Fractures of Eternity

Slurping on the drink, I couldn’t stop tasting it when Oswald decided to go in for the kill.

“You’ve had nothing like a strawberry smoothie before?” He suddenly asked, snapping out of his fluster.

Eh? Is that something that doesn’t happen?

Pulling away from the straw, I shook my head. “No, the place I lived didn’t come with these types of treats available.”

My answer prompted Oswald’s eyebrows to raise in surprise. “Oh? Where are you from?”

Crap…

Compared to where we were, anywhere I lived was gloomy and dark, but I was used to it. Papa and I moved around constantly, but always stuck to the shadows. The times I was with Lilith, we rarely indulged in things like these.

“Well, Prince Oswald, it’s a place where you would never want to live,” I confessed, gazing at him.

I couldn’t allow a single thought of the place I used to stay to influence how I felt.

“Huh… Call me Oz. If my brother’s serious about keeping you. I hate that prince shit. Those two other maids do it to fucking fuck with me, even though I told them to drop it already.” He grumbled, prompting me to giggle, thinking of Emma and Zoe—an ingenious way to get back at him.

Good job...

“Okay, Oz.” I agreed while Loki watched me speak to his brother.

It was as if I were under a magnifying glass while with them. Sadly, it wasn’t the twins alone, but all the people who walked by us who recognized them. The entire scenario was rather uncomfortable, primarily since I was used to having people avoid me.

Crap… I need to get used to this quickly if I want to walk alongside them.

“Good, so tell me more about where you lived? I’ve been stuck here since Loki got his stupid magic. So, I would love to know more about the outside world.” He continued to create chatter to find out more about me.

Argh, you’re a menace when you aren’t seeking sleep.

The dark circles around his eyes were still visible, though, which meant this was the explosion of energy, a boost caused by the caffeine.

“Oi… My magic isn’t stupid.” The vampire grumbled at his brother, who shrugged without taking his eyes off me.

“Well, I moved around a lot with my father. We never stayed in one place for long since he always had things to do. Before you ask, he was a traveling warlock who loves to sell his latest spells and concoctions.” I smiled politely again.

Everything I had said was true while omitting details. Papa loved to create spells, much like the crystals he made, to communicate without the use of phones. A lot of witchcraft users loved to sell potions and traveled around to reach a wider audience; however, that wasn’t our goal.

The reason we kept in motion was because people were hunting us, and he wanted to keep me out of sight until he couldn’t protect me anymore. I didn’t want to share more than I needed, but if I got caught in a lie, it would be obvious.

"You know, I ran a background check on all you girls, and there’s barely any information in the system for you specifically. All I could find was that you have a family member who lives here, and that’s how you got the job." Oswald said, prompting me to feel a pop in my head.

Hah… I knew it. I liked you better when you were cranky and sleepy.

“That was because I was born in a rural village before a shadow demon attacked, and everything burned down. All my paperwork was burned down before Dad had the chance to register me in the official databases. Usually, only city folk are registered right away." I answered, shrugging.

This wasn’t unusual, as it was normal for rural babies to be registered later or never at all. Even the twins themselves weren’t placed into the system until they arrived in Night City.

"I see. So, you came here to avoid that nomad life?” Loki joined, slurping his tea.

This question again.

“No, I came here to live.” I smiled at him, already having answered that same question last night.

He smirked lightly, knowing I caught on to his play.

“To live?” Oz mumbled, cocking his head.

I nodded slightly. “Yes, to live. I never really had a life worth living while traveling. So, perhaps I thought it would change if I came here to a big city with a good-paying job. Seems you princes are eager to pry into my past, though.”

“Well…” The warlock trailed off as I continued.

“Don’t you know that some of us wish our past would burn down?” I took the drink they bought for me into my hands, taking another sip.

It would’ve been a waste to let it melt. With each taste, the flavors still danced on my tongue as I couldn’t help but hum at how good the feeling was leaving within me.

Since when did a meal feel this good? Ah… Right… since Nene…

Somehow, it wasn’t dull while these two were around, which was a pleasant surprise.

“You can’t blame us, Vivi. You seem to be one of a kind. So, it makes me want to know more about you, especially after being a badass against that vampire.” Loki smirked playfully, tapping his hands on the table again.

Oz rolled his eyes at his brother’s flirtatious words, as they also slid right off me, too. Thankfully, having his twin there calmed my heart.

"Wait, she was what?" Oswald asked, cocking his head.

Loki snickered. "Well... This bitch sneaked up on me while I was in the shower. Eli was out with Vivi, waiting outside, so I didn’t hear her. I managed to shove her down onto the floor, which caused her to shriek, alerting everyone around. It’s a good thing showers don’t have sigils,” He recalled, grabbing onto my shoulder.

Again, the explosion of warmth that came from his touch was too much, prompting my gaze to land on him.

“That was when this girl here, even though she’s a human, ran in and kicked the vampire's face, knocking her out cold. I’ve never felt so moved in my life." He smiled, leaving me utterly unsure of how to respond to him.

Ah… I’m no savior. You would’ve been fine even if I didn’t…

"She was already on the floor. Your Highness, please don’t put me in another light. I didn’t do anything special." I grumbled, nervously tapping on the glass.

"Did she seriously do that?" Oswald smirked, fully invested in the story.

“Yeah, although she hurt her leg because of it, which reminds me,” Loki turned toward me again. “Don't do that again, sweetheart."

"Hah… I will if I have to. Bugs sometimes need to be squashed out of existence," I mumbled, gazing towards the side.

“Oi—” He was about to say something, but Ro came in, interrupting him.

She carried three plates on a tray so evenly balanced that it screamed she was a pro.

Ah… It took me months to learn how to hold a tray full of things without spilling them everywhere.

There were so many accidents where Lilith laughed at me, too.

“Here’s your food.” She hummed happily, placing three plates down on the table.

For the warlock, there was a simple turkey sandwich that oozed this orange sauce, while the vampire had a chicken sandwich oozing the same sauce. For me, he ordered a pretty chicken salad with a pink sauce I had never seen before.

We thanked Ro before she left us to it. Loki smiled the moment I turned to him, confused about what he had gotten for me. I had salads before, but never this beautifully presented. The sandwiches themselves appeared like pretty pieces of art, too.

Although Oswald was already devouring his by the time I even picked up my fork.

“Tell me how good I did with figuring out your taste?” My prince asked with hopeful eyes.

I tilted my head, “Uh… Pretty good. I didn’t even know I liked smoothie drinks before having one, yet somehow you did. Call me impressed, Your Highness.”

For once, I felt like a normal person, just chatting with others as usual.

This is the perfect offering for a goddess such as myself.

The moment he heard the way I had called him, he narrowed his eyes, “We aren’t in the castle anymore.”

“Fine, Loki,” I corrected, triggering him to smile.

In response, he watched while I took the first bite out of the salad that was in front of me. There, I felt the same bliss as I did when I drank the smoothie. The dressing had a tangy sweetness that perfectly matched the greens.

The seasoning of the chicken was superb too. I guess my expression was all it took for the vampire to appear pleased while Oz continued to stuff his face, not caring for anything other than his food. We spent the afternoon in bliss as I followed the duo while they chatted and shopped for clothes.

Much to my surprise, Loki didn’t make me carry his stuff, nor did Oz. Instead, the playful vampire insisted on attempting to dress me up like some doll, which I respectfully declined.

“That’s such a waste, sweets!” He grumbled with a frown on his lips.

“I’m not a mannequin to throw clothes on, Loki.” I scuffed in return, continuing to walk.

Although I couldn’t lie and say the dresses he was picking out for me were cute. Perhaps if I were a normal girl, I would’ve been able to play dress-up with the playful vampire. Somewhere in the middle, we were joined by Leo, whom I stayed away from.

Even though I avoided the pup, he appeared to be the bundle of joy that Ro set him out to be. I had only met a few Lycans before today, but Leo was an adorable cinnamon roll.

Hah, you’re smile is so bright that it can challenge the sun, but I need to stay away.

By the time we were back at the castle, it was already night. They had treated me to dinner too at a car stall near the stores, which was another pleasing experience to have.

I’ve never had so many tasty things in a day.

Loki even treated me to a creamy cold cream, which I found to be a delightful treat. Even in my childhood with Nene, I had nothing like it. Dad only ever brought treats that weren’t perishable, and the village was so small that they had nothing like the machines needed for it.

My nights out with Lilith, we avoided big cities since she would’ve been recognized right away. The elf was a serial murderer, but to me, she was much more than just that. After bidding goodnight to the princes, I returned to the room to find Emma and Zoe in a horrible mood. Gerta had made them work over the limit as Emma could barely stand up from the bed while Zoe was also dead on hers.

However, when they saw me, their faces lit up when I simpered at them. It was hard to contain the happiness I felt, which marked the first time that, after I was done showering, I was going to bed in a good mood.

A hum even left my lips because of it as the smile that I had on my face was genuine, too. I couldn’t stop the butterflies from growing bigger because of Loki, and part of me didn’t want to stop it. I didn’t know what the vampire was doing to me, but to fight it felt wrong.

Will it be so bad if I care about them? Probably not. Something that feels like this can’t be so wrong.

Perhaps, both Loki and Oswald could be important to me as Father and Lilith were. Even the ugliness that I felt when I saw that girl who had tried to assault my prince felt right. This was how I was developing as my time with the boys continued.

As long as I don’t openly love them. Yes, as long as I don’t poison them. It will be fine.

Each day that passed didn’t stop the close encounters I had with Loki almost every morning as they all left my poor heart beating harshly.

As long as I do nothing to act on it. It should be fine.

I kept repeating myself, realizing this emotion that was blossoming because of the vampire, which couldn’t be stopped. Most of the time, I felt like he was testing me, while others were trying to see how I would react, but it never got to the point of how it was before Oz waltzed in.

The only time they would leave me behind was when they met with Asher. Though from the boys' conversations, it seemed Loki and his grandfather were having arguments about his daily blood intake. The prince was barely drinking from the donors, much to the king’s disappointment.

These donors were high-quality bags donated from various races. However, humans were the favorite snack of vampires while purebred eternal witches were their ecstasy back in the day. When we were out of the castle, Oz would usually bring up my past.

Nothing changed, though. I would always answer as vaguely as possible. All I shared with them was that I used to have a sister, whom I loved dearly, who died the same day we had been attacked by the shadow demon.

Luckily, after that, he appeared to loosen up around me, too, which led to fewer questions and more friendly chatter.

Well, as pleasant as Oswald can get, and that isn’t a lot.

Before I knew it, two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. My experiences in life were growing at a rate that was quicker than ever before. Gerta was impressed by how Zoe, Emma, and I were still around, while Alistair lost one of his girls, Quinn.

The old maid didn’t share with us what happened, but I could tell from the previous days how that might’ve played out. Before Quinn vanished from the castle, she was coming back to the room with bruises on her body. The other girls had taken their bullying onto her when the eldest prince paid a little too much attention to the human girl, making Ivy and Emery unhappy.

Much like they were with me, but thanks to Emma and Zoe, they wouldn’t dare come near me. Unlike the human girl they had chased, I was in a different ranking. Their bullying would end with them going missing, as nothing would take me away from the princes.

Meanwhile, Oz’s and my sisters' coven’s relationship continued to be tremulous. They fought every morning and night, leaving Emma fed up with him, while Zoe didn’t care for the prince at all. Instead, she built a small relationship with Leo when she found the little pup following her on the fifth day we were there.

The little shy Lycan wanted to talk with her, and that sparked an adorable friendship between the two. This change caused Oz to have Emma and Zoe come out with us whenever Leo was going with us.

The warlock really has a soft spot for his baby brother. I mean, this boy is the cutest wolf I've ever seen, like illegally cute.

Usually, they would be so rough around the edges, but Leo was like a soft cloud and was sweet as candy. There wasn’t a mean bone in his body, which caused his little tail to wag easily when he was excited.

So, when I woke up this morning, I thought everything would be like the past weeks. I let my guard down. Then again, there was nothing I could’ve done to stop it either way. Once it was written into fate, there was hardly a way to escape it.

And… I’m not sure I want to.