The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 43

If Cedric had a list of people he wanted to kill, Lawrence would definitely be at the top. However, beyond public anger and private hatred, Cedric had disliked Lawrence ever since before anything had even happened. 

Honestly, he didn’t even remember when it started or what the trigger was.

Cedric made an effort to steady his mind. Truthfully, in the heat of the moment, he briefly considered snapping Lawrence’s neck, but after all, Lawrence was still a child.

Setting aside the fact that he couldn’t punish someone for a crime they hadn’t committed yet, or that Lawrence wouldn’t become a threat as long as Eloise was alive. Fundamentally, Cedric wasn’t the kind of person who could kill a twelve-year-old child.

He might want to throw a punch though.

Considering that he was twelve himself, he thought maybe it would be allowed, and he glared at Lawrence. If he knocked him out, Ansgar would probably be upset though.

“What brings you here?”

“I was invited.”

“You, of all people, care about Tia’s invitation?”

At Cedric’s hostile tone, Lawrence raised his delicate, pale forehead slightly in a frown.

He didn’t particularly have a bad relationship with Cedric. To be honest, they didn’t have enough of an interaction for there to be a distinction between good or bad. They had barely exchanged a few looks here and there.

Of course, Graham didn’t like Lawrence, and since he was often compared to Pavel, someone closer in age, their relationship was somewhat uncomfortable. And since Cedric was close to those brothers, it made sense that Cedric would feel a bit awkward with Lawrence as well.

But, after all, wasn’t it Cedric who had accepted Artizea first?

“I didn’t really want to come either.”

Lawrence replied with a hint of bitterness.

He didn’t hate Artizea. He simply wasn’t interested in her.

People often say you don’t miss what you never had, but Lawrence had never particularly noticed Artizea’s absence. While she often followed him around, she never really got in his way, so he didn’t find it uncomfortable either.

It was only when he realized that Milaira, his mother, would often lose her temper and collapse from exhaustion that he thought, “Oh, that’s right, Tia’s not here.”

Since they weren’t close, he honestly didn’t understand why he received the tea party invitation. Surely, it was just a gathering of a few girls?

If it had been hosted at Marquis Rosan’s residence, he would have made a brief appearance, but there was no reason for him to come to Grand Duke Evron’s residence.

The reason he attended, however, was because of Emperor Gregor. Apparently, Sir Teren, the tutor assigned by the Emperor, had relayed that detail.

[This is a good opportunity. You haven’t had much of a chance to get close to Cedric until now, have you?]  

[No.]  

[Well, now you’ll need to spend time together. It’s been a while since you’ve seen your sister, after all.]  

Lawrence frowned slightly at that moment and tilted his head. The Emperor then smiled gently and added. 

[You should get along with your family.]  

[I know Cedric is close to Prince Pavel. He was just at the Empress’ palace until recently.]  

[Pavel is your brother as well, isn’t he?]  

Emperor Gregor reassured him.  

He knew that half-siblings couldn’t always get along like full brothers and sisters, especially when considering the relationship between the Empress and Milaira.  

But for that very reason, he needed to create an opportunity for Lawrence as well.  

Lawrence’s situation was a bit different from Charlotte and Grace’s. Though they were both illegitimate children, their mother’s status was so low, and neither of them had ever attracted much attention, so they hadn’t incurred much of the Empress’ dislike. The Emperor believed he could provide them with a stable life.  

However, Lawrence was far more noticeable. His connection to Milaira, combined with his resemblance to her, would undoubtedly cause a stir in society when he grew older.  

‘And Graham hates him too much.’  

Eloise would turn a blind eye if Lawrence stayed in his place, but Graham would not.  

That’s why the Emperor had to give Lawrence opportunities to build relationships from a young age. That way, he could live a stable life in the future. This was also one of the reasons he allowed Cedric and Artizea’s engagement.  

Cedric had matured now, and he wouldn’t simply hate Lawrence because of Milaira. From his interactions with Artizea, it was clear he wouldn’t hate him just because of his mother.  

And since Cedric was close to Pavel, the Emperor hoped that, through Cedric, the two boys would grow a bit closer.  

[Go see how your sister is doing. Spend time together, and make sure to enjoy yourself.]  

[If Father says so, I will go.]  

[Cedric is a good person and really likes your sister, so he’s someone worth getting along with. Be friendly with him.]  

Lawrence still looked somewhat displeased, but the Emperor stroked his head with affection. He truly wished for this dear child to live without trouble, and for that to happen, he needed to get along with the princes.  

Lawrence came here without understanding his father’s feelings. Milaira hadn’t opposed the idea, perhaps because she lacked the strength to do so.

Regardless of the circumstances, Lawrence was not in a position where he came here willingly. And now, with Cedric acting this way, he could not help but feel frustrated.

‘Do I really have to get along with this guy?’  

Until now, Cedric had been someone Lawrence had no opinion of, but now he felt like he might dislike him.  

Cedric frowned.  

‘If it were Tia now, she would’ve wanted to invite Lawrence.’  

He desperately wanted to send Lawrence away, but he couldn’t do that because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Moreover, they still weren’t close in this world, so he couldn’t act too harshly.  

That’s probably why Ansgar hadn’t reported to him first. He had driven Milaira away, but no, more so because of that, he likely thought it would be a good thing if Lawrence could offer some comfort to Artizea.  

Cedric knew that wasn’t going to happen, but still…  

Just then, the door to the music room opened, and Lysia peeked in.  

“Uh…”  

Despite hearing sounds, they hadn’t entered yet, so she opened the door herself.  

Lysia forgot to greet them and stood there, staring at Lawrence with wide eyes.  

‘So beautiful…’  

She had never seen someone so beautiful in her life. He looked less like a person and more like a shimmer of moonlight. She had never seen someone like this before, but she wondered if the prince from the fairy tale books might have looked like this.  

“Lysia.”  

Cedric called to her, stepping between the two, almost as if to separate them.  

Lysia snapped out of her trance.  

“Oh, sorry! Welcome, Lord Ced. And… Lord Lawrence, right?”  

“Yes.”  

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lysia Morten, Artizea’s companion.”  

Lysia bowed to Lawrence with an unusually graceful demeanor, much more formal than usual. Lawrence looked at her with a furrowed brow.  

‘How quaint.’  

That was supposed to be his first impression, but something about her seemed too bright.  

Lawrence unknowingly smiled for a moment but quickly twisted his mouth into a scowl. He didn’t like this girl.  

Then, suddenly, Cedric grabbed the back of his neck. The unexpected and rude gesture angered Lawrence, but before he could react, a low and threatening whisper reached his ear.  

“Behave with restraint. Don’t even think about hurting the children.”  

“Cedric…”  

“Otherwise, you’ll learn just how much pain someone can endure.”  

Lawrence turned in surprise to look at Cedric, but he had already released him, now smiling casually at Lysia and asking,  

“Are we the last ones?”