By the sweet, warm scent of cinnamon and honey, I could tell instantly that the one strangling me was Rai. His grip on my neck was so tight, it felt like the very air was being squeezed out of me. The pressure on my throat was unbearable, my lungs gasping for oxygen, but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me falter. I wouldn't show him that I was struggling. I wouldn't let him see me weak, not when I knew he was trying so hard to break me down. "Stop scaring her, Nsomi! This is your last warning!" Rai's voice rang out, full of frustration, and his hands tightened further.
Despite the fact that I could barely breathe, I managed to smirk. The feeling of his fingers digging into my skin only fueled my defiance. "It's not like I'm going to die now anyway," I croaked, my voice a hoarse rasp, but filled with defiance. "What's the worst you could do? Send me to enter the Crown Prince's competition? Oh, wait… yeah, that's already happening." I tilted my head back, feeling his fingers dig deeper into my throat. "I guess there isn't anything you could do to hurt me at this point, dear brother."
I could feel his frustration growing as he pushed harder against my neck. The pressure was suffocating, and the air around me was thinning with every second that passed. I wasn't sure how much longer I could last before I passed out, but I was determined not to let him see me give in. No matter how tightly he squeezed, I would not let him break me. The thought of him thinking he could make me crumble made me sick. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he released me, stepping back with a grunt of frustration.
"Finally," I gasped, my chest heaving as I sucked in a desperately needed breath. "Well, this little game of yours is going to leave a very annoying mark on my beautiful neck," I said, my fingers already working to untie the knot in my blindfold. I wasn't going to keep it on any longer. I had enough of being blinded to their pathetic attempts at intimidation.
"Are you insane?" Rai and Aeneas exclaimed in unison, their voices sharp with disbelief and concern. Elodie screamed, a high-pitched wail that grated on my nerves, before she buried her head between her knees like a frightened child hiding from a thunderstorm. It was almost comical, the way she curled up in fear. Adorable, in a pathetic way.
"Insane?" I replied with a cold laugh, turning to face them. I let my eyes lock with theirs, knowing exactly what they feared. And I didn't hold back. "You should know better than anyone that I've already seen both of your deaths." I paused, savoring their discomfort. "And don't worry, I'm not going to end your miserable lives anytime soon. You'll live long enough to get married, have tons of children, and even meet your grandchildren." The words felt like acid as they left my lips. I knew the truth. I had already seen it all, and nothing they could do would change it.
I could see the shift in their faces—the fear, the doubt—especially in Aeneas, who looked ready to say something, but he remained silent. I could tell that even he understood the gravity of what I had said. The knowledge that their fates had already been sealed, that they had already been marked for a long life, only made me chuckle darkly. ["The same cannot be said for me,"] I added inwardly, my voice dropping lower, my grin widening. My chuckle was almost manic, the kind of laugh you'd hear from a madman, but I didn't care. The truth tasted too sweet. ["I know what's coming for me. I won't live long enough to see my grandchildren, if I even make it that far. Which I won't. Two years isn't enough for anything."]
I chuckled like a psycho, unable to stop myself. "Why?" I started to tie the blindfold around the mark Rai left on my neck, pulling the fabric tightly to cover the bruise. I could feel the roughness of the material against my skin as I secured it in place. "Did you expect me to go around showing off the mark you left on my neck just so you could feel prideful about it?" I grinned at him, my teeth sharp, as I continued, "Sorry, brother, but that's not going to happen. Though I'm sure everyone would congratulate you for hurting me. For you, that's probably some sick kind of victory."
I turned my attention to Elodie then, watching her trembling beside me. She couldn't even look me in the eye, her head tucked low like a child afraid of being scolded.
"Do not worry, Branwen girl," I said, my voice soft but dripping with venom. I turned my gaze on her, watching her cower. "I don't want to see your death either. You're not worth it." I let the words hang in the air, watching the way her body trembled at the implications. "Just don't look at me in the eye. I'm not the monster you think I am. I'm not the one who deserves your fear. But I'm sure I'll be the one you'll remember as the terrifying one."
I turned back to my brothers, my patience wearing thin with every passing second. "I'm not a killer," I snapped, each word like a whip cracking through the heavy silence. "I didn't ask for this curse. I was simply born with the power to see others' deaths. Not to cause them." My voice dropped, and frustration bubbled up inside me. "But everyone seems too stupid to understand that, don't they? They take the easy way out—bullying me for something I can't control. Something I can't change. It's pathetic, honestly. But I'll deal with it, as I always do."
The sudden jolt of the carriage interrupted my tirade. It stopped so suddenly that the motion left me feeling queasy, like everything inside me was turning over. The nausea was almost overwhelming, but I pushed it down. I wasn't going to show weakness—not in front of them, especially not now. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me falter.
When the carriage finally stopped, I opened the door without a second thought, my impatience growing with each passing second. I didn't wait for anyone else to do it for me; I climbed out quickly, the cool air immediately hitting my skin, offering a welcome reprieve from the suffocating atmosphere inside. I took a deep breath as I stood tall, determined to show no sign of weakness. This was my moment, my time to regain some semblance of control.
Before I left the carriage, I turned back, giving them all one final look. "See you around!" I called, my tone sharp and dripping with sarcasm. I didn't wait for any response; I didn't care for any. With one final glance, I turned away and made my way toward the entrance of the Royal residence, my steps purposeful, my heart beating faster with each stride.
But, to my animosity, my entrance wasn't nearly as pleasant as I had hoped. No, it was far from it. The moment I stepped inside, I felt the weight of all their gazes fall upon me, and I could already sense the tension in the air. It was exactly what I had expected. But, of course, life had a way of taking even the smallest victories away from me.