i became the villainess twin sister

Part 27

There is a phrase that Alver might quite sincerely relate to if he knew it. It went along the lines of talk shit, get hit . It wasn't a very nice phrase.

He left the Henituse estate with a bruise on his cheek and a sunken feeling in his chest.

Cale Henituse sat in the reception room, running her hand through her hair and trying to get a handle on her emotions.

What the actual hell.

To say that Cale didn't have a firm grasp on how to properly handle the situation would be a dramatic understatement.

Cale Henituse had spent her life fighting and protecting like her life depended upon it. She had also grown quite accustomed to the idea that she was not loved.

She loved her father. She loved her step family. She loved her baby sister. She even loved some of the staff who worked at the Henituse estate.

But she knew those feelings were one sided.

They would be better off without her. It was a feeling that she had accepted since a very young age and so, she'd tried to make herself useful in ways that didn't require being loved.

If she wasn't loved, she could be feared and hated.

That was simpler.

That was easier.

She had already been strained to her limit with her uncomfortable relationship with her surprise twin sister. It was one of the most positive relationships she'd shared with a family member in many years. Roksu had a way of just accepting her, no matter what. And Cale found her company to be pleasant, despite her complaints.

Cale wasn't quite willing to accept it as a loving relationship though. At least not a two sided one. She had acknowledged that she valued Roksu as a sister but the idea that she might be valued in return was unthinkable.

Cale didn't know how to be loved.

And here was his highness, the stupid crown prince Alver Crossman coming out of nowhere and constantly seeking her out. Being charming and interesting and making her feel strange things.

For a person like Cale, Alver's confession sounded like mockery.

The possibility that his feelings were sincere was overshadowed entirely by her broken ego.

"Shit." Cale felt sick.

She hadn't meant to hit Alver.

She couldn't even think properly.

What the hell was going on?

Why the fuck would he say something like that?

Was he really mocking her? For what purpose? His own sick amusement?

" Shit–! "

It was a bad time to realize that Alver had been added to that list of people she cared for. To finally acknowledge that the stirring feeling she felt every time she saw him wasn't due to disdain or mere curiosity.

She liked him. Quite a bit in fact.

She liked him far more than she wanted to admit to.

So it hurt that he would mock her like that.

She caught sight of the package he'd brought for her and she picked it up, almost thoughtlessly opening it.

She'd been so pissed when she came inside.

It was irrational and stupid.

Cale had seen him talking to Roksu in the garden and she'd gotten stupidly angry. It didn't make any damn sense to get angry about such a petty matter. Roksu was clearly in love with Choi Han and Alver had never shown any special interest in Roksu.

But the memory of the way he'd coldly walked away the other day boiled up with the insecurity of seeing him with her sister and in her heart, she'd remembered every damn time she'd watched her family be happier without her presence.

Then Alver had met her with the lying political smile and insincere words. It tipped her over the edge.

And she'd lost her cool.

She was jealous. Foolishly so. Pointlessly so. What the hell did she even have to be angry about? It was completely beyond unreasonable to feel possessive of Alver and it was stupid to take it out on him like that.

The wrapping fell away easily and she looked at the broach within.

It was tasteful, Alver had clearly read her letters properly, and she could admit that it would suit her well. It was just a damn broach. She brushed her finger along the gem and felt like a fool.

It wasn't like Alver to mock her.

She hadn't known the crown prince for very long but she was a good judge of character. He was deceitful, manipulative, and coy but he wasn't malicious.

The realization slowly donned as she looked down at the gem.

" Shit...! "

Cale rushed out of the room, bursting past a surprised Roksu and towards the front gates.

Dammit. Dammit all. She'd been too busy stewing in her own miserable feelings to see the obvious.

Dammit–!

Alver took his time going to his carriage. He gave Roksu a polite goodbye and waved off the bruise as nothing but an accident. He allowed her to give him some cream to help the bruise heal faster, despite knowing that he would just use a potion when he returned to the palace. A bruise would not suit his public image.

He kept his expression composed and his steps even. He'd endured far worse than this in his life. There was no need to get overly emotional about an upsetting rejection.

He'd been wrong to think that her rejection would get rid of these feelings though. They were still there, ever present and persistent. Only now he had the miserable feeling of heartbreak to keep them company.

Alver didn't regret his words though.

It was better to know than to hold onto false hope.

He didn't rush to leave and he refused to let his distress show. He would go home and continue his life as though this had never happened. Even if that thought felt a bit agonizing.

The first one to fall really did lose.

He let out a despondent sigh and went to step onto the carriage.

It came as a surprise to Alver when something canoned into his back and petite but surprisingly strong arms wrapped around his midsection.

A quick glance over his shoulder let him know that it was Cale.

He couldn't help it.

His heart rose up again from the ashes with renewed hope.

"Cale?"

"Did you mean it?!" She asked, her voice harsh and angry but muffled by his shirt. Her entire body was pressed against him in a way that he didn't care to put too much thought into.

"Yes." Alver knew this was a bad idea. Knew better than to hope. Knew better than to pursue romance with anyone, especially a volatile and maddening person like Cale. "I have feelings for you."

Cale's grip around him tightened.

"Good." She growled, letting go of his waist so that she could drag him down by his collar into a rough kiss.

Alver suddenly felt that all of his reservations were quite meaningless as he pulled Cale closer.

She was certainly worth whatever trouble might come and more.