Somewhere inside the Grace mansion. Inside Marysville's room.
Marysville was in her room relaxing, without thoughts in mind. She wears a ruffled collar blouse shirt tucked in loose black slacks.
She sat at the window looking at the scenery outside. There hangs at the window a pure white curtain swaying as it meets the wind.
Marysville leans her head on the side slowly closing her eyes, as the breeze of the wind blows, her hair swings following its flow.
'If you're wondering why I am sitting here in this wide open window in the middle of the afternoon... It's because since I woke up this morning, everyone restrains me from going out of this room.'
'I think I know the reason though...they must have been getting ready for the ceremony that will happen four days from now.'
"MAN I'M SO BORED!!!" Marysville shouts out of irritation.
Marysville looks around scanning her own room looking for interesting things to do, but all she sees is a princess Victorian bed frame standing in the center of an elegantly decorated bedroom.
Its high tufted headboard is designed in an upholstered way, colored with a tint of golden fabric, with a clean white backdrop.
The bed was dressed in a luxurious way, featuring ruffled clothes, a mattress colored in a mix of pastel gold and creams, and a pair of black leather shoes resting at the foot of the bed.
'Why the hell is this room so boring? Luis even took my phone, there's not even a single book to read for-... Wait, speaking of books. I wonder if they'd allow me to go to the library.'
Marysville immediately jumps off the window rushing towards the door barefoot as she knocks it.
"What can I help you with, young lady?" Said the butler on the other side of the door.
"Am I also not allowed to go inside the library?"
The other side of the door went silent for a moment before the door opened.
CREAK
Marysville was greeted by the butler with a bow below waist.
"Please follow me." The butler gently uttered.
"Wait, let me put some shoes on." Marysville then hurriedly runs back to the side of her bed where a black leather shoe is seen.
On their way to the library, they meet a group of maids in the hallway, rushing on their way.
Each of them holds carefully an expensive looking fabric in separate colors of white, gold, and red.
Despite rushing hurriedly, they still had the time to stop in front of Marysville just to greet her. They bow down together showing respect before rushing back again.
Marysville turns her back to see them out.
Finally arriving at the destination, the butler ensures that Marysville goes inside before he leaves.
After opening the door, Marysville went inside and silently closed it.
Wandering around the big library, looking for an interesting book to read.
Marysville slides her index finger at every book spine she sees.
Reaching the end of the shelf, Marysville noticed a shadow of a person. She followed the shadow to see the owner of it.
Walking closer, Marysville stops as she finally sees who owns the shadow.
It was Reo reading a book seriously, standing right in front of the shelf.
Marysville approaches Reo silently.
"What are you doing here?" Said Marysville.
Reo glanced at Marysville before answering her question.
"This morning, I was on my way to your room, but I was blocked by a bunch of butlers."
Reo continues his words. "And while standing still in front of your door listening to the butlers chatter… I saw master Martinez on his way to the library with his hands full of books while walking slowly and with difficulty, so I decided to help him."
'Martinez was also here?' Marysville asked herself.
"After that-... I walked around lost in thought, and then, I saw the title of this book that caught my attention."
Approaching Reo closely, Marysville bends over to see the title of the book he's holding.
"The misfortune of god of luck???...just what is the story all about to have you so focus on reading like that."
"It's about the god of luck's misfortunes." Said Reo.
"That's literally the book's title-…wait, god of luck…you mean Mal?"
Reo nods as a response.
"Even the god of luck herself experienced misfortune???"
Marysville gets closer to Reo and takes a peek at what's written inside the book. But Marysville fails to read the content of the book. Instead, Marysville noticed that there's only a few more pages left before Reo could reach the Verso of the book.
"What happened to her in the book?" Marysville asked Reo out of curiosity.
"She was punished and sentenced to death for loving a mortal."
Marysville looks at Reo in confusion.
'It was mentioned in the game that Mal was sentenced to death…but the reason wasn't said.'
Reo suddenly read out the narration of the book out of nowhere.
"Mal was stabbed thousands of times. All the swords that stabbed her were none other than the sword of a fellow god that she blessed with her own power-…luck."
"..." Marysville remained silent listening to Reo as he talked.
"Everytime a sword stabs the god, she shouts until her throat is hoarse, feeling the pain of the sword. She was stabbed, and stabbed, and stabbed to the point of getting used to the pain. In the end, the god cried her eyes out with crimson blood, kneeling right in front of the other gods who stabbed her as she wore a pleading face. The ground was full of the God's blood, having her body full of swords."
"..."
"Her wounds had almost shattered her, but even in death, she knelt unmoving, a statue of enduring strength."
Reo suddenly closed the book so strongly that a wind came out.
"The end of the story-… but, what is the lady doing here in the library?"
"Out of boredom."
"I was told that you will be staying in your room until the ceremony, but here you are… at the library."
Reo walked closer to the book shelf and placed the book in the blank space.
THUD!
They suddenly heard the sound of something falling.
Marysville glanced at Reo who's busy arranging the books before heading towards where the sound came from.
Arriving at the scene, Marysville saw Martinez on the floor cleaning the scattered books in the ground.
"What the hell happened here?" Said Marysville.
"I stumbled onto something and fell."
Marysville was looking at the ground, and she saw around ten thick books.
She can't believe that the loud sound she heard just now was Martinez who fell on the ground.
Marysville bent down to help Martinez pick up the book.
Reo, who followed Marysville, looks at the scenery with a shocked face.
Reo couldn't believe it himself what he just saw. Marysville, who's known for her act of coldness and rudeness towards her family, is right in front of him helping out her troubled brother.
After Marysville and Martinez finished picking up the book. Marysville offered to give Martinez a helping hand until they reached his destination.
'First to help him carry this bunch of books was Reo, and now even me.' Marysville sighs.
Reo simply stood there watching this happen.
"Be more careful…next time." Marysville awkwardly said.
Martinez simply smiled at Marysville as a response.
After sending Martinez, Marysville went back on her way to Reo. Just when she got back, Reo looked at her unsatisfied, and he suddenly uttered something.
"Sometimes… I just don't understand you, and sometimes you are so easy to read."
"..." Marysville glanced at Reo, looking confused.
"Just what are you so afraid of, Marysville?" Reo looked at Marysville seriously.
'Marysville?' Marysville wondered why Reo suddenly called her by name.
"Sometimes you act so kindly at them, and sometimes you act rudely, ignoring them… as if you were afraid of something-."
Reo paused for a moment before continuing his words.
"Should I take a guess about what you're afraid of, young lady." Reo stared at Marysville dead in the eye. "Affection… you are afraid of accepting their affection, and you also restrain yourself from showing affection to them."
'This is one of the reasons why I hate and like this man. Even back in the game, his hunch is always right, he reads people's personality as if he's reading a book.'
'Every time I speak to him, an eerie sensation creeps over me, as if his eyes are windows through which he reads my very soul.'
'He's not wrong, but at the same time… not right. It's true that I've ignored them until now not because I'm afraid of their affection, but because I don't think I even deserve them.'
'The life I have right now is a stolen one. I stole their beloved daughter, their beloved sister. I stole Marysville's identity.'
'Do you really think a thief like me deserves the affection of the people I robbed?'
'I've never even once thought of them as my family.'
Marysville subconsciously looked at Reo and smiled. A slight asymmetric smile with an expression of deep sadness. It was a miserable smile.
Reo wasn't expecting Marysville to make that kind of face. So he looked down to avoid seeing the emotions shown in her face… her hurted face.
'Seems like I got it right, seeing her reaction.