Published at 18th of January 2021 07:13:48 PM
Chapter 104
“Hey… Just how long are you planning to stay here for?” Gilles asks me tiredly with an open book in his hands .
“Until I can acquire level 85 magic . ”
At my words, he nearly drops the book in surprise .
“Level 85? … . . Alicia, I know you’re just trying to do your best right now, but it’ll be pointless if you collapse . You need to rest sometimes too, there’s some things that you just can’t force through only willpower,” Gilles says reasonably .
I swear, with some of the lines he throws out there, it makes it seem as if he’s the older one, not me .
“If you spend all your time practicing, when are you planning to go visit gramps?”
Oh, right! I still need to visit Grandpa Will .
I glance over towards the window… . . It’s already pitch black outside . I didn’t realize that the light streaming into the library had changed from sunlight to moonlight .
How long ago did the moon appear? Is it even still rising at this point? Just how many hours have I been practicing magic for?
“Gilles, the sun is gone . ”
“Yes, Alicia . It is… . Duh! It’s night, so of course it’s gone,” Gilles says snarkily, casting a withering look my way .
This means that I’ve been practicing all day and half the night but I still haven’t made any progress . I’d at least wanted to master transforming into a lion before I stopped for the day .
I’ve been trying to perform level 82 animal shapeshifting magic for hours on end to no avail .
“You were planning to go to school tomorrow, right?”
“Yes… I was . ”
I mean, there’s really no reason for me not to go .
“Then I feel like you should hurry up and get some sleep now…”
Somehow, it feels like he’s treating me like I’m a child and he’s my mom .
… . Do I seem like I need someone to take care of me? Me? A villainess? I can’t let myself seem like someone who needs to be babied! I need to become a woman whose every actions shows off her determination and independence .
But if it continues on like this, far from seeming like a wicked villainess, I’m merely going to be labeled as an irresponsible and childish little girl .
“That’s true . I should probably get some sleep now,” I admit, smiling a bit self-consciously .
Gilles nods his head, seemingly satisfied by my reply .
And so without being able to make any progress, Gilles and I leave the library and head to bed .
“Alicia? Are you awake?” I hear Father call from the hall .
Am I still dreaming? Or is this really happening?
“Ali?” I hear him tentatively call out a second time .
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Still half asleep, I drag myself out of bed and walk over to open the door .
“Yeah?” I ask when I see him standing just outside my room . My eyes are still half closed and my brain isn’t really awake enough to be working properly yet .
Drowsily, I realize that a villainess should never let others see herself in this vulnerable, unrefined state, but since it’s just my father, hopefully he can forgive me for letting my guard down .
“Morning, Ali,” he greets . His expression is one of relief .
“Good morning, Father . What’s wrong?”
“You really don’t know why I’m here? I heard that my precious daughter was kidnapped and even injured!” Father cries, his voice a bit louder than it needed to be .
Oh yeah . I was kidnapped . I kind of forgot .
Father’s eyes are wide as the stare into mine . They hold some traces of frustration and anger . And as I look into those eyes, my head slowly starts knocking off the cobwebs of sleep .
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Come to think of it, Father hadn’t been home when I came back yesterday……
And it’s not like I saw any of my brothers either .
“Where were you yesterd–… . ” I start to say, but then I stop .
Finally, I’m completely awake . I’m so shocked to see that Father’s eyes are wet that all my tiredness disappears in an instant .
… . . Had he been that worried about me?
“Thank god you’re alright,” he says, patting me tenderly on the head . His voice sounds a bit choked up and his hand feels so very big and warm as he continues to stroke my hair .
So just the simple touch of a father’s hand can soothe my heart this much . Though, Grandpa Will’s hand can also make me feel just as safe and content .
Slowly, Father removes his hand from my head . Then he looks me straight in the eye and slowly opens his mouth to speak again .
“Alicia, I want you to stop monitoring Liz Cather .