This chapter is brought to you by 光年之外 <> by G.E.M.

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It wasn't every day that the Calypto Estate would have nightly visitors wandering through the groves toward the kinsmen wing.

There were two visitors, to be exact--both unaware of each other's presence as they had come from different directions of the grove.

Raven and Robin were patrolling when they saw the two visitors.

Monttevi blue shirts and ash-brown hair...

"Do we attack?" Robin asked.

"No," Raven responded, having guessed where the two were heading.

One was making his way to the garden while another... was trying to climb up Lady Jovette's balcony.

He sighed.

"Observe for now."

Lord Calypto will not be happy, but his daughter and nephew are ten times scarier than him.

Raven had already made his choice on who to obey if a coup were to ever happen.

---

Jovette had just finished changing into her sleepwear when she noticed a shadow on the wall across from her balcony.

There was a figure climbing up her balcony.

"..."

Jovette grabbed a dagger from her dresser and hid behind the curtain of her bed.

"My Lady--agh!"

Her dagger went flying, soaring through the air so fast it nearly pierced its target through the head.

Jovette grabbed another dagger--

"Wait!"

She stopped.

"Meow~"

"I'm just here to return the cat, please don't kill me!"

Jovette set her dagger down.

The person had ducked just in time.

Her face twisted with confusion.

What kind of stupid imbecile thought coming into the Calypto Estate in the middle of the night would be a good idea? And what cat?

"My Lady?"

She met Monttevi blue eyes in astonishment.

"Rowan?"

Rowan rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. The cut she made on his cheek started to gush blood.

"Um..."

He was interrupted by a loud purr.

Jovette looked down and saw a cat.

Not just any cat, but one of Tobus' cat.

"Fish?"

"Is that her name?" Rowan looked bewildered.

Fish meowed the moment her name was called.

"Huh."

Jovette snorted.

"Was that all?"

"Hm?"

She flashed a teasing smirk and crossed her arms.

"And here I thought you were a nightly visitor coming to visit my abode to declare your undying love."

It took a few seconds before Rowan understood what she was saying.

His face turned beet red and he flailed his arms out.

"Wait! No, that--that wasn't---mghh..."

He covered his face in embarrassment.

Jovette hummed.

She took one step forward and Rowan took one step back.

"S-stay where you are!"

"Come on, Rowan, I saw you in a dress."

"Th-this is different! I think we're misunderstanding each other, I'm not some sort of pervert. I didn't even know this was your bedroom, I swear!"

Jovette chuckled.

Rowan hadn't changed at all.

She had seen him from afar when they were young, always begging for a chance to play with the cats.

He would follow Rasa around like a lovesick puppy, and now that his heart was forever broken at the knowledge that his love for Rasa would never be returned, he knew nothing else.

He covered his face and backed himself against a wall. With nowhere to escape to, Jovette took that opening to press her hands on both sides of his head, caging him between her arms.

Rowan peeked out from between his fingers and squeaked.

She smiled.

Cute.

---

Her ladyship is very bold. Just like her mother.

Robin gave her a full score for the playful seduction. The Monttevi boy was close to fainting.

He silently applauded her for her boldness.

The boy would not stay the night, however, no matter if he fainted or not. They would simply deliver him over to the other Monttevi boy they spotted near the garden once his meeting with Cat was finished.

---

"Tobus?"

Bel looked around the garden of the Calypto Estate.

The moon was round and full and provided him light, but he had also brought a lantern to light the way.

There was a quiet and peaceful atmosphere all around him. The sound of summer cicadas and the bubbling stream nearby soothed his nerves about sneaking into the Calypto Estate.

"Tobus, where are you?"

He spotted a figure on a tree branch a few meters away.

"Over here."

The figure waved at him.

Bel quickly made his way over and sat down at the base.

He peered up at where Tobus was lying on the tree branch and noticed the way he leaned his head against the trunk of the tree.

Bel--the kitten--was cuddled to his chest.

"Should you really be climbing trees right now?"

"I'm fine," came the usual response.

The kitten meowed.

Bel rolled his eyes.

"You said you would tell me the truth."

Tobus said nothing.

"The brawls have died down since you were sleeping. It's only been a few days, but I've never seen Vesna so quiet. I know you like to ignore everything around you, but you should see how much the people respect you."

Bel heard a sigh.

He looked up and saw Tobus staring back at him, emerald green eyes glimmering in the moonlight.

"I like you," he said, the words escaping him before he could stop himself.

"... Don't say that."

Bel shook his head. "I like you. A lot. I can't even describe how much I like you, but I do. I like you, Tobus. I really, really like you."

The confession sounded so juvenile, even to his own ears.

But years of discreet pining and chasing had led up to this moment. The last few weeks were a challenge. Tobus distancing himself from him was a challenge.

Bel realized he couldn't let it continue.

He had seen Tobus as a dear friend. Seeing him as something more than that felt... right.

Bel knew that even if he was rejected, his friendship would remain.

His confidence in their friendship gave him the courage to tell him how he truly felt, no matter the outcome.

Tobus' gaze softened, and he let out another sigh.

"Puppy."

Bel pursed his lips.

"You shouldn't--"

"If it's due to your stance on sex, you don't have to worry about that. I don't care," Bel quickly interrupted.

There was another long, drawn-out pause.

"What about--"

"I'm not an heir, you're not an heir, and sure, maybe our families won't agree at first, but we're Vesna's best. They can't stop me from liking you."

The only question was whether or not the feeling was mutual.

Tobus' expression grew dazed.

"I..."

Bel held his breath.

"I need to tell you something."

Somehow, the topic of the conversation swerved sideways to hell.

A romantic encounter in the dark?

Who the hell did he think he was?

Rowan?

By the end of it, Bel was the one petting kitty Bel for emotional support.

---

Lord Claypto will not be happy about this.

Raven spied on the interaction between Cat and the Monttevi boy with a sullen look on his face.

A love confession in the middle of the night by a rival house's heir protector was not what he expected.

How was he going to explain this to Lord Calypto?

Let him figure it out when the time comes.

Raven nodded to himself at the thought.

Yes, he should just pretend he didn't see anything.

Cat can handle it by himself.

Raven decided not to stick around after the first "I like you" said by the foolishly bold Monttevi boy.

Whatever happens, happens.

Who was he to stop stupidity?

---

At some point, Tobus had to come down from the tree because Bel's neck was getting tired of being at an awkward angle just so he could maintain eye contact with Tobus.

It was no longer a conversation, but rather a freak-out session as Bel tried to make sense of Tobus' words.

"Wait, hold on, Mercury kills you?"

"Mm, but that's not important--"

"The hell it is!"

"--we need to stop Rowan from seducing Jovette or else they will die."

Bel took in a deep breath.

"Okay, so let me get this straight. This world is a book and you know the fate of the people in this book."

"Just Vesna."

"Just Vesna," Bel appeased. "And you're telling me Rowan and Jovette are supposed to be the protagonists of this book."

Tobus nodded.

Bel kept petting the kitty Bel to relieve the growing migraine in his head.

"I can't believe in an alternate universe, Rowan has actual game. Have you seen him with Rasa?"

"A disaster."

"Exactly! And now he's supposed to be this great seducer of women and charm Jovette to the point she was willing to defy everything she ever loved to marry him within a month of knowing him? No way."

"When you put it like that..."

Bel huffed and crossed his arms. "And don't get me started on the fact that you're supposed to be an incompetent asshole with nothing better to do than sleep around and duel new recruits all day long."

Tobus tilted his head. "I told you before. I'm a time-traveling body snatcher. The child..." he hesitated. "Toby Calypto is gone."

Bel didn't know what to say to that.

Tobus always had a soft spot for children.

The inhabiting of a seven-year-old body was another tragedy in a string of tragedies.

"You believe me."

It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Bel paused.

He did. He always believed and trusted Tobus.

Was he the reason Bel was currently having an existential crisis?

Yes.

But Tobus had no reason to lie, and Bel was one hundred percent ride or die.

"I do," he said. "I always do."

Tobus closed his eyes.

"Thank you."

They sat in silence for a little while.

"What did I do in the story?"

"You?"

"Well, Rowan and Jovette were the leading characters, you were the villain, and Mercury and Pluto seemed pretty important--"

--He still couldn't believe Pluto wanted Jovette's hand in marriage--

"--but what about me? What was my role?"

Tobus hummed.

They were sitting next to each other, side-by-side, with both their heads resting against the tree.

Kitty Bel sat between them.

"You were just... a supporting character. A confidant of Rowan, his protector. You were loyal to your House and served as Toby's foil. The voice of reason among the chaos..." Tobus trailed off, his face twisting with a hint of displeasure.

Bel stared at him confusingly.

"You rejected Toby's advances. For coitus."

Oh.

Bel wasn't sure if Tobus was upset about the fact that the Belwyn in the story rejected Toby, or if it was simply because Toby's constant proposition of sex served as the most interaction between the two characters.

Damn, it felt weird referring to himself in third person...

"How did they die?" He changed the topic.

Tobus stared into the distance.

"Toby tried to marry Jovette--"

Okay, what?

"--but Lord Uncle said no because Pluto wanted her hand."

That was still something Bel was trying to wrap his head around. There was no way Lord Eartha would have allowed one of his heirs to marry a Calypto. That would have broken the neutrality!

Then again, Mercury in the story also seemed to have chosen to put his lot with the Monttevis, so perhaps the heightened discourse in the story had provided some leeway for Pluto.

If Pluto tried to marry Jovette now, he would have been instantly sent to the Capitol before he could even pop the question.

"Then Rowan convinced Jovette to elope during a mission. And then Toby found out about it and eventually tried to kill Rowan by challenging him to a duel."

Bel could see where this was going.

Tobus had glossed over a lot of the detail, but at least he was giving more information other than 'We're in a book and our cousins will die if they fall in love.'

"But Mercury substituted for Rowan and he ended up killing Toby. Lord Uncle was upset by this, but it gave him reason to order Rowan's execution because he allowed Mercury to duel Toby. He was acquitted, but one thing led to another, Vesna fell into a civil war. Jovette and Rowan killed themselves when all their friends and loved ones died."

It was a miserable ending.

But Bel didn't believe it was theirs.

"You're here and you're you," he said.

Tobus tilted his head in confusion.

Bel cracked a small smile.

"You are the catalyst to change, Tobus. You, your kids, and your army of cats are the reason why your uncle and mine aren't trying to tear each other apart every day."

"But the brawls--"

"That's just... mercenaries being mercenaries. Stress relievers, you know? No one has time to hate each other when they're all trying to catch up to you, and your unattainable standards. You were the change, and because of you, the story is alive. It's moving forward in another direction."

Tobus leaned his head onto his shoulder and drew in a breath.

Bel froze.

Tobus was smiling as he closed his eyes.

He was beautiful.

The night was quiet and there was nothing else left to say.

---

The author has something to say:

Y'all, for those with Spotify, the playlist for TSCFIST is now available. You can find the link in my profile description.

If I'm going to be completely honest, we have deviated so far from the original outline that I'm not even sure this is still the same story I originally had in mind. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ANGST, PEOPLE! Welp, that went down the drain real quick when the kiddies came along. Another thing, Mercury was supposed to be the male lead. I know, hilarious. Bel had a grip on me the more I wrote his pov. Now, the tragic backstory with the village has come to bite everyone in the ass, and we still need to deal with the main storyline of Poison-Laced Daggers. orz.