'I.... am Eugene Arkwright's fiancée. I am Eugene Arkwright's fiancée????'
Those words kept echoing inside Beotis's head time and again like a broken record. How? How was she not aware of the fact that Beotis Lagraine was Eugene Arkwright's arranged fiancée before she got devoured? Wait.... she didn't finish the entire book of 'Give me your Flower', so of course its possible that this fact might have been revealed in the later part of the novel and as such, she was not aware that Arkwright was her assumed fiancé in the novel.
"..... Beo? Beo!!" Beotis woke up from her stupor to her supposed brother's calls of urgency, "Beo, don't you worry. Your brother will make sure to teach that spoilt brat a lesson the next time I see him. I will see how he dares to sprout such nonsense before you the next time." Thoren looked Beotis in the eye in an earnest manner, trying his very best to sooth his little sister's broken heart.
Beotis on the other hand, could not help but have a weird expression on. She thought, 'Brother dear, it will be kind enough for that spoilt but dangerous young duke of Arkwright to leave you intact with just your life the next time you go to teach him a lesson. I advice you not to be blinded by the love for your sister and do stupid things. Clashing with the Arkwrights is as good as picking a rock and dropping it on your own foot.'
"Anyways, forget about that fool. He doesn't know what he is missing out on. I came to find you because I heard you were in ill health. Sister, are you alright?" There was an expression of utter fretfulness on Thoren's handsome face. His sincere care dripping from his fervent eyes could not be hidden even if he were to try and hide it.
The right eye of Beotis couldn't help but twitch when she saw him like that. 'How the hell was the real Beotis Lagraine not able to sense her brother's sister-complex nature?' She thought.
"Its really nothing. I just caught a little cold and had a slight fever in the morning, but I'm fine now, there's no need to worry." She lied in a swift manner.
Thoren, for a moment was shocked by Beotis's demeanour. Was his sister always this calm, placid and compassionate towards him? He didn't believe so. What happened to her while he was gone to quell her otherwise carefree and impulsive character? Thoren couldn't help but frown.
Beotis too felt Thoren's doubts, she knew that he had already caught on to her 180 degrees change in temperament, how could he not, after all she was not really his sister, and she didn't want to act like his original sister as well. To be honest, the real Beotis Lagraine was not a good thing to begin with, acting like her will only escalate the process of her being devoured sooner rather than later. So, she might as well not go there and take this opportunity to reinvent a new change in her demeanour and actions. Anything to keep her from certain death.
Hence, she took in a deep breath and began her mission of leaching on to this new brother of hers, "Shall we go in then... brother?"
There was a look of utter shock on Thoren's face, and Beotis knew why. The original Beotis Lagraine had never called him 'Brother'. She never acquiesced to the fact that they were siblings, so it was understandable that Thoren would be lost for words when he heard her address him as brother. She understood, and so she took advantage of this fact to grow closer to Thoren.
"....You... Beo, can we talk for a moment?" This was the first time that Thoren had actually wanted to have a serious talk with his little sister. Even though he always wanted to clear the many misunderstandings between him and this sister of his, but he never really had the guts to face her for he knew what she lost because of his very existence. But today, today he felt he could face her sister and not run away.
Beotis slowly turned around to look Thoren in the eye and after a moment of silence, she slowly nodded and followed Thoren further into the majestic rose garden.
They walked along the flowery path for a while and then sat down by each others side and the atmosphere fell into an awkward silence for a moment. The both of them had so much to say but didn't know how to begin it all.
"....I ... why did you write what you did, Beo?" Such a question was stuck at Thoren's throat since the time he had received Beotis's letter. For the first time in his life, he wanted to understand this estranged half-sister of his, and he wanted her to understand him as well.
Beotis felt this was her chance to redeem herself in front of her brother and so, she said, "I..."
To be Continued.......