Elizabeth Pov
' Cute '
Slowly taking care of Christines hair, that thought popped up in my head as I saw her reflection in the mirror.
' I'm glad we were able to share a room '
The manager stated those of opposite genders must stay in separate rooms, yet if friends of the same sex wished to, they could share a room together, because of that I was able to play with Christine like this
Humming a tune as I continued brushing her hair, I had to stop for a minute as I realized her stare
' She's doing it again '
" Christine, I already told you that you don't need to wait, if you have something you want to say then say it "
Ever since I got to know her, she had been like this, always subtly seeking permission before speaking as if afraid of some repercussion
" I'm sorry "
and of course, her apologies, those words that she says on the regular as if by instinct, I had tried explaining to her multiple times that there was no need to apologize for every little thing, yet she kept doing so either way
For a noble, especially one from a duke's house, that habit of hers was detrimental
Trying to push further only seemed to make her apologize further, in fact when she had tried to be sterner with her about the topic it seemed like she would pass out crying as she immediately bowed her head apologizing
Watching at the time my mind fully blanked
' No matter how you look at it something is wrong
For a duke's daughter to be like this, not to mention her overly subservient attitude '
" Um... lady Elizabeth? "
Pulling me out of my thoughts was Christine's small voice, her eyes watching me with subtle expectation
" Yes Christine "
" Theres this bakery that serves delicious pastries, I was wondering if you'd like to go there tomorrow? "
" Thats... all? "
" Um... I mean yes... is it too much? "
' This girl really...
To think she was so anxious just to ask me such a simple question, no, how could she even think that in the first place?? '
" Of course we can, in fact now I'm full of excitement wondering what the pastries there will taste like!! "
" Ah that's great then!! "
She pumped up her fists and looked at me with stars in her eyes, watching her get so excited brought a smile to my face
" You must have had done quite some research before coming to know about that place " I continued my voice teasing
" Eh... no not any of that...
it's just that Sir Nicholas would often take me there when I stayed here "
My hand froze mid brush as I heard that, but only for a split second before I resumed
" Is that so? "
I forced my voice to come out calmly, thankfully Christine didn't seem to notice anything different
" Yes, he always took me around showing me the famous sites here at Arcane, even though he was always swamped for work he always made sure I was happy.... "
Christine continued talking fondly about him yet for some reason none of it seemed to register in my head, it was just too strange
' She switches up like this every time he is brought up, as if her very personality did 180 '
Unlike her usual reserved personality, she became open and social when she started talking to me about him
' Though only to me, she still acts the same towards Jake '
the relationship she had with him was always a mystery, they were close so they couldn't be just friends yet as a woman she could easily see that not a hint of romance seemed to pass by them
' Family then? '
However there was no data showing that house Arcane and house Vorago where connected
" Um Christine? "
" Hmm, yes? "
' In the end I couldn't contain my curiosity '
Looking at Christine who tilted her head as she waited for my question, I took a deep breath and simply blurted it out
" What's your connection with the head of Arcane? "
Hearing my question Christine widened her eyes looking slightly troubled before seemingly settling on something
" I had originally believed that we may be related by blood however that turned out to be false "
She started briefly as if relaying her past thoughts
" And for a short moment I had even believed that he had fallen for me, much to my embarrassment to this day
ah and of course I don't have such feelings for him either just to avoid any misunderstanding "
' That takes those two options off '
" I see...
then are you friends?? "
Yet she also shook her head at that
" I also felt curious about it, so do you know what Sir Nicholas told me when I asked him? "
As she said that, a smile, one that seemed to be holding back a laugh blossomed on her face
" He said I was like a daughter to him "
" Eh... "
' eeeeh??? '
Perhaps having read my thoughts Christine soon giggled lightly, sadly I couldn't focus on the sight as my mind had gone blank for the time being
" Pfft... that was my reaction as well "
Holding a hand to her mouth, Christine continued as I slowly regained my bearings
" That makes no sense??? "
" I know right!!! "
Her light laughter seemed to bring forth an aura of warmth towards the room; the words he had spoken to her brought such a happy look on her face
' Still... thinking about it he does act like her father at times '
Dating back to the early days of the academy, even though my interactions with him were minimal, from what I can remember he always acted as if he knew everything, not to mention that elder vibe he gave off
" He acts old... "
Nodding at my comment, Christine stifled another laugh before finally calming down
" Honestly though, I don't know much about Sir Nicholas...
even though he seems to know so much about me "
Christine fell silent for a bit taking a deep breath before continuing
" The only thing I truly know about him was that his words back then were genuine, as weird as it may have been "
Hearing that a bunch of puzzle pieces surrounding their relationship started clicking into place, from how he always protected her to treating her as if she was a small child at times
' Still... her father? '
" He's 19, right? "
" As far as I know??
pfft... however as a filial daughter I learned not to question it "
A rather silly comment slipped out from her yet again, and somehow, I felt like I was also getting pulled along with her mood
" You're actually saying that?? "
' That bloodhound, a father-figure?? '
" It's just some type of role-play...
I guess I wanted to feel how it was like "
' Roleplay... no, it's more than that... '
Roleplay she said, however that wasn't the case, no matter how I looked at it. The way she talked, how she smiled, it was a wish not a dream. Even though he was only 3 years older, she yearned for the act he was playing for her, no matter how illogical it may seem.
' The Vorago family, what did they do... '
" I guess that's fine "
' She happy after all '
" Really? "
" Yes, of course "
She smiled brightly at my words
In the end I couldn't bring myself to ask anything else, even though I had already figured it out, I couldn't ask about her about her own family.
My hand slowly clenched into a fist, I simply hoped that he would continue caring for her till the end, that was all I could bring myself to do
I didn't want to bring my family any trouble, or rather I couldn't bring myself to face that trouble
so, in the end I didn't ask anything
' Like a damned coward '
Yet to the naive Christine, the one who smiled so brightly in front of me right now, I couldn't help but say yes
That was all I could do, I could only say yes
And to the me who did that, I could only feel loathing
Lots and lots of loathing