It's exceedingly difficult to juggle laziness and boredom at once.
On the one hand, you don't want to get out of bed. Sitting up, getting ready, required social interaction... it's all too much trouble. But on the other... you don't have a book next to you, your endless supply of junk food is just out of reach, and you already finished counting the amount of creases on the curtains hung above your bed.
That person, right there? That's me. Lying on my bed, with so much to do, yet not wanting to move. Bored nevertheless starving, annoyed yet peaceful.
That was me, right there.
There were too many hands. On the one hand, I wanted to eat. I haven't eaten breakfast or lunch since I hadn't bothered to get out of bed, so I was starving. On the other hand, I was too lazy to get up and feel the head rush afterward. On the other other hand, I was bored as hell, with no books to read or people to play with. On the other other another hand, I wanted to get away from the annoying second male lead, who has been incessantly pestering me since a few weeks ago, the morning after I first met the cliched assassin guy. And on my other fifth hand, I was fine just as I was, lazing about, doing nothing, staring at the ceiling and studying it for no reason in particular.
"You're so cute, Little Bun~"
Yeah, obviously I'm cute, there's really no need to state the obvious, Ruvik.
"I just want to hold you in my arms and never let go~" Hugging me from behind, he took a tuft of hair and lightly planted a kiss on it. I was too lazy to properly register it or tease him for it and instead just smiled unreadably in response.
"Bunbun~ do you want to play~" My ears perked up at the word 'play'. He looked at my slightly intrigued expression and grinned charmingly to himself, seemingly daydreaming. I ignored his strange and somewhat perverse appearance and smiled back.
"So, how are we going to play?"
----
When he said play, this is not the thing that came to mind. We were currently in the middle of a crowded area of the commercial district of the Capital. Ruvik's hand intertwined with mine, he dragged me along to 'play' around. I really didn't understand him.
After about ten thousand years of living, I started to understand that my definition of 'play' might be a little different than what others would think. I liked playing Tag and Hide and Seek, trying to find my prey. Once I caught them, there were so many fun and playful things to do with them! They would scream, I would laugh, and I would have fun. But Little Al said that 'playing' for me is akin to torture, and that I'd only play with others if I wanted to punish them so bad they would never mess with me again... but I only punched them a bit, and tossed them around for a while. There was nothing too extreme, I'd say.
"Where do you want to go next, Little Bun~" His flirty voice entered my ears.
I sighed. His definition of 'play' is so boring, though. Shopping, eating, sightseeing... who wants to do that crap? I was just about to reject yet another invitation to go to another place when he stopped and eyed an outfit through a display. A white dress, with flowers embroidered onto its flowing sleeves. It looked like something a saintess would wear. The very sight of it made me want to barf. I was a Devil. Literally, a Devil. I hated saintesses. Their idiotic preaching, their social standing, and unrealistic ideals for a tainted world.
So when Ruvik said the following: 'I think... the dress will look very good on you, Chalice.' My response was quite curt. Fuck. You. Shitty. Asshole. I wretched my hand out of his and hit his nose. His gold-rimmed glasses fell to the floor and shattered. Blood started to run out of his straight, long nose.
We were currently in the middle of a wealthy commercial district in the Capital, where wealthy tourists and high-ranking nobles would go for informal meetings, shopping, or sightseeing. So when the influential Duke Drossel's prodigal son suddenly shows his face in such a place, with a short, purple-haired feminine looking boy, you can imagine the cacophony as a result from such a reckless action.
As noble ladies and lords swarmed around him like flies, I used the chance to slip away silently. After a few minutes of pointless wandering, I came to a stop at a slightly sketchy alley where I regrouped. Realizing what I had done to him, I smacked myself on the head and groaned. I regretted my action wholeheartedly. It was not the right thing to do to smack him on the head and give him a bloody nose. Yes, I should have killed him. No, tortured him first, then killed him. I may not have touched the Transformation's entrance yet, but I could have pulled a few strings and get him sent to a compound where he can...
My thoughts were cut short by a shadow flitting past me. I narrowed my eyes and crouched down, inconspicuously slipping the night out of the heel of my boot into the hem of my left sleeve. A tail? I pulled my aura close. I assessed the presence behind me and narrowed my eyes. No, it's just Z.
Z. The leader of the assassination and information guild. I wasn't that compelled to continue to meet with Z after that midnight rendezvous in the dorm room. The reason? Simple. He was too damn predictable and incompetent for my tastes.
I had two requirements for toys. 1; due to my actions, they would act in unpredictable and would keep me entertained for at least two hours. 2; they weren't unintelligent, incompetent, or easy. If they were scumbags but they fulfilled those two requirements, that was fine. That was the reason why I let Ruvik through my screening. For Blueres... well, a reincarnated was a rather special case (although if he continued to be boring after my grace, I'd disown him from my toy collection). And as for Z... he didn't fulfill any of my requirements.
When I finished massacring and dealing with everyone in the ballroom that first night, I made sure to cover my tracks thoroughly and properly. From the guards stationed at the palace gates, to the bodies, even to the royal family, I made sure that nothing would hinder my quest for entertainment. But when I dared Z to look into my current life's background, even as the leader of the largest information guild of the empire, he still wasn't able to find anything, and I still remained a mystery to him. Although my experience allowed me to make everything that happened in that ballroom disappear, I still had no backing. His position should have gave him some information, yet he was just too damn incompetent for him to utilize his resources properly.
Which is why I booted him out.
And why he was still following me to a deserted sketchy alley.
"Chalice," Z's cliched hoarse tone assaulted my ears as he hugged my steadily from behind.
My face held an unreadable smile as I turned around to look at the man. Shining silver hair. The one thing I liked about him. It reminded me of me, in all my glory.
I walked towards his face and reached up to twirl his hair while glancing at Z's love-stricken expression. I ignored his expression and cocked my head to the side. "So? This is your last chance, Z. Miss one more, and..."
"You're here to play with them." His tone had a vague sense of urgency in it that made me want to play with him more.
After a few seconds of silence, I leisurely shifted back and studied his expression. It was tense, afflicted, enthralled, incensed. It was... interesting.
My mouth stretched into a childish grin. "Oh?" My indifferent attitude vanished, and instead was an approach of roguish fondness I had once showed him that night in the dorm room. "Well. Then... you have eight weeks." I reached forward and kissed him enticingly on his temple. His cheeks turned a vivid ruby-red shade.
"Chalice?" I shifted my eyes back and saw a cloaked figure watching me from the entranceway. Although the rest of their features were hidden, I could clearly see the strife and rage in their emerald green eyes.
My lips curled up into a small reticent smile. Blueres. "Hello... 'Your Royal Highness'."
----
"What... are you doing." His air he exuded was domineering and dark. He clearly wasn't asking me for an answer; he was accusing me of a crime I shouldn't have commit.
My smile remained unmoving, even as he approached me and violently grabbed my shoulders and pressed me down. "I'm simply... meeting up with an old friend. Is anything the matter? I do not wish to trouble you over my humble peasant self's actions." I gazed at his long fingernails digging into my flesh. His lips stretched into a cold scowl. It seems he thought I was turning my attention back to the silver haired boy behind me.
"Who is he?" Blueres demanded, gesturing towards Z's figure.
"None of your business." He shot back. He reached forward and grabbed my arm with one hand. His other was hidden behind him; clutching two sharp star-shaped blades between his long, fair fingers.
I was the only one who remained unfettered and calm within the taut atmosphere around us. My lips stretching into a broader smile, I continued watching the show with delight.
"Chalice, you're mine. You aren't allowed to be talking to other men." He jerked me back. His strong, thick arms enveloped me.
I widened my eyes and my smile soon faded; replacing it was a dull glare. Hmmm... I'm yours. That's so presumptuous. It's so very ludicrous that I can't even find it amusing.
I always did enjoy to tamper with a male lead's 'mood swings', so to speak. Because one minute, they could be absolutely blissful, another they would be throwing a 'tantrum', and the next they'd be claiming that I was their property and no one else was aloud to 'touch me'. It was always funny, since I could never quite comprehend why they had the rights to claim me as their possession when I never consented to it in the first place. The sheer brazenness of it was always so shocking I found it a comical piece of art.
But I guess that ended today, didn't it. Since now all I feel from the statement is displeasure and distaste.
I wrenched myself out of Blueres' embrace and glided to Z. Caressing his silky soft hair, I spoke with aversion. "I had no idea that you could be so stupid." His startled expression made me frown more. Resting my chin on Z's shoulder, I continued. "To think, the crown prince of an empire. Venturing out to the commercial district alone, with no regard for your well-being or the future of your nation if you were to be abducted or killed. It's honestly such a disgusting sight to see."
I chuckled and skipped forward, stopping right in front of Blueres' face. "Not only that, but you actually dared to concern yourself with a mere commoner's 'trysts', even stepping forward to claim that I'm yours. You need to do a lot more to make me your toy, Venncroft. Ridiculous. You aren't even able to control your emotions to save face [1]."
"I honestly expected more from this world's future leading figures. But I suppose you're just the same as the renowned son of a Duke Drossel. 'Blueres Venncroft' of the Velesan Empire."
----
After my spew of insults, I left. I wasn't quite sure what Blueres was thinking at the time. Perhaps he was contemplating his reckless actions, or chasing after me, or maybe blaming my scorn at Z, saying "it's the silver haired boy's fault that I acted that way". Either way, I was too lazy to care at the moment. I mindlessly wandering, I arrived at the front door of a quite luxurious looking café. I pushed open the crystal clear glass doors and entered it on a whim. In a hot summer's day, the cool breeze that engulfed me as I stepped in was particularly refreshing.
A waitress walked up to me. She bowed and asked, "Welcome. Table for one?"
I nodded. As I was escorted to a nice seat near the windowsill, overlooking the bustling streets of the district, I raised my eyebrow. Why is she... oh. I glanced at my attire. Long, ironed white tunic, black sleek-looking trousers, hair neatly combed back. I momentarily forgot about the fact that in the morning, Ruvik made me play dressup with his clothes. Thinking about it only increased my ire. My hands slowly clenched, and my mouth twisted into a displeased scowl. The waitress shivered and dropped her head further down. Oh. She must be scared that I'll hit her. That means... I breathed in a deep breath and sighed. If she was scared at my simple action, that meant that this café was most likely sponsored by patrons with full pockets.
"Black tea, please." I told her before dismissing her. She nodded and obediently scurried away. I sighed, looking at the window. I'm bored.
"Did you hear?"
"Hear? Hear what?"
"About the 'incident' in the Relsaarian Kingdom."
"Of course. Half of the high-ranking aristocracy was massacred that night at the crown prince's coming-of-age party. Everyone who's anyone knows about it the Citron Night."
"No, not that. I'm talking about Lord Nigel. He recently succeeded the Sicul Dukedom after the his father's death in the Citron Night."
"Oh, truly? Goodness gracious, he must still be grieving, yet he still took up the mantle of Duke from his father. As expected of Lord Nigel!"
"Ahhh, he's so dreamy!"
"Imagining me in his arms at night gives me-"
"Kyaaa! Don't say it, don't say it!"
I laid my head on my hand. I tuned the rest of the conversation out and reached for my empty teacup. Flipping it upside down and watching the small droplets of golden-black tea drip out of the container and stain the white sheets covering the table, I thought, Sicul. Where have I heard that before?
----
Sicul. Hazilen Fanel Sicul. Possession... Citron Night... dukedom... ah.
It was that night.
Hahaha, that makes sense.
Hmmm, I didn't know that it was that well known.
So, I have a brother, hmmm?
His name was... 'Lord Nigel'. Ah, that's nice. It sounds like an MLs name. Interesting. I'm guessing that he loved the girl who stole the other soul's 'past fiancé' as well. So that means... he probably did whatever it took to find that girl's killer. Which means... he probably knows it's his dear 'sister', Hazilen Fanel Sicul.
He's probably coming after me using his power as the new Duke of Sicul.
So.
Should I wait for him to come to me? Or... should I go to him, first? I'm dying to meet my dear brother~
Hehehehehehehe...
(A/N: Hey guys! I'm going to clarify something now. Uhm, so I don't really know how to write romance. But I'm kind of interested in the concept of it, so I'm going to try it on this book too. But I don't really want anyone to be with my outgoing sadistic MC, so... there's a very low chance that a love interest will end up with her. Okay, bye~)