The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 55

“What’s wrong?”  

Lysia looked at Artizea with a puzzled expression. Artizea fidgeted with her hands before speaking.  

“I heard Brother took you home today.”  

“Ah.”  

“Brother… he’s not a good person.”  

She hesitated for a long time but eventually spoke up.  

Artizea was no longer eight years old. While she still felt the longing for her family, she had developed better judgment about people. During her time at Marquis Rosan’s residence, she had come to understand how distorted the world around her had been.  

Though her thirst for understanding had not yet been fully quenched, the affection for her mother and the admiration she had for her brother, whom her mother revered, still lingered.  

But now she could say that her mother was wrong, and her brother was wrong. Artizea had a good memory and could clearly recall her very early years at Marquis Rosan’s residence.  

When she met Lawrence, she understood why Cedric had always tried to be by her side. He probably had received the report that Lysia had been escorted home by Lawrence today.  

“Do you like Brother?”  

“No.”  

Artizea had cautiously asked, fearing that if Lysia liked Lawrence, she might hate herself for saying such things, but Lysia immediately denied it.  

“Has he done anything bad to you?”  

Artizea asked in an anxious tone. Lawrence wasn’t the type to take time out just to escort his younger sister’s friend home without a reason.  

Lysia shook her head.  

“No, not really. It’s just that sometimes it feels uncomfortable.”  

“If… if it’s because of me, you shouldn’t force yourself. I like you more than I like him.”  

Artizea said softly, almost like confessing a sin.  

Lysia laughed.  

“I like Lady Tia too.”  

Artizea smiled back.  

Lysia flopped onto the bed first and patted the space beside her. Artizea sluggishly lay down next to her.  

There was a lot they wanted to talk about, but they were both tired. Artizea had woken up early, and Lysia had had a long day.  

The conversation quickly turned into murmurs, and before they knew it, both of them had fallen asleep.  

Two hours later, Cedric quietly peeked inside Lysia’s room. He had thought about talking to her about Lawrence but decided against it for the moment. The door wasn’t fully closed, and it gently opened when he knocked.  

Lysia was sprawled on her bed, a small mound of blankets next to her, with two sets of even breathing sounds coming from their bodies.  

They were still children. It was probably nothing to worry about.  

He chuckled quietly and closed the door.

14.

The sky was incredibly clear.

It was the day they had promised to go on a picnic ten days ago, and as soon as Artizea woke up, she opened the window and felt a wave of excitement.

Before Marie arrived, Artizea hurried to the bathroom to wash her face and tie her hair up high herself. She then rushed to the dressing room to grab her riding clothes, and only then did Marie enter, looking surprised.

“You’re up early, miss?”

“Yes, I woke up early today.”

“Aren’t you usually a heavy sleeper?”

Artizea chuckled at the question, knowing that Marie wasn’t asking on purpose. It wasn’t such a big deal to go on a picnic, but she felt a bit embarrassed by how happy she was, like a little child.

“I’m going with Brother Pavel, Lord Ced, and Lysia! We’re all going together!”

It had been quite a while since the four of them went out together.

“Do you not want me to redo your hair?”

“No, it’s fine. We’re riding horses, so it’ll be fine.”

Artizea was now quite skilled at horseback riding. Ever since Pavel had gifted her a pony, she had worked hard to learn. Of course, Cedric’s larger efforts had played a significant part in that, too.

After changing into her riding clothes, Artizea headed out to the lobby, where Lysia was already there, having woken up even earlier and finished preparing.

Cedric, the last to emerge, smiled softly.

“I thought you’d be tired of these picnics by now.”

Even though it was a picnic, they weren’t going far. They planned to visit a ranch next to the palace’s riding grounds. It would be too cumbersome with too many guards if they were to go farther.

At her age, playing with peers was much more fun than hanging out with older brothers. Still, both Artizea and Lysia’s eyes sparkled.

“It’s going to be great! At the ranch, we’ll be able to drink freshly made milk.”

“Tia is talking about food first? I think we should mark today as a special occasion.”

“We’re going to eat a lot and play a lot today.”

Artizea said confidently. Cedric smiled, his eyes giving a glance that seemed to say that her idea of ‘a lot’ was trivial. Realizing that, Artizea huffed in frustration.

“I’m serious!”

“Alright.”

“You definitely don’t look convinced!”

“Eating well is a good thing.”

Cedric said it genuinely, but Artizea didn’t seem to take it that way. Lysia laughed.

“Lately, Lady Tia has been drinking a lot of milk. She even loves cheese.”

“You’ll grow taller.”

Lysia then glanced at the height difference between herself and Cedric with her eyes. Cedric smiled wryly.

“You’re still young, so you’ll grow even taller without rushing.”

As he reached out and placed his hand on Artizea’s head, she blushed and pushed his hand away with both of hers. She had always said she would grow taller, but it seemed that the comment bothered her.

However, Cedric hoped she wouldn’t feel bad about it. He wanted her to enjoy her childhood without worries. There would come a time when she would outgrow moments where he could protect her, and he wished that moment could be delayed for as long as possible.

A guard placed a large picnic basket onto the saddle, and the three of them mounted their horses.

It was when they passed the palace’s riding grounds that they encountered Graham.

Given the large entourage of guards, Cedric immediately recognized him. Graham, too, seemed to have noticed, as he raised a hand from a distance and steered his horse toward Cedric.

“Where are you headed?” 

Cedric asked politely, and Graham laughed, looking somewhat incredulous. In fact, every time Cedric had seen him for the past five years, Graham’s expression always seemed incredulous.

“Come on, don’t act so grown-up.” 

Cedric just shrugged his shoulders. It was harder to act his age than he expected.

“I was just stopping by to check on some horses after hunting. And where are you taking the kids?” 

Graham’s eyes swept over Artizea and Lysia, who immediately lowered their heads and gave a respectful nod.

While they had met Graham a few times, it wouldn’t be accurate to say they were friendly. Most of their encounters had been at the Empress’ palace, and even after Graham had received his title as Grand Duke and became independent, they hadn’t crossed paths much.

It could be said that their relationship was distant. Artizea had always felt uneasy around the unfriendly prince, and Lysia hadn’t had much chance to warm up to him either. 

Cedric didn’t make an effort to force any friendly relations either. He knew Graham was making an effort, given how much he hated Milaira, and Cedric understood that any interaction beyond what was necessary was a form of tolerance from Graham.

Cedric believed things would improve with time, and indeed, they had. Graham had started to accept Artizea as part of Grand Duke Evron’s family, though he still didn’t show much interest in the young girl.

He smiled and said, 

“We’re going on a picnic to the ranch.”

“You’ve gone from being a child to a parent.” 

Graham teased. Cedric just laughed at the comment. He had to admit, it wasn’t far from the truth.