"Poor kid. Having trash for a sister is not something anyone would like. His inferiority complex is quite worrisome too." Avy said to herself as she walk back to the Mansion, thinking about the two boys fighting earlier.

In the novel, Ciel and the Prince who were the same age hate each other equally. They are mortal enemies, even though they do not show it to other people, they find ways to express their hate towards each other. Since the Arkwright Family is not treated as servants, but partners by the Imperial Family, they stand on equal footing and they were able to loath one another openly when they became a little older, which is the time when the story started.

And the reason behind their hate is the endless comparison of many people with them as the subject. Since both came from the two most powerful families in the empire, they were forced to be the best, and the second that they do not meet the people's expectations, they are thrown with countless criticisms from the rotten society.

The Prince is by far the strongest and the best mage amongst his age while Ciel holds the title of the smartest and the best in terms of swordsmanship when it was supposedly the other way around.

The Emperor favored Ciel for being the best in the art of sword for it is the strong point of the Imperial Family aside from their Lightning Magic, making the second Prince hate the youngest Arkwright more.

On the other hand, the original Avy was only nice towards her brother so that the second Prince would yearn for the love of a sister that he never had, giving her another card to the Crown Prince's heart. She also used Ciel to be close to the young Prince, and the former knew that, fueling his anger and jealousy towards the Prince.

"Children are complicated. And annoying." Avy breathed a sigh. "It feels like I need to deal with them from now on and act as their Mom or something." She added.

Most of the male characters in the novel that can be shipped with the female protagonist don't have a mother, it is to make an opening to their heart since Demi, the female lead has the aura of an angelic but at the same time tough that passes as motherly. And it's one of the many things that makes Annie frown while reading the novel.

"She should've built an orphanage and adopted all those stupid men to keep them as her sons." is something she would often say.

"Damn it. Where is the Dining Hall?" she mumbled, irritated.

"This house is already a Palace, how can they only hire a small number of servants?"

She stood in front of a much larger door and hoped that it would be the hall and reached for the knob when it opened without her touching it.

"What are you doing here?" came the voice of no other than her elder brother. She immediately looked up and was greeted by Ashton's stoic face.

"I... I got lost." She answered honestly but the man didn't seem to take her seriously.

"Speak your reason, Avy." He told her.

'I'm really lost, stupid.' she cleared her throat before answering. "I was planning on eating with Ciel and thought of inviting you. But nevermind–"

"Why are you blocking the way? Move it, Arkwright." another voice interrupted, she looked behind Ashton and saw the same man that she met earlier.

"Oh. A pity. It seems like you have a visitor. I'll just eat with Ciel then." she looked at Zach and nodded her head in acknowledgment before leaving.

"What's her deal this time?" the blue-haired man said as Avy's figure became smaller and smaller and she walk away.

"See? I told you, your sister is getting weirder every time I see her." He added.

"It is not forever that a person will treat you the same, Zach." Ashton stated before following his sister to the Dining Hall.

Zach raised his eyebrow. "You're both strange anyway." He muttered and started to walk to match Ashton's speed.

Ashton may be acting nonchalantly but he was thinking otherwise. He saw no hatred in his sister's eyes and felt no hostility in her tone, nothing to tell him why she acted so differently towards Zach. He couldn't understand why, but after the incident, he felt like he was talking to a different person, not only because of the way she talks but it seemed like the aura around her became foreign for him and he is certain that everyone in their family took notice of it too.

But all he could do now is to watch.

~

"Maybe this is it..." Avy mumbled gripping the knob before twisting and pushing it open. Fortunately, it was, she heaved a sigh of relief and was about to step in when she heard fast footsteps from her left. She swerved her neck to her right and saw Ciel running towards her.

"Did you...wait for long...sister?" asked her brother, huffing.

"No. I just got here." She answered.

"Oh. Older brother, Young Master, you're going to eat with us too?" Ciel looked behind Avy where Ashton and Zach stood.

"No–"

"I'll eat before leaving." Ashton replied and proceeded inside the hall and Zach had no choice but to follow since he can't leave without him anyways.

The maids greeted them as they sat on their own seats, Ashton sat at the end of the long table while Zach was on his left side adjacent to him, Ciel in front of him. Avy sat beside her younger brother, surprising everyone in the hall.

'She's not sitting beside Young Master Zach?' is what the servants thought.

Ciel and Ashton only looked at her which she immediately noticed, she slowly lifted her head, taking her eyes off the food on her plate before looking back at the two boys.

"What?" she asked. 'Am I supposed to lead the prayer or something?'

"N-nothing, Sister." Ciel stuttered and avoided his gaze. She shifted her attention to Ashton and raised her eyebrow questioningly but the man just focused on his food, completely ignoring her.

"Where's the Duke by the way?" she stated.

"The Emperor summoned the head of every pillar of the Empire to prepare for the Summit. His Majesty also included the heirs' presence to assist them on the preparations." Ashton answered

"How about you Ciel? Do you have anywhere to go?"

"The education system for this year stopped early for the Summit, the students were instructed to study on their own. Why do you ask, sister?"

"Just because." She said shortly, not batting an eye at everyone who was curiously looking at her. She continued on cutting her steak into bite-sized pieces, like what she usually do in her past life.

She glanced at the plate next to her that is not yet to be touched and instinctively took it, swapping with her own, something that she used to do whenever she eat with Lucy back then.

"Eat slowly." She said, without even realizing that she wasn't talking to the girl she treated like her own sister, or more like her daughter.

'Yes, Mom. I love you, do you know that?' she was expecting to hear the sweet and teasing tone that her best friend always uses.

"Th-thank you." instead she heard Ciel's voice. She froze, realization entered her mind which she quickly brushed off.

She felt another pair of eyes burning a hole in her head and noticed Zach staring at her as if he was analyzing every move she makes.

"What? Want me to cut yours too?" she asked

Zach cleared his throat and avoided eye contact, making Avy shake her head. "Kids." She muttered.

The dining hall was silent and only the clattering of the fork and knife hitting the plates can be heard until...

"ฬђ๏ ๓เﻮђt א๏ย ๒є?"

A cold voice rang inside Avy's head, causing her to drop the knife and the fork in her hand creating a loud sound that called the attention of the three boys on the same table.

'The food must not be to her liking.' the maids thought, expecting her to throw a tantrum any second from there.

"Is there a problem, My Lady?" asked the butler standing on the side.

Avy came back to her senses, "N-no. My heard hurt for a second." she answered and went back on her meal.

'What was that?' she thought. She definitely heard someone whisper but the odd thing was, she was the only one who heard. Or was it just directed to her?

The meal ended with no one uttering a single word, Avy was too occupied by the thought going inside her head that she didn't notice the worried stares that her little brother was giving her the whole time.

"I'll go first." She said and stood up from her seat, walking out of the hall with a bothered expression, something that didn't escape Ashton's eyes.

'She hid it quite well earlier.' he watched her as she walk past him. 'How unusual for her to keep something to herself.'

Avy walked away from the dining hall with a frown, making every servant she passes by look down in fear. They don't want to do anything with their miss when she is upset. They know better than interacting with a spoilt girl in her mood swing.

'Was I too obvious that I'm not the real one?' she continued asking herself as she walks 'Yeah. Maybe I was. Who knows what these people might do once they find out.'

She was too busy thinking that her feet took her to the garden without her knowing.

"My Lady?" someone called her attention.

She looked on her right and saw an old man in gardener's clothes standing there, he was also wearing a straw hat, a kind smile plastered on his face, an expression that she never received ever since she came into that world, Mariel aside of course because it seems like her smile never fades.

"What brings you here, if I may ask?" the old man asked her politely.

She did not answer, instead, she looked at the flower planted everywhere, only one kind of flower with two different colors.

"Black roses..." she said out loud.

"It seems like the lady has many things in mind." the old gardener laughed softly. "You used to call them midnight flowers when you were young." He added.

"I don't remember." She said, still looking at the black flowers, she crouched down to get a closer look at it.

The gardener was surprised to get a decent answer from her, she usually ignores servants. "It was so long ago, but this old memory of mine is still clear." He stated.

"It's been a while since My lady visited this place. You are always locked inside your room."

"Say, old man..." she looked back at him without standing up from her position, making her look up "Are you afraid of me?" she asked.

She patiently waited for an answer, expecting the gardener to disagree in panic, but instead, he gave her a closed-eyed smile and spoke.

"There is no reason for this old man to fear you, My Lady." He told her

"Strange. Aside from Marie. everyone in this house does." she focused her attention on the flowers in front of her once again.

"Does the lady want to be feared?"

"That seems to be less troublesome so why not? Besides, isn't this Family feared enough to be called the mightiest?" she replied and stood up.

"A countless number of people throughout the Empire would never even look at this family in the eye, My lady. But the reason why the Arkwrights are followed is that because of respect. And I can say that I am one of those who deeply admire your family."

"Respect, huh?" come to think of it, she was never looked up upon her whole life since she only interacted with Lucy. Even if someone did, she was too busy minding her own business to notice.

"I'll be off. Thanks for talking to me Old Man. I'll visit you sometimes." She said, walking away and waving her hand without looking back. She didn't expect anyone other than the Main characters to talk to her without treating her like a bad person. She was expecting them to hate her or fear her since that is how Avy's character is created.

But it seems like she was treating herself like how she would treat the future Marionette. The current Avy is nothing more than an infatuated spoilt girl, she hasn't yet hurt anyone intentionally.

On her way back to her room, she saw Ciel standing in front of her door, probably waiting for her.

"Finished eating?" she asked, Ciel stepped aside so that she can open the door.

"Yes."

"Why'd you come here?"

"A-aren't you going to see brother off?" he said, following her inside the room.

Avy raised her eyebrow questioningly and sat on the couch in front of the fireplace of her room. "Am I supposed to?" she stated.

"But how about Brother Zach?" Ciel asked once again, this time it made Avy pause for a moment.

She frowned, catching her head as if she was trying to remember something important. "Brother who?"

"Brother Zach... Are you alright... sister?" the young boy stated in hesitation.

It hit her. She finally understood why that man looked familiar to her at some point. She thought he was just some random business partner that was in her memories, she was too focused on remembering the plot of the story that she forgot to recall the characteristics of the characters mentioned in the novel.

She stood up and ran towards the balcony of her room where she can see the huge space where a fountain is located, it is also the place where the carriages pick up and drop off people. She knew something was off when she felt a jolt of pain on her head when Ciel mentioned the name.

She looked down and saw the blue-haired man that she was looking for. It was the same man that broke Avy's confidence countless times. And one of the men who will come flocking on the heroine once she arrives, a character that she hated from the start.

Zachary Louis Harrington.

The male lead of the novel, and...

Avy's cherished first love.