The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 35
After Cedric left, Artizea became anxious and tightly held Lysia’s hand. Viscountess Pescher kindly spoke.
“Would you like some more milk and cookies? We also have orange chocolate, which my daughter absolutely loves.”
“Orange?”
Lysia, having grown up in the North and rarely having tasted fruits like oranges, brightened up with curiosity.
Viscountess Pescher told them to wait for a moment and went to fetch two pieces of dried orange coated in chocolate, handing them to the children.
She now knew much about how Millaira had treated Artizea.
Viscountess Pescher had been directly antagonistic toward Millaira. She had torn her clothes, made the maids betray her, and used various schemes to have her ousted from high society. It was unlikely she would show kindness to the daughter of such a woman.
But as she listened to Artizea’s story, Viscountess Pescher couldn’t hide her pity. Her hatred for Millaira grew even stronger.
Her own daughter, Celine, was now six years old. Just the thought of Celine getting hurt, even by something as simple as a bruise from falling while playing, broke her heart. If she imagined the girl being beaten or starved, she felt an overwhelming desire to tear the perpetrator apart.
‘Most of the old servants from Marquisate Rosan are probably gone now, right?’
Or even if some were still around, given the incident, it was unlikely anyone would stand on the child’s side.
As she watched the two children eagerly enjoy the chocolate, Viscountess Pescher spoke in a voice that mixed compassion and kindness.
“If you like it, I can pack some for you to take home.”
“Thank you.”
Artizea politely expressed her thanks. Viscountess Pescher courteously accepted it and led the two children out of the tea room.
The Empress’s palace had many spaces for children. Playgrounds and children’s rooms that had been made during the time when the Princesses and Princes were growing up still remained, and there was even a separate library. The music room, which was rarely used now because neither Pavel nor Cedric showed much interest, had been created for the children as well, and it was still well-maintained.
After explaining all this, Viscountess Pescher asked where they would like to go next. Artizea and Lysia give different answers.
“The library!”
“The playground!”
Viscountess Pescher smiled awkwardly at the contrast in their responses.
“It’s fine to go to the playground first.”
“I think the library would be fun too.”
They then looked at each other. Viscountess Pescher, seeing their hesitation, made a decision for them.
“How about you visit the playground once Prince Pavel finishes his lessons?”
“Yes.”
Like two little chicks, the two girls answered in unison. Viscountess Pescher led them toward the library.
Artizea and Lysia walked hand in hand, marveling at the grand hallways of the Empress’s palace. Lysia whispered softly.
“It’s like a palace.”
“It is a palace.”
“But still, it’s even prettier than what I’ve seen in storybooks.”
Though they thought they were whispering, their voices were clearly audible to the keen ears of Viscountess Pescher. She smiled and intentionally turned down a lavish gallery hallway, enjoying the sight of the children’s wide-eyed amazement as they gazed at the portraits hanging on the walls.
The library was on the third floor. The stairs were quite steep, and Artizea huffed and puffed as she struggled to follow Viscountess Pescher.
Noticing this, Viscountess Pescher paused. Artizea said, catching her breath,
“I’m, ha, fine, ha.”
“It’s just that I’m tired.”
Artizea felt a little embarrassed, knowing that she was being considerate of her.
Viscountess Pescher smiled and took a brief rest before slowly continuing up the stairs. It would be tough, but Artizea diligently followed her, not complaining.
The door to the library was slightly ajar. The curious Viscountess Pescher gently pushed it open.
At this hour, no one should have been in the library. Crown Princess Eloise had already moved out to her own residence, Prince Graham was busy trying to act like an adult, and Prince Pavel was likely with his tutor.
To her surprise, someone unexpected was lounging on one of the cozy library sofas—Crown Princess Eloise.
“Your Highness, what brings you here?”
Viscountess Pescher asked in shock, curtsying to her. Eloise had moved into her own residence after becoming an adult, so she shouldn’t have been in this library at her age.
Eloise straightened up, accepting Viscountess Pescher’s greeting, and replied casually.
“I just wanted to hide away somewhere with good light and comfort. This place seemed the best.”
“Your Highness…”
Viscountess Pescher spoke in a slightly reproachful tone at Eloise’s carefree manner, but Eloise wasn’t bothered by it.
Instead, Eloise turned her attention to the two girls standing behind Viscountess Pescher.
“Who are these two? Ah, the younger one is Lady Rosan, right? We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“Ah! Tha, thank you for remembering me. I’m Artizea of Rosan.”
Artizea quickly released Lysia’s hand and straightened her skirt, offering a polite bow to the princess. Lysia, realizing who they were speaking to, was taken by surprise and quickly followed suit, bowing deeply.
“The Empress asked me to show Lady Rosan and her companion, Miss Lysia of Barony Morten, around the palace, so I brought them here.”
“Is that so? Where’s Ced?”
“He went to pay his respects to the Emperor.”
Eloise nodded knowingly. Then she addressed the children.
“Don’t worry about me. Just look around and enjoy yourselves.”
After that, she flopped back down onto the sofa, almost as if collapsing into it.
Viscountess Pescher gave a hesitant look. She was uncomfortable with the way Crown Princess Eloise was behaving, especially with the young girls from outside the palace watching her. It wasn’t proper for them to see such behavior from the imperial family.
“Your Highness.”
“I know, I know.”
Eloise replied, sitting up again.
At this point, Artizea and Lysia still stood there hesitating. Eloise gestured for them to sit down.
The library sofas were designed lower than usual to make them more comfortable for children. Thus, even small Artizea and Lysia could easily sit without needing footrests.
“Do you like the library? Well, it’s not a bad place to play. There are lots of little hiding spots. Perfect for hide-and-seek.”
“Your Highness.”
Viscountess Pescher called again, this time with a reproachful tone. Eloise giggled.
“Try it with Pavel later. You can hide for hours without him finding you.”
Viscountess Pescher sighed deeply at the memory of the time when the whole of the Empress’s palace had been in chaos looking for the lost princess.
Lysia giggled, finding it funny. But Artizea’s eyes widened and she spoke up.
“I… I hope they find me quickly, though.”
“Isn’t the fun in hiding when the seeker can’t find you?”
“But… what if they get mad at me for worrying?”
Eloise was taken aback by the sudden seriousness in Artizea’s voice.
“Does Ced get angry?”
“No, no!”
Artizea quickly answered. Cedric never got angry at her; he only ever worried about her.
Realizing how silly her earlier thought was, Artizea shrunk slightly. Eloise, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret, giggled.
“If you ever play hide-and-seek with Pavel and he gets angry, it’s not because he’s worried. It’s because he’s frustrated. In that case, just tease him a little.”
“Have you ever played it, Your Highness?”
“Of course. When Pavel was younger, just the thought of him getting upset made it so much fun. Watching him cry because he couldn’t find me was really hilarious.”
Eloise said this with a joyful laugh, but Artizea hesitated, feeling flustered, hesitated, while Lysia got upset.
“It’s bad to make your younger sibling cry.”
“Oh? Are you saying what I did was wrong?”
The words were delivered with a mockingly threatening tone, but Lysia, still young and unaware, simply stared into Eloise’s blue eyes and nodded firmly.