The days that followed served as a grim reminder that fate was never a straight line. Clearly the god of this world had decided to throw anything and everything in my path in order to spite me. My capacity to also deal with these changes on top of recovering was also very stretched. My inability to walk due to muscle wasting had slowed my process of recovery, meaning the only time I really got enjoy my time was when I wasn't being touched by others. Needless to say the library became my solace in these dark times. After staying up countless nights trying to process this new data, I began to feel overloaded and then had to relieve my stress through diving into the world of books.

Which was ironic, considering I was in the world of one.

Nevertheless, reading was all I could currently manage.

Ever since that fateful day, I hadn't seen Kael or Edythe's brothers since. It had been just over a week.

Really, why would they want to see an eyesore?

As I flipped through the pages of an old military book, after nearly reading everything that interested me and now being desperate enough to read about war, I was truly at my wits end.

I was also formulating my plan.

Clearly, magic wasn't an option for me at this moment.

But the war still was.

It was still very much at the front of my mind. But if I was to even have the slightest chance of getting in, I had to be better than average. So while my body clearly wouldn't be able to handle the physical training yet, that didn't mean I couldn't read up on war tactics and theory.

It was boring. But it was inevitable if I was to avoid my dark fate.

Sitting on the cold floor, surrounded by pillows that the maids had left, I examined my arms and legs. The skin was beginning to turned from a deep purple to a mottled purple and yellow, making my skin look even more disgusting than before. It seemed to be taking longer than normal to recover. Even when I tried to breathe in mana, it felt as if the bruised areas where immune to mana. Resistant even.

It was the first time I had ever seen—or heard—of this. Granted, my knowledge of magic was limited, but from what I had read in the books of this library and my assumed knowledge, I still had no idea. Every time the maids looked at my skin, they also seemed to have troubled expressions as if they also didn't quite know what to make of it.

Annoyed, I focused back on the war book. My tactical knowledge was lacking and I had time. How else was I meant to spend it?

"And here I thought you were reading a child's book."

I flinched, surprised to here the voice above me. When I looked up, I almost collapsed when I saw the red eyes.

Except it wasn't Kael.

"Isn't this too old for you?" He tilted his head, dark green hair passing in front of his eyes. "Don't you think so, brother?"

A shadowed figure emerged from behind a bookcase not too far away, book in hand. "Very much so."

The boy with dark green hair frowned at the book under my hands. "Do you even know what you're reading?"

I stared back blankly, too caught off guard to reply. Since when did they enter? I didn't even hear them.

"She probably thinks it's a picture book." The boy with dark blue hair replied, his red eyes putting me off. "Don't children like picture books?"

"Hmm," Green Hair seemed confused. Without warning, he knelt down and turned the page over, pointing to a guy being horrifically stabbed with a sword. "Do you know what this is?"

Was it a trick question? "Blood?"

His face lit up. "Yes! Lucius did you see that?" He pointed to another one lying on the ground. "And this?"

The light was gone from the man's eyes and he was bleeding out onto the battlefield. "Dead." I replied flatly.

He gave me a pleased look. It was strange to see someone become alive when we talked about death.

Definitely a weird one.

Blue Hair then walked over slowly and gestured to himself. "Do you know who I am?"

Another trick question?

Was this similar to Kael? Did I feign ignorance? Innocence?

Judging from his expression and my complete lack of data concerning this situation, I chose the safest option. "Brother!"

They both seemed surprised. Blue Hair placed a hand over his mouth and faked a cough. It looked as if he was trying to hide his expression.

"And me!" Green Hair pounded his own chest. "Who am I?!"

"An idiot." Blue Hair replied before I could open my mouth.

"Hey!" He glared at Blue Hair.

It was strange to watch this verbal exchange within this quiet library. At the moment, there was no light passing through the skylight overhead, making this room feel more solitary than it normally felt. It also served as a bleak reminder that I was very much alone with these two here.

I suddenly felt a twinge of regret after telling Lettie that I wanted to read alone.

Just as I was thinking these things, I saw movement out the corner of my eye. A bug had decided to scuttle across the marble floors, right within the vicinity of my pillowed area.

As I watched the bug, I saw Green Hair take notice of it as well. His expression suddenly went cold and his eyes became dark as he reached out his hand.

"Annoying."

Then without warning, he trapped the bug under his index finger. Although I couldn't name the creature as I had never seen it before, Green Hair didn't seem bothered even though it looked like it could've been venemous.

The bug tried in vain to run away, but Green Hair kept it pinned there.

"Don't the maids clean here?"

For a moment, he watched the bug in dark amusement before he then began to push down. He continued push down until the bug's body was completely crushed and stopped moving. In fact, he didn't stop until his finger touched the marble floor beneath.

There also happened to be a little explosion of blood.

I stared at the bug in pity. Poor thing.

"Why aren't you crying?" Green Hair was looking at me, his expression still dangerously cold.

It was too late to cry now. If I cried now, they would know I was acting. This situation was beyond my scope of practise and preparation. I had no trump cards.

"Aren't children supposed to cry when they see blood?" Green Hair lifted his finger and examined the blood on his finger before glancing back at me.

I felt pinned to the spot. I had no trump cards left.

I had to be myself.

So I smiled yet again. "Brother saved me!"

Green Hair's face lit up again. His expressions changed so quickly that I didn't know what his normal expression was. "Did you see that Lucius? She likes me."

Blue Hair—Lucius—frowned at me. "I have eyes."

"You're just jealous she likes me."

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Totally."

Green Hair placed his head on his fist and grinned, making his red eyes gleam. "Well, I like her."

My ears pricked. Did I just hear him correctly? He liked me? My heart beat quickened—this was it. An opportunity. I temporarily had someone on my side. I'd won him over—but for how long? I had to win him over permanently, but how?

An idea struck me.

With a wide grin, I lifted my hands towards Green Hair. "Pick me up brother!"

I had to have him fall completely in my trap. Fortunately, he didn't seem bright enough to consider a toddler's moves would be calculated.

At first he seemed unsure, but after glancing at Lucius and seeing his surprised expression, his look became smug. "Of course, Brother Rounen can pick you up!"

First step. Check.

It was amusing to see him handle me as if I were something extremely fragile—especially after just killing a bug in cold blood. But although he did touch some of my bruises, causing a sharp sting, I hid the pain. Afterall, he was only a child.

Despite being a child himself, my toddler size still made him tall in my eyes. After he made himself comfortable I chose to reward him for his efforts. Although every fibre of my being cringed when I did this—I hugged him. "Brother is so strong!"

Rounen sniffed superiorly. "Of course, brother is the strongest."

Step two. Check.

Lucius smirked. "Well, that tends to happen when you have all muscle and no brains."

Green Hair/Rounen turned around to block my view of Lucius. "Don't listen to him Bones, he's weak so he wouldn't understand."

Bones?

"Bones?" Lucius voiced my internal thoughts aloud. He was leaning lazily against one of the book cases.

Rounen glanced back at Lucius. "She weighs nothing, only bones. She needs more meat!"

I didn't know what to make for that nickname. At least it was better than insect.

Kael's annoying face came to mind.

Then Lucius pushed himself away from the bookcase and walked over.

"Here." Lucius held his hands out to me. "Let me see."

I wasn't prepared for that.

"No." Rounen pulled away and began walking forward. "You lost that right when I became the favourite."

Lucius smirked. "I have rights, I'm the oldest."

Rounen scoffed. "By a few minutes."

"Exactly."

Wait. They were twins? I looked between the two of them, trying to piece the puzzle together. They must have been fraternal twins, because although their faces were similar, they weren't similar enough to be identical.

Rounen was adamant. "That won't work. Bones clearly likes me more and you're already lacking as an older brother. Clearly only I'm suitable for the role."

It was Lucius's turned to smirk as he followed Rounen from behind. "It's hilarious seeing you try fit all your vocabulary into one sentence."

Lucius seemed to be the more cunning of the two. Judging from the book he was holding and the less rough look about him, it seemed he didn't spend as much of his time developing muscles like Rounen. Lucius's calculating gaze fell on Rounen, as he seemed to be waiting for a rise.

Surprisingly though, Rounen ignored him and smiled down at me. "Ignore you brother, Bones. How about we do something else instead?"

His red eyes were glowing in excitement.

I had no idea what he was edging at.

"Don't tell me–" Lucius seemed to understand where this was going.

"Well, we need to fatten her up." Rounen was nodding to himself. "So what better way than food? Let's have lunch!"

Lucius sighed. "Of course. Food. That's all that your meaty brain can process."

As Rounen walked forward with purpose, he came to the door that lead to the main wing. Panic shot through me when I realised that I had never been through these doors before because I wasn't allowed into the main wing. Even when we had been called to an area outside that was a part of the main wing, Lettie had still had to go back and exit outside of the east wing and walk along outside. I had never been inside the main wing.

I was about to protest, but Rounen suddenly raised his leg and before I could do anything, he casually kicked open the doors with such force that they swung open and banged onto the walls outside the room. I was positive that those old wooden doors wrapped in wrought iron must have been a few hundred kilos, but Rounen treated them as if it were nothing that a simple exercise.

He truly was a demon.

I could feel my grip tighten as Rounen confidently strode forward into the main wing. The tension throughout my body suddenly rose a few notches as Rounen didn't even look back.

"Time for lunch!"

I was so dead.