The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 46

Pavel had never taken his studies seriously.

He found it particularly difficult to sit still at a desk for long periods. While he would often do what he thought needed to be done, it was hard for him to focus on tasks he didn’t understand the purpose of. 

And convincing a thirteen-year-old to learn classical poetry, philosophy, or mathematics wasn’t exactly an easy task.

It wasn’t the right age to tell him he needed to study a wide range of subjects because one day he’d be the Duke of Riagan or that such learning would sharpen his insight. 

Pavel would rather brush it off with something he’d picked up somewhere: “The second and third sons of the imperial family should remain suitably ignorant and incompetent.” He’d nearly gotten a spank from his mother for giving that response.

When Eloise asked him, “So, are you going to live your life in ignorance?” he focused on his studies for a while in surprise, but that didn’t last long either.

Lately, though, whenever Graham saw him, Pavel was sitting at a desk doing his homework. At first, Graham thought it was just a phase, but after a week of Pavel studying diligently, Graham couldn’t help but be surprised. He couldn’t resist interrupting.

“Hey, wanna go horseback riding?”

When they were younger, they’d spar with swords and slide down the stairs to play, but now, at seventeen, Graham thought it was childish to hang out with his thirteen-year-old brother. Still, if it meant distracting him from his studies, he was willing to make the time.

Pavel immediately looked up at the suggestion.

“Riding?”

“Yes, all the way to Lenos Lake. You haven’t been given permission to go there alone, have you?”

“Ugh…”

The tempting offer made Pavel hesitate.

“But I have to finish all of this by today.”

“When have you ever finished your homework early? Just do half of it.”

“I asked for a lot of assignments!”

“You did? Why?”

Graham’s eyes widened in surprise. Pavel, who was already half regretting his decision, buried his face in his hands.

“Because of Tia. She really… whenever I teach her something, she asks the weirdest questions.”

When he asked the tutor, the response he got was simply that it was material not typically covered at the prince’s level. Pavel, being a positive person, didn’t feel insulted by this but instead resolved to study harder.

Despite Pavel’s seriousness, Graham felt indifferent.

The little girl who was Cedric’s fiance. He didn’t feel any fondness for her. In fact, he harbored something close to disgust.

He had heard the stories of her being abused by her mother. She was, in a way, a victim of an enemy and he understood that she was a pitiful child.

However, with the sensitivity of a teenage boy, it was hard to easily accept the fact that she was the daughter of his father’s mistress. Graham had felt a deep sense of betrayal from Cedric, and recently, he had avoided even seeing her face.

Now, for his younger brother to behave this way…

It was one thing that they had grown closer during the few months they spent together in Evron, but now, because of her, he was having to study, something he had always disliked.

“Well, you can just study then. I’m going to have some fun.”

“Huhhh.”

Pavel nearly cried out in frustration.

“If you study hard, Mother will be happy.”

Graham said with a cheerful tone, before heading out with light steps.

In the end, Pavel was defeated. He stood up quickly, throwing his pen cap carelessly on the desk, and rushed after Graham.

Graham chuckled and ruffled his head.

* * *

After lunch, Artizea and Lysia got into the carriage and left Grand Duke Evron’s residence.

Today, they were visiting Marquisate Camelia’s villa, invited by Skyla.

“There’s a villa near the forest. If you go there, you can observe a lot of birds, so we often go there to visit.”

Skyla shrugged proudly as she spoke, and Artizea and Lysia couldn’t hide their envy. Then, with a gesture of generosity, she invited them along.

The three of them planned to watch the stars through Skyla’s telescope and, tomorrow morning, wake up early to observe the birds.

Cedric’s expression became slightly uncomfortable when he heard that they would be spending the night at Marquisate Camelia’s villa, but he allowed the outing without objection.

“I’m really looking forward to it!”

Lysia beamed with a smile, and Artizea nodded, though she looked a bit nervous.

This would be her first time visiting a friend’s house. She had been to the palace a few times to visit Pavel, but the palace was the palace—not a friend’s house. And Cedric had always gone with her.

Today, she was wearing a simple gray dress with minimal decoration. Marie had asked in surprise, ‘Aren’t you wearing anything with frills?’ but Artizea had held back, knowing that Skyla might find it childish.

“That’s prettier.”

She was worried that Skyls would say she didn’t want to play with a childish child. Lysia didn’t care and wore a blue skirt with a large ribbon around her waist.

The carriage made its way through the bustling streets at a moderate pace. Artizea pressed her face against the window, admiring the shops and people passing by, when suddenly the carriage came to a halt, causing her to lurch forward.

“Kyak!”

“Are you alright, Miss?”

Artizea was nearly thrown out of her seat, but Marie, who was sitting beside her, quickly caught her. Lysia had managed to hold herself steady, so she didn’t fall.

The carriage had come to a halt. Soon, Alphonse, the guard, knocked twice and opened the carriage door.

Marie asked in a worried tone.

“Is something wrong?”

“A child ran in front of the carriage. Fortunately, we didn’t hit them, but there’s been some commotion…”

The commotion could be heard from inside the carriage.

“Please, help! Help!”

“How dare you, you thief! Get over here!”

The sound of a young girl’s scream was followed by a middle-aged man’s shouting.

Artizea flinched. Marie looked at Alphonse with concern. He, too, appeared flustered, having never encountered a situation like this before.

The coachman seemed to say something, and it quieted for a moment, but soon the cries and shouting resumed.

“I didn’t steal any money! It wasn’t me!”

“Who else could it be! I pitied you and gave you a chance, and this is how you repay me!”

Artizea hesitated but eventually found the courage to speak up.

“Can I help?”

“Miss, you?”

“She says she didn’t steal.”

Artizea knew well that she shouldn’t get involved in things carelessly, but she also knew that she now had the power to help. Of course, that power wasn’t really hers but Cedric’s, but she was confident that if she helped this poor child, Cedric wouldn’t be angry.

Alphonse, still looking troubled, looked at Marie. Marie nodded.

“Please, do as you wish, Miss.”

Marie thought that there was still a chance the child could be the thief. Even if they returned the stolen money, it seemed more likely to end in disappointment.

However, this was the first time Artizea had stepped forward to help someone. Cedric had always encouraged her to pursue things that would broaden her world, and this was one of those moments.

After hearing Marie’s words, Artizea stood up from her seat. The surprised Alphonse quickly helped her down from the carriage.

As Artizea stepped out, the people gathered around the carriage turned their attention toward her. Artizea flinched for a moment, but then gathered her courage and took a step forward.

In front of the carriage was a girl of about ten, sitting on the ground. The middle-aged man, who had been trying to drag her away, turned with an annoyed expression. However, when he saw that she was a noble young lady, he quickly composed himself.