Daily Life Of A Villainess [DLOAV]

Chapter 12

            "Sunshine!" I can hear my father's voice coming out from inside the manor. I quickly change my mind from shooting another arrow to spend some time with him. He did ask me to invite him for some bonding moment. I should give him what he wants, he has been quite busy for the month. Also, he is a doting father, the only cure for his tiredness is me. I put my bow at the side of my tea table and ran towards my father. I spread my hands open for a hug and he accepts it welcomely. He even lifts me up a little just like he always does. "I'm so excited for our tea time." He said with a warm smile on his face.

             "But I didn't prepare it myself..." I said apologetically to him while I take a seat opposite his.

              "Just talking with my daughter is enough." He said before giggling. My father is the only man I know who giggles like a child. As Poppy pours us some freshly made tea, my father turns to look at the bow I put beside the table then he glances at a tree that has a bunch of arrows on it that I am too lazy to fetch. "I thought you use daggers." He said, his eyebrows furrowed, in frustration that he realise he did not know a lot more about me. 

                "I started learning it for a while now. Sort of a challenge for myself." I said not telling the whole truth. I cannot just tell him I am training with Rohan and Chester and Mr. Berry told me to learn to use new weapons. 

                "Making a change, are you?"He asked smiling more widely. 

                "I don't know. I don't really think I'll be using the bow for long." I said expressing some uneasiness.

                 He took a sip from his tea but his eyes still do not leave me. "Why?" He asked.

                 I took a few moments to carefully put what I am thinking into a sentence or two. "I doubt I can pass the test next week with bow and arrows," I said and also took a few sips from my cup of tea. "Switching from a weapon I am incredibly good at to a weapon I am not good at all seems like a bad idea," I added.

                Now it is my father that is silent but then he started giggling back, "You're so like me, Yohanan." He said. "Did you know? I am pretty good at using a bow." He said while he stood up and took the bow. He held out his hand and an arrow magically unattached itself from the tree and flew to his hand. He then gracefully shoot the arrow towards a tree and it swiftly stabbed the tree. When I look closer, there is a piece of leaf sandwiched between the tree and the arrowhead. 

                "That is not just pretty good! You're a pro at it." I said in shock. This is a new thing. "But aren't you taught magic?" I asked. Just the same as the royals. Every noble family has its signatures weapon that everyone in the family needs to master especially the heirs. As an example, the Saige family is known to be one of the most powerful mages in Sol Kingdom. Many of our ancestors have aided the kings and queens with their magic. Some are even the Minister of Magic. These amazing feats are enough to explain why my father has the title, Duke. 

                 But then, I was born. My magic power is actually very weak which threatens the whole Saige lineage. My mother cannot conceive another child so producing another legitimate heir is out of the question. My father was pressured to get a second wife but he refused which sparks the start of the Saige controversies. I do not know the full story but supposedly all hell breaks loose which my father only managed to calm down by stepping down as the Minister of Magic. He got to keep his title only because the emperor is kind enough. All of that reason is also why I never got to see my relatives except my cousin, Clifford. 

                Talking about Cliff, he is a mysterious one too. He is not in the game at all but so are my family members and all this controversy. But I really suspect he is some sort of symbolism of truce between the Saiges. He could be sent to us by my uncle so my father somehow changes his mind and make him the next heir. Yes, his magic is stronger than mine but if you asked him about his fitness tests, he is not particularly a remarkable mage. But that is all just my speculations. I really do not want to dwell on family drama. We should just accept that the Saige family is not what they are anymore and my father is the last heir to have such strong magic. If you asked anyone, there are no Saiges that are quite remarkable anymore. Making someone with slightly stronger magic as an heir will not stop the inevitable fall. Later in the generations, the Saige will just be like all the duke families. Normal but have lots of money and powers (politically or something). 

               "I came to love archery first. Then, magic." He said. "You remember when your mother said I failed my first four fitness tests, right?" I just nodded as a reply. "You see, I am kind of a rebel." I definitely know that. "I never really bother to really learn magic despite my talent but I wasn't allowed to use anything other than magic in that test too. So I spent four years letting myself get knocked down by the monsters, not doing anything. It's only after I met your mother that I began to change. I fell head over hills for her. It was when she said, 'I only like men who are responsible' and stuffs that I started to change for the better." He said. Ugh, now I really feel bad. If not because of me not having strong magic, he and my mother would live in peace. 

                 "What does that have to do with me? Or what makes us similar?" I asked, not really understanding what he meant by telling me stories about his teenage years.

                  "You're afraid of change, Yohanan." He put the bow down from where it originally is. Then, sit back down on the chair. This is the first time I saw him looking very serious. "The bow is very you, though." He said as he sips his now cold tea.

                   I look at the bow and the word change indeed came up in my mind. Yeah, I think I am afraid of change. After living for a long time knowing what will happen in the future, I am used to be being in control of my life. I never really am scared of the unknown ahead as I know exactly what will happen. I am scared of dyings so young, again. But I know how to avoid it. Ugh, that just literally means I need to be besties with change itself. I should not have been scared of it. I mean, I have been facing a lot of changes since I became friends with Rohan and Chester.  

                   I just shrugged the worries off and think of it later in my room alone. Now, I need to enjoy my tea time with my father. "Thanks for that advice, father. Now, why don't we talk about fun things." I said.

                   "Talking with you is fun for me..." My father said but still respects me by changing the subjects and crack a joke to lift up the mood. It was a fun evening, he will be very busy again, I will miss him. And my mother too, of course. They are both very busy and always not home since they started their business when I was 10. It can be lonely at home.