Villainess x Grimoire

After spending all of my money, I managed to get some tools from Vincent. Most of them are second- and third-rate. Still, they were still usable, and from his words, they would still last for a long time.

His elderly face had been bright; he must have thought I was trying to learn alchemy, stating that Elise should follow my example.

Little did he know that I was interested in the dark side of potion making. To create poisons and mixes that could enable me to defeat my enemies easier.

Still, thanks to his docile side and my parents working there, I managed quite a deal. It allowed me to understand that having connections made things a lot easier.

My eyes glanced at the tools in front of me as my hands organized them on my desk.

'10 flasks, a bowl with a stick, and a heater,' I murmured, sneaking a peek at my sister, who watched over me quietly. Once I finished placing things in order, by their type, she decided to break the silence.

"Place the herb inside the bowl and softly smash it until it turns into a paste." One of her hands covered one of her beautiful blue eyes. It hadn't been the first time she did that.

Unable to hold my curiosity down any further, I dared ask, "headache?"

"I..." An unusually long pause followed, making me believe for a moment she wasn't quite sure if it was her who knew. "We used to meddle with potions. I'm retrieving those memories."

"You don't have all of your memories?" I spoke too fast for my own good. That hadn't been the right question. Where was she retrieving those memories from? Or even, from whom or what? And most importantly, who were we?

"Most of them are... sealed."

Her words sounded mysterious with a hint of eeriness.

"I thought you consumed the system seal." My statement flew like an arrow, aiming true to her own words, in an attempt to clarify my doubts and to find out if she had been lying to me. I dared not distrust her; however, my parents had taught me to be wary even if I absolutely trusted my dear sister. For as long as she didn't betray me, this bond would persist.

For the first time in forever, she chuckled. That's when I was able to perceive her liveliness. 'Is she okay?' I gripped my hand, unsure.

Emotions were clearly not her forte. Was this a sign of her opening up to me?

"My memories were sealed when I understood that my time inside that garden would be eternal. To not forget about our enemies. To not forget who we used to be."

Devious, that was her smile. Cold yet charming, a dangerous expression that told me to run away. Nevertheless, my body didn't move an inch. If I died, she would follow the same ending.

"So that... you wouldn't end up insane?"

At my question, she hummed a melodic sound, bringing some relief to my mind. At some point I had wondered if she was a lunatic. The visions and dreams I had of her showed such was quite possible. The things she had done, the eerie creatures that surrounded her, and the hazy hallucinations that portrayed horrors.

"I'm here for you," I added finally, holding my heart on the tip of my tongue, hopeful she would notice my sincerity and sisterly love.

Another sound followed, and then she got up, taking a seat on my lap as if she owned me.

She felt practically light, as if I only had a book on me.

Perhaps she couldn't mimic my weight, only my physical appearance, which would explain the reason why she was unable to do much with a sword.

Our mother had tried to teach her, but it was one of the things she refused to keep trying.

'It must've hurt her heart,' perhaps even her pride.

She was a special human being from a different world. Someone who managed to kill a king, and to her unfortunate fate, received a potentially proper punishment for it.

But it made me wonder about the reason why she did it. Who had been the man? What connection did they share with one another? Were they enemies?

"The man you killed, who was he?" I noticed her eyes twitching softly, my veins thickened holding in the blood, forcing the muscles to not cause me to tremble. It felt like I hit her nerve.

"Who was he?" Out of all possible answers, she questioned me back.

Did she expect me to know the answer? To that I tilted my head softly to the left, confused.

"Are you willing to pay the price for that knowledge?"

"Yes?" What a strange thing to ask of me. 'I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know.' My sister could be silly sometimes.

"Feed me mana."

And I did most of what I had. I ignored the status message as her mouth opened abnormally wide. That's when I saw her eyes glint, not in a shade of blue, but one of deep black. Her irises turned into dark flames, eroding something lightful. It looked like a vertical cross, perhaps one of the seals she mentioned.

'Each memory a distinct seal?' Or was it all part of something more intricate? My curiosity would often get the best of me, especially whenever I allowed it to be free.

When she opened her mouth even further, inhumanly so, a black mist of a skull formed, disappearing into thin air. That was horrifying, but worse than that, it looked like death itself had left her body.

My mouth opened but hastily closed; I didn't want her to see my teeth gritting into each other. As if the upper part of my mouth was at war with the lower side.

"The great prince of the light empire, his highness Esruc, bearer of the dark element. A man who was in the 37th position in line to the throne. Despite all the odds being against his ascending, the god of light was forced to acknowledge his efforts. Thus, he became emperor."

"Sounds like a great man."

Her eyes dodged mine. Her hand rested on the top of her arm just in the same way she had done before torturing a man in my dreams. A coincidence?

"The greatest man..." A hint of sorrow clouded her eyes, "And the worst." Whatever glint of sadness that had been, it was quickly replaced with an almighty glare. She almost poured hateful tears capable of corrupting her skin as if they were composed of sulfuric acid.

But she didn't turn her eyes to me, which brought a sense of relief to my heart. If there was someone whom I didn't want to be enemies with, it was her. I, who was no one, and Aurora, who was a king slayer. The gap between us was expansive, making me feel like I should have been the grimoire instead. Certainly, she would have surpassed whatever achievements I had gotten in a lesser time.

But I was not.

I was very much human.

And she was now a weapon.

'Mine,' a hint of possession held on to the roots of my mind.

"Once you're done mushing the herb, place it inside the bottle. Fill it with a bit of water and heat it up until it's completely blended."

She got up from me and headed to the exit; with a quick turn of the handle, the door opened.

Our gazes crossed one another for a swift second.

"I'll be joining the army."

My eyebrow raised, not expecting to hear that.

As I was about to ask why, her words flowed once more. "Our home... this kingdom will perish otherwise." The door closed, allowing me to understand that her decision was not up for discussion.

A part of me felt betrayed, while another side, a more mature one, understood that she was someone of an outstanding caliber. Staying here with me wouldn't allow her to enact such a gifted mind.

A sense of loneliness quickly grew within me, attaching to all the walls of my sore heart. "I don't want you to go," a trembling whisper slid off my lips, holding in the crying.

On the other side of the room, close to the kitchen, Luke had just finished bidding farewell to Rosaline.

"I'm coming with you, Father." Luke's face turned to the daughter's presence. To catch not one but two ex-adventurers by surprise was no easy feat.

"Aurora you!" As he started to scream, she cut him off as if his word didn't matter in the slightest. If it was with Iris, it would've been quite distinct.

"It's non-negotiable. I wish to meet his highness, the Prince."

Her words shocked them.

"How did you?"

"I haven't told Iris. Don't worry."

They traded glances, both potentially unsure what to do in this situation.

"I just want to play a chess game with his highness. Rumors say he is the best in the kingdom. A prodigy."

"If it's only that... but," he clicked his tongue. "His highness only knows that I have one daughter."

"Iris can be kept as a secret. She's better off here anyway, far from the nobility, closer to danger." Her gaze turned colder as if inciting the hidden truth from them, "The perfect location to raise an adventurer."

"So, you knew," her mother added, placing a hand on top of the table between them near a knife.

"It was wise to keep her away so no one would blackmail you." Her icy gaze inflicted a powerful pressure on both, almost reverting their family roles. "She'll grow into a fine adventurer. You've taught her well." Her sapphires twinkled from one to another like a falling comet soaring through the nocturnal sky.

"Do you need packing?"

Aurora twisted her fingers, allowing her outfit to change thanks to her unique skill.

"Let's go then." With large steps and discontent, he made his way to the house entrance, towards his bags.

As Aurora was about to follow him, Rosaline rushed to her, hugging her from behind, "A den of wolves awaits; be careful, dear."

"Thank you... mother."

She gripped a little tighter before letting go to make sure she understood.