The Villain Reborn as Game's Final Boss

Chapter 280: Missed Him [3]

Days turned into months, and then a year had passed, with no hope of being able to see Kael again.

The atmosphere in the house had begun to stabilize, at least on the surface level.

Alicia’s father had always been busy with his duties, so he never seemed to be affected by Kael’s absence.

The one who had been the most affected was Alicia’s mother... the duchess of House Frost.

Being the last one to talk with Kael, Alicia knew her mother couldn’t help but keep regretting everything that she had said to him.

For her mother, the very words she had said to Kael were the main reason behind his disappearance.

Duchess Alia had stopped eating food for many days, resulting in her health deteriorating.

But somehow Victoria had consoled her and managed to bring the situation under control.

Though Alicia didn’t know the specifics of what they had discussed, she had a fair idea that Victoria would have talked out her real thoughts before their mother, resulting in her getting back on track.

On the outside, Victoria had now become far more like a closed book that you couldn’t read through, no matter how much you try.

But Alicia knew that her sister was still the same, just with a more mature personality added to her existing traits.

After turning fifteen, Alicia had nearly stopped thinking about Kael... not because she had forgotten him, but due to the responsibilities that were placed on her.

Since birth, she had a decent talent, so her father would keep involving her in everything related to the house.

Managing politics had become a daily thing for Alicia.

Still, whenever she had some free time, Alicia would end up visiting Kael’s room, only to find it devoid of any warmth.

It felt cold... like visiting a stranger’s room, but no matter how much she tried to suppress it, Alicia would cry while sitting on Kael’s bed, thinking about her brother’s current situation.

The only thing that she hoped for was that he would at least be safe wherever he was.

Even if he didn’t return to them, Alicia just wanted her brother to be... alive.

Another year had soon passed, with Alicia turning sixteen years of age.

She had matured quite a bit, leading to many proposals being presented to the Duke, asking for her hand in marriage.

But Alicia rejected all of them.

She didn’t want to commit herself to anyone for a long time, at least until her family had returned to being normal again.

Alicia didn’t want to leave them, knowing that her mother would always cry by herself.

Even her father, despite showing a cold side, had a different kind of warmth to him.

Alicia knew that Kael’s disappearance would have been troubling him too, but on the outside the Duke didn’t show even the slightest hint of his emotions.

Still, even after everything that had happened, Diana would visit her from time to time, and that would be the only time when Alicia would act like her older self again.

Though both of them would try their best not to raise any topic related to Kael, as that would always end up making their emotional states unstable again.

Victoria had already been admitted to the academy, resulting in her not being there with them, so Alicia and Diana were left with each other’s company.

Though Kevin would force himself into their discussions from time to time, even his visits were limited, as he had a lot of stuff to do as the heir to the house.

Still... Alicia knew that Kevin was managing everything quite decently; after all, Father never complained about him.

Or the more accurate thing to say would have been that her father had learned his lesson.

Kevin was never burdened with his duties, but still he would try his best to live up to the title of being the heir.

Alicia had now adapted to her everyday routine, and soon she turned seventeen.

Attending the academy was something that Alicia had always dreamed of, but since the last three years, that dream had long been forgotten by her.

Still... being the talents that they were, both Alicia and Kevin had gotten permission to be admitted to the academy at an early age.

As Diana was going to attend the academy in the same year, Alicia had decided to do the same, or else there was no need for her to enter the academy a year earlier.

Still... Alicia hoped that her time at the academy would somehow wash away all her troubles and that after her graduation she would once again enjoy her life.

At least those were her thoughts at the entrance ceremony, and fate... it had somehow managed to go along with her words.

The second-ranked student at the academy was none other than Noah, who had now become a close member of their group.

Being from a common background, Noah had achieved something that no one else had in the history of Jutan.

At the mere age of eighteen years, he had become a Silver 2, and that too with the limited amount of resources that he had at his disposal.

That itself was a shocking thing, along with his high score on the entrance test.

But another shock soon hit the audience, as the student who was ranked first had a perfect score on his test, something that looked like an illusion to many.

But the one who had been the most affected by the announcement was none other than Alicia.

The moment the headmaster had announced Kael’s name, Alicia’s heart began to beat at a pace that made her hear the heartbeats.

She had subconsciously held her breath, waiting for Kael to appear, and then—

The door to the auditorium opened as Kael stepped in.

He had changed quite a lot in the years since his disappearance, as his build had become a lot more muscular.

But more than that, Alicia was easily able to see that the Kael before her was no longer her older brother, at least not on the surface.

The way in which he walked was full of confidence in himself, along with his eyes, which held some sort of unbreakable pride within them.

But despite everything, Alicia couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.

Even when she had believed that she had forgotten her brother, reality hit her the moment she saw his face.

Alicia—

She had missed him a lot.