Why did I deserve this? Was it because I was born? Was it because I was a second child that wasn't meant to be? Am I this family's curse?
"Amelia, are you in there?" A voice could be heard past my door.
I laid face down on my pillow when I heard the knocking. I had stormed into here and slammed the door shut before then.
I haven't been in this room for a while. It still seemed to be intact, all of my belongings I didn't take with me were still here. It seemed like Roul or the new maid were keeping check of my room. I lifted my head to look at the walls of my room, which were littered with paintings and antiques that I've gotten in the adventure district.
It's been what…almost two years? I left home when I was Eight so I should be ten years old. Two years away from this dreaded place, away from these people…
The knocking on the door fell silent. I rustled in my bed, looking up aimlessly into the ceiling of my room. I didn't even try to get up and open the door. I didn't even want to yell at them, I didn't find any reason to.
My mind continued to drift to the Conversation with my dad. It pissed me off.
"Well…We'll be at your secondary house. If you know where that is. Hopefully we can see you again. Hopefully." Kota's voice rang past the wall and into mine. "…Sorry we didn't say much to help."
I lifted my head at those words. Maybe it was just who said it, maybe it was because of what was said. Either way, I felt a little saddened by it. Why did he feel the need to apologize? No one should apologize for something I could've done better…
As the footsteps of Kota dissipated, I was left alone with my thoughts once more.
The way that father talked to me always struck a nerve. Ever since I was born, there was a sense of disappointment coming from him. When I turned seven, he took me along to the trading district to get me involved with the family business. Talking with older people who I didn't know at the point, telling me all about how me and my sister would run the business when he eventually retires.
I never wanted to be like that. I wanted to explore and learn about the world, Just like my mother.
My mother passed away when I was very young, some sort of illness that was so severe that my father wouldn't let me or Claire see her. I never understood why it happened, Roul always talked about how she was always healthy and alive before it happened. Then Father made it a taboo thing to speak of ever since, "a distraction from the bigger things" he always said.
I hated that. I hated how I couldn't even see her. I hated how after all of that, it seemed like both Him and Claire distanced themselves from me. Claire was going out with father more often than not to learn about running the business, taking trips to the warehouse and going to meetings while I stayed home or roamed the streets.
I picked so many fights with other kids because I needed to vent. I needed to get the frustration from my family out of me. The school here wasn't a fit for me, since I've caused too many issues there. I became quite the rebel before I decided to be an adventurer.
Roul once told me that my mother was also an adventurer before meeting father. She too was a wind mage and was capable of intermediate ranked spells, like me. She used to be able to explore this world. And that was one of the reasons for leaving this home. If she could be one, why can't i?
Then I remembered something.
I slowly lifted myself from the bed, sitting up as I looked at my desk from afar. I remember I was given something when I turned seven. It was Roul who had given it to me, though it was from father…
I got out of bed and dragged myself to my desk. I didn't feel like doing anything, I just wanted to sulk in my room after what happened. I can't leave the house, can't even go to the bounty hall…and Claire is still able to leave the house.
I opened one of the drawers for my desk. In it, there was a small gift box.I reached into the drawer and opened the small gift box. Inside of it, was the bracelet. It was gold plated, with a dove etched into it. I gently went to grab it, holding it up in the air to examine it. It jingled and swayed as I turned it around to see that something else was etched into the back of the hood plate.
"Y.M" was the initials etched into it. It looked like someone had written it themselves with how crude it looked…This was Mothers bracelet. A gift sent down to me after she passed.
I didn't even get my own bracelet, I just got a used pair…I'm not even worthy to get one of my own.
"Ugh…" I groaned, letting the hand that held the bracelet fall to my side. I felt a tearful choke rising from myself. "I hate it here."
That was a phrase that I always said to my father and Claire. Every argument, every dinner that I had here that ended up with yelling involved, I always said that phrase with no hesitation. Maybe it's out of line, maybe not…I just don't want to live with people who don't care about me…
I've heard about Prusha and its university, so that was going to be the place I was going to stay at, Away from here…
"Amelia…" I heard a voice coming from my door. I turned around to see Roul, who had come into my room. He held a ring of keys which I immediately realized he used one of the keys to open mine. "There's no need to be saying those things."
Roul had been with our family for quite some time. He was actually a slave that mother's family bought some time ago. So he knew all about mother and the rest of us. He ended up as a slave due to debt that needed to be paid, which mother actually paid off. Still, he decided to continue being a slave for mother as he felt indebted to her. Even after her death, he still stayed with us. I guess you can say he was…family.
"…Mr.Roul…" I greeted him with a quiet voice.
"Forgive me for intruding into your room." Roul then bowed to me. His head kept low as he continued on. "But I was afraid that the heated discussion had taken a toll on you quite badly…"
"Ah…I'm fine." I said, though I wasn't being truly honest. I could tell from his look that he didn't truly believe me.
Roul took a step towards me. Thinking about it now, the old dwarf man was a lot smaller than what he used to be. Maybe I've been growing, but I'm pretty sure I was the same height as him now…
"Um…Sorry for shouting at you earlier…" I apologized to him. It was earlier today that I yelled at him for wanting to help, I should've let him. My own frustration of being home made me blind to that.
He simply shook his head, smiling. "No need for that, Amelia. I feel what you feel. Some point you just have to let it out."
"Mmm…" I gazed at the bracelet in my hand. "So…This was mothers?" Roul took a look at the bracelet. "It's what you gave me when I turned seven."
"My, You haven't opened it since then? Indeed, it is your mothers. All the female children from Mallory's must have this bracelet."
"Mothers…I guess I'm only good enough for a used pair…" I frowned, Lingering on that thought.
"Nonsense, Amelia." Roul then held one of my hands in a gentle way. "Don't think of it like that."
"Why not? Ever since mom died, Claire and Father have been treating me like I was always the last thing on their mind. Nothing I say seems to get through to them, Nothing I do or achieve seems to get any praise from them. The two of them always seem to be on each other's side. It's not fair!" I clutched the bracelet in my hands, pulling them close to my chest. "…I shouldn't have come home…They don't care about me, they care about the business."
I should've stayed in Prusha, where I would have continued my studying there. Learn more magic and the world. Take on some bounties around the kingdom, I could've grown up there without heading back to this place… why did I leave in the first place?
"…Amelia." Roul started, But I turned away from him.
I turned to the desk and simply stared at it. It was a small desk, nothing much can be done on it. It was unlike the ones at Prusha, where I could have books stacked on it as I learned magic. It felt so puny. Just how I feel right now…
Pomp! Suddenly I get a slap against my head. I immediately turned back to Roul, who had his hand raised.
"In all of my years being with this family, that claim is most certainly one of the most ridiculous things I've heard."
"Eh?! So you just go for a slap to the head?!" I gave him an irritated look. He simply shook his head.
"You think little of your older sister. As if she doesn't go through more than you." Roul then gave me another bonk on my head. "If anybody is caring in this house, it'd be her."
"Ah!" I rubbed my head. "Yeah, right. She's always following dad like a puppy, following his orders."
"I don't think you'd understand what she has to go through, especially since you left." Roul rubbed his gray beard.
I gave him a perplexed look. What could Claire be going through that is much worse than I'm going through? She has father by her side, she doesn't have to worry about being left out of anything when it's with him. She's probably been living the best life ever since I left.
"Claire has been under heavy stress ever since. Dealing with your father's health problems and his abuse, alongside having to go into the office to assist with handling the trading business."
I felt my heart drop when he said that. "…Father puts his hands on her?"
Roul paused, almost hesitant. He then slowly unbuttoned his shirt and revealed something that quite frankly frightened me.
Bruises and scars were etched onto his chest. Some looked quite fresh, some looked to be ages ago. Perhaps some of these were from before he became a slave, but that didn't justify the fresh looking ones. He showed them to me shortly before quickly buttoning up. His face had a sad demeanor to it.
"Not just her. All of us, especially the new maid…There is a reason why she mainly accompanies him." He said, sadly. "Bouane never leaves the premises and always sleeps in his office. But your sister, she fears for her life when it comes to him. He insults her, threatens her for the slightest mistakes. He beats her, Amelia."
I couldn't believe what I heard. Why? Why?! She hasn't done anything, she's the first born of our family, she follows dad's side! And the maid, I don't recall seeing her when I was still here. He must've bought her during the time I was gone, and he does despicable things to her…I always knew father was a horrible person, But I never knew how far he'd go.
"Do you know why Claire keeps up with all of this?" Roul asked me, looking me dead in the eye. "Do you know why she decided to leave to go find you? It's because she wanted you back, her sister."
What? She wanted me back…? I thought she was coming back over father's sake for me, not to her own will. Claire had always neglected me since mother died, spending less time with me and inadvertently drifting from me.
I clutched the bracelet in my hand harder. "Why would she?"
"Because she cares about you. It might not seem that way with how little she speaks with you, but she truly does. She took the brunt of your fathers abuse so that you couldn't, she decided to go to Prusha to find you instead of Me or Bouane. She might speak a lot or give you attention…but she still cares in her own way."
I felt the air being taken out of me as I stared at Roul. I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything but think. Of all these years of being with Claire, I didn't expect her to acknowledge me in any sort of way unless it was necessary. But to hear all of this from Roul…It seems like she was pulling strings with father to have him avoid me. To have him…Not harm me. She might've not talked with me, or interacted with me in any sort of way…But she was doing her best to keep me safe.
And it was all because of my father.
"I-I…"I choked out. "Father…I hate this place even more!"
Roul only stood there, idly.
"R-Roul…why are you telling me this?" I asked, almost choking on tears for a moment. I looked at the old dwarf, who only looked back at me with concern.
"Because…I too hate your father. Ever since your mother died, he's been quiet. I always suspected him of being a monster when I first arrived as a servant to this family. His way of thinking is quite frankly disgusting to me. But most recently his buying of Bouane set something off with me, something that's made me suspicious of him."
"What? Suspicious of what?"
"I…" Roul looked at the door, hesitating as if making sure no one was listening. "I believe your father is wishing to make another family with that young girl. And he's planning something with you and Claire that I'm…not quite sure of."
I stared at him with utter confusion. A new family? But that girl is barely even 18 at the least! Why would he decide to make a new family when he has me and Claire?! None of this makes sense to me! I found myself rubbing my head from what seemed to be a headache of just thinking about this.
"Why? Why?!" I blurted out. I began to kneel into the ground, looking down towards the floor as I clutched the bracelet in my hand. "What's he going to do with us? Aren't we family?"
"I believe I might know what he's been trying to do." Roul knelt down. As I looked up, I could see the intense rage in his eyes as he finally clenched his fist. "Thinking about it now, it's becoming a little more clear to me…I believe your father is behind the reasoning of Claire's kidnapping attempt. He is trying to get rid of you two."