I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 863: Celesta Royal Siblings

”You are acting obsessed, Alfred.”

Sylvia’s expression brightened immediately when she saw her older sister. The irritation that had been lingering on her face since Lucius began teasing her about Jayden disappeared in an instant.

”Sister,” she called, hurrying toward her with quick steps.

Aurora barely had time to open her arms before Sylvia reached her and embraced her tightly.

For all her usual poise as a princess of Celesta, Sylvia looked younger in that moment. She held onto Aurora just like a loving little sister upon seeing her older sister.

Aurora’s stern expression softened.

”I thought I would not see you until the entrance ceremony,” Sylvia said, looking up at her with a fond smile.

Aurora smiled back and gently patted Sylvia’s platinum-blonde hair.

”And why would I not come to see my adorable little sister beforehand?” She asked.

Sylvia’s smile became teasing.

”Well, perhaps because you have been so busy with your future family-in-law and your very handsome fiancé.”

Aurora rolled her eyes.

”Yes, yes,” she said, ”I knew you would say that.”

Lucius stepped forward with a small sigh.

”I agree with Sylvia, Sister. You have been spending much more time with Rythvel and his family than with us recently. You even traveled ahead with them instead of coming here with the rest of us.”

Aurora glanced at him.

”I had reasons, Lucius.”

”Of course you did,” Sylvia said, smiling. ”And honestly, it is understandable. Rythvel is a very good man. He is perfect for you, Aura.”

She then turned her eyes toward Alfred.

”If only our older brother had the same luck.”

Alfred immediately received a stern look from Aurora and an irritated glare from Sylvia.

He frowned.

”What?” he asked. ”Did you not hear Euphemia? She came into our own residence and spoke to me as though I were some pathetic man who could not think for himself.”

”Difficult to find good women these days,” he added bitterly.

Sylvia’s eyes narrowed.

Aurora looked at him for several seconds before replying.

”Euphemia may be a difficult woman,” she said. ”She may be harsh, proud, and perhaps too direct. But she has every quality necessary to become a Queen, Brother.”

Alfred let out a scoff.

”So what? I should simply let her step all over me and accept her as my Queen?”

”What is done is done,” Aurora said calmly. ”I am not asking you to go back into that room and beg for her forgiveness.”

Her expression became more serious.

”But you are going to become King, brother.”

She paused slightly.

”Father is ill,” Aurora continued. ”Grandfather is ruling in his place for now, and I am helping wherever I can for as long as I remain here. But I will soon leave Celesta. Grandfather cannot carry the throne forever either.”

Aurora’s marriage to Rythvel had already been announced within this year. Once they were wed, she would become Empress of the Arvatra Empire and move to Arvatra to stand beside her husband. Her future lay beyond Celesta’s borders, even if she loved her homeland and family deeply.

Their grandfather, meanwhile, was only serving as a temporary ruler. He could guide the empire through this unstable period, but he could not hold the throne in Alfred’s place forever.

The pressure surrounding Alfred’s marriage was not simply the concern of an overbearing family.

Celesta needed a king.

And it needed a queen capable of standing beside him.

The throne could not remain uncertain forever.

Alfred was not foolish enough to ignore that.

Lucius, however, came to his brother’s defense.

”Well,” he said, glancing toward Aurora, ”to be fair to Alfred, I would not want him married to a woman who spends every moment looking down on him and criticizing everything he says.”

”I would not want that either,” Aurora replied. ”But Euphemia is not the only capable woman in the world.”

She looked directly at Alfred.

”There are many women who could become a worthy Queen of Celesta. You simply need to broaden your perspective and stop clinging to Milleia as though she is the only person you could ever love.”

”What is wrong with that?” Alfred asked, irritation rising again. ”Milleia is perfect.”

”No one is perfect,” Aurora said. ”And when we are speaking of the role of Queen, Milleia certainly is not.”

Alfred groaned, but Aurora continued before he could interrupt.

”I admire her altruism. I understand why you care for her. She is kind, sincere, and she has done much for others. I can see why you fell in love with her.”

For a moment, Alfred’s expression loosened.

”But she is not the only remarkable woman in the world,” Aurora added. ”And you cannot build the future of an empire around the belief that she is.”

She stepped closer.

”If Euphemia is not suitable for you, then we can look elsewhere. We can search throughout Celesta, Edenis Raphiel, Arvatra, and beyond if necessary. But at least show some motivation, Brother. At least try to find someone worthy enough to stand beside you.”

”Aurora, do not start already,” Alfred said, rubbing a hand over his face. ”I am tired of hearing about marriage every day.”

Aurora tilted her head slightly.

”Would you be tired of it if the marriage concerned you and Milleia?”

Alfred went silent.

The question landed perfectly.

Lucius let out a short laugh.

”Now that was a good strike, Aura.”

Alfred shot him a glare.

Sylvia sighed, watching the exchange.

”I do not like involving myself in your personal affairs either, Brother,” Aurora said. ”But you need to settle this situation.”

Alfred looked back at her.

”Without you choosing a Queen,” she continued, ”Mother cannot start looking for Sylvia and Lucius. They are both at the right age now. The court will begin expecting answers soon, and other noble families will begin asking questions.”

Her voice became more serious.

”Celesta is in the middle of a period of growth. We have spent the last three years rebuilding after everything that happened. The kingdom has changed. It is becoming stronger, richer, and more stable. Our people need reassurance. They need to know that their future Emperor has chosen a capable Queen, that the throne is secure, and that Celesta is moving forward on the right path.”

Silence fell following her words before she continued.

”If the empire appears uncertain,” she went on, ”if people see only a sick king, a temporary ruler, a Crown Prince unwilling to marry, and an unresolved royal future, then fear will begin to spread again.”

Her eyes lowered briefly.

”All the work we have done these past three years to rebuild Celesta could become meaningless.”

”I know that...” Alfred said, clenching his fists at his sides.

Despite his flaws, despite the way he could become stubborn whenever Milleia was involved, Alfred loved Celesta. He loved the kingdom that had raised him, the people who looked to the royal family for stability, and the legacy his father and grandfather had struggled to protect.

He wanted to become a good king.

Not simply a king because he had been born into the right family, nor one remembered only because he wore the crown. He wanted to be worthy of it. He wanted to continue what his father had begun, to strengthen the empire, to make his people proud, and to be remembered as someone who had led Celesta into a better age.

But there was one thing he could not bring himself to let go of.

Milleia.

”You are afraid of losing her,” Aurora said.

Alfred raised his gaze toward her.

For a moment, surprise appeared clearly in his eyes.

Then he looked away again.

Perhaps she was right.

He was afraid of losing Milleia.

It might have been easier if his feelings were one-sided. If Milleia had never shown him warmth, if she had never looked at him with that gentle expression, if she had never made him believe that there could be something between them, perhaps Alfred could have accepted reality more easily.

But Milleia cared for him too.

The problem was that he could not ignore the difference between himself and Jayden.

Jayden came from the same world Milleia did. He was a commoner, like her. He understood the life she had lived before becoming the Daughter of Raphiel, the struggles of ordinary people, the distance between the nobility and those beneath them, the freedom of a life not controlled by royal expectations.

Alfred was the Crown Prince of Celesta.

Soon, he would be its King.

And perhaps that was exactly what stood between him and Milleia.

Deep down, he feared that Milleia might never want to become the second wife of a king. She might not want to live inside a palace, surrounded by nobles who judged her, watched her, and whispered about her. She might not want to surrender her freedom only to become another woman attached to the royal family.

And Jayden, with all his flaws, could offer her a life that Alfred could not.

Jayden could stand beside her as an equal in the eyes of the world.

Alfred could only ask her to live beneath the shadow of his crown.

Without realizing it, Alfred had begun to see his future as a choice between Milleia and Celesta.

But he could not abandon either one.

He loved Milleia.

And he loved his kingdom.

He had been raised from birth to inherit the throne. Loyalty to Celesta was not something he had learned later in life, it was woven into him. He carried the pride of his family, the expectations of his people, and the desire to succeed his father.

To become a good king.

To become one worthy of being remembered.

Aurora watched the emotions pass over her brother’s face.

She did not need him to answer.

The truth was written plainly in his silence.

She could not fully understand him. Strong affection, love deep enough to make someone risk an entire kingdom’s future, was a feeling foreign to her. Aurora understood duty. She understood political alliances, sacrifice, loyalty, and the responsibilities attached to her name.

She had perhaps experienced a glimpse of love once, a brief and fragile feeling that had disappeared before it could become anything real. Circumstances had ended it before she had truly understood what it meant.

So Alfred’s attachment to Milleia often seemed confusing to her.

Almost incomprehensible.

Still, she would not blame him simply because she did not understand.

”Well,” Lucius said, attempting to ease the heavy mood, ”if we are searching for a capable Queen for you, Brother, then I am willing to help.”

Alfred looked at him.

”My younger brother helping me choose my wife?” He said. ”There is nothing more pathetic than that.”

Lucius placed a hand over his chest as if deeply wounded.

”Come on. I certainly have better taste than you.”

”Is that so?” Sylvia asked, her eyes brightening with amusement. ”Then who is the unfortunate woman who has caught your affection?”

Lucius’s confident expression faltered.

”Well...”

Sylvia’s smile widened.

”When we were children, you spent a great deal of time following Edward around,” she said. ”Perhaps you are interested in boys instead.”

Lucius glared at her.

The corridor became quiet.

Sylvia blinked.

She had expected Lucius to deny it immediately, perhaps throw some equally embarrassing accusation back at her. But instead, he said nothing.

His emerald eyes shifted away for a second thinking about something.

”Right,” Alfred suddenly said, deciding to change the subject before Sylvia could pursue it further. ”Speaking of Edward...”

He turned toward Aurora.

”Did you watch the reveal yesterday?”

Sylvia and Lucius both became serious again.

The news had come as a shock.

Even now, the images were difficult to forget. The broadcast had spread across the world almost immediately, leaving people stunned, confused, and demanding answers.

Aurora nodded slowly.

”I did not watch it live,” she said. ”But I have seen the images.”

”Does anyone understand what it means, though?” Sylvia asked, her hand resting on her chin. ”Edward is Amael, right? He came to see us not long ago. His hair was whiter than before, but it was still him.”

She looked from one sibling to another.

”Then who was that man on the television? And Layla was with him. Was she not in love with Edward? I mean... Amael?”

Her confusion was understandable.

The man on the broadcast had introduced himself as Edward Falkrona, the new Utopian King.

Yet Amael had visited the Celesta royal family only recently.

He had looked like Edward as well, though different enough to make Alfred uneasy. His hair had turned white, his manner calmer, and his words strangely open. He had not acted with Edward’s usual sarcasm or the irritating way he often spoke to Alfred.

It had felt wrong.

”Layla would never act like that with anyone other than Edward,” Alfred said. ”The man on television was Edward. I am certain of it.”

His brows drew together.

”But the one who came to us as Amael... he was different. He did not feel entirely like Edward though he looks like him and actually reminds me of Edward when we were kids.”

”I suppose you are right,” Sylvia said thoughtfully. ”Layla keeps repeating that she loves Edward, after all.”

”Speaking of Edward,” Lucius said, glancing toward Aurora, ”can you tell me more about what happened after you broke off your engagement with him?”

Sylvia grimaced immediately.

”Again with that, Brother?”

”I am only curious,” Lucius said, shrugging. ”Did he truly change so suddenly? Was it really that simple?”

Sylvia crossed her arms.

”Well, he must have felt completely devastated after Aura ended the engagement,” she said. ”Once he understood what kind of incredible woman he had lost, he changed.”

Sylvia couldn’t forgive Edward for the way he had treated Aurora during their engagement.

But despite that, Sylvia had been relieved when news of Edward’s change began to spread.

And Sylvia had always believed that Aurora was the reason.

The timing had appeared too obvious to her. Aurora had broken off the engagement, Edward had supposedly realized what he had lost, and then he changed.

In Sylvia’s mind, the explanation was simple.

Edward had finally understood the value of the woman he had mistreated.

But Aurora slowly shook her head.

”Edward did not change because of me,” she said.

Sylvia’s teasing smile faded.

Aurora looked down for a brief moment, choosing her words carefully.

”I do not know exactly what happened,” she continued ambiguously. ”The end of our engagement may have been one reason. It may have affected him somehow. But I do not think it was the true reason for his change.”

Her voice trailed off.

She had spoken with Amael a year ago.

During that conversation, he had apologized to her.

Not in the distant, careless manner she might have expected from the Edward she had known at the Royal Eden Academy, but sincerely.

He had simply apologized for the pain he had caused her.

Aurora had accepted it.

At first, she had found it strange. The apology had come far too late. So much had happened since then. The engagement was over, Aurora’s future had changed, and Edward himself had long moved forward in ways no one could have predicted.

Still, she had been glad to hear it.

Glad that he seemed well.

Glad that he seemed healthier, more stable, and more at peace than the boy she remembered when they were children.

But then Amael had told her something that had left her confused.

He had no memories of the entire year they had spent at the Royal Eden Academy.

At first, Aurora had not known how to react.

She had felt confused. Perhaps even a little disheartened.

That year had been difficult for everyone.

They had lost Louise and Elona and it was a pain all of them shared.

Painful yes but it had still been part of their life.

And Amael remembered none of it.

Aurora had asked him what he meant.

Why would he have lost his memories?

Amael had explained something that, at the time, had sounded almost impossible.

He told her that from the day Aurora ended their engagement until the Blood Wedding in Sancta Vedelia, he had not been in control of his own body.

He said that it had felt as though someone else had taken his place.

Someone else had spoken with his voice, moved through the world wearing his face, and lived through an entire year that did not belong to him.

As if he was possessed by someone.

That was why he had no memory of it.

That was why he could not remember what he had said to Aurora.

Why he could not remember what he had done.

Why he could not remember their final days together at the academy.

To anyone else, it might have sounded like madness.

But when Aurora thought about it, the explanation did not feel impossible.

It felt strangely clear.

Edward’s change had been too sudden. The man she had known during that year had acted differently, spoken differently, and carried himself differently from the person who had later appeared before her as Amael.

At the time, she had believed that Edward had simply changed after some great realization.

Now, that explanation no longer made sense.

And when she watched the images coming from Veyra the day before, everything seemed to connect.

The Edward standing beside Layla on the screen had not felt like Amael.

He sounded a bit like Edward from that academic year despite there was remotely no resemblance.

But still there was a faint familiarity to the one she had known.

The one she had thought was Edward.

A stranger.

It was as though the answers to every doubt she had carried for years had suddenly appeared before her. Pieces that had never fit together before had begun to form a picture that was both frightening and disturbingly logical.

Yet Aurora had no proof.

Not truly.

Even though truthfully, she had closed her Chapter with Edward entirely, or rather they did it together, she felt strangely compelled to at least learn the truth.

But she did not speak of those thoughts to her siblings.

There was no reason to bother them with it now when she wasn’t hundred percent sure of it though she believed it.

A great deal had happened since then, and that Chapter of her life, once again, was already over. Her engagement to Edward had ended. She had chosen another future. He had done the same.

And Edward himself had turned the page more completely than anyone could have imagined.

He had become the Utopian King.

Aurora still did not know how she was meant to feel about that.

The idea was almost impossible to accept. Becoming Guardian of a Holy Tree was already an extraordinary destiny, something few people in the world could ever hope to achieve.

But becoming King of Utopia?

That was something else entirely.

The Utopian throne had belonged to elves since the foundation of their place. For generations beyond counting, every Utopian King had been elven. Yet somehow, Edward had become the first human in history to receive that title.

And, even more shocking, Utopia seemed to have accepted him.

Perhaps even welcomed him.

”Whatever the truth is,” Alfred said with a small shrug, clearly unwilling to spend any longer speaking about Edward, ”he may actually attend the academy. You can ask him your questions yourselves if he does.”

Sylvia looked at him in disbelief.

”What? You think he will attend the academy?” She asked. ”Is he not a king now?”

Lucius gave her a look.

”Do you know how many kings and queens have studied and trained Edenis Raphiel, Sister?”

Sylvia opened her mouth, then paused.

”Yes, alright,” she muttered. ”I understand.”

She said and shook her head, clearly exhausted by the number of strange revelations surrounding Edward.

Then her attention shifted back to Aurora.

Only now did Sylvia properly notice her sister’s clothing.

Aurora was already dressed to leave, but she was not wearing one of the refined royal gowns expected of a future Empress of Arvatra. Instead, she wore something far more casual and modern: a fitted pale creamy blouse, and a long pleated skirt.

The outfit was elegant in its own way, but much less conspicuous than the ornate dresses she wore during official appearances.

”Are you going somewhere, sister?” Sylvia asked.

Aurora nodded.

”Jeanne asked me to help her choose a dress for the entrance ceremony,” she explained.

Sylvia’s eyes brightened.

”Oh. Can I come with you?”

Aurora hesitated.

”Sylvia, I do not think—”

”Please,” Sylvia interrupted, stepping closer. ”How long has it been since we spent time together outside? Just the two of us?”

Her expression became pleading.

Aurora looked at her younger sister for a moment.

It was difficult to refuse Sylvia when she looked like that.

Her face softened.

”Alright,” Aurora said. ”But you should hurry. The airship should already be prepared and waiting for us.”

”Yes.” Sylvia giggled softly..

Before Aurora could add anything else, Sylvia walked down the corridor, moving so quickly that Lucius laughed under his breath.

”And no one asks whether I would like to come along,” he said with an exaggerated sigh.

Aurora smiled and stepped closer to him.

She reached up and gently ruffled his white hair.

”Would you like to come along, Little Brother?”

Lucius smiled at her.

For a moment, he looked as though he might accept.

Then he shook his head.

”No, it is fine, Sister,” he said. ”Besides, someone needs to comfort Mother, Grandfather, and our brother after the disaster that just happened.”

Aurora’s smile softened further.

”Then do not be too cruel to Alfred.”

”I will try,” Lucius said.

Aurora gave him one last affectionate look before turning and walking away to prepare for her trip.

Lucius watched her leave, the warmth in his expression remaining for several seconds.

Then it slowly faded.

He looked down the empty corridor, his emerald eyes turning serious.

”What the hell is even happening?”

There were two Edward Falkrona and both were alive and well.

Blood Wedding.

Holy Tree of Ymir

Utopian King.

Edward Falkrona with Layla, Alvara, and Elizabeth.

”Is it really that game’s world?”

Everything was different with only a few coherent things matching the game he played making him not entirely lost.

He didn’t even know what to hope for now.