Sinthia and the Demon Duke of DeSidea: 29

“May I go visit Sinthia?”

Elias stood dejected by the door, looking down. He had been thoroughly ignored by his master for more than two days even in matters that involved work, so he had very little energy. His question was met with the sound of quill against paper, as he watched Kairn write a document. It made Elias very sad, but he also knew that he had failed to take his master’s side on an important matter. He had taken the side of someone else. A human. If others heard of this, they would be scandalized. They would demand that Kairn got a new aide. One that didn’t carelessly take to humans after meeting them only twice. He understood this, and understood the consequences of his actions, but it still made his heart ache.

Elias left the office in low spirits, his heart feeling incredibly heavy as he went to open a portal to the Ophelian kingdom.

Sinthia had spent the past few days showing the Crown Prince around the estate and helping her father deal with documents so he could have more time to converse with the Emperor. It seemed like they were having very serious talks about something that she simply didn’t know about. Luckily, this business had minimized the amount of times she had to meet with her half-sisters to a single time. While she showed Vicktor the splendid gardens in which many large, beautiful flowers bloomed, she met Cecilia having evening tea in the gazebo that was covered with beautiful white and yellow flowers. Sinthia immediately noticed that her half-sister was exuding elegance and purity, trying to play an unsuspecting beauty in the public. Oh, I’m always so beautiful and lovely. This is how I naturally am. That is what Cecilia’s actions screamed.

“Oh, Cecilia. You’re out in the gardens!” Sinthia had exclaimed, her smile dripping nothing but sweetness. Cecilia had looked up, putting careful effort into her movements, then fluttering her beautiful lashes for added effect.

“Sinthia. And the Crown Prince Vicktor. Good day.” A bright, clear smile graced her face as she rose and gave a cutsy.

“Good day, Princess Cecilia.” Vicktor greeted with a gentle smile, his hair gleaming in the light. “Are you looking around the gardens? I do hope you enjoy it.”
”I very much do. It’s very beautiful, with many flowers I’d never seen before.”
Cecilia had looked at him shyly then before saying, “I think so too. My favorite ones are these yellow ones. Aren’t they such a beautiful flower?” She lifted her hand to the blooming yellow flowers that hung like curtains and shone as the sunlight filtered through.

Sinthia’s eyebrows shot up as she barely contained the urge to burst out laughing. Cecilia had read way too many romance novels it would seem. “Is that so? They are indeed very beautiful.”
”Yes... they remind me a bit of you.” She said in a small voice, looking away as her cheeks flushed. Oh how badly Sinthia wanted to collapse laughing. Vicktor gave a polite smile, refraining from reacting to the innocent-looking Cecilia. He knew that this was an act, and unfortunately Vicktor was not very fond of it. He had encountered this innocence countless times in his own palace. He did not wish to be rude about it so he normally refrained from engaging them and politely excused himself. It normally took several times for the ladies to give up and leave him be. He was going to be the exact same with this princess.
”Oh my, Cecilia. I had no idea you liked these flowers. You should have told me. And here I thought those huge purple carnations you love putting all over your room were the flowers you liked more than anything. It’s such a shame! I thought they suited you splendidly.” Sinthia gave a sad sigh. Vicktor’s eyes widened as he looked over at her innocent face. Cecilia’s face was crumbling with anger and embarrassment. Purple carnations, in the language of flowers, had an interesting meaning. One that Cecilia was actively trying to go against.

Capriciousness.

Vicktor had involuntarily snickered when he had put two and two together, and Cecilia —her flawless plan having fallen apart into pieces—had stomped off indignantly. Sinthia had hid her smile behind her hand as she watched her sister’s figure fade away. She recalled all the times Cecilia had humiliated Sinthia of Ophelia in the very same way in social events. Feigning innocence while delivering veiled attacks. Well, Sinthia thought. It was quite fun to cut down enemies in this manner. But, as fun as it was, Sinthia had to bring back focus into what she had brought Vicktor into the gardens for in the first place.
”Vicktor. There is something I would like to discuss with—“
”I know what it is you want to say. I know. And I will not speak of it.” Vicktor had interrupted her before she said anymore. He knew that Sinthia, or Thia as he had first come to know of her, had been wanting to speak with him about their fateful meeting in the common realm since they first met as who they really were. But he did not trust palaces. If she said anything, then anyone could hear. He would not speak of anything, and he urged her with his eyes to do the same. She stared at him, then looked back with calm, cool eyes. She understood.

Now, Sinthia headed back to her room. Her father had decided to take the Emperor and Vicktor to a small party in one of the nobles’ households so she was done for the day. As she walked into her room, stretching her shoulders and neck, she was met with the unexpected sight of Elias, curled up beside the seat that she would usually take when she had him over. He looked so sad and dejected, that for a bit Sinthia worried that something absolutely terrible had happened to Kairn. “Elias... what’s the matter?” She softly whispered, a bit scared of what he would answer with.

He remained silent as he turned round to look at her. Now, Sinthia was not one who was easily swayed. In her past life, she had had to develop an unshakable will and determination to follow nothing but her goal. As such, no face a human could make was able to influence her heart or decisions. She had built an immunity against such things. But seeing the absolute despair in Elias’ big cognac eyes and his face melting with sadness made her own heart plunge into a very deep and potent sorrow.
”Oh, Elias! Who made you so sad!” She cried out, rushing to his side and instinctively wrapping her arms around him. She was not one to give hugs at all, but she felt very deep down that that was what she was to do. He was much bigger than her, but she was determined to melt those seemingly giant worries of his away. In such a warm embrace, the very first he had ever experienced, Elias felt his sadness bubble up and up, and explode into tears.


”Sinthia! What am I to do now? Oh, I don’t know what to do!” He sobbed, unable to hold himself back any more. The tall, silver-haired demon that seemed full of endless happiness was now crying in the arms of a small human. Sinthia quietly let him, patting his back and hair. “It’s alright. Get it all out then when you’re ready, you can tell me, okay?”
”B-but Kairn— His Grace HATES me!!”
”?! Kairn?? Why would he..?”
”He’s mad that I support the wedding between you two! I-I thought it was a marvelous idea, and you two would be happy like in the books I read but he must have felt betrayed for me to take the side of a human. Oh, what am I to do now?” He wailed, his words barely understood as he sobbed. Sinthia felt a very strong and uncomfortable feeling leak into her chest. It was because of her. Because she had thought it would be a good plan to plant the idea of Elias contributing to such a picturesque event to further drive Kairn into a corner. She had known that the likelihood of Kairn wanting this wedding was very low, so she had intended for Elias’ encouragement to hopefully soften him up and make him warm up to the idea. She had not expected to hear that it would go in this direction.

“I’m sure Kairn doesn’t hate you, Elias! Wouldn’t he get rid of you if he did?”
”But he’s ignored me for so long! Yesterday he had someone else prepare his meals and never called for me! He did all the work on his own and even used someone else. Isn’t that the same thing?” When he said all this, the despair hit him yet again and he begun to weep with renewed strength.

Oh, how guilty Sinthia felt.

In her previous life, she was very used to using the people close to her target as a means to achieve an end. She had secured many deals with people when she suggested information to their loved ones, and their loved ones had suggested to them to seek her out. She had once gotten an invaluable but difficult investment partner when she had befriended his wife and painted a beautiful picture of success and the important part she and her husband would play in an upcoming project. The woman had been thoroughly won over and she kept asking and suggesting it to her husband for such a long time that he did eventually contact Sinthia asking about the project. After all, she understood that the sway a loved one had on one’s heart would win over a stranger, no matter how sweet the words were on many people. And now, She had even used it on her fiancé unconsciously. Well. Partly. She had really only fallen back into old habits. Getting what you want even if it meant using the innocent.

“He doesn’t hate you, Elias. I promise. I promise he doesn’t. I’ll make it all better, so don’t worry.” She whispered, patting his back again and again.

She had made Elias lay on her recliner and put a blanket over him. She wasn’t sure wether he was asleep or not, but her mind was preoccupied. What was she to do now? There were several ways she could approach this. Many ways to deal with the damage she had caused. But she was still unsure about which one would yield the best results. She hadn’t thought that Kairn would be strict enough to ignore Elias. She had believed that their relationship was so deep and old that he would eventually get worn down by Elias’ natural naïveté and purity. She hadn’t expected him to ignore and even avoid working with his close aide over this. Many voices were swarming in her head. Ones wondering why Kairn was making such a big deal out of it, how she could have used Elias in such a way when he was so innocent and unsuspecting, why she was so mean even in what was supposed to be a personal relationship. What it was about her that always broke relationships so easily around her. What was wrong with her. But it all culminated to one thing.

She needed to make it right again somehow, and put Elias’ troubled heart at ease.