07

"There was only one thing that could pique Aramus and his attention, it was Kalypso." — The Lovable Villainess, Chapter Eighteen.

...

This whole time, I had only been exposed to my mother, my father, and the faceless maids that all started to blur together into one being. Now, seeing Aramus in person I was startled at the reality of the situation. I couldn't help but almost gasp, attempting to try and keep myself composed. What I had read was happening in front of me, and yet, juxtaposed were the two that I had just met.

Mina and Cain. They were never mentioned in the original book. I would have known if Aramus had a son.

"Duke Kalypso," I managed to swallow, bowing my head, "I know he's kind and amicable." The word felt clunky off of my tongue. I wondered how I was able to talk with such grace when I hadn't been exposed to anything good in this life. There was no one to talk with and sometimes, I would chat with myself to keep myself from falling into insanity.

"How?" Cain inquired, tilting his head. He seemed genuinely curious.

Mina sighed, "Why don't you sit down?" She inquired, taking my hand. She cautiously hid her injured hand behind her back. I wondered how she had injured herself. Aramus' eyes trailed upon the open wound on her hand as if it hurt him.

"I-I just know," I managed to stutter out.

"He killed your parents."

"Cain!" Mina barked.

Aramus chuckled at his son's words as I stared in surprise. I had never expected to see the man described as a lifeless doll. The book made him a man that could only be moved by Kalypso. The change in the young villainess woman startled him; she started cooking, spending more time in the kitchen than in the shops. She no longer abused the staff but was amicable with them, giggling and opening their hearts.

Kalypso was no longer the villainess. She was beloved and the change caused Aramus to move as well. The man who didn't treasure anyone showered Kalypso with love and gifts that made her blush and push them away.

This didn't seem like the soulless stoic man that the book described. The book was wrong. I was starting to get a creeping suspicion that what I had read and what I was experiencing were two very different things. Just as how I had come from... I couldn't remember.

My blurry memories of another life felt like just that, a dream.

"It's okay," I answered.

"Is it?" Aramus inquired, "Do you not feel an attachment toward your parents?"

I glanced at my arms, bruised to the point of nonrecognition. The skin seemed to be more purple than anything else. My entire back ached, pieces of glass still embedded inside of me. The fever had been reduced but everything else came back to me as if I was missing without the pain that my mother gave me every day. As if it was a remedy for my boredom.

"Should I?" I inquired.

It was a genuine question.

"No," Cain objected. "It was a good thing that Father got rid of them. Despite all the paperwork," he glowered at the man whose lips twitched, "I believe that it was a positive interaction."

Mina looked exasperated by the two men. "Young Lad—"

"Ceasaria."

I was correcting her. I had never been called a Young Lady in my life. In fact, I hadn't ever experienced it. In fact, I didn't even know my status. All I knew was the small attic that was my life. I glanced down at my hands. Did this mean I was free?

"Ceasaria," Mina corrected, "Shall I brew you some tea?" I nodded.

Cain blinked, "Did you spend your whole life locked away?"

Aramus sighed, finally deciding to step in. His son's inquisitive nature was not without restraint. He was blunt and could be somewhat cruel. "You don't need to worry anymore," He promised, "I promise that the Valentine Duchy will take care of you."

"You don't need to do that," I objected.

I didn't want to get involved with them. I remembered the ending. I grew bitter that I wasn't loved in the same way that Kalypso was. The daughter of one of Aramus' relatives, after they passed away, he decided to adopt her as he would with me. It was hilarious, why would Aramus bring in two children? I didn't need to be one of them. I would rather live on my own, become a mage and make money.

I didn't need their love. I didn't have the hope that I would be a lovable child. I didn't have the strength to be someone deserving of love. I didn't want to base my entire life on the fact that they could in fact go to Kalypso and fall in love with her eccentric quirks.

"You're going to refuse?" Aramus inquired.

I should be careful. I didn't want to seem ungrateful, "I don't wish to burden you any longer."

"You aren't a burden!" Cain piped up, shaking his head. My eyes turned to the older boy. His hair was a deep crimson like his father's but his eyes were a deep onyx. His features resembled Aramus, this must have been what he looked like when he was younger. He kept his hair somewhat shorter than his father whose hair had been pulled up in a half-updo. I remembered that he always kept his hair down, being too lazy to even put a ribbon in.

Kalypso tied up his hair and in a touching scene, he said that it had been years since he did his hair.

This wasn't the book.

"You're a danger," Aramus answered, "You don't know how to control your magic. That's why you burned down the house."

I struggled to say that wasn't the reason. This was him backing me into a corner. Aramus was much smarter than he presented himself. Despite his lazy exterior, I could see very quickly that he was trying to maneuver me into staying. I didn't know why. I couldn't state that I had done it on purpose for fear that I would be charged with arson, all I could do was agree.

This wasn't the book I read.

I shouldn't worry. Mina and Cain weren't originally in the plot, right? But, what if this was before the plot began? How old was I? The small fact that I didn't know my own age bit deeply into me. I couldn't help but struggle.

Aramus smiled, "You'll stay until you have a hold on your magic."

I gave a nod.

"Cain, bring her to a doctor, will you?"