Chapter 29

“There you are,” Lynette says with a forced smile as she turns away from her maids to address her daughter. As she stands beside the extravagant black and gold coach of the Valentines, Lynette blends in well. Her parasol perfectly matched her dress, which of course was the latest trend in high society, and shaded her from the sun merrily beaming above.

Livia opens her own plain black parasol and steps daintily up to her mother.

“Apologies,” She says simply as her eyes glance over the twin maids. She was unsurprised to see them both wearing an identical expressions of devilish glee. Livia was sure Tinnty had not wasted a second to tell her mother of what she had seen; Sen and her in an intimate embrace. Her mother had been like a bloodhound in questioning the relationship between them, but they both had stuck to their story. That Sen had been a hired escort. But now their relationship was once again being analyzed.

Though Livia doubts that was the main cause for her mother’s faltering mask. No, she was sure that had mostly to do with the trial that had taken place. Maybe her mother was still fuming over Livia’s outburst of disobedience amongst many important nobles and aristocrats, and even the king himself? Maybe she was confused as to why her daughter, who had been normally so in-line and in complete agreement of her ambitions, was suddenly straining against them?

Livia figured it was all the above, and promptly shrugged it off. If she thought about it even a second more...she would not be held responsible for her actions. She never thought she could become a person that would be tempted to harm their own mother, but her third life had a way of forcing her to take a second look at her morals and general being, made her rethink who she thought she was.

But now was not the time to dive into that.

She sweeps her purple gaze around her. So many had come to see her and her mother off. Livia was still adapting to being back under the candlelight. To having countless eyes judging her from afar.

“Well, we must be off,” Lynette says after a while, her strained smile widening as her eyes close from the force of it. She moves forward and captures Livia’s wrists in her hand, tugging her forward when her daughter simply stands still with a dull expression on her face.

The coach driver pulls open the carriage door and offers his hand to help mother and daughter step inside as the two maid twins bow low as they walk past. The door was shut behind them without prompt, and the coach quickly moves to take his place in front to steer the four imposing horses.

Mother and daughter take a seat opposite of each other, and Livia instantly directs her gaze to the window. A minute or two passes before the coach lurches into motion and heads for the towering gates of the White Castle.

Only once they leave the walls of the capital does her mother set down the papers, she was pretending to read through to address her daughter.

Lynette finally drops her smile. Her eyes, which had been shinning with false warmth, were now frigid and angry.

“Just what,” Lynette starts slowly, “Were you thinking?”

Livia does not look away from the passing scenery, “What are you talking about, mother? I cannot begin to know what you are referring to without any context in your question,” She snarks lazily, her tone low to match her mother's.

Livia can see Lynette's nostrils flare from the corner of her eye and she rest her hand on her arm to hide her unamused smile.

“You are indeed, right, dear daughter,” Her mother all but sneers, “What exactly could I possibly mean? There are plenty of things I could be referring to at this point, aren’t there?”

Livia should have remained quiet. Her younger self would have. Livia remembers how she would have looked down at her lap or her shoes when her mother’s voice would become so artic and just mean. How she would try to stop herself from trembling like a mouse caught in a trap, and how she would fail. She remembers how she would hope her demureness would soften the blows of the verbal abuse her mother would unleash on her when she had displeased Lynette in any way, but of course, it never did.

The onslaught had always come on unexpectedly. Days, and even months after it happened, Lynette would suddenly turn around and bare her teeth at her daughter.

It seems her mother was too impatient to let Livia stew in her fearful anticipation for long, this time. The past events were just too big to let fester.

Livia does not hold her tongue.

“Do you need help choosing which one?” Livia asks sweetly as she lazily meets her mother's gaze with her own. Livia does not bow her head, does not look down, and so she sees the moment when Lynette loses the fight against her temper.

Her mother's eyes go round and almost bulges out in her disbelief when Livia’s words reach her ears. Her painted red lips fall open in her shock, and for a few seconds, all she does is gape. Then her mouth snaps shut and her face twists in the ugliest scowl Livia has ever seen.

Then her mother moves.

One minute she is sitting primly across the carriage, the next she is standing before Livia, her arm a blur of motion before it abruptly stops.

Livia tightens her grip around her mother’s scrawny wrists, her face devoid of all emotions.

“It seems we are both still reeling from today’s events,” Livia says slowly.

Lynette says nothing. She was still swimming in her own shock. Whether at her own actions or her daughter's fast response against them, she wasn’t sure. She never once had sunk to slapping her own flesh and blood.

Because it would leave a mark and the sharp eyes of high society would have fallen onto it like a moth to light. It would have raised questions and lower her reputation. So, she never once hit her daughter or the albino parasite that was her step-daughter. That did not mean she was above punishing them when they misstep. Only foolish and the soft-hearted did not reign in the children under their care, and Lynette was none of those.

However, Lynette would not have regretted it a bit if her intended slap had landed. Her daughter had been growing steadily out of her control and moving about against her wishes. Lynette thinks she has indulged such behavior long enough! Now that they were no longer under the roof of the king, she will no longer tolerate such disobedience and back talking.

Just look at the nerve her daughter had! She dared to talk back to her own mother. To mock Lynette as if she wasn’t just a foolish little girl in desperate need of her mother’s guidance! Her time away has toughened up her tongue and manners. It would not do. It would not do at all.

Lynette tugs her wrist away from her daughter's iron-like grip and messages it with a fierce scowl to her small bubble of fear.

“How dare you!” She says with a raised voice, “To think you would dare lay your hands on your own mother! I did not spend all my time raising you for you to end up like this,” She hisses.

“No, I suppose not,” Livia agrees blandly.

“Your time away has done more damage to you than I even thought,” Lynette continues on as if her daughter had not spoken, “You have become reckless, indiscipline, and witless! This behavior is unbefitting for a girl of your stature! Especially as the fiancé of the crown prince of Wisteria!”

Livia's eyes narrow dangerously, but she says nothing. She has to fists her fingers in her dress to physically stop herself from doing something very drastic and impulsive as her mother's shrill voice carries on.

“I guess I should have predicted as much,” Lynette says while eyeing her daughter like she was a broken, priceless antique in need of restoration, “You have been away from society for almost two years. You have been forced to survive without the protection of your family, and the world is a cruel place to live in alone,” Her expressions soften.

“But dear, you are back home now,” She says, her mood suddenly sweet and warm again. Her hands come up to caress her daughter's face, and Livia pulls back from her touch sharply.

Lynette doesn’t pay it any mind, her mood suddenly back to being tolerant and almost indulgent as she stares down at her daughter like a small animal that has lost its way.

Like one would look at a well-bred pet.

Livia’s mask of indifference almost comes apart at the seams.

She nearly smites her mother on the spot before the sharp pain of her bitten lip pulls her out of the red haze of fury that descends on her.

Livia has zero tolerance for degradation.

But what could she do when she willingly stepped back into a society that did exactly that?

As much as she would love to retaliate harshly, she could not. Livia had already steeled her resolve for her revenge. She could endure this. She had no choice but to.

However, knowing and doing was easier said than done. And if she could not get her mother to shut up in the next few minutes and to remain so, Livia would have to explain to Duke Valentine just how his duchess has become permanently mute.

Lynette suddenly claps her hands, her eyes alight, “You will be re-trained.”

Now it was Livia’s turn to gape at her mother in shock.

Had she really...!?

The duchess does not spare her daughter a glance as she takes her seat once more and crosses her legs primly as she lifts up the papers she had abandoned earlier as she talks to herself.

“How could I have not thought of this sooner?” Lynette shakes her head at herself, smirking, “It is the obvious thing to do. Of course, my daughter would lack manners upon her return, so the next course of action is to reaffirm her teachings.”

Duchess Valentine looks up at her daughter, “It must be so overwhelming for you, poor thing. After everything that has happened, of course, you would have an emotional outburst and be unable to control yourself. Not to mention the state you are in only put emphasis on all of these things,” She says as she gestures elegantly to her daughter's stomach, her nose wrinkling up slightly.

Lynette clears her throat, “At any rate, you should get some rest, dear. We have a long journey ahead, and you will want to be in top shape when we arrive to meet your father and step-sister,” She continues on like everything was back to normal and perfectly fine.

“And do closes your mouth, daughter. Are you waiting to catch flies?” Her mother snaps sharply, glaring briefly.

Livia closes her mouth.

Lynette nods in approval, “There you go. Now, sleep. I know you are still tired. We will come back to this conversation later,” She says, wrapping everything up nicely. As if she had the right.

Well, Livia got her wish. Her mother falls silent as she turns her attention to the documents before her, but it doesn’t help the turbulent swell of emotions in her. Suddenly she had all this energy but was unable to do anything with it, and it was frustrating, annoying, and all of the above.

Livia shuts her eyes abruptly.

She inhales through her nose. Holds it. Counts to ten. Then she exhales. She does this over, and over again until her tense shoulders relax and she unclenches her hands from the fabric of her dress. Eventually, she manages to fall asleep, and she succumbs to the abys gladly.

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When she wakes up again, silently and suddenly, the last light of the sun is being slowly swallowed by night. A quick glance at her mother shows the duchess asleep like a corpse.

Livia cracks her neck with a grimace and shifts her numb butt on the plush seat. Her stomach was growling loudly so she rummages through to basket of food the White Castle chefs had given them and pulls out a small sandwich to munch on. As she eats, she gazes out the window. She could tell from the trees moving by that they were closing in on the Valentine Estate.

It would not be long now.

So, she settles into her seat and quickly polishes off her food. Now with her hunger assuage, Livia is left with her thoughts.

It’s been so long.

Liliana had been fourteen when she had left and soon, her little sister would be having a debutante of her own. Had she grown in that time? Or was she still the short, petite girl Livia’s remembers? Despite having different mothers, Liliana and Livia share a lot of physical traits. If only looked a second longer, you could easily tell the two of them were related by blood. Their eye shape was the same, they had the same nose, skin tone and both of them were left-handed.

Livia loves her little sister and would have protected and sheltered her from the world as long as possible if she could have, but then she had been forced away, and Livia is left to wonder.

Had Liliana really been okay?

Duke Valentine adores and loves his second-born almost as much as Livia, but he was a busy man and was often away from their home, leaving Liliana alone with her less-than-ideal step-mother.

And what of her sickness?

Liliana had always been so fragile. Having one of the people she loves most in the world taken from her could not have been easy. Not when Livia and Liliana had been each other’s rocks. The sisters could only lean on each other in the empty estate of Valentine. They had been inseparable and told each other anything. When Liliana had been too weak to leave her bed, Livia went to her. When Livia was still hurting over a recent punishment from her mother, Liliana went to her.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Livia remembers the last time she has seen her sister. Liliana had been right by her side, clutching tightly at her hand as her sister’s name had been dragged through the mud. Even when she could have been condemned right along with her, Liliana had not budged. The only reason her little sister had left her side was that she had been forced to.

And now her little sister had been left alone to fend for herself.

A part of Livia would always feel guilty about that the most. Because she had intended to be exiled, to selfishly leave Liliana behind so she could live without the dark shadow of death over her. Livia had known it would be almost impossible for them to see each other again. At least, not until they had been older. But now, she wonders how she could have possibly turned her back on the only person in the world that had loved her without condition. To abandon the only person who needed her most.

She had been truly foolish, even with her memories returned.

A selfish bitch.

Livia bangs her forehead lightly against the glass of the window, shaking her head at herself.

What she would give to go back...

To do it all over again...

But she couldn’t.

And now Livia must push down her worries and face the consequences of her actions. She would not run, even if Duke Valentine had finally succeeded in poisoning her sister against her. Livia did not care if her sister had come to hate her, she would not leave her side again.

She blinks, realizing something.

Was this how Sen had felt? Was this the feeling behind his self-proclamation?

Livia smiles bitterly.

Yeah.

Guilt was a powerful motivator.

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“Are they here yet?” Liliana Elizabeth Valentine asks once more as she rushes to the window and pulls the heavy curtains away from it to peer outside. Her disappointment is profound when her pretty red eyes are once again met with an empty parkway.

She turns to her father with sad, round eyes, “I thought you said they would arrive before nightfall,” She says a bit accusingly.

Duke Valentine flips a page in his book and does not look up, “That is what the duchess had written. It seems they are running a bit late.”

Liliana has turned her gaze back on the window, stepping on her tippy-toes as if being a bit higher will suddenly make her sister’s coach appear faster, “It’s getting so late. I hope they make it back safely. Do you think his highness had his royal guards escort them? Just to be extra safe, you know? I hope so. It’s dangerous at night,” Liliana says, as she presses her nose to the window.

Duke Valentine's lips pull down but he says nothing.

“Mother Lynette must be so happy to have Livia back home. She had been so frantic when she found out that sister was to be exiled,” Liliana rambles before she lowers her head, her expression sad, “I was too.”

It was an understatement.

Duke Valentine watches his daughter carefully over his book, his indifferent expression lifting slightly in worry. Liliana had not simply been ‘sad’. She had been devastated.

At first, his daughter had held out hope that Livia would come back home soon after her debutante, that everything had simply been some horrible misunderstanding. Liliana had thought that Duke Valentine and Duchess Valentine would have resolved the matter somehow, that they would do everything in their power to help their firstborn. But then three days had passed after the debutante and Livia had been sentenced to exile.

Duke Valentine had attempted to hold off telling his daughter, but Liliana has gotten a hold of the daily news and had found out that way. The aftermath was rather troubling. Liliana had tried to cling to her denial. She had refused to believe that her sister would never return home, but then Duchess Valentine had come in and unleashed her temper on the girl, angry for the loss of her most precious asset, and would not let Liliana wallow in her denial.

Then came the tears that had been quickly followed by heart-wrenching sobs. His daughter's eyes had been so swollen in red when they had fallen onto him, her head shaking in denial even after everything Lynette had said as she clung to her father’s expensive suit. Even now, Duke Valentine remembers the look in his daughter's eyes and the small voice that only wanted to know one thing.

“Why?”

Why didn’t you do anything?

Why didn’t you try harder?

Why didn’t you save her?

Why did you never love my sister?

In all the time she had been in his care, never once had Liliana questioned him over his strained relationship with his oldest daughter, never once had she said anything. But all her unsaid words had been in her expression that day. The hurt, the betrayal, and more than anything else, the anger.

Liliana was supposed to be a bright and cheery child, a kind soul who was too soft and caring for this world.

But all of that changed the moment her older sister was taken from her.

She stopped smiling.

She stopped laughing.

Liliana had been growing stronger the older she had gotten, her weak disposition as a child finally lifting, but then it slammed back into her weeks after her sister left, worse than ever before.

Duke Valentine had actually feared he would lose his daughter forever. But after a long, tiring battle, Liliana was able to overcome it, her fever broke and the rashes along her body cleared. But afterward, her immune system was forever weakened. Duke Valentine had no choice but to forbid her from attending Aster Academy and limit her access to the outside world.

That had not stopped her from being infected with Red Death. It had been one of her maids that had brought it in. Normally, the populace had been mostly immune to its symptoms, only carriers, but Liliana had not been. She had once again been wroth with fever, but along with that was the dry cough, and red welt and scabs.

She had once again been bedridden.

And this time, death had drawn even closer than before.

Liliana had gone into a coma.

The doctors had not thought she would ever wake-up again.

But like before, Liliana fought, tirelessly, and after too much time, she finally woke up. While she managed to once again come into something resembling normal health, the scars of Red Death remained on her body even after it had been defeated.

Both the Duchess and Duke Valentine had tried everything to get rid of them, knowing that it would make her future prospects difficult, but Liliana had not cared. Eventually, they had given up after failed attempt, and Liliana hid the scars all over her body with long sleeve dresses even in the dead of summer. Oddly enough, she seemed to have become increasingly stronger and healthier ever since. Liliana had not fallen sick since she almost succumbed to Red Death.

That had only been four months ago.

And now, the one who caused Liliana to suffer so much in the first place was suddenly back.

Duke Valentine was not pleased.

The stupid girl should have never been foolish enough to think he return would be welcomed. She should have gone on with her life instead of making a debacle of herself and a mockery of the Royal House of Silvan.

And of course, it happens after he had put his faith and his family name behind Crown Prince Rodale instead of standing up for his own blood. He had thought it had been the right decision at the time. Everyone had known how his first born had greatly disliked that girl, Amelia. How she had bullied her openly. Duke Valentine would only look foolish standing by her. Especially when all the nobles and aristocrats aligned with Crown Prince Rodale had already moved to stand behind him.

If he had defended that stupid girl in such a hostile environment, he would risk losing creditability, but if he also stood by and did nothing, he would risk the same. It would have been a gamble either way.

But his turbulent relationship with his firstborn was well known.

He also had a spare child.

One he was unashamed to admit he cares for much more.

Livia had created her own mess, and her downfall had been the end result.

Duke Valentine had seen no reason why he must risk his own reputation for one single bad apple of his line.

It was unfortunate, but his firstborn choice had been her own.

Or so, that was what he had defended himself with when asked.

Many accepted it.

It would do them little good to go against the crown prince by then. The verdict had been out, and the crown prince had even been merciful. His firstborn had not been sentenced to death. She had still lived.

Duke Valentine was sure she would’ve been just fine and promptly turned his back and never thought of her again. That was until Liliana and Duchess Valentine found out the news.

That coward of a woman. She had stood by and did nothing. She only begged him to interfere when they were alone and away from prying eyes. Then afterward, she had been angry, maybe a little sad. But mostly angry. But regardless of that anger, she played the role of a mother of a bad apple well. The duchess had not been willing to let anyone outside their family see.

“I do know how she turned out so wrong,” Lynette had intoned sadly during her annual tea only weeks after Livia had been exiled, dapping gently at her eyes, “I had tried to raise her right.”

It was almost scary, how two-faced the duchess could be.

“Oh! They are here! They are here!” Liliana's excited shouts bring the duke out of his thoughts. Before he can stop her, Liliana rushes from the sitting room. A minute later, he hears the front door banging open.

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The moment the coach stops, Livia was out of it.

Before she could make it even halfway up the parkway, Liliana was crashing into her and wrapping her thin arms around her. Livia responds in kind and presses her nose to the soft white, wavy hair of her little sister while tears instantly spring to her eyes as something tight and knotted finally unwinds and relaxes inside of her.

“Lily! Lily! I can’t believe it’s really you,” Livia says in a wobbly voice as she rocks her sobbing sister. She rubs absently at Lilian’s back like she used to when they were young, and the tight hold her little sister has on her tightens further.

Eventually, Livia realizes Liliana is mumbling words into her chest and strains her ears to make them out.

“I missed you! I missed you so much! I thought I would never see you again, Livi. Please, don’t leave me again. Please, please, please,” Liliana says in a small, wet and weepy voice.

Livia nods her head frantically, tears stinging her eyes and slowly cascading down her cheeks, “I promise I won’t. I swear it. I will never leave you,” She vows, and means it.

And then the two of them just cries into each other shoulders, as they cling to one another. Uncaring of the audience around them, uncaring of the world, so happy they were to be reunited.

Finally, Livia pulls back from her sister, extending her at arm's length as she looks Liliana over with a gaze of a proud mother. She smiles, no, beams.

“Gosh, look how much you’ve grown!” She gushes warmly, “I can’t believe your almost as tall as me! And look at your hair! You have finally outgrown those bows; I see.”

Liliana beams right back. She doesn’t think how easy it comes back, after all this time. Does not even register that she is doing it. She is just that happy.

She lets out a giggle as she runs her hand through her hair, nodding along with Livia’s praises, “I’m wearing your ribbons now. Did you notice? I hope you don’t mind.”

Livia shakes her head, “Of course I don’t. I knew they would look good on you!”

Liliana laughs and then she is crying again. She goes willingly when Livia pulls her back into her arms and is comforted by the smell and warmth of her sister. For the first time, in a long while.

She had not realized just how much she missed her older sister until now.

“It’s okay,” Livia mumbles, rubbing Liliana’s small back, “I’m here now.”

“Yes, it seems that you are,” A voice cuts in, and Livia purple eyes lift up to meet the mirror ones of her father. Her warm, sappy smile falls right off. She does not pull away from Liliana. Continues to comfort her sister even as Duke Valentine intrudes on their moment.

“We should head inside. It’s late, and I have been informed you have an early meeting tomorrow morning,” Duke Valentine says rigidly.

Lynette claps, bringing attention to herself as she turns away from ordering the servants around, “Ah, that’s right! We must postpone this cute little reunion until later then. The ride back to the capital is a long one. We must hurry to bed early if we do not wish to be late.”

Liliana lifts up her head from Livia’s chest, a teary pout on her face, “Must we? Can’t we stay up a little later today?”

“No.”

“No.”

Duke Valentine and Duchess Valentine stare at each other, before turning their attention to their children in tandem.

“The ride back was longer than we all thought it would be,” Lynette says when the duke remains silent, “Now, we must hurry and have dinner, then after you, two must bath before heading straight to bed.” She claps her hands once more, before sashaying inside calling over her shoulder, “Come on, now.”

The duke follows behind her without sparing another glance at Livia, who is unbothered as she pulls away from Liliana completely.

“Come on, let’s go,” She coaxes Liliana, and offers her hand when her little sister only stands in place and pouts with crossed arms.

Liliana continues to pout but does take her sister's hand and lets herself be guided inside.

As Duchess Valentine had ordered, dinner is held in somewhat awkward and strained silence, before they are dismissed and trotted up the stairs by servants to be bathed and dressed.

Livia, not in the mood for a repeat of her time at White Castle, quickly dismisses them and does the deed herself. Afterward, she is guided to a guest room. Or at least, the maid tries to.

“This is not the way to my room,” Livia says, stopping dead in her tracks.

The maid, Brenda or Bella, bows repeatedly, obviously easily frazzled as her face pinks and she wrings her hands, “I-um, Y-y-yes. The duchess had asked me to put you here. U-um, your r-room has not been used I-in some t-t-time and needs to be c-cleaned.”

“And it hasn’t been in the three days I have been back?” Livia asks sharply.

The maid flinches, “I’m sorry, I'm sorry!” She says, bowing shallowly a lot for some strange reason.

Livia sighs and massages her temples.

“It still exists, though, right?”

The maids look up from her bow, “U-um...yes?”

“Fine, then I will go there myself. You are dismissed,” Livia says and turns on her heel.

“A-ah! W-Wait! I am to be your p-personal maid from t-t-today onward!” The maid says, weakly dashing forward to follow.

Livia turns her head and glares, “Do not follow me, and tell my mother I have no need for a personal maid.”

The maid stops in her tracks and Livia turns a corner.

A few minutes later, she stands before a double-door in an empty and eerily quiet hall of the Valentine Estate. She pushes them open without preamble and instantly descends into a coughing and sneezing fit from the dust.

Once she got her allergies under control, she squints with watery eyes at her old bedroom.

It seems no one has stepped foot inside since she had left for her debutante ball.

Wonderful.

Livia walks inside and closes the door behind her.

“Daga,” She says under her breath, directing her focus on the dust all around her. It does her bidding. It lifts from every surface in the room, until it's all pulled into a cloud above her head.

She points to the balcony doors, and says, “Daga.” Once more. The glass doors burst open and the clouds sweep out and disperse outside.

Livia looks around the room and nods. It will do. Anything more complicated would have to wait until tomorrow. She heads for the beds and pulls back stiff and stale covers. She pays it little mind as she sinks into the impossible soft mattress and closes her eyes. Before she knows it, she is asleep.

When she opens her eyes again, it is to the soft rustle of blankets and the feeling of her bed dipping. She frowns and squints one eye open. She sees white hair and red eyes.

Livia laughs a little, “I thought you would have outgrown sneaking into my bed by now, little sister.”

Liliana burrows unashamedly into the covers, and pulls them up to her chin, “I have not,” She says a little too proudly and grins.

Livia shuffles around, adjusting the pillow under her stomach, before turning to face Liliana, “Oh, I see you have even bought Nibbler with you,” She says, squinting at the floppy black ears peeking out from her sister's chin.

Liliana squeezes it closer to her, looking a bit embarrassed, “Habit,” She says. When Livia lifts an eyebrow, prompting her to continue, she bites at her lip a bit and looks away.

“You gave it to me on my thirteenth birthday. It still smelled like you when you left,” She says.

Livia's eyes soften and she opens her arms without a word. Liliana instantly snuggles into them, minding her older sister's stomach and curving into Livia’s body as much as it would allow.

Just as Livia was beginning to doze off, she feels a small, curious poke at her stomach.

She opens her eyes to see the bright one of her little sister’s.

“What?” She grumbles, squirming away.

“A baby,” Liliana says simply, her eyes practically sparkling.

Livia's shoulders hunch up. She becomes defensive despite not wanting to be, “What about it?” She asks, frowning.

“I wanted to tell you earlier, but father forbid me to say anything about it,” Liliana says, scooting closer.

Livia rolls her eyes, “I’m sure he did,” Then she thinks about what Liliana had said, “What did you want to tell me?”

Liliana smiles then. Bright, cheery, and almost painfully genuine, when she says, “Congratulations!”

Livia is taken aback, surprised. Did she not know? Had Duke Valentine left Liliana out of the loop? But then her sister continues on, rambling in the way that she does when she was unsure of something.

“At first, I wasn’t going to say anything, because I know the circumstances aren’t the best, and that father and mother Lynette aren’t really happy, but then I saw how your eyes always soften when you look at your belly, how you constantly pet and rub it. How your always mindful of it. And I thought maybe not everything wasn’t so bad after all,” She says, and squeezes her stuffed animal to her chest while blinking rapidly, “I know you probably did not want this baby at first. Not like this. But Livi, I also know you. I can tell when you adore and love someone, and I have no doubt in my mind that you love your baby. So, I’m really happy for you that you have him or her.”

Livia can’t stop the small laugh that falls out and shakes her head in disbelief. She didn’t really know what to say that. It has been so long, she had forgotten. Of course, only Liliana really knew who she was. Even without Livia telling her about her past memories, and everything that she has been through, somehow, her little sister instantly just got it. It was like a weird sixth sense.

“He is a boy,” Livia mumbles after a while, wiping tears from her eyes even as she smiles. And how was that? It did not feel forced. She did not feel an oncoming headache from having to maintain it.

Lilianna squeals happily. The same way she did when she was only three years old and anything shiny was exciting.

Then her little sister suddenly gasps dramatically, her small hand comes up to cover her open mouth as her red eyes widen in the dark of Livia’s room.

“Does that mean I’m going to be an aunt?”

Livia cackles, genuinely amused, “Yeah, I suppose you are.”