Villainess (3)
"Greetings, Lady Celastrina. I'm Moran, the individual tasked by the Lady Marchioness to impart the basics of magic," he said with a friendly smile.
"Hmpf. Don't waste my time. I hope you know who you are going to teach!" Celastrina retorted, her glare carrying a subtle threat.
"I am well aware, milady. You need not worry," Moran replied with a reassuring smile, producing a crystal sphere. "First, let's assess your magic potential. Please place your hand on the sphere, Milady."
Celastrina complied, resting her hand on the sphere. We waited as, after a brief moment, the sphere began to shine brighter and brighter until it became blinding.
"Amazing! You possess tremendous talent for magic, milady! As expected of the Marchioness' daughter," Moran exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
"Hmpf." Celastrina smirked happily.
However, his reaction could have been more measured.
"Have you seen talents like milady's before?" I asked curiously, disregarding Celastrina's glare.
"Umu," Moran nodded with a smile. "Prince Arthur broke the sphere apart much like Milady Irisdina… ah!" He realized his mistake too late.
Celastrina was delighted to hear that Arthur was even more talented than her, but Irisdina...
Irisdina Rainborn, also known as Irisdina Alasmira, was Celastrina's cousin and half-sister, being the daughter of Vanessa's sister and Malcolm Rainborn, her father. It was evident to me that Irisdina surpassed Celastrina in magical talent, given her status as a Heroine, a common trope in games.
Celastrina clenched her tiny fists in restrained anger, revealing the depth of her animosity towards Irisdina.
"Hum! Let's proceed to the next step! Let's see which element you have affinity with!" Moran swiftly suggested, noting Celastrina's cold demeanor—a countenance far beyond what a ten-year-old should wear.
He fetched another sphere, this one larger. "Please place your hand—"
Before he could finish, Celastrina had already laid her hand on the sphere.
I observed attentively as something crackled within it. At first, I thought it was fire, but the crackle was swifter. It turned out to be lightning, and not just any lightning—it had a beautiful magenta hue that left Moran astounded.
"Incredible! Lightning and a variant of Lightning, no less! This is amazing!" Moran exclaimed, gazing at Celastrina with admiration.
However, Celastrina displayed no joy.
She fixed her gaze on Moran. "Which element did she get?" she asked directly.
There was no mistaking whom she was referring to.
Moran hesitated briefly before responding. "A variant of fire and affinity with earth as well."
Crack!
Celastrina's countenance grew even colder as she tightly gripped the sphere. Cracks began to appear one by one as magenta lightning crackled around her hand, culminating in a resounding boom as the sphere exploded into tiny pieces. In her fury, she stormed out of the place, leaving Moran and me in stunned silence.
Moran scratched his cheeks, seemingly at a loss for words.
"Can you test me too?" I interjected, catching his attention.
"Hm? You are?"
"Milady Celastrina's butler."
"Why would I accept an order from a mere butler?" Moran's demeanor shifted as he glared down at me coldly.
"It's the Marchioness' order."
"Right away! Here, put your hand!" He quickly changed his tone.
I placed my hand on the sphere, hoping for a favorable outcome, but it shone only barely bright.
"Umu. Mediocre, less than average, and less than ordinary."
Next was my elemental affinity.
A gentle breeze surrounded me as the sphere glowed green.
"You have an affinity with wind. It may be ordinary, but at least you possess an elemental connection," Moran remarked.
Wind, huh.
I raised my hand, and a small, swirling sphere of wind formed above my palm.
Better than nothing.
Reluctantly, I found myself compelled to console the troubled villainess. Fostering her animosity towards Irisdina would inevitably lead her down a perilous path, and I was determined to prevent such a grim fate, particularly since I would likely become collateral damage in the process.
Ascending the staircase, I made my way to Celastrina's room, the echoing sounds of shattering objects and collisions reverberating through the hallways.
"Milady, please hide!" Anna implored, anxiously stepping out of the room.
She tearfully pointed inside, prompting me to motion for her to step away as I entered the room.
The scene before me was one of chaos and destruction. The bed, mirrors, and furnishings lay upturned and shattered across the room.
"Why?" Celastrina bellowed, hurling a lamp against the wall. "Why?! Why?! WHY HER?!!!!!"
Celastrina's resentment toward her half-sister had roots dating back to her childhood. Irisdina was perceived as the catalyst for all their familial troubles—the reason their mother suffered in solitude, leaving Celastrina to manage the vast territory of Alasmira alone.
Irisdina, on the other hand, enjoyed a life filled with familial support, growing up happily with both her mother and father. Celastrina couldn't help but feel the weight of injustice, watching as Irisdina not only thrived but surpassed her in talent. The legitimacy of Irisdina's standing and the innocence of both her and her mother made Celastrina's predicament all the more difficult to bear. They were the ones unjustly suffering, despite committing no wrongdoing, while her father seemed untouched by the consequences of his actions.
"I AM BETTER THAN HER! SO WHY!!!" Celastrina's anguished cry reverberated through the room.
"Milady," I called out to her.
Celastrina lowered her hand, clutching a vase, and turned towards me with a gaze ablaze with anger. Her entire being seemed to crackle with magenta thunder, fueled by her intense emotions.
"A proper lady shouldn't behave like th–"
"SHUT UP!!!" She hurled the vase at me, and I swiftly caught it before carefully placing it down.
"YOU filthy commoner! Don't know anything!" She shouted, hurling another vase, which I effortlessly caught.
"No, I understand," I confessed with a bitter smile.
The pain of unrequited love, the rejection from everyone despite committing no wrong—whether in my current existence or my previous life on Earth, I knew this feeling all too well.
"GO AWAY!" She yelled again as a jet of magenta lightning shot towards me.
I raised my hand to shield my face, and my arm turned dizzy as the black fabric tore apart. For a moment, Celastrina showed a flicker of guilt, but it quickly transformed back into anger as she threw a butterfly stuffed toy in my direction.
Catching it with my hand, I approached her.
"Don't come near, filthy commone–hmfmff!"
I silenced her by covering her mouth with the stuffed toy.
"I hurt myself, you know," I said, attempting to mimic the butterfly with a deadpan expression, my voice slightly higher pitched.
"Hmmffff! What?!" Released finally, Celastrina glared at me fiercely.
Raising the butterfly, I moved it as if it were flying. "It's me! Mariposa! I'm always with you. Don't throw me like that."
"W-What! What are you doing?! I'm not a child–"
"I love you, milady Celastrina. You are the best! You are stronger and more beautiful than this little pest!" I added, tilting the butterfly's head in front of Celastrina.
Speechless, Celastrina choked on her words, her face turning bright red with shame and embarrassment.
"I-I know that! Idiot commoner!" She shouted, pushing me out of the room.
Seated on the floor, I rubbed my head, grappling with a sense of embarrassment. At least, the onslaught of thrown objects had ceased, and Celastrina's fury appeared to have subsided.
"You did well, Mister Butterfly," a teasing voice chimed in from nearby.
"Ah, Clara, yes…I had no choices," I responded, getting back on my feet.
Clara smiled kindly at me. "I've known this child since she was small. She… has gone through a lot. The Marchioness unfortunately cannot always be by her side, and she has grown up alone."
I was aware of that.
This realization was precisely why, despite her treatment towards me, I couldn't summon any hatred for her. She was just a child like me, whose life had been marred by the actions of a commoner. I could only hope that she might eventually amend her behavior.