A match made in hell

Memories

You squinted at the male figure. He was familiar. You'd seen him before.

Wait...was that boy...Avenger?

You watched as the couple danced around this very room. The girl laughed as she practically tripped over her own feet. "You know I'm not good at dancing."

"Well, you're gonna need to learn how." The boy teased.

"Why's that?"

"Well, because..."

You watched as he pulled out a ring, presenting it to the girl as a marriage proposal. She immediately accepted, the two of them hugging. They loved each other very much...you could tell.

The girl looked at the ring now on her finger. "Oh, Edmond,"

Edmond?

"It's so lovely." She smiled.

"It suits you." He replied.

The girl let out a giggle in response. "Thank you."

"...I love you, Mercedes."

For some reason, your heart sank at his words. Everything about that sentence...pained you.

The scenery then changed. You weren't sure how much time had passed. It seemed to only be about a day or so. The boy and girl were now together on a ship at the docks. People gathered to congratulate them on their engagement. Everything was going perfectly. Everyone was happy. Until suddenly...it all fell apart.

What seemed to be prison guards, suddenly stormed the ship. They accused the boy of multiple crimes he couldn't possibly of commit.

The boy's yells seemed to ring through your mind like a siren. "What charges!? I swear, I'm innocent! MERCEDES!"

So that was it? No happy ending. The boy was brought to a prison of despair. A prison no one had ever come out of alive. Betrayed by an old friend. Accused of crimes he didn't commit. Torn away from his love. Then, was left to rot. Forever.

You blinked, your mind coming back to reality. You no longer saw the memory in the mirror, just your reflection. You slowly turned your head back towards Avenger. He had stopped playing the piano long ago, and instead was now standing still by the window. He simply stared forward, unconscious of the tears threatening to roll down his cheeks. His expression wasn't sad, just dull, blank...empty.

Your eyebrows arched upwards, a melancholy look on your face. You slowly walked up behind him, your footsteps breaking the sound of silence. You hardly even realized the way you were trembling. "Count?" You spoke up, gently giving his shoulder a tap. He turned towards you, but you couldn't seem to find your words, so instead you just stood there completely silent like an idiot.

"...Are you okay?" He asked.

Your heart seemed to drop. Of course that'd be his first concern. Even after all the suffering he'd been through, he just wanted to make sure you were alright. You suppose you understood why he acted so coldly now. He was very broken. Yet, even through that tough guy act, his kind nature still seemed to shine through every now and then.

"Y-Yes. I'm fine. Are you okay?" You asked through the lump in your throat. He sniffled before nodding. Your brows arched, and your eyes stung. It felt like you could cry all over again. It was sad. He had accepted that this was his life a long time ago. This is the way things were, and would always be.

You gazed deep into his eyes as you searched for something to say, but you couldn't seem to concentrate at all. Honestly, you were frightened and confused. Under normal circumstances, you suppose you would ask your servant for a hug to calm you down...but, you doubted Avenger was the cuddly type. Maybe you should apologize, or maybe you should come up with a way to escape this noble phantasm. You opened your mouth, your words coming out no louder than a whisper. "Hold me?"