IT WASN'T ODD THAT CIELLE was crazy.
Red eyes under brown hair. Although I had grown up with three brothers that were handsome, and I was handsome too! But, Alex had something else, something different that opened my heart.
"You're handsome."
I accidentally said what I thought out loud. He was really handsome but he scared me a bit too. So he was going to kill me with that handsome face?
As the red eyes came closer I hid behind my sister. But I succeeded in getting his attention. Alex would have to look towards her.
Unlike my white suit which matched my mother's, Alex and Clara's golden clothes made them look like couples. Now the only thing that was left was for them to fall in love at first sight.
But surprisingly, Alex talked to me first.
"It's the emperor's gift, please accept it yourself Young Master, Ciel Valentine."
"Clara's going to accept it for me."
"Come on, Ciel."
I wasn't going to behave like the original story because I wanted to live but I thought that if I behave like this, Clara's going to shine more. Clara didn't suspect a thing and she was going to take the gift for me.
Come on, be disappointed in me and fall in love with my sister.
I was already excited that my evil plan of making Clara and the prince get together would work.
But...
"Young Master, Ciel Valentine, I'm talking to you right now."
Huh?
This wasn't part of the plan.
The Prince didn't even look at Clara and those red eyes were fixed at me. I couldn't see any emotion behind those eyes. I got goosebumps thinking that that person could be my enemy.
Don't talk to me please, I'm not ready to die!
I didn't want to get killed by my favorite character. But this scene was the most important one; where the hero and the heroine met.
'I guess this is what a standoff is.'
I hid behind Clara's dress again. Isaac must have sensed that there was something wrong or something and he interfered.
"I'm sorry Your Highness, but my brother doesn't handle strangers well. He's still a child, please forgive him."
"I entered the Academy with top grades at his age. He isn't exactly what I would call Young."
What does this idiot want from an eight year old? Because of the author's twisted sense of reality I was being treated as a dimwit.
Dang it, I guess I lost this round. I came out from behind my sister and gave a small bow.
"Ciel Valentine. Thank you for coming to my birthday, I really appreciate it. Please tell His Majesty that I am grateful."
I'm grateful to the emperor but don't think that I have any good feelings for you.
I drew the line with the hero. Thankfully, he didn't seem to have anything to say about my attitude.
I greeted him with a perfect attitude and hid behind my sister again. Heh, everyone knows I like my sister a lot so no one thought that it was weird at my party.
Except for the hero.
"You seem to follow your sister very much."
"Ciel is usually kind and polite, it must be because he's nervous. I'm sorry."
It didn't go along with my plan but anyway the prince's servant gave the emperor's gift to our servant. My father seemed to want to open the gift at the spot.
"It's a gift from the emperor, right?"
"Yes, I wonder what he sent this year."
My father was happy and my mother, not so much. Last year she got an old gold necklace and the year before she got a gold bracelet that looked like it belonged to my grandmother. She opened the wrapping, trying to mask her feelings.
"Oh my."
"This is too generous of him."
The wrapping seemed too large to be a necklace or a bracelet. It was the Legendary Lord Levatain staff which was used to cast magic.
"How generous of him..."
"I heard that the Prince had a talent for magic. No one was able to wield it but I thought that he was able to so I prepared it."
The servant that came with Alex flattered my father.
Oh, of course. Cielle had a talent for magic. The problem was, she used that talent only at tormenting her sister.
In the original story when Cielle was fighting Alex, she used that staff to wreak havoc. The staff, which grew with its owner, was small like me. It was a very useful item, I always wondered how she got it but I guess the mystery is solved today.
"Thank you."
"Since you got this, why don't you show us some magic?"
At my mother's words, I hesitated.
Cielle was a talented magician. She should have been able to shoot fire and ice even without the staff when she was eight years old but there was a small problem. It was that I was in her body. I didn't know anything about magic.
My darned brother Louis called me a dunce, tsk. Well maybe I am? Hehe.
The thing is, I was a dunce. All that talent went to waste. But now things might be better. I held the staff and made up my mind. Yes, I can do it. I can do it.
According to my teacher, the most important thing about every spell was the confidence that it would work. The reason why I was so bad was because I lived in Seoul for more than twenty years and I was a realist that didn't even believe in ghosts.
Could I really do something?
I recalled the first thing that came to my mind. The staff glowed and petals began to fall from the ceiling.
Clara, just walk the flower path. That's all I want of you.
(Flower path is like the path to success)
And then...
Petals began to fall on Clara's head like a waterfall.
"What the?!"
The party became a nightmare, I couldn't believe that I dug my own grave by something so stupid. I threw away the staff and went into the pile of petals to dig out my sister.
"Clara!"
"It's dangerous."
Something grabbed my waist before I could dive into the petals. It was Prince Alex, looking at me as if I was pathetic. I pushed him and ran towards Clara.
"Let go of me! Clara!"
"I'm okay Ciel. This is really pretty."
Clara looked like she was enjoying this situation. The heroine was the best. That kind of attitude is how she sees the bright side of everything.
I hugged her and then said, "I'm sorry, were you startled?"
"A bit but still, you're great."
While still hugging her, I looked at Prince Alex. It seems like my plan had worked after all. He was intensely looking at us, still half buried in the petals.
Now let's clean up. My father, who was the best magician in the country, cleaned up the petals in an instant. I should have been yelled at but not in this family. Isaac even congratulated me.
"You must be a genius. Look at how many petals you've made, it's amazing."
"That's because he doesn't know how to control his powers. He still has a long way to go."
The only person saying the right thing was Teo. I nodded furiously and read the atmosphere. I had to hurry, I had to make Clara and Alex get together in order to avoid the death flag.
If they got married, I would be able to enjoy a life of luxury for the rest of my life.
Hurray for that.
It was my dream to get a lot of money and buy buildings and go on world trips while making money off those buildings. Practicing a bit more and becoming a mage would be a plus too.
"Ciel, would you like to dance with me?"
It was getting awkward staring at Clara so I decided to go with Isaac for a change.
"Of course brother!"
She was already dancing with her fourth partner. It must be because she's dressed so pretty today. And I saw Teo, staring at her. Teo must want to ask her out but it wasn't going to happen forever.
Ah, poor Teo. I thought as I danced with Isaac.
I wasn't very good at dancing. A lot. I stepped on his foot twice but my beloved brother didn't even bat an eye.
"You're getting better at dancing."
"Come on, better? Doesn't your foot hurt?"
"Not a bit. You're light as a feather."
He must really love me. I was stepping on his toes but he just kept smiling. After the song ended, Louis came to us.
"Mother's calling, I'll take care of the little tyke." (Tyke means a small child)
"I'm not!"
"Take care of him until I come back, will you?"