Extra 3: A Girl Called Angie

A crowd gathered at the Capital's center for the daily free meal. Thanks to the hard work of Caldwell and Gonza, they were able to find financial resources that were going to waste and put them towards providing a balanced meal for anyone who desired it. The Odalis Kingdom was operating smoother than ever, partly due to their joint effort, but also due to their boss who loomed over them like an ominous cloud.

Cyrus would usually give them a long list to accomplish within the day, and if for any reason they didn't succeed in completing it, he would subject them to an illusion that neither enjoyed. After that, they were more than willing to follow along.

As everyone lined up to get their meals, a young girl with silver-blonde hair walked through the crowd holding a tiny toddler who shared the same hair as her. Her face no longer held the joyful expression it once had and looked as though it had aged significantly overnight. Under the intense rays of the sun, her expression even looked gloomy.

A panther demon walked past her with a bright smile on his face and a tail swishing around happily. The two were complete opposites. One was as bright and cheerful as the morning sun, but the other was cynical and dispirited like a ghost in the night. As they passed by each other, a breeze whistled between them carrying over a familiar smell. Once the smell hit his nose, Bale slowly faced the girl, his smile abruptly falling as he stared at her in shock.

In a daze, he saw a half-demon girl with black hair covering half of her face. 

"Lovi!" Bale reached out to grab her, his breath catching in his throat, "Is that really you-"

As soon as he touched her, the black hair turned silver and the pure dark eyes lightened up. The girl turned to him, "Sorry, Mister. I think you have me confused with someone."

Bale blinked slowly, his eyes not wanting to believe the truth. "Y-You…You're Lovi, aren't you?"

She tossed off his arm while still holding the toddler, "My name is Angie. Not Lovi."

"O-Oh… I thought…"

Angie narrowed her eyes at him before acknowledging him, "Oh, I recognize you."

His expression brightened, "Y-You do!?"

"You were the one who came to help us at the Academy when everyone got separated while running away."

"O-Oh… Yeah." He blinked a few more times before his gaze dropped to the baby in her arms. He was sucking on his thumb, staring up at Bale with an innocent look in his eyes. "T-This… Is your son?"

Her lip curled in disgust, "My half-brother."

"O-Oh.." He let out an awkward laugh, "So that means you don't have a husband."

"I'm only 14, perv." 

"Ah! Wait! I didn't mean it like that-"

With an indignant scoff, she walked away from him and joined the line to get her meal. Bale suddenly returned to his senses and scratched his head in embarrassment. He returned back to his job, his tail limp from his shame.

I yawned as I held Cyrus's hand while he helped pass out the meals. Seeing Bale return to us wearing a strange expression, I tilted my head curiously, "What is it?"

Bale scratched his head awkwardly, "F-For a moment… I thought she was Lovi… Stupid right? I guess I miss her more than I realize."

Confused, I glanced over at the person he was referring to. Angie was feeding her baby brother the meal without looking away from him once. She helped him eat, ensuring that he was full before ever taking a bite of her own food.

I took a deep breath in and watched as the air around her danced like black birds flying around harmoniously. I choked when I saw the visage of Lovi overlay Angie, "...So she wasn't lying. If Lovi and Koale came back… Then…"

Bale gave me a curious look, "What are you talking about?"

I pulled Bale over to Angie, "Angie. How have you been?"

She smiled at me, but I could tell she was no longer as vibrant and rambunctious as she once was. "It's been hard, but I've been managing."

"Where have you been staying?"

Seeing that she was getting the free meals, I knew something was wrong.

She averted her eyes, "Mister Gonza has been really kind to let me stay with him and Caldwell."

My eyes widened in surprise, "He has? I had no idea…"

She nodded, "I've been helping clean his estate in return for the free room. I feel bad for taking up too much of his money so I've been coming for the free meals here… I hope that's okay."

I paused before smiling, "Money isn't an issue, darling. If you are concerned about that, then I can treat you to better meals than this. I make more than enough to share."

She shook her head quickly, "No, no! I would hate to take advantage of you! It's not like you have any reason to treat me like that…"

My heart stung a bit, but I knew that there was no way for her to remember the connection we once had. Recalling her stubborn nature, I asked, "Then can I employ you? After I started working at the Palace, I lost the ability to keep up with the Art museum. Since you are old enough and familiar with it, would you mind becoming a curator and taking care of the place? I only want someone that I can trust and someone who enjoys art as much as I do to work there. I pay really well."

Her eyes lit up, "R-Really? You would hire me?"

"Really. You can keep staying with my Uncle and be able to afford better meals. I can even hire your other siblings."

"Oh…" Her eyes dulled, "It's just me and Armen now… All my other siblings… Well, they either died in the war or went missing. It's just us now."

My mouth closed.

After the war, some children who had escaped from the Academy had been found missing. There were rumors that they were taken captive to be trained by the Holy Army, which was one of the reasons Aldrich and Della were retiring. They were planning on investigating with Belle's help under the guise of vacationing.

I guess… Angie's younger siblings were part of those missing.

Angie looked behind me and was startled, "You again?"

Bale awkwardly dipped his head, "H-Hello."

I shook off the bad feeling and pulled him forward, "Have you met Bale?"

"Yeah, he pulled on my arm earlier. It seems that he mistook me for someone." She gave him a judgemental look, "Then he asked about my husband."

"Ah, well. Bale is one of my trusted friends…. Despite being a bit weird."

"..." Bale's ears lowered pitifully. 

"-He will also be working at the art museum for me."

He flinched, "I-I will?"

My lips curved up in a devilish grin as I reached out to pat his shoulder, "I hope you two get along really well."