Kairos didn’t look happy at all, stepping away from the table. Only a few seconds later, the door opened. I glanced to the side to see my new father walking in.

His hair looked red right now, his eyes blue. Really, what was his name again? I should’ve asked Kairos.

What?

I couldn’t even trust Kairos, what was I saying?

A mental image of a kitten crying appeared in my mind. Why did I have to be so stupid? If only I were smart enough to gain the interest of gods. But noooo, no, I was a literal dumbass with less than two braincells. Damn it.

My father sat down at the head of the table, only a few seats away from me. His cheek was bruised.

I repressed the urge to greet him casually, remaining silent. Soon enough, more and more people appeared. My twin sister sat next to me, closer to father, her beauty astounding as she walked by. The only issue with her beauty was the giant bruise forming on her face.

Oops. Why didn’t they heal themselves?

Across from me sat two men. One had clear hair and white eyes that looked chromatic in the sunlight, like quartz. The other had brown hair and an arrogant air to him.

Crazy tyrant one, and quiet kind-hearted person two. The one with short brown hair similar to Aph’s was as kind as she was, but the one with crystalline hair was a genuine tyrant.

The servants following the clear-haired one were all battered and bruised, blood and scrapes littering their bodies despite their pristine outerwear.

“What a piece of shit,” I mused, only to hesitate as the crystalline-haired man looked to me. Oh, oops. Didn’t mean to say that aloud.

The king sighed, “We haven’t even been served yet, Persephone. Please wait to throw your tantrums until dessert at least.”

I scoffed, grinning as I turned to my father, “Nah. Doesn’t sound like me.”

“Will you act this way when you and your wonderful sister Aphrodite go to the Academy?” The kind-hearted older brother of mine asked, green eyes like Percy’s focused on me.

I sighed, shrugging.

My voice was dripping with sarcasm, “I don’t know. Honestly might. I haven’t done much wrong today, only punched father and sister in the face and insulted oldest brother. Oh how behaved I’ve become.”

What were their names again? Well using awkward titles worked for now.

“Should you continue to act in such a manner I highly doubt someone as lowly as you would be allowed into the Academy,” The oldest said, tones not as cruel as I expected them to be.

Of course they weren’t, I mused. To him, I was a sibling. An actual human in his eyes, unlike the servants.

I grinned without any amusement, my tone casual and dry as I spoke, voice sounding more amused than I was. I was just repeating bullshit I’d heard villainess’s and Main Characters spew in situations like this.

“I’m the twin sister of Aph. We share the same blood. You’re calling her lowly? Or~ are you insulting father’s bloodline? Insinuating he could possibly conceive a lowly child?”

My elbow was on the table, fist holding my chin up as I stared at my brothers. They were extreme supporters of Aph in all things except Percy. Not because they liked Percy (I don’t think they did) but because they were both raised to be filial and loyal to their family. So of course, at the Academy that we all would attend soon, they only helped Aph out whenever I wasn’t the one who bullied her.

“Maybe you need extra training, Pelias,” The king mentioned idly, fingers tapping at the table. He looked as bored as I felt, “Do you need to redo your second year at the Academy?”

Pelias looked ashamed, ivory skin flushing pink.

“I am sorry, father. Please forgive my impudence.”

Oh! I remember their names, now. The clear-haired one with white eyes was Pelias, and the brown-haired one with green eyes was Mercury. They had the same last name as me, everyone at the table having the family name Esmer-Gold.

Pelias, Mercury…

What was the father’s name again? Eu-something. Eugustus? Euthenal? Wait. No. Regulus? Erasmus? Homeros? No! Wait! Euphemism! His name was a euphemism for dick! So it was either Richard or William, right?

Richard Esmer-Gold… No. No, that didn’t sound right. William Esmer-Gold. His name was William. King William Esmer-Gold. Yeah. King Willy.

Nice.

…

No, that didn’t sound right.

Before I could figure out my father’s name, the servants all came out with food. The table was layered with many different foods.

I stared at all of the variety.

Before I could move to add food to my plate, Kairos appeared, the other personal servants of the family also coming up and adding food to the plate.

Steak, green beans, and mashed potatoes were layered onto my plate. A very heavy sort of relief filled me at the Earthian-natured foods. The weird-looking things that were being added to the other’s plates just looked gross.

I didn’t eat first, carefully observing my family and how they ate. Each of them picked up a different sized fork.

…

Well, fuck.

Looking at Mercury, who was eating a steak, I carefully picked up the same sized fork as him. Looking around, I noted and memorized the size of the fork my father was using to eat the green beans.

Okay. I got this. Royal etiquette. Cool. Straight back, correct sized fork… I nudged the steak around for a bit on my plate as I thought.

This world was so weird. What even were half the things on the table? One thing looked like ham, but it was blue and had scales on top.

I felt nauseous just looking at it, so I looked down to my plate, focusing on it. Carefully, I ate some food, keeping careful observation on the others’ use of silverware.

Soon, my plate was empty, everyone done eating. The desserts handed out looked very unfamiliar, and I shook my head at the thought of eating any of it.

With how much I had to think about, if I ate much more than I did I would probably throw up. My stomach was already in knots.

What Kairos said before made a lot of sense.

If everyone fought over one person to the point it ended the world, wouldn’t the gods have stepped in? They really liked the world, so why did they presume the world doomed the moment the Fae King stepped in?

Maybe there had been underlying reasons. There had to be. If just killing off one or ten people was enough to salvage a world even the gods called perfect, then wouldn’t they have done that?

Of course, the Fae King was comparable to a god himself—maybe he was one—, but there were several that had left the world, so it wasn’t that he was too powerful to be beaten.

No, he only joined the war…

…

Well, after he’d fucked the main character. I turned, looking at her. She truly looked beautiful as she carefully ate something with the consistency of Jello and the appearance of stars. I doubted my father saw her the same way, though, since her bruise was on his side.

Maybe I’d be less reluctant to try eating the food if it didn’t look radioactive, I mused, mind wandering back to the Fae King.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

I only care for my people, but you are quite the enticing individual. Why would he say that during a sex scene just before he joined the war?

He only cares for his people. Did they get hurt while he was away? How? They’re in another realm!

I sighed.

I guess once I got into the Academy I would be able to better observe the interactions between Aph and her extensive harem.

I could just walk to the forests to interact with the Fae King. I knew there was a barrier somewhere. My only issue was that with how beautiful Percy was, wouldn’t the Fae just let me walk into their realm? If I did that, they’d trap me, wouldn’t they?

So I had to be careful. I was certain it was pretty far into the woods, but I didn’t wish to accidentally damn my soul or something.

… Wait.

How would I pass the Academy entrance exam? All I knew about this world in extensive detail were what like 100 guy’s naked bodies looked like and how they liked to fuck.

I guess I could blackmail the professors to be allowed in, right?

“That expression never bodes well on you, sister,” Mercury’s voice cut through my thoughts.

I looked at him, images of blushing men demanding how I knew their dirty secrets vanishing from my mind.

“Hm?” I asked, totally derailed.

“What evil scheme are you planning now, Persephone?” Pelias drawled.

“Blackmail,” I mused, not seeing a reason to hide my plans, “Does anyone know who the person who passes people is, for this year?”

Pelias looked surprised. Mercury dropped his silverware loudly, both hands coming up to cover his face as he groaned.

“Could you be any more shameless, sister? At least pretend you aren’t evil,” Mercury begged, dropping his hands and leaning back, staring at the ceiling.

“I’m not evil,” I deadpanned, “I’m just an entitled bitch. There’s a distinct difference. Anyway, anyone know?”

The king sighed, head placed on the table, “Your fiancée, Silas.”

Shit.

“Fuck. I can’t blackmail him,” I complained the moment he said the name, shoving my empty plate away from me as I leaned back in my chair.

“I can create blackmail for you to use,” My best, most beloved brother Pelias offered.

“Brother!” Aph snapped at the same time Mercury called his name. Looking at them, I noted that Aph and Mercury both looked annoyed.

I grinned warmly at Pelias, “You’re beautiful, you’re valid, and I love you. You’re the greatest brother a sister could ever have.”

Pelias flushed. Before he could speak, though, the king did.

“You’re not inventing blackmail, the both of you. Are you lacking confidence that you will pass the Academy exams?”

“Yes,” I agreed, smile fading slightly, “I just so happened to forget everything—“

“Amnesia!” Pelias cried, standing up as he gloated, hand reaching out and slapping Mercury on the back of the head, “I told you!”

Mercury looked annoyed, looking at me as he stood up, hands planted on the table, “No way. I don’t believe it.”

“Settle down, children,” The king ordered. As all children did, they ignored him as if he hadn’t spoken.

“I knew it! I was right! You owe me five hundred gold you loser!” Pelias danced around victoriously.

“Enough,” The king begged, his voice quieter as he looked up, staring at me, “It isn’t actually amnesia, is it?”

“W-well…” I hesitated, “Uhh…”

“If it is you owe me that emerald mine old man,” Pelias gloated.

“So… what’s your name again?” I asked the king curiously. Might as well ask, if they decided to believe I had amnesia.

“How do we know it is truly her, and not someone disguised as her?” Aphrodite disagreed coldly.

I hesitated, looking at her, “Is that the bet you made?”

“Aphrodite did not bet,” Mercury mentioned miserably, waving at one of his servants as he slumped back down into his chair.

“It is truly her. No one except those of royal blood or those allowed by the royal librarian are able to open the doors of the library,” The king mentioned.

His hand also reached up, one of his servants leaving the room in a different direction than Mercury’s, “Send it to his room. I don’t wish to see his smugness here.”

I felt awfully confused, staring at the odd family dynamic that seemed to come out of nowhere. Everyone except Pelias seemed drained, Aph seeming highly annoyed.

“Then what if someone took over her body?” Aph proclaimed.

“Yes, that sounds possible,” I agreed dryly, looking at her.

She looked even more annoyed.

“A master Lich could do so. I have heard rumors of one around—”

“The god of souls?” I asked quietly, not intending to say that as loud as I did.

The entire room went silent. I hesitated, glancing to the side to see everyone staring intently at me.

“Uh… Where… did you see him?” I asked curiously, looking back at Aph.

“So you are an impostor using the flesh of my sister!” Aph said hotly.

I rose my eyebrows, “What? How did you get that from what I said? It’s not like I personally know the guy.”

“Then how did you know that the god of souls had taken on the form of a Lich?” Mercury asked, looking a bit too eager.

My lips twisted up, and I tilted my head, “Because I didn’t forget everything? If I did how would I be able to speak this language?”

Mercury’s fist rose into the air, “Brain damage leading to personality change! Send the deed of the mine to my room, father.”

I sighed, “I thought you were supposed to be nice. Why are you celebrating my injury?”

Mercury had the decency to look ashamed, sitting down as his cheeks and ears grew red.

“Kai. Report,” The king said, looking intently at me.

“Persephone attempted to do an illegal ritual to become better than her twin. This was yesterday. It backfired, and she had been woken up to go to the garden party before I could discern any mental or physical injuries sustained.”

The king frowned, “Ah. How unfortunate. It seems all of our bets are true.”

Pelias looked disappointed, Mercury just looking relieved. When I met his eyes, he flushed red again, his expression and posture righting itself.

The princess’s family were all peculiar, though they all loved her very much. Aside from one, her twin sister Persephone.

Author, I think this goes beyond peculiar. You wrote Mercury as a kind-hearted person like his sister! You didn’t mean kind-hearted like Persephone, did you? No way in hell would someone kind-hearted be relieved about their sister being injured.

Or, well, I suppose Persephone was mentioned as the “black sheep” of the family. Everyone had their niche’s and specialties except for Percy. All Percy did was try and one-up her sister.

“Very well. I will have Lucius tutor you on all subjects he believes might be on the Academy entrance exams,” The king acquiesced, “As well as have you thoroughly searched by healers and a soulmancer for foul play.”

Soulmancer? Oh. Wait, right, that was what soul mages that didn’t deal with the dead were called.

One of the remaining immortals was a soulmancer. I think the name he used was Luther? No, wait, it was Lance, right? Yeah. Lance the prodigious soulmancer that dabbled in necromancy in secret. Valentine the evil, or whatever his title was.

Goddamn, the names were all over the place in this world. He had long “cold purple” hair and blue eyes, right?

Not that I knew what cold purple meant, but I supposed I would find out.

Soon enough, the hectic dinner came to an end, Aph seeming pleased the moment the king mentioned getting a soulmancer to check me out.

“Man. I need alcohol,” I mused to myself as I wandered back to Percy’s room. My room.

“Yes, of course,” A servant I was passing said, bowing and walking away with more purpose.

I glanced at him. Huh. Wasn’t that the one that asked me if I was fine with my dress or something, earlier?

The moment Kairos and I were alone, Kairos spoke, “You will be executed for treason and the death of Persephone if you are found not to be her.”

I looked at him even as I sat down on my bed, watching him walk to stand before me. He got closer than I expected, and I found myself looking up at him.

“Unsure what I’m supposed to do about that, dude,” I mentioned, leaning back on my hands to make it easier to look at him.

Well if this was a coma-dream, dying would certainly wake me up. Or… would it? Most dreams I died in typically didn’t let me wake up until after a few seconds.

“You seem to have knowledge of many things you are not supposed to. Knowledge of the future. I am certain you could use that knowledge to ensure a path to survival,” Kairos mentioned.

I hummed, “Mm, yeah,” I tilted my head, “So why are you helping someone who, from what I know, you actively dislike?”

Kairos’ lips moved upward just a fraction, the small smile not seeming to be focused toward me, “You put a lot of trust in me.”

I blinked, pouting. That wasn’t an answer. Was it?

That would be a very bad reason to help someone. Oh, you trust me, so even though I hate you, I’ll help you. That’s the thoughts of someone righteous and wonderful.

Kairos was not righteous, and his morals were highly dubious at best. He was one of my favorite characters for a reason, and I quite liked selfish characters who did impressive things with their intellect.

Mostly that meant all of my favorite characters were absolute villains.

Not useless side-villains, or background villains, but genuine threats. All of my favorite characters survived quite a while, even the righteous Duke of the North and Kairos only falling when the Fae joined the war.

My heart ached, and I found my pout fading to a genuine frown.

Even if there was nothing I could do to stop the war… I didn’t want them to die.

Wasn’t Aph called “strong enough to stop the war single-handedly” by the author? That meant I was only a step behind her, right? I could save them… Or, wait. Magic was intricately connected to the soul.

…

Dear God of Magic, please bless me with bountiful and skilled magic, so that I may protect the ones I care for, and maybe prevent the destruction of the world. Maybe. If I’m able to. Please. I know you love this planet. I don’t want it to be destroyed by the fallacy of humanity.