Reincarnated as the mother of an otome game's villainess?!

Chapter 44. They provide the paint for the picture-perfect masterpiece.

(From Violett)

Out of all the people I have met in my life, Mother is the one I love the most. But I'll be the first one to point out that she is not a normal person. It is not that she talks to herself, the weird words she uses sometimes, the lack of manners a noble lady of her position should have, nor how she shows her emotions so openly. Not even her uncanny ability to surround herself with people who care for her. There is something else about her, something I couldn't quite describe for the longest time. I am not sure I can do it even now. Saying it poetically, it is as if her shadow was much bigger than it should be.

This happened when I was around 5 years old. I had been left at the mansion hidden within the Cedar Forest under the care of Alyssa, after Mother and Maxwell had gone to find a cure for the curse of Calliope. The trigger of such rash, but well intended and probably necessary action had been Prince Gaius falling victim to that terrible illness. Not only that, but the Queen and King had also been infected, according to what I and Julius heard while we were eavesdropping. Julius tried to act as if he was strong, going to visit his brother constantly and trying to make him smile and keep his good spirits high.

But I knew him better than anyone else. We had been together since we were kids after all. He was my best friend, and even at that age, I felt we were meant to be together. I didn't fully understand what that entailed though. I had no ambition of becoming the next queen, I just wanted to be at his side. In my immaturity, that led me to often challenge him to a competition. Countless times we had tried to figure out who was the fastest running, who could stand on one leg the longests, who could jump higher, etc. That's the way the child me showed her love for him.

But at that moment, it was breaking my heart seeing him trying to hide his sadness. Even when he told me he was fine with a smile, and reminded me that my mother was looking for a cure, I could see how worried he was in his eyes. I also noticed how little he was eating, and how he slept several nights on a chair next to his brother, despite Gaius telling him to sleep on his own bed. Maxwell had said that the sickness probably wasn't being transmitted from person to person, so I wasn't worried about them spending time together. But I could see Julius withering away, maybe even faster than his brother. I needed to get him out of that room, distract him even if for just a while. Suddenly, I got an idea, and went running towards him.

—I'm sorry Gaius, I'm taking Julius for a while! —I said, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him away.

—Don't let him come back until he eats something! —the brother replied with a smile, he most certainly shared my concerns.

—Vio? —he said, using the nickname he called me when the adults weren't listening— W-where are we going?

—Let's go to the garden and gather some flowers for Gaius. That always helps people when they are bedridden, doesn't it? But before that, we'll eat something together in the kitchen.

He knew I wasn't letting him say no, so he just softly agreed. I couldn't help but think this usually bratty kid looked cute when he was vulnerable. Sigh... I am certainly my mother's child.

—Shouldn't we tell Miss Alyssa we are going out? —Julius asked, while we were eating a sandwich I had precariously prepared with peanut butter and strawberry jam.

I was going to ask an attendant to make something more elaborate for us, but I couldn't find any at that time.

—She is probably still asleep, but it's fine. Us dragons have a sixth sense for danger! If anything happens, she'll be there in an instant —I said, repeating what Alyssa had said to me before—, besides, you have your sword, won't you protect me with it?

—Of course!

The plan was to stay in the garden in the backside of the property. We have gone to that place a few times already, and we have always found at least someone taking care of the flowers and plants. But that time, there was no one to be seen. We kept walking, confident that the garden had a tall fence surrounding it, and the only door to the outside was always locked. We kept walking, and the terrain became less maintained. We became surrounded by trees with so much foliage that they almost covered the view of the sky, replacing the sparse and well trimmed ones that were closer to the mansion. I remember thinking that the gardeners were slacking on their job. We kept walking, almost as if we were being pulled by some force, but I wasn't worried, we could always see where the mansion was when we turned our heads. But it was getting really far, and pretty dark.