Time flew by, and the time for Damian to return to the academy came too fast. We decided to spend a whole day together before he had to go, starting with a cheery breakfast and plans for the rest of the day. 

“Say, shall we go skating? We haven’t done that in a while.”

“Sounds good. I bet you’re still clumsy as a goose, not like those ladies they call swans.”

“If I’m a goose, what are you? A chicken?”

Damian laughed, a musical sound that couldn’t have made his status as a male lead any more obvious. His flattery in public and the teasing reserved only for those close to him, not forgetting his face, were what made him so charming, and what would earn him his name as a playboy. 

We finished breakfast and headed towards the small lake behind the castle, hand in hand, our servants carrying our skates. On the way there, we met a certain individual that was more than happy to see my brother, but whose warmth went unanswered. 

“Damian, you haven’t come to see me at all! I thought you forgot about me, and I was so hurt!”

Kyle ran to greet us and tried to embrace Damian, unsuccessfully, as he crashed straight into a magic barrier. He took a few steps back, wincing and massaging his head. Damian removed the barrier with a flick of his hand and snorted. 

“Oh, right, you exist. Who are you again?”

“Just your only friend in the world, no big deal.”

“I don’t recall being friends with a mage that doesn’t know to protect himself instinctually. First lesson at the academy, remember?”

“Of course I do! But not everyone is as coldhearted as you, and I got excited. Who would expect you to block out your best friend!”

Damian shook his head, sighing, but he couldn’t keep back a smile. From what he told me of his days at the academy, Kyle was truly his friend, and they cared about each other immensely. I was happy for my brother to have someone like him. 

Kyle spotted me and grinned. We weren’t that close, though I had seen him a few times with Damian, and he had the manners to kiss the back of my hand. 

“Good to see you again, Lady Valentina. In a few days, Damian will be all mine, and complaining about how he misses you.”

I laughed. No matter what, Kyle had a good-natured demeanor, and I could see why my brother liked him. On the other hand, Damian scowled. 

“Leave my sister alone. It’s bad enough she’s betrothed, at least it’s not to a bastard like you. Let’s go, Val.”

Though my parents and I had discussed with Damian about my betrothal, and he had reluctantly agreed not to be too upset, he clearly wasn’t very happy. Kyle looked genuinely surprised and slightly injured, unused to this side of him. 

That wouldn’t do. In the novel, Damian threw away his life for the female lead, but I wasn’t about to let him do that to his best friend for me. Besides, Kyle was funny. 

“We’re going skating, Lord Kyle. Do you want to come with us?”

“Absolutely! You’re the best, Lady Valentina. No wonder Damian loves you so much.”

That comment didn’t make Damian’s glower any better. He took my arm for attention. 

“Do we have to? Can’t it just be us?”

“Please? He’s your friend. I want you to be nice to him.”

“Fine, only for you. And stop looking at me like that.”

I had activated the irresistible pleading gaze Mother taught me without even noticing. I nodded, smirking, knowing that I had him wrapped around my fingers. 

Kyle went with his servant to get his skates and we started for the lake once more. We reached it before Kyle came back, and it was a beautiful sight, sunlight reflecting off of the frozen water. A few other aristocrats were also there, but the lake was big enough for that. 

A figure, graceful as the swans Damian had mentioned, danced on the ice. It wasn’t anything fancy like the figure skaters of my past life, but the mere elegance many couldn’t maintain off land. She was definitely a most noble girl. 

The girl glided towards us, and I quickly realized she was familiar. 

“Delilah! Hello!” 

“Good morning, Valentina!”

Delilah came to an easy stop at the edge of the ice. Her cheeks were a little flushed from skating, but she retained her usual composure. 

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to clear my head so I can be more productive. Ah, I see you’re with Lord Damian. Good morning.”

Damian kissed her gloved hand, and when he looked up at her, it was with a different disposition. He offered the prettiest of flattery, out of pure politeness and nature, a glimpse into the beginning of his career as a womaniser. 

“Good morning, Lady Delilah. You are as beautiful as I remember, and the finest emerald could not match your entrancing eyes.”

“Why, thank you very much.”

Delilah smiled, and I saw with wonder that it was a real smile, though she normally showed it to no one but me and Annalise. They carried on while I watched with stunned interest. 

“You are currently attending the academy, Lord Damian?”

“Yes, I’m leaving in a few days. Are you planning to go?”

“I start this September. What is it like?”

“It’s fairly wonderful. With your intelligence, you’ll be its pride.”

“I hope to live up to that. What courses are you taking?”

They hadn’t talked much before, but as this conversation went on, a fabulous idea began taking form in my mind. 

Delilah Finley, the talented future Duchess Finley, and Damian Avington, genius mage and son of the grand duke. They were the smartest people my age I knew, and they would be a match made in heaven. Delilah and House Finley would be even closer to us, while Damian would have someone else to obsess over. I couldn’t satisfy his romantic desires, but a perfect lady like Delilah surely could. 

“... it’s a pity you won’t be going to the academy, Valentina.”

My friend’s voice interrupted my plotting and I blinked as I grasped that their chat was over. 

“Hm? Oh, I prefer staying close to my parents.”

“That is an advantage. Well, I feel thoroughly refreshed, so I think I’ll head back now and try to get some work done. It was nice seeing both of you, goodbye.” 

Damian extended a hand to help her off the ice. He smiled again, and could that possibly be a faint blush I saw on Delilah’s face? The deal was sealed with his farewell. 

“I look forward to meeting you at the academy, Lady Delilah. I hope we can become good friends.”

As Damian and I strode away, I turned my head back and met Delilah’s eyes. We shared a knowing glance, before she turned away, and so did I, giggling. 

Finally, my brother and I put on our skates and walked onto the ice. We knew the basics, but we went slowly, since neither of us were that great. My teasing started as soon as we were stably drifting on the ice. 

“Aww, you liked Delilah an awful lot, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about? It was because she was your friend.”

Damian’s gaze wandered distractedly, as if he really hadn’t thought of the consequences of mindlessly charming Delilah. He peered at me. 

“Are you jealous?”

“No. A marriage alliance between us and House Finley would be beneficial, you know.”

“Isn’t it enough that you’re betrothed? Don’t try to marry me off too.”

I sighed, but I couldn’t blame him, because he didn’t know our fate if we stayed the way we were. As I had learned from my eighteen failed years with the parents of my past life, the attempt to rationalize must begin with mutual understanding, so that was what I tried to do. 

“Why don’t you want me to be betrothed?”

“I don’t know. You’re too young.”

“It’s a betrothal, not an engagement, and Mother and Father don’t have a problem with it. Honestly, think about it, and tell me.”

He remained quiet, and I almost thought he’d forgotten the question. At last, he replied hesitantly. 

“We used to be so close when we were little, but you stopped paying attention to me as you got older, and I just let you go because I thought it was normal for siblings. Until this summer, when you started coming around like you used to, and I realized how much I’d missed you, even more so at the academy. Now, you suddenly got betrothed and you want me to be too, it feels like I’m losing you all over again.”

Sweet, sweet, communication. It never ceased to amaze me how many problems could be resolved in romance fantasies and the world if people communicated. I silently vowed to always do this and to never allow any misunderstandings. 

I squeezed my brother’s hand. I couldn’t fully comprehend what he was feeling, because before I realized the origin of my strange memories, I had also thought it was natural for siblings to grow apart, and I wouldn’t have done anything to fix that. All I knew was I didn’t want to lose him either. 

“Damian, I’ll always be your sister, no matter what, and I promise nothing will change that or what we have now. We still have our own lives, but if anything tries to come between us, we can just destroy it, right?”

He laughed, relieved, and I did too, imagining the female lead being torn apart with his magic. Damian tried to hug me, but he slipped and we both fell over, sliding on the ice and giggling. We tried to get up and failed miserably. 

“Did you start without me? Ha, serves you right.”

Kyle had gotten back, standing beside the frozen lake with an amused look. 

“All right, all right, I’m sorry, my one best friend in the world. Help us, won’t you? Try that new hovering spell we wrote.”

Damian was smiling, and my darling brother was back. Charming, funny, sane, and so incredibly dear to me. I smiled, knowing we were going to have a fantastic last day.