The Crown's Entrapment



Meanwhile, deep within the gardens of the Grant Manor, Aurelia and Lena were busy tending to some of the plants and decorations stationed within the plot of land. Well, technically it was all Lena, with Aurelia simply providing an unbiased opinion on whether or not her new sister-in-law's idea was any good or not. 

"So, do you think this color will fit here?" Lena eagerly asked as she showed her a vase full of purple flowers. "I think it'll compliment the marble here." 

[Do you even have a good eye for gardening and decor?] Aura genuinely asked. [Because I'm pretty sure that flower isn't what you think it is.]

Aurelia closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. In truth, she was pretty bad at things like this. All she had was an eye for aesthetically pleasing patterns. Plantlife and miscellaneous paraphernalia were wholly beyond her expertise except for herbs of course.

[Why do you think I'm constantly asking for your opinion?] Aurelia scoffed. [Now hurry, feed me an answer.]

"Well?" Lena repeated. "What do you think?"

"It'll suit that spot just fine," Aurelia finally answered after listening to her wolf's advice. "The petals will compliment the marble, as well as brighten up that corner with a regal hue."

Lean beamed. "I knew it! Thanks for the confirmation."

Aurelia let out a silent sigh of relief as she promptly watched the amnesiac return to her work. Truly, she could only hope that the woman would finally be satisfied with her work before she finally lost her patience and just ran away from all of this… finery and decoration.

[You're just annoyed that you're somehow so indifferent to aesthetics that you're having a hard time recognizing dark blue from purple,] Aura chuckled.

[Don't remind me,] Aurelia sighed. [Besides, that's what you're here for. You're the half of me that actually allows herself to be ruled by all of this artistic imagery.]

[That's just us complimenting each other,] her inner wolf nonchalantly shrugged. [Anyway, she's moving again.]

Heeding her wolf's words, Aurelia wordlessly wandered over to where Lena was now currently working. At least she was having some fun with this. Truly, after she had managed to brush off her irrational jealousy from her system, she finally started to see Lena as more of a little sister that she had to look after. Really, despite her admittedly attractive figure and innocent look, her sister-in-law was just childish enough to never really seem like a competitor to her in the first place.

[The fact that I had to get to that conclusion is alarming though,] Aurelia sighed. [That should've come to me the moment I talked to her.]

[Again, it's called irrationals for a reason,] Aura reassured her. [Don't worry, I'm doing my best to keep your instincts from bleeding into your logic.]

"Say, what do you think of Master Kasper?"

Blinking, Aurelia was taken back to reality as Lena asked her an innocent sounding question. However, the man in question was far from innocent. In fact…

"Honestly, I think he's an eyesore," Aurelia scoffed. "This so-called Master should act in a manner befitting his title. Right now, he's nothing more of a lecherous man looking at you inappropriately."

"O-Oh…" Lena weakly sputtered. "I-I didn't think… That sounded mean…"

Aurelia sighed. Seeing this side of Lena just made her want to choke the Master even more. "Do you see something in him then?"

"Well… I think he's doing his best," Lena defended, her cheeks flushing even as she visibly tried to come up with something to say. "He's powerful, right? And old-lived? Maybe that just comes with just how much he had seen in his life."

Aurelia raised an eyebrow at Lena's answer. That actually sounded far more wise than her current mental age. She didn't know who Lena was before she became like this, but it was clear that she wasn't just an amnesiac that somehow landed the best deal in her life.

[You can tell too, huh,] Aura noted.

[I can tell since the moment I treated her,] Aurelia hummed in thought. [Nevertheless, her story isn't for us to know. For now, at least.]

"Also, if Big Brother's letting him stay, then surely he's not that bad," Lena added.

"Big Brother, huh," Aurelia pondered with a bit of scheming. "Speaking of which, how is he treating you?"

Not that she was jealous, of course, but she was honestly curious about how Calypso was treating his new sister. If there was any inkling that her mate was going back on his word, she'd make sure that he'd never be able to walk straight ever again.

Lena was a precious human being. Anyone that dared to defile her was going to face her wrath.

"A-Ah… Brother's very caring," Lena smiled, a wave of affection wafting off her with each word. "He makes sure that I feel welcome… Unlike you…"

"Unlike me?" she blinked, almost gasping at the sudden attention.

"You're… You're more like a silent protector…" Lena muttered. "You don't speak your mind, but you care… Even more than you think you do." 

She raised an eyebrow at her sister-in-law's observations. That was…

[She's more observant than we thought as well,] Aura noted in both surprise and amazement. [She's really something special… Can we keep her?]

Ignoring her other self's obvious question, Aurelia couldn't help but chuckle as she placed a hand on Lena's head. Ruffling the woman's hair, she smiled as Lena fussed over her small token of affection.

"H-Hey…" Lena weakly protested.

"Never change, Lena," Aurelia genuinely stated. "I'm sure you'll make someone very happy someday."

"W-What do you mean? I'm already making you and Brother happy, right?"

"I suppose you are," Aurelia softly chuckled. "Also, aren't you forgetting something?"

Her sister-in-law frowned as her words sank into her pretty little head. A second later, Aurelia smirked as Lena finally took the hint.

"Oh right! We're decorating!"

Shrugging, Aurelia went ahead and escorted the woman through her tasks. Continuing as they were, she gave her input while also observing her, simply taking in her innocence as they moved.

Truly, some people were just too good for this world.