System: The Villainess Supporting Character Learns To Let Go

“Hey! What's wrong with your cousin today?” 

Heather, Sienne’s closest friend, was invited to the birthday party. And being the best friend that she was, she was ready to jump into a battle with Maevie whom she knew would make trouble for her bestie in every way possible.  But the person seemed to have pulled out a different character play than before. 

Before, whenever there was a party or gathering, Maevie would make herself the centre of attention. She would wear the most extravagant dress that screams of attention and went from guest to guest and talk as though she was the guest of honor. 

But today, she was just standing beside the Cacias quietly as they greeted the guests. Her dress was simple yet elegant and did not take away attention from Mrs. Cacia. 

It was not only Heather, but all those who had even a minute understanding of what type of person Maevie was. They were puzzled with her change of behavior. 

“Don’t know. She’s been acting weird for some time.” Sienne answered. 

She had been observing the older girl since the day before. Along with the rest of the family.

What the Cacia family feared would happen, never did even after Maevie was seated opposite to Sienne during dinner. Nor did she make a rude comment when Sienne gifted her mother a painting she had made by herself as a gift.

And seconds turned to minutes, and then minutes to hours, the rest of the Cacia family who were walking on the egg shell finally let out their breath as they acknowledged, wholeheartedly this time. That Maevie Oz, the girl who used to be ignorant and rude to those who did not do as she wished, had changed for good. 

All but her. Sienne Grace Cacia. 

During the nine years she had separated from her real family, Sienne learned more about the world and the ways to survive than a normal 16 years would. And when she returned to her real family, she was happy to have a big family and even wanted to be close to Maevie.

But the other girl felt threatened by her and started to make things difficult for her in every step. For Sienne who had seen the worst of the world, her attempts were mere child’s play. She turned every bit of her action into her advantage and made herself even more pitiful in the eyes of others. 

And it really helped that Maevie was very ignorant and childish, easy to provoke.  

She had seen how much of a nuisance Maevie could be. So, she was very skeptical about this sudden change of hers. But for now, she chose to ignore her presence as much as the other was doing hers. After all, she would eventually know what type of dish the girl was cooking this time. 

Like that, the first interaction of Maevie and Sienne after the big event went without anything happening other than the two ignoring the other’s existence. 

“Do you think she's up to something?” Asked Heather. 

“Don’t know.” Replied Sienne. “But whatever she had planned, I won’t fall for it.”

“Hmm!” The friend nodded. “Don’t let your guard down.” 

Then she added, 

“Oh! And don’t drink anything.”

Sienne smiled at the caring nature of her friend before she promised to be careful. 

But soon, the arrival of a person caught her attention. The person was tall and radiant. In Sienne's eyes, it was as if everyone around them had turned to a backdrop. It was only him and her.