The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 41

Cedric couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he saw Artizea looking upset, suddenly reminded of past events. He had initially thought her modesty about not being able to dance was just modesty. But it turned out she truly was clumsy.

At least she had practiced enough to get the basics down. Without a partner, it was impossible for her to get used to coordinating movements. And, as he recalled, before she married him, she had hardly ever danced with anyone at a party. It was probably less than five times.

For a brief moment, the face of a certain redhead flashed in his mind, but he quickly pushed the memory away. What good would it do to think of a face that he would never have to see again?

The bigger problem was that Artizea’s face became even more distressed because he had laughed.

“You just need to practice. You can do it.”

She might not be great at it yet, but she could at least learn the steps. After that, it was just a matter of practice and some physical training. Court dancing was never that difficult.

Artizea mumbled in a small voice, her lips pressed together.

“Because of me, Lysia has to keep repeating the same parts…”

“I’m fine. It’s fun.” 

Lysia said in surprise. Though she felt frustrated at times, she didn’t mind at all. Ansgar was teaching them in a way that kept things interesting, changing up the music and the dance moves so it was actually quite enjoyable.

Cedric smiled and reached out his hand.

“Then how about Lysia take a break and we’ll practice together?”

At those words, Artizea’s face turned red, and instead of taking his hand, she recoiled, stepping back in surprise.

He looked at his hand and then at her in surprise. Artizea, now even more flushed, lowered her head, covered her face with her hands, and dashed away.

Watching her run toward the door, Cedric was left dumbfounded. Had he done something wrong?

“Ah, Lady Tia!”

Lysia quickly chased after her. Cedric was about to follow, but Ansgar called out to him.

“Lord Ced, you should not chase after a lady so recklessly.”

“What?”

Cedric paused in surprise at his unusually stern voice.

Well, that was true. Following a lady who had clearly distanced herself was improper. It could seem threatening or disrespectful, and he had done that before, too.

But Artizea was still just a child. As a guardian, he couldn’t just let her run off alone…

“A young lady, no matter her age, should be treated with respect. And besides, isn’t she your fiance?”

“Well, that’s true…”

“And yet, Lord Ced, shouldn’t you be in the study working on your assignments?”

“Ah…”

“I’m quite concerned that you haven’t been very diligent with your studies lately.”

At Ansgar’s words, Cedric found himself at a loss for words. Feeling guilty, he answered weakly.

“I know. Tia is…”

“I will make sure to keep an eye on Miss.”

Cedric nodded, and with a heavy sigh, he trudged out of the music room and headed for the study. It felt as though he were a real thirteen-year-old again, but he couldn’t avoid it in front of Ansgar.

After Cedric left, Ansgar finally let a small smile creep onto his face. He then turned to the accompanist, still standing by the piano looking awkward, and told them that they would wrap up for today before exiting the music room.

He could guess where Artizea had gone. It was likely the attic.

In fact, the attic in the mansion had always been cleaned for the children to play in. Ansgar had deliberately left some old boxes and random knickknacks there.

But Artizea probably didn’t know about those. When she wanted to hide, the attic was likely a habit from her time at Marquis Rosan’s residence.

He didn’t hurry, taking his time as he climbed to the top floor. The ceiling door to the attic was closed, but he confidently climbed the ladder and opened it.

Looking into the low-ceilinged attic, he saw both girls sitting on the floor, startled to see him.

He smiled and, with careful steps, climbed into the attic. Avoiding bumping his head on the low ceiling, he bent down and approached the girls and sat beside them.

Artizea’s face was still flushed. She was still wondering how he had managed to find her again. 

When she had hidden in the attic at Marquis Rosan’s residence, no one had ever found her, not even when she stayed there all day. She had once been scolded and hit with a stick by her mother when she did that.

Yet, she didn’t feel like her secret space was being taken away. She could share everything with Lysia, and Ansgar would make sure to keep her secrets.

He gave her a kind smile.

“Were you worried?”

“Ansgar is amazing…”

Artizea mumbled, as if reading her thoughts. He always seemed to know everything without her saying a word.

Ansgar looked at her gently.

“Lord Ced will never be disappointed in Lady Tia.”

“Even so… I’m just so bad at it.”

She was afraid Cedric might think she was clumsy. She had already shown him so many of her faults, and although he was kind, she feared he might say something hurtful, even if he didn’t mean it.

“Lord Ced is really good at dancing.” 

Ansgar said.

“So, it’s fine if you’re not very good. You won’t step on his feet.”

At those words, Artizea couldn’t help but smile. Lysia giggled, and Ansgar grew serious again.

“It’s not a joke. Honestly, it’s fine if you step on his feet a little. Lord Ced is sturdy enough.”

“That’s not allowed!”

Artizea quickly replied, then slapped her still-red cheeks lightly to shake off the embarrassment and gather her energy.

Simply telling herself to practice harder hadn’t been comforting, but somehow Ansgar’s words had made her feel at ease. Cedric wouldn’t be upset with her. Just knowing that made her feel like she could try harder.

“I want to practice more.”

“Let’s do it together.” 

Lysia said with a bright smile, and Ansgar also smiled kindly.

But that alone wasn’t enough.

Artizea thought about wanting to find something she was good at. She had vaguely thought about it before, but the idea was starting to take clearer shape.

She wished there was something she could do well that Cedric couldn’t do. That way, she might be able to help him someday.

* * *

“Something you can do well?”

When Pavel heard Artizea’s concerns, he frowned, unsure if this was really a problem.

“You’re good at math.” 

“I’m worse than Lord Ced at it.” 

“Come on, how many years of an age gap do you have between you two? If he’s worse than you, that’d be a big problem.”

That big problem was what Pavel had been thinking about as he buried himself in the pile of assignments given by the tutor today. Looking back, if Artizea worked harder and focused on things she was good at, she’d catch up to him in no time. So, he had tried to avoid giving her tasks he thought she’d excel at.

“Like finding places or matching cards?”

After thinking for a while, Pavel said, and Artizea puffed up her round cheeks in dissatisfaction.

“That’s just playing, though.”

“Dance is playing too.”

The gap between their senses was like a river they could never cross.