Algernon Black

(Chapter 130) A Sad Little Cold Boy

Pecilia stood in a far corner of the ball but in view of the dancefloor, drinking to numb her frustrations. And after escaping a very undesirable dance partner, Jasper watched as man after man propositioned Pecilia and their immediate departure when one cold glare would send them sulking away with their tails between their legs. He laughed seeing her do it to yet another hopelessly optimistic guy.

"So he's completely given up now," Jasper commented, joining Pecilia in self-isolation and noticing her line of sight.

"As dumb as he is for it, it looks like he has." Pecilia moped, glaring at Algernon over her glass who was smiling like an idiot while dancing with Lucy. But she had to be more practical and detach herself from the situation when it was a grave Algernon dug himself and he would have to live with who ended up in it. But as much as Pecilia tried to convince herself she didn't care, the sweet red of her nectar couldn't mask how bitter the thought tasted.

"I have to say he lasted longer than I expected," Jasper said, clasping his hands behind his back.

Pecilia looked Jasper over with a scowl. "There's no excuse for what he's doing." She boiled. "If you knew the entire extent of the situation you would understand he is completely in the wrong."

"I do know the situation." Jasper shot back, minus the bitterness. "Maybe even better than you." He'd figured out Algernon recently, as he had Pecilia, and the many similarities the two shared. "Someone with as high expectations as him, who can never show weakness or a crack in his armor," Jasper spoke to the air but hoping it reached the deeper parts of Pecilia. "It must be such a relief to be around someone that doesn't see him as the armor he wears but the person he is underneath it."

Pecilia rolled her eyes as viciously as only she could. "I'm sure there are a million reasons to justify his inadequacies. But in the end, he's just selfishly giving in to his whims."

"A whim seems too much of an understatement," Jasper remarked, staring at the couple. The way they danced was far from perfect but the way Algernon looked at Lucy showed he thought nothing less of her. "A whim is eating dessert before dinner, or buying an extra pair of shoes you don't need." Pecilia lifted her eyes to watch the same scene as Jasper. "The way he's drawn to her is like a man in deprivation."

"He's grown up in the greatest wealth of this country," The scowling girl said. "He's deprived for nothing, which is why the first time there was ever something he shouldn't have, the spoiled brat decided he must take it."

"If he really did have everything, that wouldn't be true, now would it?" Jasper returned, as Pecilia's heated scowl faded into a doleful reminiscent pout.

She thought back to all the years she'd known Algernon. Most of it was in passing at parties, or big festival celebrations hosted in the capital. The first time she was really introduced to him was at her birthday party. Her father and mother had sent invitations to all the nobles across the country in hopes that the most eligible sons would come, but really their focus was on Algernon. It cost more money than their family could afford but they said it would be an expense paid off tenfold when their daughter became the wife to the sole inheritor of the Black estate. It was only Pecilia's 6th birthday then. She remembered her mother didn't let her play with the other kids because her hair and dress might get disheveled. They told her she needed to look above her peers to garner the attention from Algernon, who was only a child himself at the time and hadn't even looked in her direction once where she sat in her small throne on a stage resenting him for he got to run and play with all the other children while she was forced to watch. By the end of the night, his suit had cake stains and his black curly hair was in matted knots, while her's was pristine. After that day she decided she hated Algernon for ruining her fun, but that was just the start of his curse upon her life. At every event they dragged her too she had to be dressed to the nines with her hair and makeup done to flawless conditions. She had to sit at her vanity for hours as the maids dyed and ironed out every wave and curl in her hair until it was pin straight. The smell of burning hair was still something that made her nauseous to this day. But she never had anything to throw up because her family had only allowed her the meagerest food portions, so she would be the perfect dainty weight. They even started to dye her hair black, so she would stand out more.