Changing the Envious Villainess's Fate!

Chapter 21 {UNEDITED}

I am oldest son of the Alpin family, Elliot Alpin. My father took me to the Royal Castle many times in my youth, as he was chancellor to the King. As such, I had many opportunities to interact with people, more specifically, the Grand Duke's son and the two princes.

The Grand Duke's son, Kian Von Everett, was most notable out of the three. Compared to the princes, he was always happy and joyous. Not once could you see sadness in his eyes. He loved his little sister to his core, much like me. He even stated that he would never give away his sister to any bugs, the bugs being men asking for his sister's hand in marriage.

It was a year prior that the two princes, whom I had known from childhood, began to change.

Lukas, the Second Crown Prince, and his incessantly perfect fake smile. His eyes only showed boredom, filled full with emptiness. However, he said that he had found "something most interesting", and then, he smiled. It was a smile very different from the one he was fond of showing. And with time, he changed, slowly but surely. His false smile slowly disappeared, in its place was a bright joy.

Then, there was Lukas' brother, the Third Prince, Alan. He often compared himself to Lukas, and hated him with every bit of his body. His desperation only seemed to bring him pain. Even Alan, however, changed as well. It was as if his burdens were lifted right off his shoulders. He stopped undermining himself. Instead, he put effort into his musical talents, and almost overnight, he was said to be a prodigy of music.

The most surprising change, was that Lukas and Alan communicated normally. Alan no longer despised Lukas as he once did. Those in the castle were shocked, even bewildered, by this sudden change of attitude between them.

The reason for this profound change still remained a mystery. However, if the rumors were to be believed, both of them frequent a place known as the Everett estate, Kian's manor. It was said that their newfound bond and changes had come from there.

I believed that Kian was the one that had changed them. However, there was a part of me saying that it was not him that had caused the changes, but someone else entirely...

As for myself, I felt pressured to find a fiancée as soon as possible, to succeed my father as the next chancellor. So much, that I suggested my father to hold a gathering to find a potential partner for me, which would be disguised as a tea party.

My father agreed to this after much deliberation. However, he had one condition. It was to bring my sister with me to the event.

My sister, Eliza Alpin, is a gentle and loveable girl. Although, she does stand out. With her skin covered in black spots, she was exposed to the cruel remarks of society. They would gaze upon her with judgement and disgust, and even went so far as to claim she was a "cursed" child.

Because of this, she never went outside of the manor, cooping herself up in her room. I know better than anyone that their heartless words had gotten to her, which caused such behavior. For years, she stayed like that. Wanting to hide away from the world's view.

I understood how my sister felt, so I tried to ask of my father to not make her accompany me to the party. However..

"You must remember that you and Eliza are different in age and gender, so you will not be able to always stay by her side and protect her. She has to learn how to defend herself. Since many noble children will be there, I am sure she will find some friends."