30 Jan 2023, 00:42
Foundation for Chaos
December 25TH
Opeila was furious. Almost as furious as she had been in summer when suddenly her grandfather and her dead half-sister's father showed up in the entrance hall of the manor, without Opeila being prepared whatsoever. She had not gotten the chance to speak to Hilja since the party ended, but the morning after, Opeila forced herself out of bed early to catch the woman before breakfast.
Her plan worked. Hilja seemed very surprised when Opeila awaited her in the kitchen at 7 am, which was usually the time for her to spend half an hour by herself until everyone else woke up. But she rolled with it, asked one of the house elves to make two cups of tea instead of one and sat across from Opeila at the counter. "I have a feeling I don't need to be a seer to guess why you are here.", she opened the conversation, once the tea was served.
Opeila glared at her adopted mother. "With all due respect, is it really that impossible to pay me the respect of giving me the chance to prepare for life changing events or announcements you just decide to make?", she asked, with all calmness she could muster. Hilja sighed. A year ago, she would have surely scolded Opeila for daring to speak to her this way. Generally, there seemed to have been a shift in the way Opeila was treated.
She was no longer scolded for speaking her mind... but she was also not told a lot of things anymore. Was this their idea of damage minimization? "We have deemed it a lower risk to keep you uninformed, yes." Opeila pressed her lips together, waiting for her to continue. "This is for our and your own good and we won't have you jeopardize it. We decided not to give you the time to plan to act up in any way."
"Well, you messed it up." Now she got a sharp look from Hilja, a warning not to take it too far. "What are you talking about?" "What would you do if I told you now that I had a perfectly suitable boyfriend?" Hilja stared at her, almost a little alarmed now. It seemed she wasn't sure what to say at first. "Who?", she finally asked.
"Alec Mason."
Alec Mason.
Alec Mason?
ALEC MASON?!
For Merlin's sake, what was she doing?
Opeila had blurted out the name with a confidence level that surprised her too, but without even thinking. Alec had been invited to the party the day before. The Virtanens knew him. How could she be so stupid?
Hilja stared at her, seemingly at a loss of words once more. "Mason? Why didn't you tell us, for the love of Merlin, Opeila?! This was something we should have known before announcing your betrothal!" Something like a laugh escaped the young Slytherin. "I'm a seer, not a damn mind reader! I had no idea you were going to announce this, remember?", she answered.
Hilja rested one arm on the counter, her hands clasping the cup before her. "Right... We will not cancel this. We will let the betrothal continue for now and cancel it in time if the thing with Mason is truly serious. And we will communicate with you from now on, under the condition that you don't mess it up again. You hear me? If you make any attempts to intervene with our plans, you are not included in them anymore."
Opeila nodded slowly, clasping her own almost too hot cup as well. There was a lot to ponder now. A cardhouse lie like it was in the books... There was no way that this wasn't going to blow up into her own face. What had she done?
