Of Shattered hands and hidden hearts

Ch3: of brothers and sisters

Disclaimer: This Novel contains heavy topic of manipulation, gaslighting, flashbacks, depression, suicide, suicidal thoughts and so on. Please read at your own discretion.

Secondly, the image above is not my own, i just found it on Pinterest, and it'll be removed if asked.
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"Cough, cough"
Aristle looked up from his book at the sound. The red haired girl in front of him smiled blandly.

"W-why?"
She had smiled blandly then too. "I know you must hate me now, but i had no choice. It was either you or him. And he was already playing you on his fingertips. He changed my life and the least I can do is complete his plans. Even though I made a selfish decision in my youth, it is a decision i have yet to regret it."

'you were never a choice.' and 'i don't regret betraying you' is what Aristle heard.

"Goodbye, Ari. I'll try to get you a quick death. Or perhaps you can save both of us the pain and kill yourself." Leaving the tiny bottle in hands, she left.

"Ari? Ari?"
Aristle blinked at her.
"Back to the land of the living?" Aristle bristled for a moment, before realising there was no way Ariana could've known of his past circumstances.

"What are you reading?" Aristle suppressed a flinch as he showed her the cover, 'the History of king Osxes' while carefully hiding the romance novel that he was actually reading. The romance novel an almost fourteen year old should not at all be reading, much less the son of a Duke. Not to mention how unbearable Ariana would be with her teasing.

"History? Have you not gotten enough of it in your studies?" She threw a quill on his face, thankfully dry.

He deadpanned at her instead of throwing something back, "what does the beloved beauty, the wisest of them all, the star of lives, the one good thing that God has given to us want from this humble mortal?" It was amusing to see her face falling into disgust.
"Stop doing that."
"No."
"Not even if i promise to never annoy you again?"
"You won't be able to keep that promise, so no."
Ariana pouted childishly. It almost made her appear as the 12 year old that she was Instead of the mature young lady she portrayed.

"I doubt you are here to make empty promises so, what do you actually want?"
She sighed at his blunt tone, before taking a seat across him and putting her head on her arms, "Uncle wanted to check how you were doing but didn't want to come himself, so he sent me."

These were almost certainly lies. As if his father could spare enough time to even think of him. Which meant that his brother had sent her to keep an eye on him. Or perhaps not, Aristle had no way to ascertain exactly when Ariana had pledged loyalty to Pytha. Maybe this time she had come for her own schemes.

"You didn't answer my question? Why are you reading history?" Her hand was straying dangerously close to another quill.

Although it felt nice to annoy her, he rather liked his clothes clean for once. And Aristle did not think he could bear her for much longer. Not when even through the amusement her mere presence was salt on his wounds. So he simply ran, well metaphorically.

"It was the book that mother read to me." It was technically true, but he had never picked up the book dispite the reason. Bluntly, it was boring as hell. He always wondered why his mother had chosen this book to read to mini him.

"Oh" it was almost amusing to see her face fall. And then his mind wondered how much of the expression was true and his amusement faded like sand in wind.

He ignored her existence after that. And perhaps to do that to a child was cruel but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't seperate the image of the older Ariana from this child.