You Only Live Twice

XIV

OLIVIA WAS IN AN especially good mood today, humming along as she read the book in front of her.
The conversation a few weeks ago with the Auclairs went in her favor. The duchess and Ophelia had also chosen to stay in the capital and her mother and father had taken this moment to get her teachers and start classes. A few nobles owed them favors and were able to get her teachers must sooner than expected.
Today she'd be meeting her teachers and going over her new schedule.

She was able to meet with Amos a few times as well somehow convincing the duke to take her along to the palace with him, playing it off as wanting to get more involved in the politics of high society. Being a potential heir her father couldn't rightfully refuse, she usually just snuck out to the woods, often finding Amos roaming around close to the tower, though sometimes she would catch the end of a meeting.

Olivia was broken out of her thoughts when a short knock came from her door. Before she get a word out the visitor opened the door and let themself in.
Standing in the doorway with their hands still stretched above them on the doorknob was a little blond girl, her golden strands pulled into space buns held together by blue butterfly clips, her sky blue eyes sparkled when they landed on Olivia.

Olivia stared a little dumbfounded, "Ophelia? Do you need something?" She quickly snapped out of her trance.
Ophelia vigorously nodded her head, running over to the desk Olivia was sitting at. "Les' play!" She slurred her words together overly excited to get them out.

"Play? Why don't you go play with your usual friends?" Olivia tried to coax her into leaving as gently as possible, she didn't want to upset the little Auclair and get on her parents' bad side. She was already unfavored as is.
"All busy! So we play!" Ophelia stated matter of factly.

"Um...I'm sure Estelle would play with you if you asked."
Ophelia crossed her arms and furrowed her eyebrows, "No! 'Stelle never let' me do anything fun!" She said with a pout. Though it didn't stay long as she quickly snapped out of it and raised her arms into the air with a beaming smile, (She was practically radiating!) "So I wan' play with sister!" Olivia slightly tensed up at the word 'sister' before she rationally came back and she quickly got into character. "Well, alright what do you want to play?"

Olivia dropped down from her chair and followed behind the blonde who clapped her hands and ran out the door with a little hop in her step.

Olivia was dragged all over the estate by her younger sister, firstly Ophelia took her outside where they played Tag, though after a short while Olivia was worn out so—after calling Olivia an old lady—they came to a compromise and sat down to play with the garden's flowers.
This didn't last long as the blonde started to get restless and fidgety, so Olivia was promptly dragged back into the house and they played dress-up for, at least, an hour and a half.

Olivia was already beyond exhausted. She simply couldn't comprehend how this little girl had so much energy.

Next Ophelia brought Olivia over to the other side of the mansion to snoop in rooms they weren't allowed in.
Ophelia slowly poked around a corner and crept down a quiet hallway. "Ophelia!" Olivia whisper-yelled anxiously looking around afraid to be caught. "Ophelia! We can't be here, let's go play somewhere else." She chased after the blonde.
Luckily the hallway—and this side of the mansion in its entirety—seemed mostly empty. "It's alright! No one comes here." She turned around and gave Olivia a cheeky smile. Despite herself and knowing the biased toward the younger she couldn't help but sigh and give a lopsided smile in return. Despite being so young, Ophelia has a smile Olivia can only describe as dangerous.

At first glance, the hallway seemed undisturbed but if one got close enough they could hear the quiet girlish giggles and shushing when a pot is bumped into, as much as Olivia refused to admit it she was genuinely enjoying herself. It'd been too long since she'd let herself have such childish fun—or fun in general, always caught up in what is to happen in the future, and her safety guard she'd never let herself relax and smile or laugh.
Ignoring the ever-growing pang in her chest and guilt that slowly seeped into her, she began to wonder what had happened to the original Olivia and Ophelia's relationship.