The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 14
But the boy, referred to as Pavel, confidently said.
“I’m curious!”
“Your Highness, you mustn’t be rude just because you’re curious.”
However, ignoring the nanny’s advice, Pavel strode up to Artizea.
“Hey, are you the girl Cedric picked up?”
Startled, Artizea nodded, unsure of how to respond. Although she was taken aback by the phrase ‘picked up,’ thinking about it, it wasn’t entirely inaccurate.
“Yes? Yes.”
“Hm.”
Pavel inspected her closely as if assessing her value as an object.
“You look like a rabbit.”
“What?”
“Your big, round eyes.”
“Your Highness…”
The nanny called out to Pavel with exasperation, but her authority had long since diminished against a boy in his rebellious years who enjoyed causing trouble. Pavel chuckled.
“No, Cedric hid you away and wouldn’t show you to me, so I had to come see for myself. What’s your name?”
“Oh. I, I’m Artizea of Rosan, Your Highness.”
Artizea stumbled over her words.
It took her a moment to recall that Pavel was indeed a name she recognized. No one had informed her about the imperial family, but she knew of Pavel. Unlike Princess Eloise or Crown Prince Graham, Pavel was of an age comparable to Lawrence, which her mother sometimes noted, complaining that Lawrence was much better than Pavel.
Yet, he was still a prince. For Artizea, princes and princesses felt even more distant than the Emperor, who occasionally visited their home.
So the idea that he came to see her seemed unbelievable, leaving Artizea flustered.
With a cheerful expression, Pavel asked.
“Is it true that you’re engaged to Cedric?”
“En, engaged?”
“You’re going to live in Evron because you’re his fiance.”
Artizea’s eyes widened in shock.
She remembered her mother had been angry when she came to get her, saying she wouldn’t allow the engagement. While she didn’t know what an engagement entailed, she understood the concept.
Before she could process her thoughts, Artizea felt her face heat up in an instant. Engaged to Cedric? How could someone like her? It was impossible.
“It can’t be true. Lord Cedric only pities me…”
“Really? But do you like Cedric?”
Pavel asked mischievously, causing Artizea’s face to redden even more.
At that moment, Ansgar, who had heard of Pavel’s arrival and stood by the door, gently stopped him.
“Prince Pavel, you shouldn’t ask such things of a lady.”
“A lady? She’s just a kid.”
“She will be a lady. And if you’re curious, you should ask Lord Ced instead of barging in like this.”
As Ansgar persuaded him, Pavel grumbled.
“But that guy Cedric doesn’t tell me anything! Sister and Mother say it’s not something I need to know yet.”
Cedric and Pavel were of similar ages, having played and studied together since childhood. However, it was hard for Pavel to accept that there were things Cedric could know, but he couldn’t.
“Is that fair? Why should I have to hear about this from rumors?”
“What you heard is probably mostly wrong.”
Artizea cautiously replied, still flushed in the face.
“I was told not to believe everything I hear from others, especially if it goes through two mouths.”
“Hm.”
Pavel turned his gaze back to Artizea.
‘Is she a bit smart?’
He thought he might have heard something similar from his sister.
His anger faded quickly. He wasn’t usually the type to sulk, and he was still inexperienced in matters of love. He was too young to be seriously thinking about engagements and such. He was just frustrated that his best friend seemed to suddenly become an adult and now had secrets.
But he liked Artizea. Though she seemed fragile enough to break with the slightest wrong move, her scared, rabbit-like face was cute.
Pavel had always been dissatisfied with being the youngest. As a child, he often begged the Empress to have another sibling.
However, the only sibling that materialized was Lawrence, who was not at all cute. That boy, while pretty in appearance, was annoyingly far from cute in behavior.
But this girl was different; she was cute. Pavel had always wanted a younger sister like her.
So, he decided to extend his utmost kindness and asked excitedly.
“Do you want to go horse riding?”
“Ho, horse riding?”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t ride a horse.”
“Hmm. Well, you’re quite small.”
Pavel scrutinized Artizea thoughtfully. What could they do together that would be fun?
At that moment, Marie, who had been too intimidated by her status to speak up, reluctantly intervened.
“Prince Pavel, Miss Artizea hasn’t even had breakfast yet.”
“Oh, really? Then would you like to eat together?”
“With, with Your Highness?”
“Ah, I’m hungry. Ansgar, bring me some food.”
It was incredibly rude to demand food in someone else’s home without even being invited, which left the nanny flustered. But Pavel didn’t mind.
He had been used to dining with Cedric and sharing snacks since he was very young, so it felt natural to ask Ansgar for something.
Though he had already eaten breakfast early in the morning, a growing child was always hungry.
Artizea’s face, which had cooled down, flushed again with embarrassment. She could sense that Pavel’s offer came from a place of kindness towards her.
“Are you sure you’re alright with this, Miss?”
Ansgar asked in a gentle tone, trying to reassure her. Artizea was startled to realize for the first time that she was the one making the decision and quickly replied,
“Yes, yes! I’m fine!”
“Then I will prepare a meal for both of you shortly.”
Ansgar responded politely before stepping away.
Pavel cheerfully suggested,
“Let’s go see the foals after we eat.”
“Foals?”
“Yes. You can’t ride, but it’s fine to just watch, right?”
“Yes! I want to see them!”
Artizea replied with a slightly excited voice. While she had seen horses when riding in a carriage, she had never closely examined one. She had certainly never seen foals before.
Pavel reached out and ruffled Artizea’s hair. She placed her hands where his had been, seeming surprised.
‘She’s cute.’
Pavel thought that not only did she look like a rabbit, but her actions did too. He began to understand a bit why Cedric had brought her along.
* * *
Cedric had tasks to handle that morning.
At thirteen, he had never personally dealt with matters of the Grand Duke’s estate. This included both the affairs of the Evron territory and those within the mansion.
However, now that he had awakened with an adult’s mindset, he couldn’t just leave everything to the caretaker. It was even more crucial given that he needed to suddenly gain independence from his guardian, the Empress.
He needed to accurately assess what he had.
‘I need to start preparing for a visit to the estate, and the repairs to the mansion can happen in the meantime.’
Since he had to tailor things to fit Artizea, he couldn’t rely solely on others.
He would ensure additional heating was installed in the Evron main castle and arrange for a maid and guards to take care of her. There was plenty to manage when it came to repairing the capital’s mansion as well.
He wanted her to grow up in a comfortable environment, not just a life of luxury, but to experience many things she hadn’t during her childhood, allowing her to enjoy happy times.
However, this meant the budget would be quite substantial.
The Empress’s secretaries and Evron’s treasurer watched in astonishment as he expertly read through the property documents.
‘I knew he was intelligent, but to handle such matters so thoroughly at such a young age…’
‘He has grown remarkably in such a short time…’
Tears welled up in the eyes of Evron’s treasurers.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
