The Obsessive Villainess Vol. 2

18. Infinite stills for you.

Chapter 18: I love you still. and still.
and still. and still. and will love you still.
I have infinite stills for you.

"Ah, shit!" I stumbled out of bed, and knew from the colour of the sunlight in my room that it was quite late in the afternoon. "Avea!"

"Yes, Nora?" She was sat in the little tea-room inside my apartment-like bed chambers. At the sound of my voice she stood up and made her way to lean on the side of the large door, peering at me running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

"It's today!" I blurted, panicking. "Cassian is going to Aradia!"

Avea raised an eyebrow, watching me trying to prepare myself for a quick bath. "You wish to go to Aradia?"

"Shit, I can't believe I forgot," I muttered to myself. It was the one thing Nora never, ever missed out on. Even if it meant she wouldn't be able to move for a week; even if she felt like she was dying, there was something Nora never let him do alone. It was today.

Cassian's visit to his mother's grave.

It wasn't the day of her passing, or her funeral or anything. It was a date having to do with a certain memory he had with his mom, though I can't remember it now.

"It's quite cold there, and it's rather far. With a carriage, you will have to teleport between portals about six times."

"It can't be helped," I waved my hand dismissively as the maids scrubbed me. "We'll bring the stone-handlers if it means I can get there a minute faster." I noticed the change in Avea's expression and nodded. "It is that important. I'll talk to dad if I have to. Just please do whatever needs to be done to get there as quickly as possible."

There was a silence. Then I saw the little quirk up the corner of Avea's lips. She almost looked like she was making an expression that said it can't be helped then.

"You don't have to talk to anyone, especially your father. He'd let you take us and the stone-handlers of Ilaria to the ends of the earth if you so wished, my lady."

"So dramatic..." I muttered, noticing how Avea's words caused one of the maid's grips to tremble. No wonder none of them try to get closer to me. I had the power to be a tyrant if I wanted and it would be over for them. How annoying... it was almost too easy to control someone. Like hell I'd want this power. It was bothersome to have people so on edge around me all the time. Maybe that's why I've gotten much closer to Avea these days. She's annoying too, but in a whole other way.

Akira is fun though, and Raiden barely speaks except to reply but... her hand holding me up feels a lot gentler these days; and she also took me on a detour last time though she didn't have to. It felt nice that she went out of her way for that. It felt like she didn't find me such a burden anymore.

The bath was over soon and I was dressed in super warm clothes, and they'd brought out a bottle green gown for me. I shook my head.

"Something purple today. Amethyst, Alexandrite."

As the maids searched for something to suit my filter, Avea brushed my hair. "Why not green?"

"Hmm?" I looked at her through the mirror. She was looking down, styling my locks.

"Don't you want to show him that you are over him? The world still thinks you are head-over-heels for him." She spoke quietly.

"Show the world that I am over him...?" What's with that. Why do I have to care about such a useless thing. Fuck, I really get so annoyed every time I'm supposed to do something stupid just for the sake of society. "Fuck that," I mumbled and heard a maid gasp behind me. I didn't bother with it, even though it must probably be unpleasant to hear me cuss. It's not like I was cussing at her anyway. "Get over him? Tch." Now Avea was looking at me through the mirror, and so were the maids. I made sure to look up. "Today is the day I should be supporting him the most. Whether or not he loves me back in that way, I know he loves me and I love him too. Today, he needs me and if I love him, I know what I have to do. No matter what the fuck everyone else wants to think."