Run Vera, Run

"No, I think you got the wrong person," I replied as swift as I could.

"Ah, of course. Excuse me," he smiled, "you think I'd fall for that," he shouted.

I said, "in all honesty, I hoped you would," I wanted to throw a gesture with my hands, but couldn't as I was still in Veras arms. Now I seemed less rude than I actually was.

I saw a vein pop on his forehead, "I wasn't sure at first, but now I'm certain."

I really felt like there was something wrong with this family. How were they able to survive with that kind of aggression in their blood.

"Alright you got me, let's talk another time," I said, and gave Vera her que to walk away. She understood without any verbal communication and went on her way.

"Where do you think you are going," he shouted again.

"Vera ignore him," I whispered.

We already had a character like him before, I did not need that again.

"Vera," he growled, "stop right now."

"Pardon me, but we are currently occupied, please return another time," she told him with a clear voice and swiftly took of.

Unable to believe what she said, he shouted, "what is that supposed to mean," while he planned to follow us.

Vera then abruptly turned around and with a sharp tone spoke, "that means that you should get lost." Contrary to my expectations, her words seemed to have a persuasive power which made that guy stop his pursuit.

There was no way she was just an ordinary maid, was there.

What saddened me was that only his feet stopped, as his mouth was still fully functional, "Vera what gives you the right to interfere with our family matters," he asked, his voice as threatening as a barking dog.

"As a maid of this household, I have the duty to engage with it's affairs."

A bit surprised inwardly, but unwilling to show it externally, he rebutted, "what does that kid mean to you?"

Hey, I was supposed to be at least fifteen, I wasn't a kid.

"She is family," Vera replied, steadfast. But her conviction seemed rather comical, when I considered how she was still holding me, like a child held their favorite doll.

"Family, her?"

"Yes," she said in a interrogative tone, "do you see a problem with my statement?"

He was stumped by her hostile demeanor, "of, of course not, but her-"

"Alright, then we shall be on our way." She disappeared, twice as fast this time, not even waiting for her sentence to finish.

The guy that was taller than not only me, but also Vera, became incessantly smaller, until he disappeared around a corner. That, of course, did not stop him from voicing one last sentiment, "don't think you can hide behind Vera the whole time."

His words echoed upon the walls, and by the time it reached me, was already silent.

"Excuse me, if I may offend you by stating we were family," Vera suddenly said, "it was the easiest way."

"I don't mind at all," I giggled, "in fact, I found his reaction quite funny. You seem to be rather cute yourself, seeing how he stopped approaching."

"Not at all, he was merely scared of my status, not my words. I still have a long way to go until I reach the level you are at."

"You shouldn't strive to become someone like me," I told her jokingly, "that reminds me, who was that person?"

"Huh, have you already forgotten him? The again, it has been a long time since you were in this household, after all," she nodded," he is-"

"Wait let me stop you right there, I don't really care."

"Eh," she let out a sweet noise, "you don't want to know who he is?"

"No. If you gave him a name, I might mistake him for more important than he actually is, otherwise."

After all, If every person who had a problem with me, was to announce themselves, I might know more names than words.

But in all honesty, it did feel more natural being approached by a male, instead of all these females who seem to be charmed by this body.

Vera gave a loud laugh and said, "I got it," she then twisted my head to face hers, "I was right to talk to you after all. Where do you want to go now?"

"To the library."

"The library? Alright then," she picked up her pace again.

Navigating through the dizzying interior of this mansion, we soon reached a familiar spot. It was an adorned door, conspicuously placed at the end of our path. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by that eccentric librarian again.

"Oh Agnes, back so soon," he asked, with a lifeless tone, making me unable to discern whether that was sarcasm or not.

"Yes, I felt like reading again."

"That's nice, come in."

"Vera," I nudged her, "put me down, please."

She was reluctant, but did not refuse.

The moment my feet reached the floor, I entered the room full of books and their unique scent immediately hit me. It was a wooden smell, very antique, and lingered in my tongue like chocolate or coffee.

A powerful light shone into the library, making the normallly invisible dust into the air, sneak out of their shadows. They settled on the antique shelves, accompanied by spider webs, and the colorful books scattered around. The books were neatly aligned in rows, with only their back facing outwards. A stained carpet hid the wooden floor, while the walls gave way for strings of braided ivy.

A comfortable silence imposed the room, as if I went into another world. Only the white noise of insects scurrying around and the wind, using the papers as an instrument to play its melodies, reminded me that the world has not gone mute.

Every step I took, caused the wooden boards to creak, and roused the still dust to fling in the air.

"No matter how many times I enter, the sight of all this dust gives me difficulty breathing," Vera interrupted.

"Great, you don't have to enter then," I replied.

As soon as I said so, her ecstatic face immediately turned livid. Her previous glistening eyes had turned into a single shade of black and her face was drained of all color. She looked like a ghost. Or someone who saw one. Which would have been me, as her blanched face gave me quite a scare.

It was like I'd told her a family member died, her reaction made me almost feel bad for her. Well, almost.

Since she stood there unmoving, I decided to just shove her out.

"Wait here until I come out," I told Vera. If she heard me, I did not know.

"Was that ok? To push her out like that," the librarian tilted his head.

"Actually, you leave too."

"Eh?"

Before anyone could react, I promptly closed the door on both of them, leaving me alone in the big library. Just to be perfectly sure, I looked around the room, searching for a potential person, but there was none. Only then did I relax.

"Ahh, finally I'm alone," I groaned while flinging my fist in the air.

I slumped to the ground, letting gravity pull me down like a wettened sac.

"Uwah," I massaged my temples wih both hands, "so tired," I cried out.

What I really was looking for, was some alone time.

Talking can be unexpectedly hard, if the goal wasn't to only exchange information.

And since I arrived in this mansion, I had talked to more than 10 people, all with different types of motives.

I needed a break afterwards, and there was no better place than the always silent library.

To collect my thoughts, I sat down at one of the many old-fashioned desks.

The most important thing was that I had a promise to uphold.

I promised Celestia that I was to show her a new world. A bit of an ambitious dream, I knew.

But not impossible.

The problem lied in the fact that the idea was too abstract.

I could, just like in my last life, resort to terror and violence.

That would be entertaining, but I chose that route before only due to my circumstances. There are far more better ways to deliver a message.

But no matter what, I knew that I had to resign myself to a life of villainy. It didn't matter though, since I was more suited for this kind of life.

Because I believed in something fundamentally wrong, I thought a world without rules was the best way to live.

Take Estella for example. A walking contradiction, who, even in her death, was repressed by the notions of this world.

Rules, they were rigid and stale in comparison to the ever changing world.

However it was also the rules that change the most, unable to adhere with the unshaken pillar of human emotions.

Contradictions, contradictions.

All a tale of hypocrisy, the thing I hated the most.

Now even more so, when it is the most precious people, those worth keeping alive the most, that die.

But in this world, in any world, it would be me that was seen as the contradiction. The person most worth dying. It didn't matter though, if the world changed to fit my ideals.

What I needed, to shape the world, my tools, if I may, were resources.

People, status, wealth and another important thing, magic.

Although I did not agree with magic in itself, I did find it to be necessary for my path.

Although I may not be suited for politics, I would need to immerse myself into them.

Although I had a hard time trusting people, I should seek those like-minded.

Seraph was the first person that came to my mind. A rather mysterious girl. However, she and I were similar, I felt it. And she did too. If possible I would like to know more about her, maybe even gain her support.

It was not a big problem if I couldn't, though.

"Hah," I breathed out.

I wanted to relax, but these thoughts kept me preoccupied. I shouldn't worry too much.

In fact, I should focus on another thing. The little game I had started in this household was slowly starting to unfold itself. There were still some necessary steps left, before I could unravel it, so I wanted to set them up as soon as I could.

I stared at the many books, either hidden in the shelves or strewn on the floor. If possible, I would like to learn the language, and read these books.

Books are items that showcased a lot about the current era. Whether it was the genre, date, author or content they all delivered info.

Fictions could reveal the state of a society. Were they happy? Cynical? Divided? All could be extracted by stories which were popular.

Non-Fictions could explain why the society felt that way. They contained statistics, facts and useful information.

So, even though I was not a fan of books, and the mere sight of them had made me feel sleepy already, I decided on giving my best to decipher them.

A book that had caught my attention the moment I entered, was a red book, supported with a golden frame.

A picture of- what I assume- some kind of animal had been used as a cover. The animal was a fantastical beast, of which I did not knew the name of.

It was hand drawn, and made with a mosaic style, very similar to the the windows in cathedrals. The pages looked old and had a yellowish tint, but were still well preserved.

The book looked expensive, even amongst all the other books, which all had their unique designs.

Other things that I found interesting were a bundle of papers, handwritten and not properly bound, scattered on the desk. There was also a blue book with a crown and some scrolls sealed tightly with wax.

I took everything that remotely seemed worth noting and then began to immerse myself in them.

The well needed silence was soothing to my mind, as I looked over all these unknown symbols, intriguing graphs and beautiful artworks.