Woes Of A Villainess

16. Sacrifice

Arabella was sure of it for certain now. Alistair was playing her.

When Olivia had approached her that morning asking to join her for breakfast, she reluctantly agreed to please her having become accustomed to taking her meals alone. But at the brief mention that Alistair had gone to visit some 'friends' in town, it had become very blatant. Whatever he was doing, she didn't care much for. But, for him to have to hide it from her after she had gone out of her way to be candid with him was like a spit in the face. Her pride would not allow it.

Though, she had more important matters to deal with at the moment. Primarily the fact that Olivia had failed to drop her insistence that Layton should drop everything to finish his schooling. Arabella tore at a baked good with her fingers and popped it into her mouth with a bothered expression as her older sister ranted.

"It's the principle of it, Arabella," Olivia, who at this point had just been repeating the same points, finished her speech with bold confidence. "My conscience couldn't live with any other outcome."

This was becoming a little bit too much even for Arabella, now. To think that simply crying once in front of Olivia had slowly snowballed into them becoming comfortable enough to act like this.

Arabella finally interrupted calmly, "There's nothing you can do to force him to go. Besides, I believe everything may work out in the end." Or at least they did in the other timeline if her memory served her correctly. Things ran smoothly, Layton devoted himself to his work and the world still spun. Even if she saw less of him back then than she normally would, he seemed to be doing... fine? She picked up her teacup and sent her sister a genuine look. "If anything you have said to him now hasn't worked, then I don't think there is anything else that can be done."

Olivia's blue eyes lowered solemnly to her own cup as she squeezed it in her hands. Arabella bit her cheek, feeling some guilt, but she really was just saying the truth.

"Wait," Olivia's sudden change in demeanour startled Arabella slightly. The girl darted her eyes back upwards and they glimmered as if she had a great epiphany. "You're right. Nothing I have said to him has worked." Olivia smiled mischievously at her younger sister.

Catching on, Arabella sighed. At this point, there was no point in even fighting it. Layton wouldn't be convinced no matter which of his sisters harassed him. If going to him would get Olivia to drop the topic then so be it.

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"Did Olivia send you?"

Arabella had barely stepped foot into the room after knocking before Layton's straightforwardness had knocked her around the head. She blinked in surprise before smoothing her dress and entering the study, shutting the door behind her, "H-How did you know?"

"She was here not long ago, herself," Layton sighed. He sat up in his seat and placed down his pen. From the looks of it, he was managing funds for the household with a scrutinising eye. "I already said no. You're free to leave."

Arabella hummed in thought. Of course, it went exactly as she thought it would. But seeing him working right now sent an uneasy feeling to her stomach all of a sudden. She sat at the seat opposite him at the oak desk, "Did you sleep? Or eat?"

"A decent amount."

She wasn't convinced. His green eyes looked haggard and there were dark circles forming. She let her gaze fall to the household funds he had distracted himself with and frowned. Was he just going over the same things over and over again? Just from looking at it with the limited knowledge of economics and management, she had been reading, everything looked fine.