Poisonous Love

A Brother's Love

(This is a side story~ feel free to skip!)
Vincent's POV***

I sat lazily on the stool next to Rose's bed, staring at her scrunched up features... as if she were in real pain. Her body was sweaty, her small hands forming fists as it grasped the blanket.
Her light nightgown was ridden up to reveal her thin smooth legs.

I had been watching Rose sleep for a long time. Before, we would sleep together, and I found it hard to sleep without her afterward as we grew older.

I cursed the prudish ways of nobles, but I also was understanding... it meant her disgusting filth of a friend, and ex-fiancé the Prince, could not touch her freely.

Her soft pink hair stuck to her face as her breathing became more rough. She looked pale and sickly, but this was not the first nor the last time a nightmare has occurred.
I always wondered why her eyes, despite being a child, looked as if they knew an adult's struggles. She was more mature than other noble or even commoner girls.
I hated them, the girls who threw themselves at my feet, admired my features, begged to become my future wife... they all wanted the title that father would bestow upon me.

Rose was different. She didn't care about one's status. She liked everyone, always full of energy and smiling like a fool.

I mistook her for a true fool by mistake, but her words and eyes seemed to scream wisdom which never failed to amaze and confuse me.

Her nightmares began not too longer after I first moved in and slept next to her, but they stopped for a few months time... only to resume again but in much more fever.
She would normally wake up in the middle of the night, disappear into the dark forest behind the estate, and then return in the morning.

I had followed her the first few times, she would venture until she encountered the black leopard, and then she'd sit and pet the creature for a while until she had calmed down and would return home.

The leopard caught my eye quickly. It was odd, a majestic beast like that with such high intelligence.

I had attempted to trail the leopard back to its home but I would be caught every time and was forced to flee from it. It knew magic. Not just any, but dark magic.
It seemed utterly impossible for an animal to receive the blessing of a fairy, let alone a dark fairy. Yet it did.

So I had studied, and found out that it was likely not some simple spirit beast, but likely a full blooded beast skin. They were rare, and normally resides in the Royal Family of Mirenthom- full blooded beast skin were normally considered part of the demon race. Many species and types of demons reside there, and it would no be strange for a beast skin to posses the blessing of a dark fairy which normally live in the demonic country.

That made me anxious. I did not posses strong enough skills to defeat a beast skin with magic, let alone a full blooded one with dark magic.
However, the creature seemed unable to take a human form, so I assumed it safe as long as it did not harm Rose.

As long as Rose is happy.

As long as she's okay...

I went nearly insane the day she left.
Leaving only a pathetic note behind and our parents stressed and worried. Mother cried for days, and no signs of her could be found.

I managed to get the shitty prince to search for her too, but nothing. It was as if she disappeared off the face of the earth.

"Anything?" I growled our angrily as Gerald sat next to me. Gerald shook his head after his family's secret task force was released to search for her.

"Why would she leave?" Gerald mused, his face made me nearly snarl- he always looked so innocent and carefree. He was more insane than anyone else I knew. Yet we bonded through mutual burdens.

Gerald's Family was sick, worse than any noble family I had ever known about. They were the Kingdom's underground dogs. Assassinations, torturers, you name it. It was not something a child should see, even I, who watched children starve or receive beatings to death, couldn't comprehend the things Gerald has witnessed.

It wasn't helpful that even they couldn't find her.

We didn't even know if she was alive!

"Don't worry. Rosie's strong~" Gerald reassured.

"Don't call her that stupid fucking name" I snarled at him, he lazily smirked back at me.

"Wow~ such a personality gap. What happened to the obedient little brother act?" He sang out merrily.
I threw a dagger at him which he smoothly dodged.

"Just die. You're useless if you can't find her" I huffed before leaving his family's estate.

I'll find you Rose.

You won't get a second chance to disappear.