Arcturus wondered why Mebsuta would go out of her way to instill doubt and despair into him. It would never work as he'd never turn his back on Nova. Her efforts were pointless, yet she persisted.
What amazed him the most was how fast Mebsuta ran because he lost sight of her instantaneously. Polaris managed to catch up to him. They kept following the path that she took in hopes of catching sight of her along the way.
The green filtered world had returned when Mebsuta stopped the first memory, so they were back treading through it. Passing souls were still wandering about and they paid no attention to them. Arcturus's mind was filled with thoughts about the memory he had witnessed. He wondered why Mebsuta had shown him that memory. What sort of purpose did it have? It made him wonder what others she would show to them.
He then turned to Polaris. "Do you sense Nova's presence anywhere?"
"I sense a very faint presence. We're definitely heading in the right direction."
Silence grew between them as they walked. Arcturus didn't like it, so he thought about some questions he could start up a conversation with. He chose the one that nagged at him the most.
"Why do you think Mebsuta showed that memory to us?"
"To show us that Nova had disappointed her. She had initially believed them to be something she can use for her own ambitions, but her idealization of him and what he presented himself to be different. It's to show herself in a tragic light to you in hopes that you'd be swayed by her blight."
"Is that so?"
"I've seen through Mebsuta's memories due to Souhait, so I know what her life is like."
"I see…"
"So, tell me, Arcturus: Are you swayed? Do you believe she's right?"
"She could be, but I don't think she is. Everyone's got their own opinions. Hers was due to her own high expectations. She loved her grandmother, so she chose to believe in something that was basically the last thing she had to relish that last bit of connection. The way she's in this realm of despair shows that she's given up in some ways."
Polaris could only chuckle at his response, making Arcturus confused. "What's so funny?"
"You have an interesting mindset and it amuses me."
"Is that so?" Arcturus wondered what made him so amusing when he was just speaking his mind.
Polaris then asked an abrupt question: "By the way, do you know who Mebsuta's great-grandmother is?"
"Great-grandmother?"
"The woman from that memory was Penelope Leonis, the founder of Sirius."
"The founder?" While the reveal was surprising, it also made sense given that Penelope knew about Souhait. This was also why Mebsuta had such profound knowledge about Nova.
"Yes, Penelope Leonis is the founder and a friend of both Souhait and Nova." Mebsuta responded as she appeared behind Arcturus, startling him.
"Their friend?" A perplexed Arcturus turned to Polaris. Polaris only responded by giving him a defeated nod. Arcturus turned back to stare at Mebsuta and guarded himself. "I've told you plenty of times that I won't be swayed by your words. Why are you mentioning this to me?"
Mebsuta hung her head low. "My great-grandmother was everything to me. She was my sanctuary from the cruel world that was the rest of my family. She told me stories about the lavender dragon and Nova. When I learned that she used to be friends with them, it only fueled my desire to find him and have him meet her. Unfortunately, it was only wishful thinking as it's customary for the Leonis family to never leave the city. My great-grandmother passed away and I was left alone chasing after a fairy tale…"
There were still a few things nagging at Arcturus, but he decided to go with the one that piqued him the most. "How were you able to get Nova to come to this island if you couldn't leave?"
Mebsuta only responded with a finger to her lips. "How about I show you through my memories? Maybe this way, you can change your mind."
Before Arcturus could protest that nothing would change his mind about Nova, he quickly realized the area changed. Once again, he and Polaris were in the familiar bedroom. He saw a figure sitting on the edge of the bed as they placed a gentle hand on the cover. Although it was too dark to tell who it was, Arcturus knew it was Mebsuta.
"Grandmother…" the young Mebsuta whispered.
Arcturus could hear the sadness in her voice. The sound of a soft click resonated in his ears as the room illuminated. A stern-looking woman that resembled an older Mebsuta glared at the young girl.
"How many times do I have to tell you to not enter Penelope's room?"
"Mo-Lady Mayor," she caught her tongue before she could fumble even more words. "Please let me do what I want when I am taking a break."
"Well, your break time is almost over. It's almost time for your economics lessons. Come."
"Yes." She stood up with a straight and poised posture and headed out the room. She stopped to turn around to look at it once more before turning off the lights and closing the door.
There was silence between them as Mebsuta walked behind her mother who was busy walking ahead and greeting all the maids and butlers that they passed by. Mebsuta did the same, albeit stiffly. At the end of the hall resided an elevator which they both entered. Once the doors closed, they stood side by side, causing the silence to grow in the enclosed space. She glanced over at her mother before gluing her eyes at the doors.
"Mebsuta."
"Yes, Lady Mayor?"
"Tomorrow, a friend of mine from the mainland will be arriving in Sirius. She'll be bringing her son. I hope that you'll get along with him."
"I will…" A few seconds later, her eyes lowered themselves to the ground.
While he couldn't hear her thoughts, he could tell Mebsuta's life seemed like a suffocating one. He couldn't imagine living a life like hers–he would absolutely hate it. He felt blessed that while his grandparents were well-off, they did not dictate his life.
"Mebsuta's life was never her own," Polaris explained. "She was born and raised to become the next mayor after her mother Carina–it's a generational thing for all the female members of the Leonis family since Penelope Leonis founded Eternally and created the isolated city of Sirius."
"Aren't I pitiful?" Mebsuta asked.
"Yes, but not enough to earn points from me."
Focusing back on the memory, Arcturus realized it had jumped ahead and now he was in a large unfamiliar room where the young Mebsuta was just idling in her room. A knock was heard. When Mebsuta allowed the guest to enter, Arcturus noticed the person entering to be a younger version of Margaret.
That's right. Margaret and Carina are sisters…but they don't look alike. Are they half-siblings?
"The guests are arriving. Carina wants you present at the entrance."
Annoyed at the request, she stood up after sighing. "Fine…"
When she left her room, Arcturus noticed that she wasn't as poised when walking with Margaret compared to Carina. He could see a slight slouch in her posture. She kept glancing at her aunt before clearing her throat to speak.
"Could you tell me about the guests?"
"We are expecting two guests. One is Stellar Alhague who has been friends with Carina for a long time as Penelope and Stellar's great-grandmother knew each other. It's a generational friendship of sorts. The Alhague and Leonis family always have a connection to each other."
"What about the second guest?"
"I was told it's Stellar's son. However, I wasn't aware she had one until recently."
"How old is this son of hers?"
"I believe he's the same age as you."
Mebsuta just scoffed. "I bet Lady Mayor is probably going to arrange for us to get married seeing how I'll need a successor once I become mayor. But to marry someone from the prestigious Alhague family? Carina is truly aiming high."
"It's been like that for every generation of the Leonis family, regardless of gender. In the case of Penelope, her only child was your grandfather who married into the Mathis family and that's why we have a connection with them to this day."
"Because Carina was the most suited to be mayor, which was why she changed her surname from Mathis to Leonis once she became an adult, right?"
"Yes…" The elevator opened and the two entered.
"And when Carina was born, she was betrothed to Father who tried to get out of his situation by impregnating another woman, but it was a futile attempt as the marriage still happened and the baby was handed over to Father just in case if Mother needed another successor–that baby was you, Margaret."
Arcturus saw the younger Margaret's eye twitch but her face was still stoic. "I'm impressed you remember all of this."
"Carina expects the best out of me, after all. I have to remember everything and everyone in this complex family of ours. I need to know the history and connection between everyone, immediate and distant."
When the elevator reached the ground floor, Mebsuta stretched out her back, giving herself that poised pose from before. When the doors opened, she stepped out with her nose held high. The maids and butlers greeted her. In the corner of her eye, she noticed a man staring at her while holding the hand of a boy a few years younger than her. She only gave them a quick glance before staring straight back at the hallway as Carina was in full view. Without any words, she stopped walking after standing next to her mother.
Two butlers opened the door to let in a woman and a young boy around her age. Arcturus took a good look at both of them. Despite his knowledge of the Alhague family, he had no prior knowledge of Stellar Alhague. Still, he knew she was a member of such a distinguished family due to the color of her eyes. The Alhague family were known for their silver eyes–it was a trademark of sorts. The young boy with her had gray eyes. While they weren't as mesmerizing as his mother's, Arcturus could tell who this boy was just by looking at those murky eyes.
He leaned towards Polaris's ear and whispered, "That's Asteria's father, right? He has the same eye color as Bellatrix."
"Yes." The sight of the boy caused Polaris to have an unusually disgruntled face. It did not suit a man of his refinement, so it surprised Arcturus.
"What's wrong?"
"That boy…Ras…had become a man who caused great harm to Masters Nova and Souhait."
Hearing those words instilled caution into Arcturus. "How so?"
"Twenty years ago, he found Master Nova who was hiding in the woods in Plasma and burned his cottage down so he would have to force him to come with him. It did cause a great amount of stress to Master Nova as he had built that house with his own hands in order to live in solitude."
The next thing Arcturus knew, he had a hand around Mebsuta's neck.