The Redo of a Novel's Villain: Moira - Chapter 23: Chapter 23

For the past couple of days Nicholas has been hanging out with them quite frequently. Well, more like following Huey wherever he went but that didn't mean the blonde didn't appreciate the activities the three of them did. Kayson especially liked adding him into their friend group as the male knew how to cook, giving them baked goods every now and then.
Huey grinned while smoothing out a large strip of paper with his palm, thinking about how merely a few hours ago Kayson had dared Nicholas to eat his lunch with the utensils used in the east kingdom Qinhai (it resembled chopsticks). Kayson's cackle seeing Nicholas failing miserably was as punchable as he remembered. It looks like some things have yet to be lost from the body s
"Whatcha thinking about?" Mathew scooched over his chair, gazing languidly at him.
Huey shook his head, "Nothing." He picked up a pencil and began mapping out the layout of the strip of paper. He was making a poster for the upcoming Winter Showcase alongside many other club members. The art club had been tasked with making decorations, banners, posters, and the like for all school festivals. He asked Mathew, "What are you doing?"
"I have to make the decorations, you?"
"Vincent assigned me and some others to brainstorm on poster designs," He tapped the table frustratingly. "But I'm stuck."
"Art block?" Huey nodded and Mathew 'ah'd in understanding. "Hmm, since it's a winter showcase, why not make a winter themed theatre? Or base something off of the play. It's just a draft anyways."
"But isn't that too basic?" He pursed his lips and massaged his chin in thought.
Each year, the Winter Showcase's hosts a series of annual plays directed by the first years assisted by second years. Throughout the festival, each day there will be a new play performed by two classes of first and second years. Each play is also different as the script is entirely made up by the first years resulting in a variety of genres throughout the years. It was made in this way to help aid students in hosting, leadership, directing, and the such for the future when they integrate into high society. For this year, his group's play was a murder mystery dubbed the Whimsical Wandere following two detective siblings who get involved in a grand scheme of crimes blah blah blah romance blah blah blah. Huey didn't recall much; he only briefly went over the script as his job was behind the scenes.
There were some minor roles he could've taken but with the invasion happening during that day he simply didn't have time. Still, he did feel a bit bad for the first years. What should've been a great first and exclusive memory could turn out horrible but it's not like he can alert the teachers now. He had no proof and would only draw hostile attention to him and his friends.
So the next best thing is to quickly conclude it with minimum casualties.
Looking down at the sheet of blank paper Huey lowered his pencil and began sketching something out.
—:･ﾟ✧ —
Vincent eyed Huey down condescendingly. "Huey, this is already your third paper. It's just a draft, you don't need to put so much thought into it." He berated.
"I know I know, but I can't help it." He touched his third paper which he's pretty much also destroyed. It was wrinkled and thin from erasing too much filled with remnant pencil marks of discarded designs.
The other sighed and rubbed his forehead, unsure of what to do. "You could work together with others, it's not just you doing it."
"I doubt they'd want to work with me." He grumbled.
"And I doubt you'd want to make me mad for wasting any more materials."
Huey groaned, slumping onto the table. "Fine, but who'll be my partner?"
"Let's see..." Vincent swept his gaze around the room, many people were already working in pairs and those by themselves were doing different tasks. He then spotted something in the far corner of the room. "Ah, her."
"?" Huey turned around to look at who Vincent was talking about, but he couldn't see anyone.
"She's behind the easel, Chanelia."
"Chanelia Czariesh?"
"Yup."
"Hmm.." Another child of the guard dogs. Seriously, why does he keep getting entangled with the future heads of the knight houses? "Alright." He acquiesced and stood up from his seat, walking towards the girl with strawberry brown hair and garnet eyes.
The girl seemed to be very focused on her poster; she didn't notice Huey walking towards her (or maybe she did but just did not bother to raise her head). Clearing his throat, he successfully got her attention as she turned to greet him.
"May I help you?" She asked, doe-eyes blinking owlishly.
He made a sound of confirmation. "Vincent wants us to work together because I can't think of anything for the sketch."
"Oh, well sure, grab a seat!" She smiled softly and pulled out the stool beside her. Huey took her up on the owner and sat down beside her.
He glimpsed at her paper which was lightly outlined with pencil. "What's your idea?"
She shrugged. "Oh nothing fancy, it's a poster anyways the designs can't be overly flashy lest it distracts from the advertisement."
Huey 'ah'ed and nodded along making a mental note on her words. "Do you need help with anything?"
"Hm what do you think the colours should be?"
Huey pursed his lips and looked at the simple and chic design, he uttered, "I think you should use a Complementary colour scheme, primarily blue and cool colours to emphasise the winter part but add some warmer colours to accentuate the.. Warmth? Joys of the festival? Something like that."
Chanelia beamed, "Ooo I like that." Quickly, she jotted down where each colour should be with Huey piping in with suggestions every now and then. Just like that they were well on their way of finishing their third poster idea when Mathew interrupted them. His head between theirs as he leaned down with a drowsy expression.
"We ran out of wood. Can the two of you go down to the storage and get a couple?" He pleaded with his hands pressed against each other.
Chanelia tilted her head. "Why us?"
"Because everyone else is either too busy, gone, or new. Plus the two of you are almost finished." He explained and Huey rolled his eyes jokingly, knowing that another reason he didn't mention was that the male was too lazy. Most likely staying up late for whatever reasons again.
Huey huffed and stood up. "I can do it."
"I can too." Chanelia stood up as well and grabbed her cardigan from the chair, slipping it on.
"A million thanks." Mathew grinned before ushering them out the room, making instructions along the way. "We only need a couple more, four planks probably and the wood has to be jumas. It should be near the back of storage two."
Repeating the instructions in their heads the duo set off. The storages were at the back of the buildings which was conveniently close to their club room. The only thing separating them spare for a couple turns was the outdoors hallway. Built in a pavilion-like structure with marbles, the two of them walked down the aisle. It was nearly half past six so there were hardly any students still lingering nearby, especially at the back of the school. Their steps synchronised as they made small talk.
"Which play are you doing?" The brunette enquired.
"Whimsical Wanderer, we'll be performing on the last day."
"Lucky, I'm in group one so we have to perform on the first day." She groaned and dropped her head to the side. Huey shook his head in irony, she wouldn't be saying that if only she knew.
"Are you doing any roles?"
"Mhm, but nothing big. All the larger roles are given to the first years. I'm just a village girl, you?"
"I'm a behind the scenes worker."
"A shame, I wanted to see what your acting would look like."
He laughed, "Why would you want to see that?"
"Because you skipped last year's play! You might not know but many people were anticipating what it'd be like me included, you could say you're a bit of a celebrity although the reasons may be.. Infamous."
Huey smiled wryly, if he remembered right he was given the role of a macguffin. The protagonist's cousin who helped introduce them to something that sparked the start of the plot. But because of him suddenly dropping out of production with a mere three days left before performance they had to get rid of that role completely.
"Speaking of the play, is Nicholas not participating this year because of his absence?"
"Not exactly, he was placed in the lighting crew the moment he came back from what I've heard but he isn't exactly a fan."
"Isn't it a bit weird?"
"What is?"
"Nicholas being so... passive?"
"How so?"
"Don't take offence but in the past Nicholas would be solely devoted to you and only you. His family issue is widely known with the Vergis Barony being the most disreputable in society.  Added with him being a bastard child it naturally puts him at a disadvantage to his siblings and a target for others. So having your protection was probably one of the only things he could rely on."
"And your point?"
"My point is that he feels indebted to you so in exchange he basically does everything for you. Whatever you order him to do, he does, it's like he's not even human. A doll."
"..."
She continued. "I'm not sure of the history between you two but it's nice that he's a lot more sociable now but... how do I say this.. I keep getting the feeling that he's a bit restless."
"Restless?"
"He'd sometimes walk in certain directions or do something in a trance but stop himself awkwardly midway. Other times he has this lost look on his face and he keeps tapping his foot on the ground, all body language signifying he's impatient or waiting for something."
"I see." Huey frowned, recalling their first conversation in a lifetime. Could it be that the blonde was waiting for his orders? Although Nicholas did say he will regard that conversation like it never happened it still bothers Huey. He just can't treat someone he regards a friend as a servant, and maybe he needs to ferment that fact clearer. In the first place did Nicholas even regard him and Kayson as friends?? Everytime the three walked together, he noticed Nicholas would always lag behind, always a step behind, behind behind behind, just like in the past. He would sometimes catch the blonde fidgeting, looking antsy, and sometimes even downright ask him if he needed anything.
Eelia, how has he not noticed this before??
'I need to have a word with him.' He concluded, dreading what capricious outlash the blonde could unleash but understanding the necessity of it.
Their conversation had reverted back to peaceful small talk even after they retrieved the planks as planned. Huey pushed open the door with his body, both arms occupied. Chanelia muttered a thanks before exiting, carrying planks of her own.
She then stopped dead in her tracks, eyes locked into the distance outside the hallway.
"What's wrong?" Huey went beside her and looked in the same direction, only to freeze and make a similar face as her. Shock.
'Why the fuck is Celine wall slamming the prince?!!'
The poor dude looked terrified too, his golden eyes stretched wide and his pale face gradually turning redder as the embarrassment set in.
Huey and Chanelia turned to each other at the same time, a look of mutual understanding crossing their faces.
For their sake and for the prince's dignity, they never saw anything.
—:･ﾟ✧ —
He laid awake in his bed glaring into the wall in frustration. The time laid unknown, he guessed it to be around two or three in the morning. Huey rolled in his bed, restless and irritably energised. The random bouts of insomnia was horrible for his mind as he laid on his back, arms outstretched, and large bloody eyes stared up at the ceiling.
The night was mundane, empty, and blank. Even quiet if not for the fact Kayson was snoring, but that's beside the point. Juxtaposed to the night's serenity his mind was like a tempest. There was no eye of the storm amidst those clouds and there were no alarms to warn him beforehand. His brain stayed stuck on the conversation he and Chanelia had and the realisation that came with it. Hanging on to that topic like barbed wire over cliffs.
The deal needed to be broken off as soon as possible. Huey knew and wanted that, he didn't feel happy about the current predicament and he should've nipped it a long time ago. He knew that, but he was also scared. The blonde's reaction the first time was far from accepting, he was outraged. It was the first time he's seen him so upset at him since back then, the memories, static.
He couldn't remember the reason, but he had broken off all ties with Nicholas, leaving him to fend for himself without any protection from others and his family, like releasing a newborn deer or an injured animal into the capricious wilderness.
The memories were hazy, but some parts remained nightmarishly clear.
First there was denial, then distraught, questioning, anger, begging, and sorrow. Nicholas' hands clung onto him but he ruthlessly ripped away, stalking into the distance. Not looking back even once. Not feeling an ounce of regret until years after his death. Nothing. Could he even be hardly called a human then? It was sociopathic with fine grounded dust sprinkled on top by the devil. For being so cruel to one of the only people to ever help him, Huey wanted to slap the him of the past.
"Nicholas trusted us!" He would say.
"He confided in us, told us his darkest secrets, his pain, his weakness, and we remembered every single detail of it!" He would say.
"We know he's afraid of abandonment, we've been there when he would wake up in cold sweats from nightmares of his mother. And yet you would choose such a harsh method to leave?!" He would yell, but those were merely heavy rues. He could never redeem himself in that timeline, not then, and not now. Atonement was a fickle thing, one could feel like they've cleared their sins but the victims may still suffer and one's victims may forgive them but what to do if the sinner were to never forgive themselves?
"He was crying. Why—"
"Why didn't I look back, not even once?" He whispered into nothing in particular, eyelids fluttering close. He was met with tears, ones that were not his.
—:･ﾟ✧ —
"Is there a particular reason you've asked me to come here?" Nicholas peered down from atop the clocktower, his back facing Huey.
"I want to end our deal."
Like a trigger, time seemed to slow with those words. Bird songs were drowned out and the wind did not feel as intense. Nicholas remained still and as the seconds ticked by Huey could feel his mind ware down. Slowly, the other turned around with a solemn expression.
"This again? I thought I told you the conversation never happened."
He stood his ground. "We can't pretend what is isn't there. This deal is flawed and I want it gone."
"If the deal's gone I'm as good as gone too!" Nicholas snapped, and his mouth slowly etched into a mocking grin.
"..."
"You want to know why I was absent for so long? Because of my brother's poison attempt." He sneered and raised his arms into a shrug, his shoulders shaking from small laughter. "A 'harmful' prank, he said, a prank which had me vomiting out blood for weeks. It felt like one of those days I would cough and instead of blood it would be my innards that came out, and you want to know what my parents did?" His green eyes made contact with crimson pupils.
Nicholas smiled, "Nothing. My own parents did nothing. Father was drunk, off fucking a prostitute in brothels again and my own mother did not cast a single glance at me during my recovery. During that time I sent you letters, tried to contact you, in an attempt to inform you of my situation and even possibly have my symptoms diagnosed. But you never responded. It's true his grace might have intercepted them but why haven't you sent me anything? Did you know how scared I was? I wasn't scared of death, I wasn't scared of pain. I was scared that I've become useless, that you've discarded me just like my family."
"I would never—"
"Then where were you?! Where were you when I was waiting for a single piece of news from you, anything to prove I still held worth to you?" He screamed, his chest heaving up and down, Nicholas' voice desperate and demanding.
"I..." Huey clenched his fist, crescent dents forming on his palm from how hard his fingers dug into his hand, any further and it'd draw blood.
"And now you want to break off the deal, the only thing that's kept me alive for the past three years. The only thing keeping me from getting murdered in my sleep by assasins hired by my own family."
Huey shoved down the barrage of guilt and regret that threatened to spill over.  "I just don't want my friend to be my servant."
"But I'm not! I'm helping you because you're helping me! How hard is it to understand?!"
"My authority can't protect you forever."
"But it currently is. I'm weak, I hardly have any weight to my name, and a single command from a toddler of higher status could have me beheaded. You on the other hand do, you could make me powerful, you promised."
And he did. He did make that promise, alongside that protection he'd help Nicholas obtain power... but has he really kept that part of the deal? He looked at the state of the blonde, has Nicholas truly gotten a fraction of what he wished? He doubts it. If people were to fear or respect the male it was never for his own efforts but for Huey's interference. The promise in and of itself was a teenage impulse in the first place, driven by pride. How could he have hoped to help someone grow in power when his own authority was of measly influence in the long term? Fear could garner respect, power, but could it garner beneficial connections? In many people's eyes, riches and virtue are the most important for nobles, but they're wrong. Even amongst the monarchy and clergy, connections are a prime factor to one's success. In high society words were the weapons and you needed the right connections to obtain said words, to spread them, and to support them.
Huey made firm eye contact with Nicholas, his mind resolute and his voice steady. "And I will, but not like this." The other's dialogue paused, green eyes flashed with a hint of skepticism. "I'll give you power, but in a different way. I'll help you as a friend, not a master nor someone you should feel indebted to." He placed a palm over his chest.
"That, I promise."