I like this chapter title better. There's no blood, gore, ripped up children, psychopaths, kidnappers, caves, curses, or sacrifices. This screams innocent childhood normalness. Sigh, this reminds me of when I was younger, there was this boy next door who I played with all the time. This... is nothing like that. The palace was a large, foreign monster with gilded walls inside and out. Jewels, china, ornaments, marble... yeah, royalty plays completely differently.
"Ever!"
"Oof!" I felt him faster than I could perceive him. I lay under Victor in shock. The servants all rushed to help us up.
"Your Highness, please be careful!" one picked him up. Another helped me up, a thin, mousy boy with tan skin and freckles. I looked up at him in awe. He was cute, warm, and modest. Kinda like the boy next door type. So much safer than certain silver haired psychos I could name...
"Are you alright, Young Master?" the young man asked. I nodded, and stood on my own. This person is totally a bottom, no doubt about that.
"Ever?" Victor felt my forehead, causing my head to explode, "Are you alright? You feel a little warm."
"Huh? No, I'm fine, your highness..."
"Victor." he pouted.
"Um, okay, right."
"Victor." He insisted. I stared at him. Sigh, I guess we were friends... or at least he was with the original flavor... but I'm not the original Everett... T^T
I patted myself off and looked around, yeah, this place was way too fancy. Should I retreat? Before I could put my escape into action, Victor grabbed my hand and tugged me inside.
"Come on! I have tea waiting."
"Alright..." I'm anti-social!! Give me a moment to escape reality!!!
The imperial garden was a large space (maybe calling such a massive plot of land "large" is understating its impressive triple digits of square feet) filled to the brim with plants- duh. There were hundreds of blooms that lined the white gravel pathway of rich shades of red, purple, blue, pink, yellow, and white. The willowy branches of trees swayed majestically in the wind and one felt peaceful in the blissful quietness of the garden. We walked down a path lined with rose bushes towering each side, and after several turns we found a hidden garden where a white veranda was prepped for tea for two. I stood agape in this impressive hideaway. This veranda was surrounded by a field of flowers, and sunlight rained down into the field in quick spurts, playful like a kitten batting at a ball of yarn. A large gust of wind rushed across the field, nearly knocking me over, and when next I peered at the veranda my eyes were filled with the sight of Victor extending his hand to me. Mesmerized, I went over and took his hand. We stood there awkwardly for a moment, before I realized how stupid that was. I froze and inwardly panicked. It was just like a CG of some game. I got immersed in the scene. What do I do? Should I apologize? Oh, but this is... is it insulting royalty? Is it? Am I going to die? Be cut down? Am I dead yet? Somebody tell me when it's over!!! All I got as such thoughts raced through my mind was an amused chuckle. I peek up at the crown prince and quickly took back my hand, looking away again. I blushed, ashamed.
"Sorry." I mumbled. Victor giggled lightly, and helped me into one of the garden chairs. I know this is an otome novel, but why are all the future male leads so dazzling?! Why? Is it some rule that they have to be all bright and shiny even as kids? What the literal hell? And why does my heart skip a beat? I'm a thirty-three year old virgin who has never had any relation with the opposite sex minus my father, uncles, cousins, and grandfathers who has been transmigrated into a novel as one of the male leads! Why am I dazzling? WTF, author?!
As my eyes adjusted themselves to the massive ML halo, food was brought to the table. Wow. What a spread! My house already had a large spread during tea time, my mother and her friends always invited me to their tea parties. Needless to say, I thrived with older women. I am not a complete shut in, okay? I was once one of the best secretaries in my company. I mingled with all sorts of rich, elderly CEOs. The only ones I've ever had trouble with are the ones close to age with me... I looked over at Victor who was sipping his tea like a male lead and sweated bullets. Searching for something to talk about was nearly impossible. What do young people talk about? Video games, no there is no such thing in this world. Books? Maybe, but what if he's never heard of them? Then he asks me about them and decides to read it based on my recommendation and thinks its boring and stupid and tells me exactly how stupid and boring I am... please someone make this tea time end!
"Are you alright?" Victor asked. I nearly choked on air when he spoke to me, all I could do was nod. "The wizards egg, Cain, took quite an interest in you." His face was dark when he said this. I couldn't really blame him. Cain is the villain in this story, it goes without saying that none of the male leads were going to like him. I felt myself deflate. But, I'm not really the male lead...
Would it be so bad if I escaped the fishery? Whoever becomes the object of their affection, she has like five other route she can play. Why do I have to be one of them? I'm nothing like the original flavor. Everett was brave, strong, and a social butterfly. He was filled with compassion and often stood up for what was right. A light in the dark. I belong in the shadows, I am the desolate wallflower the social butterflies brush past for the flowers in the spotlight. I am the quiet social misfit who does things silently and without other's notice. Any social event was going to be hell.
Victor allowed me to wallow in my own insecurities for a while before putting down his tea cup again. "Did you really not know who Cain was?" he finally asked. I looked up, brought back to a completely different sort of terror. I shook my head uneasily. Victor sighed and nodded, "Well, you did loose your memory, after all."
"Did I know him before?"
"You met once briefly, you didn't have the best impression of him."
Ah. So that's why Cain didn't like me very much.
"He didn't like you at all either, yet somehow, he seems incredibly interested in who you are now." I flinched, Did he... find out..? Victor sighed and put his tea cup down again. "Well, it's fine. This Ever is just fine too. Still, he has been asking after you."
"Asking after me?" Victor nodded. "Why? When? How?"
"He came along with some of the other wizards from the tower to report on the ruins of the cave we were rescued from."
"What did they say?"
"There were signs of sacrifice and a great deal of unrest. The temple has had it rough trying to purify everything."
"I see." I looked down into my cup and took a sip to calm myself. I squeaked, "It's so yummy!"
"Pft! Come on, have some cake too."
"Victor?"
"Hm?"
I stuffed my cheeks full of cake and moaned in appreciation. I licked my lips and grinned,
"Sometimes having fun and taking your mind off of the bad stuff is the way to go. You're still a kid too! It's okay not to have all the answers." I grinned. Victor smiled back and wiped some of the cream from my cheek.
"You sound like an old man." he snickered. I puffed up my cheeks in indignation,
"And here I give you sound advice."
"Yes, yes." he ruffled my hair, chuckling, "Thanks. I'll keep that advice close to heart." I continued to eat cake and spoke with Victor under that veranda for a while more before I realized it was time to go home.