going? Isn’t this hide and seek?”

“If it’s just the two of us, it’ll be boring. Let’s invite the Jordyn sisters too.”

Once again, Artizea was surprised as Pavel pulled her out of the room.

The Jordyn children’s room was located close to the Grand Duke family’s quarters. Pavel boldly barged in, throwing the door open.

“Let’s play!”

The governess Kissel, who had been having the children learning dictation, jumped up in surprise.

“Your Highness, what brings you here…?”

She bent one knee and respectfully greeted him.

Aubrey’s eyes widened, and she frowned when she saw Artizea’s face, while Lysia also looked startled.

Hayley sighed quietly as she closed her book.

‘Guess I’ll have to play with the kids.’

She thought, pretending not to be one of them.

Pavel puffed out his chest, saying,

“We’re going to play hide and seek, but we don’t have enough people.”

“Ah, I see.”

Kissel smiled. It was supposed to be study time for Aubrey and Lysia, but taking a break for a day wouldn’t be a problem.

Lysia, realizing that the boring study session was over, quickly smiled brightly and jumped from her seat, rushing over to join the others. Aubrey followed at a slower pace.

When Hayley didn’t move, Pavel pointed at her.

“You have to join too, Lady Hayley.”

“I’m not really the right age for hide and seek…”

“I’m playing too.”

Hayley hesitated but, at Pavel’s words, reluctantly stopped resisting and walked over.

Pavel quickly made up the rules.

“When the seeker is decided, you have to hide until the count to 100. No going outside this room.”

“Isn’t this room too narrow?”

Kissel interrupted.

Pavel looked around the room and said.

“There’s nowhere to hide here anyway.”

That was true.

“The person who’s found has to make it to the room first without getting caught by the seeker, or they’re out. Then we’ll play rock-paper-scissors!”

“Rock-paper-scissors!”

All five kids immediately extended their hands. Lysia was chosen as the first seeker.

“No turning your head! Teacher will watch you count to 100.”

“Got it.”

Kissel answered with a smile. Lysia covered her eyes, turned away from the door, and began counting aloud.

“One, two…”

Hayley was the first to dash out of the room, with Aubrey following behind. Pavel grabbed Artizea’s hand, pulling her out as well.

But that was where his help stopped. Pavel quickly disappeared in a flash.

Artizea panicked. She could hear Lysia counting in the background, and while she was in a hurry, she couldn’t move easily, her nerves making her hesitate.

She tried to quickly step to the side and peek into the next room. Should she hide behind the curtain? It seemed too obvious. What about behind the sofa? It would be discovered the moment someone looked there.

She knew if she got caught, she wouldn’t be able to escape the seeker’s grasp. After thinking for a moment, she quickly moved into the next room. Time was really running out.

She hurriedly opened the cabinet. Luckily, there was just enough space inside for her to fit.

She gathered her dress and carefully slipped inside, curling up. With her heart racing, she closed the cabinet door, leaving just a small gap to peek out and watch the others.

But the next moment, someone suddenly pushed against the cabinet door from the outside. Artizea flinched, shrinking back.

Click. She heard the sound of the lock clicking into place from outside.