====
Ainaira and Josephine were at a cliff looking at each other.
They both wore a black robe. Ainaira had a pained expression while Josephine looked concerned and scared.
"Don't...please..." she begs
Ainaira's breathing became erratic. She sprints towards her, intending to push Josephine off the cliff when-
FWIP—
An arrow scraped past Ainaira's left shoulder. Alarmed, she looked where it came from and saw a tan man with a furious look on his face.
The voice commanded Ainaira:
{Run.}
Ainaira turned her heel and started to retreat on the other side. Jamil jumped down the tree and checked up on Josephine.
She heard footsteps following her but she knew it wasn't Jamil.
The light drizzle of the rain blurred her vision
THUD—
There was a branch on the ground that she didn't notice, making her fall. Her face darkens and a shadow of a man appears over her.
A familiar face, it was like she was looking at herself if she were a man. Gray-blue short hair, red eyes and an expressionless face.
Jamil shortly afterwards appeared behind Aeron.
"You've gone too far."
Jamil said, gritting his teeth.
Aeron raises his sword and pointed at his sister neck
{Let them kill you.}
She was frustrated, and so angry. After all that effort to get away and survive, she was casted away to the very voice that controlled her every choice.
When she killed herself, the voice would not let her.
When she wanted to survive, the voice would threaten to kill her.
Now, its final command was for her to die.
She wanted to scream from the years of pain and anger she bottled up but she couldn't.
She was only able to muster one word.
"B-brother..."
Ainaira's eyes were swelling up.
Hoping he wouldn't swing his sword despite everything. It was an unreasonable expectation but she wants to have a different ending from what the voices want. Even if it means being locked up forever.
Without mercy his sword pierce through her heart. blood gushed out at the wound and mouth. Her body fell down the damp cold dirt.
She can feel her strength slowly leaving her body.
Laughing, there was laughing.
They were laughing.
Those voices mocked her, they kept laughing until a single tear left her eyes just before her final breath.
Those laughing voices and the expressionless cold face of her brother were the last thing she saw and heard.
-
His eyes snapped open. his heartbeat was beating fast and cold sweat dripped from his body. holding his face from the piercing pain on the back of his head.
He can still clearly remember the night he killed his sister.
After all the people he had killed, she was the only one that made him waver and disturbed.
Even without hearing the truth from Maximus, he still would've felt he made the wrong choice.
Guilt would haunt him, no matter how long time passes.
He wanted to hold her tight and tell her he won't kill her after hearing her called out for him. But, what she did threatened the empire, killing the Saintess, future Empress, and the only hope in surviving the war.
The night when Maximus told them the truth,
He explained when they first met, he felt an evil aura surrounding Ainaira but this aura didn't come from her.
After years of investigation, he found out that something sinister was controlling her.
He was about to stop the tragedy that was about to happen. Only to come seconds too late.
The lifeless body of Ainaira Dharmanath on the cold ground, leaves fell down to her corpse.
She was an unfortunate puppet.
Josephine fell on the ground, distraught.
Jamil bit his lips.
Aeron showed no change in his behavior but on the inside he felt like throwing up. Guilt, shame and incompetence. All of these mixed emotions were like being pounded into his chest.
Why didn't he notice?
That shaky voice that called for him.
Each time he remembers it, he wants to punish himself and follow her. But he couldn't find the strength to do so, and this made him feel much more horrible.
While the public rejoiced at the death of the wicked villainess
The four witnesses weigh a heavy burden of the truth. Logically, they had nothing to be guilty of, especially Josephine, who had been subjected to abuse by Ainaira.
Years after Ainaira death. The Marquess, Aeron Dharmanath was found dead in the forest. The same location he had killed his sister.
====
Aeron kept finding himself stumbling across Ainaira and Ainsley from afar, but he never got close to disturbing their time together.
This particular day, for some reason, he feels miserable. Maybe it was because of the horrible weather.
After doing his morning routine he came across Ainaira.
She was staring off into the distance just at the end of the patio. her mind was aimlessly wandering somewhere in the future, slowly and quietly mumbling something. "I hate rainy days…"
"Ainaira..." Aeron accidentally called her name.
Snapping out of her peaceful moment, Ainaira jolted upon seeing Aeron. Her body tensed up, looking at him cautiously
Seeing her there, standing made him feel guilt.
He doesn't know why everytime he sees her he feels the urge to fall on his knees while apologizing to her, telling her he's stupid and wrong.
"Would you like to have some tea with me?" He was able to muster up the courage to ask her.
-
Originally, they were going to have tea at his room but Ainaira felt uncomfortable to be inside her killer's room.
So she suggested that they should have tea at the terrace.
They stood near the door, listening to the sound of the raindrops falling.
She reached both her arms up and did a clockwise motion. After that she spread her arms out, causing a thin azure veil to appear and prevent the water droplets from reaching the terrace.
With one quick swirl of her index finger, a gentle breeze envelopes the terrace. Slowly, the wet floor and furniture started to dry up.
There was a reason why she agreed to have tea with him despite actively avoiding him for the past week.
The two walked towards the blue round table, with two chairs positioned opposite each other.
They brought the dessert and tea on their own, per request by Ainaira. She didn't want more people knowing her power.
After arranging their refreshments they sat down on their chairs.
For 5 minutes they sat in silence, drinking and eating without uttering a single word to each other.
The two of them have something in mind to discuss but both were uncomfortable to start.
Aeron cleared his throat.
"I...I won't meddle too much in your personal life but I want to know why you would annul your engagement."
Ainaira took her time to respond.
"I don't want a loveless marriage, simple as that."
"Is that so..."
He awkwardly sips his tea. He questions the credibility of her words, since not long ago, he kept hearing about the atrocious acts she did towards other noble ladies that dared to even look at Noah.
Though he did not try to push for an answer. He had no right to do so when they're not even that close.
"You're aware of the consequences, right? No one will want to associate themselves with someone who'd been rejected by the Royal Family."
His warning was out of concern. For noble ladies, getting married into a powerful family was the only way for them to live comfortably.
While there are few ladies that became independent and became well respected by everyone, for most, this was only an idealistic dream.
"Pfft!—"
Ainaira couldn't help but to laugh
"Oh, sorry...rejected by royalty? Aren't I the one rejecting them?"
Aeron couldn't help but be stunned at her mocking tone. Her face was painted with disdain, he couldn't help but wonder if this is the same person that the rumors told.