As the two siblings are walking towards the entrance, Anastacius noticed his sister's hands clench tightly on her sides.
"Ari, answer me honestly," He spoke while keeping his gaze straight forward. "Do you think, the future is set in stone?"
Aristia glanced at her brother curiously before hearing the question. Her eyes tremble slightly, she froze on her steps.
'Does brother know?!'
Anastacius halted, he knows very well, how sensitive this topic is to the current Aristia. But he wants her to realize, what she really wants, without going through all the hardships in the original story. And, he doesn't want to reveal that he is also reborn... At least, not yet. He turned back at her with a soft smile, while walking back to her.
"Why do you look so terrified? You don't have to give an answer, right away..." he uses his hand to fix the strands of her hair, away from her face. "But I will share you, my thoughts on the future. If you don't mind hearing me ramble"
Aristia stares at her brother in wonder, her chest started to calm down from seeing his reassuring gaze. She finally regained her voice to answer her brother.
"Brother is a very wise person, and I may not be able to give a sure answer now. I will listen to brother!"
Aristia is sure that her brother is the kindest and the most reliable person, who gave his life for her. Her brother is who she wants to strive to be, since her first life. He is humble with his accomplishments, responsible, he always puts his family above everything and-
Her thoughts were cut off as she felt her hands being unclenched, her brother's warmth is covering her cold palm "The future is not set in stone, it keeps on changing, depending on the person's choices, values, and character."
She felt herself being pulled forward, with her hand in Anastacius' gloved palm. "The past does not define a person's future, if there are some regrets and nightmares that haunt you, in your sleep. Slowly let them go, conquer them... But if that is to difficult then, channel those thoughts into spite..."
They were nearing the entrance, so Anastacius decided to finish his little speech, "To persevere with whatever you want to be, not minding those who curse you.."
"Just follow your heart, Ari, no matter what you choose... Pa and I will support you, because we love you"
Aristia's POV
"-Because we love you"
The weight in my chest suddenly became light, as if those words carried magic.
'Right... Everything will be different now, I no longer desire the love from someone who has an ill perception of me... I have people who care about me and I didn't get the chance to return those feelings to them'
I greeted father, before taking his hand to guide me inside the carriage. I took a peek at my brother and father, seeing them discuss a few things before entering.
I don't know why, I've never noticed but... Brother does look like a copy of father. I let out a laugh from that thought and at the same time, both of them turned their gaze at me in an identical manner. Which caused me to laugh more.
"What's so funny?" Papa asked me, wearing a small smile.
"I'm curious to know about what made our little Ari, so happy. Or are you making fun of us?" Big brother accused with a playful serious look. I knew that he's only joking because his right foot is tapping in a slow rhythm.
I've noticed that habit of his, since my first life.
"I'm not making fun, I just noticed something!"
YOU ARE READING
The Ultimate Puppeteer, Aristia's Brother || The Abandoned Empress
Random[Harem x OC] ・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・ A prodigy among prodigies. Is a way to describe him. Having no reason to use his full potential, he became a lazy person on his second life. Though he was lazy that didn't mean he became rusty, instead he mastered new t...
