The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 42

Artizea turned her back on Pavel, sulking and going back to her task.

“Hey, are you mad?”  

“No.”  

“You’re mad.”  

“No, I’m not.”  

“Yeah, you are.”  

Trying to deny it, Artizea turned her head quickly, but Pavel’s finger poked her cheek.  

When she glared at him with an angry face, Pavel burst into laughter.  

“See, you’re mad.”  

“I won’t play with you, Prince.”  

“Oh, you’re really mad now?”  

She didn’t even call him ‘Brother Pavel’ anymore, but ‘Prince’ instead. That meant she was really upset.  

Seeing how much it amused him, Pavel grinned and pinched her soft cheek.  

“Did you grow up so much that you can look me in the eye now?”  

“Shtahp!”  

Squirming and resisting, Artizea made a strange sound as she struggled. When he finally let go, she grabbed the book and notebook in front of her and stormed off to another spot, clearly upset.  

Pavel, not caring at all, followed her and kept pestering her. Of course, this was far more fun than doing homework.  

“So, what are you doing?”  

Artizea ignored him. Pavel peered over her shoulder.  

The book she was reading was a collection of sample letters. In her notebook, there were several sentences crossed out, probably because she didn’t like them.  

“To Lady Garnet Luden.”  

“Ah!”  

Artizea quickly covered it with her hand. Pavel mischievously tried to grab the notebook from her.  

It wasn’t a big deal, but it was still embarrassing. Artizea blushed and struggled to keep it away, but Pavel unabashedly continued reading the rest.  

“The season where the sharp wind knocks on the window has returned. Please join me for a little tea party, where we can sit by the fireplace and have a warm cup of tea…”  

Then he stopped when he saw that Artizea’s face was turning sad. If he continued, she’d probably start crying for real.  

He gave up teasing her and said gently.

“You wrote it well. Why are you upset?”  

“That’s a lie.”  

“It’s not a lie.”  

“You were teasing me.”  

Her large eyes were filled with tears, and Pavel immediately realized his mistake. If Cedric found out, he’d be in trouble.  

“I’m serious. It’s really well written.”  

“I copied it…”  

“It’s fine. That’s what a sample letter collection is for.”  

Pavel handed her the notebook back.  

“You don’t have to try to write perfectly. But who are you inviting?”  

“Lord Ced and Lady Garnet…”

Artizea counted on her fingers as she spoke.  

“Miss Skyla and Miss Selene…”  

“What about me?”  

“I won’t invite Lord Pavel because you laughed.”  

“Hey.”  

Pavel called out roughly, then cleared his throat. He had no interest in a tea party with a bunch of girls, but he still wanted to receive an invitation.  

“If you’re inviting Ced, then you should invite me too. I’m your brother.”  

Artizea furrowed her brow at that.  

“If you’re my brother, do you want to come to the tea party?”  

“Well, not because I want to go, but I’d probably be upset if I get left out.”  

Pavel said it based on his own reasoning, but Artizea didn’t quite see it that way. She felt that if a close friend held a tea party and left her out, she’d be quite upset.  

Artizea’s contemplation deepened. This was the first time she was going to invite someone to her house.  

Originally, she only planned to invite Lysia and Cedric, but Garnet insisted on being invited too, and so she had been preparing it together with Ansgar and Lysia.  

When thinking about inviting others, the first person who came to her mind was Milaira. But she held back. Her mother wouldn’t care about a gathering of kids, and Cedric would not like it if Milaira came back into this house.  

But what about Lawrence? Would Lawrence feel left out if she didn’t send him an invitation?  

She didn’t think so, but still, she hoped he might.  

There was another thing on her mind.  

She hesitated before carefully asking Pavel.  

“Do you not like Lawrence, Pavel?”  

He scrunched up his face.  

“That guy’s not fun.”  

“So, you do not like him?”  

Pavel hesitated. He didn’t really like Lawrence, but he wasn’t as hostile as Graham. But Artizea was Lawrence’s sister.  

If he openly said he disliked him, it would probably upset her, so he shook his head.  

“It’s not like that. We’re just not close.”  

Artizea nodded.  

She decided to gather some courage. Even though she doubted Lawrence would actually come if she sent him an invitation, she still thought it was worth the chance. 

Maybe, just maybe, he’d be upset if she didn’t.  

* * *  

[To Lord Cedric Evron.

The season where the sharp wind knocks on the window has returned. I am hosting a small tea party and would be honored if you would join me. Please come and share a warm cup of tea and sweet treats by the fireplace while we have a pleasant chat.]

Artizea’s invitation was delivered to Cedric through Ansgar’s hands. He broke the seal, read the contents, and smiled.  

Thanks to referencing a sample letter, the wording was decent, though the handwriting was still a bit rough.  

The event was scheduled for next Monday, and the location was the music room at the Grand Duke’s residence. Cedric chuckled and asked,  

“Who did she invite?”  

“I have not yet received all the responses, so I cannot provide a list of attendees at this moment.”  

It was a standard response to a guest’s inquiry, but somewhat detached. After all, Ansgar had likely handled the sending himself.  

Cedric immediately wrote a response, gladly confirming his attendance, sealed the letter with care, and handed it to Ansgar. He smiled.  

“She will be pleased.”  

“I’m glad she’s making friends.”  

He genuinely meant it.  

In noble families, children’s social interactions often follow the patterns set by the adults. Children of close families tend to be introduced to each other early, continuing family connections across generations.  

Making friends on their own typically happens after they debut in society.  

Milaira, for her part, neither had the ability nor the intention to make those connections, and even with custody, Cedric was too young to handle such matters.  

Thankfully, Garnet had acted as a bridge, and with the help of Viscountess Pescher introducing her own children, Artizea was able to send out such an invitation.  

Cedric thought back to the girls Artizea had once been close to.  

‘Lady Keshore and Lady Hazel would probably make good friends. But there’s no one to act as a bridge there…’  

There was no rush. Artizea was growing at her own pace. Her world would become richer in time, and she would be able to create that world for herself.  

But still, he was excited about the tea party. He wondered if she would dress in all pink again from head to toe and chuckled to himself.  

If Cedric had known the entire guest list of the invitations sent out, he might not have been so amused. However, since Ansgar treated him as a guest, he didn’t share the list of invitees prepared by Artizea.  

So, on the day of the tea party, Cedric found himself unexpectedly face-to-face with Lawrence in front of the music room.