Marie Fou Lafan was used to playing the villain, it was something she became a natural at. It was a necessary evil in her line of work back on Earth. When your career either lived or died by how many men wanted to pick you from a catalog, you learn how to make yourself appealing to as many of them as possible. Especially since you have an expiration date. You also learned how to make your competition look worse by comparison. So many naïve girls went into that line of work thinking they had nothing left to lose. There was always more to lose, she knew that all too well.
She never thought that her skillset as a hostess would actually be useful after she was reborn. Little did she know that it made her life so much easier after she finally got away from those animals and arrived at the Academy. Add to that her intimate knowledge of the game's romance events, tripping flags with the capture targets became laughably trivial.
Did she actually love the five boys that she managed to seduce? Of course not, they were nothing more than children in her eyes. Clinging to her as soon as she hit the right buttons connecting to their insecurities and desires. Then again, they did have their uses whenever she needed some stress relief. Their money and influence were also beneficial for her to slowly build her own power base with her peers in the background. The bullying she had to endure along the way was insignificant compared to the benefits she received in exchange.
She was able to finally get everything she wanted, the competition she had for the capture targets weren't even worth her time. Idiots who didn't know how to take initiative when they had every advantage. The so-called main heroine herself was just a doormat without an actual player influencing her actions. All that power, that potential, languishing in a ball of pathetic uncertainty.
She worked for what she got! She earned this! She was going to become the Saint and have her happy ending!
Then it all went sideways when Leon Fou Bartfort stuck his nose in her business. Someone who literally went from nobody to nightmare to hero in the span of weeks thanks to his Super Robot and ship. And for what? To help the losers who couldn't even keep their men in line? To help the doormat? He even ended up becoming friends with her capture targets!
Marie could admit, she had no idea that Leon was her brother. How could she? He didn't act at all like he did in their past life. He was so much stronger, more confident, more decisive, more expressive, more handso–just more!
Looking back at their past interactions with the new context of him being her brother made Marie involuntarily shiver. The way he used to look at her with that intense gaze made her legs weak in ways that those boys could never hope to match.
She had always thought that Leon passed away hating her after she forced him to finish the game they were both reborn in. When he held her and told her that she wasn't at fault, she thought that her heart was going to explode. He loved her! Even now, after everything, he still loved her! They weren't even really brother and sister anymore but he still loved her! Those stolen moments between them became memories she treasured and something she craved more and more of.
Then Julius told her and the others that his engagement with the two losers was going to be broken off. At first, Marie thought that he was joking or had the wrong information. Those two were a step away from becoming his pets if he pushed them enough in the right direction. But no, it was true. The moment when she saw what he looked like after it happened, she could only look away. It reminded her too much of the past. When he cried himself hoarse when the two of them were alone, she knew that it was time for her to finally do something for him for a change.
She waited patiently as the two people she was waiting for showed up at the nondescript café in the Capital. When they arrived, she merely smiled at them while they scowled at her. They both sat down and glared at her, not even offering a greeting. Rude.
"I didn't think you two would actually show up." That got an even more intense glare from the both. The time for her cutesy and innocent act had long since passed. It was cute that they thought that such a thing would scare her. Very few things scared Marie anymore, one of those things was the reason why she was at the café sitting across from two losers.
"I was against it initially, truth be told." Angelica Rapha Redgrave forced out of her gritted teeth. The hothead loser looked like she was about to jump her at any moment.
"I was also reluctant to come here as well, but when both Julius and Jilk practically begged us to come and speak, we couldn't help but reconsider." Clarice Fia Atlee continued the thought, placing a hand on the other loser's arm to calm her down. How considerate of the passive loser. It was pretty easy to have the two boys face their old failures when I told them that it was for Leon's sake. The power of Bromance should never be underestimated.
Leon was on a trip with the doormat-turned-monster, his minion, and the second year who was obsessed with his Super Robot. Hopefully, he'd have a good time and get out of his funk by the time he came back. In the meantime, she had two losers to straighten out.
"So what did you want to talk about? Julius and Jilk did not say." The hothead loser asked, making Marie give them her sweetest smile.
"Leon. I want to talk about Leon." The name was definitely a trigger as the two of them immediately tensed up. "Ah, so it's true that you three broke things off then? Shame."
"I don't see why that is any of your business." The passive loser said with a cold smile. Nice effort, but she needed more practice.
"Leon is the friend of my lovers, he even helped Chris finally stop treating me like I'm made of glass." Marie then demonstrated what a real cold smile was supposed to look like. "And he's technically up for grabs now, isn't he?"
The table shook and clattered as the hothead stood up and slammed both her hands on the surface. "Don't you dare! Julius and Jilk would have still been ours if it wasn't for you!"
Ah, she made it too easy. It wasn't even fun if they just gave her openings like that. "And what? Would either of you even have been happy if you two ended up marrying them?"
Marie relished the anguish on their faces when it started to sink in. What did her brother ever see in these two? Was it really because the monster mindraped him into loving them? He never said it, but Marie had suspected.
"Julius already made it publicly clear what he really thought of you during the duel. What kind of marriage would even come from that if it never came to light?" Marie said to the hothead before turning to the passive one. "Jilk wouldn't even talk to you about me, how long until he would have stopped speaking to you about things that really mattered to him altogether if he married you?"
"That's not–" The passive one tried to speak out but Marie knew better than to give up her control of the conversation.
"Leon was the best thing that happened to the two of you and you threw him away. I would have come here to laugh at you, but neither of you seem worth the effort anymore." She told them while shaking her head. Literally had happiness at their fingertips and they let it slip away, and for what? Dignity? They probably would have crawled on their hands and knees if Leon asked before whatever broke them up happened. Pride? When has pride ever done anything good for anyone?
"You know nothing of the circumstances. You don't have the right to judge us." The hothead countered. Marie scoffed at the obvious deflection.
"Maybe not. But you have to know that he won't stay available for very long." She smiled at how they winced, glancing at each other for a moment. "He is a man not seen in Holfort in ages. A legend literally in the making. Other families will absolutely start making plans to put their daughters in contention for him."
"Maybe it'll be Miss Roseblade. Maybe it'll be the Special Scholarship girl. Maybe it will be a completely unexpected woman altogether." Marie narrowed her eyes when the two of them flinched at the last part. Another woman she didn't know about? Was her brother keeping a secret from her after all? Something to look into later.
"Why are you telling us all this?" The passive loser chanced the question. Why indeed.
"Like I said, I feel like I owe him for being such a good friend to my lovers. I just thought you two could use the extra perspective." Marie told them before standing up. She was about to leave when she decided to take one last parting shot. "You never know, I might just decide to take him for myself after all."
That should light a fire under their asses!
Marie walked away with the feeling of a job well done, confident that she had just helped with her brother's girl related problems.
…
Why did I always end up having girl related problems?
"Oh, my dearest sweet Lea. It's me, Anne! It has been so long sinc–" The thing that was wearing Livia's face passionately said before I pushed her away from me.
"Get away from me and bring back Livia!" I yelled back, regretting my earlier decision.
I was obviously not thinking clearly when I just up and showed her the Saint's Necklace inside the safe when Livia wanted to know what was talking to her. The moment she reached out and touched it, this nonsense started happening. She quickly put the thing on and started speaking with a different accent.
"The girl is of no conseque–I can speak for myself, thank you very much!" I looked like Livia battled Anne for control in her head and she eventually started reaching for the necklace. "Don't you dare! You may be of my blood, but I will not tolerate such insolen–My! Body!"
Were you aware that there was an imprint of someone's consciousness in the Saint's Necklace?
"Of course not!" I yelled back at Control. "That was never in–how could I have known?!"
"What is a Saint's Neckla–that's what they're calling this now? Ahahaha! Do they call my bracelet and staff something equally ridiculous?" Anne managed to take back control just as Livia's fingertips reached the necklace. "They are, aren't they? Oh my goodness! That's ju–stop pushing me out!"
I took the momentary distraction to get behind Livia and help her take off the Saint's Necklace. I pulled the thing off her and threw it on a nearby desk.
"Why the hell is the necklace doing this? Can you still feel her?" I asked Livia in concern, turning her around to face me and checking her eyes for anything weird.
"Not anymore. I think she's stuck in there." Livia pointed at the offending accessory.
This Anne, whoever she is, seems to only be able to manifest if Olivia wears the necklace.
"Honestly, what a rude woman! She even mocked me in my head before doing something in there! Saying that I've been stupid for being trapped by my own magic and forcing me to forget that I'm in love with…you." The two of us stared at each other when she finished talking. No way, did that idea actually work? That crazy lady in the necklace actually dispelled Compelling Voice? Who the hell was she?!
It seems that our least expected to succeed plan actually worked, thanks to unaccounted for complications.
"I love you." Livia whispered in disbelief, reaching out and cupping my face. She then smiled in relief as tears started flowing from her eyes. "I love you. I love you! I LOVE YOU, LEON! I LOVE YOU!"
When I felt her lips, I suddenly had a feeling of clarity. Like remembering something that was at the edge of my mind. A lens that was finally coming into focus. All at once, everything I couldn't feel about Livia before came out. It was a rush that I couldn't get enough of and I wrapped my arms around her while returning her kisses.
I am happy for the lifting of the spell that has been afflicting you both, but I would advise against acting upon your newly rediscovered feelings for each other while you are both so charged with endorphins. They tend to bog the mind.
"Control, you are being very sweet but please leave the room for a while!" Livia yelled out before going back to kissing me. She once again demonstrated her surprising strength when she practically manhandled me onto the bed. I was about to tell her to listen to Control when she tore off her pajama top. I kind of just stopped thinking after that.
Very well. I shall check back in the morning.
…
The breakfast that following morning was pretty different. Deirdre, Clara, and Yumeria were already eating when Livia and I showed up together. Clara had already picked out food for us and we both thanked the girl as we sat down to eat. Deirdre looked at us with narrowed eyes before tilting her head in consideration.
"Did the two of you…" She began and her eyes widened then both Livia and I blushed bright red. "Ah! Congratulations? Should I be congratulating you two?"
"We're not really sure yet either." I muttered while covering my face with my hand. Livia briefly spoke about wanting to talk to Angie and Clarice about the whole engagement thing after we woke up, but it was put on hold when her stomach reminded us what time it was.
I did warn you against acting on your passions last night.
"Control, please stop talking about what Leon and I did last night." Livia whined while avoiding Clara's happy smile and words of congratulations.
"This is a blessed day. I am sure that the offspring of the Inheritor and the Divine Maiden will be quite powerful." Yumeria added even more fuel to the fire by reminding us of what was the usual result of such activities.
"We're not having a baby!" I yelped out.
"We're not having a baby yet!" Livia yelped out at the same time. Wait. I stared at her and she pouted at me. "What? I want one eventually."
I couldn't really say anything to that and just started eating. Deirdre and Clara started talking to Livia about what it was like and completely embarrassing her. I smiled despite all of it. After the day we all just had, it was a relief to finally have something going well. I didn't think about all the other cans of worms that were still open, at least not for today. Right now, I just wanted to have breakfast with a girl that I loved and our prying friends.