Arabella was sure of it for certain now. Alistair was playing her.

When Olivia had approached her that morning asking to join her for breakfast, she reluctantly agreed to please her having become accustomed to taking her meals alone. But at the brief mention that Alistair had gone to visit some 'friends' in town, it had become very blatant. Whatever he was doing, she didn't care much for. But, for him to have to hide it from her after she had gone out of her way to be candid with him was like a spit in the face. Her pride would not allow it.

Though, she had more important matters to deal with at the moment. Primarily the fact that Olivia had failed to drop her insistence that Layton should drop everything to finish his schooling. Arabella tore at a baked good with her fingers and popped it into her mouth with a bothered expression as her older sister ranted.

"It's the principle of it, Arabella," Olivia, who at this point had just been repeating the same points, finished her speech with bold confidence. "My conscience couldn't live with any other outcome."

This was becoming a little bit too much even for Arabella, now. To think that simply crying once in front of Olivia had slowly snowballed into them becoming comfortable enough to act like this.

Arabella finally interrupted calmly, "There's nothing you can do to force him to go. Besides, I believe everything may work out in the end." Or at least they did in the other timeline if her memory served her correctly. Things ran smoothly, Layton devoted himself to his work and the world still spun. Even if she saw less of him back then than she normally would, he seemed to be doing... fine? She picked up her teacup and sent her sister a genuine look. "If anything you have said to him now hasn't worked, then I don't think there is anything else that can be done."

Olivia's blue eyes lowered solemnly to her own cup as she squeezed it in her hands. Arabella bit her cheek, feeling some guilt, but she really was just saying the truth.

"Wait," Olivia's sudden change in demeanour startled Arabella slightly. The girl darted her eyes back upwards and they glimmered as if she had a great epiphany. "You're right. Nothing I have said to him has worked." Olivia smiled mischievously at her younger sister.

Catching on, Arabella sighed. At this point, there was no point in even fighting it. Layton wouldn't be convinced no matter which of his sisters harassed him. If going to him would get Olivia to drop the topic then so be it.

----------------------------------------

"Did Olivia send you?"

Arabella had barely stepped foot into the room after knocking before Layton's straightforwardness had knocked her around the head. She blinked in surprise before smoothing her dress and entering the study, shutting the door behind her, "H-How did you know?"

"She was here not long ago, herself," Layton sighed. He sat up in his seat and placed down his pen. From the looks of it, he was managing funds for the household with a scrutinising eye. "I already said no. You're free to leave."

Arabella hummed in thought. Of course, it went exactly as she thought it would. But seeing him working right now sent an uneasy feeling to her stomach all of a sudden. She sat at the seat opposite him at the oak desk, "Did you sleep? Or eat?"

"A decent amount."

She wasn't convinced. His green eyes looked haggard and there were dark circles forming. She let her gaze fall to the household funds he had distracted himself with and frowned. Was he just going over the same things over and over again? Just from looking at it with the limited knowledge of economics and management, she had been reading, everything looked fine.

Come to think of it, he had attendants for these sorts of things, it wasn't his job. He was just supposed to issue orders and double-check things were running smoothly. She let her mind run back to the last time she had seen the family accountant even enter the manor and couldn't remember.

Perhaps... things weren't as fine as she had initially thought.

Now that she was actually here and not watching from afar, it looked more like he was using work as an excuse to distract himself than actually working towards anything in particular as she had thought initially. Her barely seeing him around in the other timeline, suddenly felt much more morbid too. Arabella's eyebrows furrowed, "...I agree with you, by the way."

Layton looked up, brows knitted in confusion, "...You do?"

"Yeah..." Arabella took note of his reaction and folded her hands in her lap as she stared back at him. "It makes the most logical sense for you to drop out of the academy."

Despite his carefully crafted stoicism, Layton's conflict was evident in the way his hand fidgeted at nothing. He hummed in acknowledgement, "Thank you for seeing that."

"But just because it is the logical choice, doesn't make it the right one," Arabella couldn't even believe the words coming out of her own mouth. But her bad habit of speaking before she could think began to rear its ugly head. She frowned at her brother, almost scoldingly. "You'll regret it. Even if it is what should be done, I know you'll regret it. All of those years of hard work gone to waste." And then a troublesome thought came to the forefront of her mind. Arabella frowned even harder and clenched her fists. "...Don't make sacrifices for me."

Layton's eyes widened in shock, "I'm not sacrificing anything."

"Yes, you are," she had felt something like this in the other timeline, but she had buried the feeling deep down. The feeling that she was being babied by him. "If you saw me as competent you'd be able to leave things to me. But your need to babysit me makes you sacrifice things. I don't want to be responsible for your sacrifices."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"I'm not...!" Layton paused after he had let out an outburst and quickly calmed himself and sighed. "I'm not sacrificing anything because of you, Arabella. This is all because... it is my duty."

What a bold-faced liar. Arabella glared at him, "If it was because of duty, you would have sent the letter by now. " This seemed to finally catch him. She crossed her arms. "We both know it's still there in your drawer. Let me guess, you thought something like 'my family needs me' and used that to justify making yourself miserable."

Layton finally seemed to look the slightest bit guilty and she knew she had hit the nail on the head. Her brother clenched and unclenched his jaw in the silence that had settled between them as he seemed to search for what to say next. At last, he cautiously spoke and avoided eye contact, "...I'm not miserable."

"Could have fooled me..." Arabella uncrossed her arms and felt a heavy guilt weigh her down even though there was something cathartic about finally saying it. She lowered her eyes to her lap as she spoke. "...I know that I've been burdensome in the past. But I've made an effort to change that now. And if you can't see that..."

She paused when she noticed her brother take off his glasses and place them on the table. He clasped his hands together and sent her a firm stare. In that instance, Arabella was suddenly reminded of her father and was taken aback by how much Layton looked like him. Suspecting a scolding, she quickly bit her tongue.

"...Have I ever called you a burden?" Layton's tone was sharp, and even if Arabella felt herself grow nervous, inside she could sense he didn't mean any harm. She struggled to answer, not able to recount any time in which he had done so. At her silence, Layton sighed and rubbed at his temple. "Maybe... your assessment of my reasons was right. But is it wrong for me to sacrifice things for you?" His green eyes fixed on her in a sincere manner. "We're blood. It's my responsibility."

In a split second, Arabella finally understood Olivia's feelings. She focused on her brother and spoke, "...Thank you. Both you and Olivia. I can always rely on you both..." Even when no one else was there and she suffered alone. Sentimentality warmed her chest. Not everyone was lucky enough to have family that loved them unconditionally, she was blessed to have hers. She'd never forget that ever again. "...But sacrifice should go both ways. So at least let me do this one thing."

Layton paused for a long while and inspected the earnest look in Arabella's blue eyes. He looked down in thought before muttering, "...3 months alone isn't easy."

"I won't be alone. I'll have Aubrey with me. As well as all the other staff, too."

"...Maybe so, but all of that work-"

"I'll make use of your attendants," Arabella sat up straight and nodded her head. "Besides, I've been studying hard in my free time. Enough for me to be able to handle at least some of the workload alone."

The most minuscule of smiles made its way onto Layton's face, "...I suppose there's nothing more to say, then."

Arabella sat back in surprise when Layton got out of his seat and made his way towards her. In a gentle motion, he rested a hand on her head in a strange display of affection. Arabella looked up in confusion, but couldn't help but feel endeared at the foreign gesture, unsure of how to react. Nervously she asked, "So are you going...?"

He huffed but his small smile widened slightly, "Enjoy your time as the acting Countess Lockhart. I'll return before you know it."

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The surreal events of that day clouded Arabella's mind the following morning as she walked through the halls. It was confirmed: Layton was heading to the academy with Olivia by the end of the week and the frantic behaviour of the house staff was a testament to that. She couldn't help but feel a little bad watching people scurry to pack for an extra person on such short notice all because of her.

Nothing significant would change this time around, just by having Layton finish his schooling. But seeing how at ease he seemed, made it feel worth it. Even if this wouldn't affect her bigger plans of revenge, it was a worthwhile investment of her time to help her brother. She smiled to herself. She was glad she got involved.

Layton's words stuck with her. He owed his care for her to their status as a family, but she knew well enough that sharing blood with someone doesn't guarantee love. It is an active effort to love, but it wasn't something that was guaranteed. She was blessed to be given a family that put in that effort. Many were not born as lucky. After all, Cecil and Alistair were also half-siblings and... she didn't need to explain her point beyond that.

Even now... Arabella didn't know if she truly loved Cecil or if she was simply attached to him back then. But no one could deny that she had made her best effort to love him, even if it was taken for granted. As much as it pained her to think, she could thank him for making one thing concrete: She would never give her love to anyone who didn't deserve it, ever again. And for those who had earned her love, she would put her wholehearted effort into reciprocating it.

Rapid footsteps approached from behind and before Arabella could turn she was engulfed in a hug from behind, a familiar flowery perfume filling the air. Olivia's overjoyed laugh filled the halls as she picked up her younger sister and spun her with a strength that Arabella had no idea she possessed, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"P-Put me down!" Arabella could feel herself begin to grow queasy.

Olivia obliged and quickly set her down as asked, though her wide ear-to-ear grin remained. Cupping the younger girl's face in her hands, she beamed, "Thank you, Arabella."

Arabella felt embarrassment grow within her at being babied. Though she was still secretly bewildered at the strength Olivia had shown. Despite it all, she couldn't stop a smile from spreading to her own face, "It was nothing. But it's up to you to look out for him at the academy, now. Heaven knows no one else will."

Laughing, Olivia let her go and brushed down her skirt, "You'd be surprised. Our brother is actually somewhat popular."

A genuine look of shock made its way onto Arabella's features. She spoke with evident scepticism, "...Him? Are we thinking of the same person?"

The anti-social nerd she was picturing didn't fit what Olivia had just told her. She always imagined that Layton's days at the academy were spent locked away in his room, with his only friends being books. The very idea that he was popular was baffling.

"Trust me, I was surprised too," Olivia shrugged nonchalantly but spoke with amusement. "But apparently, that's what's popular with the ladies these days. It eludes me."

Giving it some thought, Arabella did recall plenty of novels with aloof, dark-haired loners as their leads (Though they often tended to be Dukes). But using those words to describe Layton was... being generous. As much as she loved her brother, she still believed it was his attitude that prevented him from forming an engagement in the other timeline.

Arabella was dragged away from mentally making fun of Layton when Olivia's expression shifted into a relieved smile, "Regardless of all that. I'm really grateful for whatever you said to bring him to his senses. All of that guilt that was building up inside me... It's thanks to you that I can let it go." Olivia pulled her into a tender hug. "I didn't think you'd go so far for me too."

In the midst of the hug, Arabella felt herself become overwhelmed with sudden memories of the other timeline. She frowned and put her arms around her sister, "Will you write to me?"

Olivia seemed taken aback by the question, "Why wouldn't I?"

Because it was Arabella's fault they never spoke in the other timeline. Her own abrasiveness was what caused her to turn her family away. She would miss Olivia terribly if things went the same way, "...I don't know. Just promise."

Olivia's blue eyes warmed as she smiled sweetly, stepping back, "Of course. I didn't think you'd care much for my letters, but if you insist."

Satisfied with her answer, Arabella smiled.