I Promise, I'll Leave! But, With No Regrets!!

Chapter 12

♦Chapter 12: Siblings♦

From the time that the whip tortured my whole body, I always felt the sting all day. But, I couldn't do a thing to heal myself from the pain because I was a mere prisoner that was sentenced to suffer in this method.

Everyday, I would rise up from my cell with my hands tied firmly to the ceiling, then I would get hit until I become half-dead. And after that, I would eat the least amount of food that was served to me and rest for a while until the second round comes.

I always encountered the same routine while waiting for the day of my execution and always thought that no changes would happen, knowing that no one would ever visit me. Until...

My brother came to see me.

I was shocked of the unexpected and sudden occurrence.

Still, I didn't held my hopes high since I kind of guessed what he came for.

"Looks like you still have the energy to walk till this point.", was the first thing that he said to me after my arrival.

He probably had an assumption that I became weak enough to be unable to walk until I get to that place. And so, I cheaply smug inwardly for betraying his expectation.

However, his assumption was correct as a matter of fact. Because even that time, I was just enduring the pain for I couldn't allow myself to show my weak side to the bastard.

"Are you here to spout some complaints, Young Master?", I briefly asked.

But he couldn't give me a reply while he stayed silent, looking at me with a solicitous expression.

"Am I not correct?", I boldly added.

Thereafter, he shifted his gaze away from my stare and whispered,

"Yes..."

After looking at his sympathetic course of action toward me, I was pissed off.

It appeared so like an act of pity that I despised the most, when it comes to him.

What lingered in my thoughts that time were, 'You want to show me a hint of mercy, this late?', sarcastically, which were directed to the man that I faced head on through thick or thin.

I loathed seeing him act that way for it felt so stupid after all of the horrible things that he have done to me.

To say it simply, it was disgusting. It's unbearable.

But I soon threw those emotions away, having the awareness that my unnecessary worries would increase.

Then, I simply said insincerely,

"I'm sorry."

And after that, he looked back at me with an enraged demeanor, as if I stepped my foot on a landmine.

"How dare you-", he muttered as he quickly grabbed my shoulders with a tight grip.

"You can only say that so lightly because you don't know how the society describes us out there!!", he shouted.

His hands started to hurt me with brute force but I couldn't fight back with my weak state while he continued to yell at me.

"Just because of the sin that you've committed to the Imperial Family, our household has been disgraced! And it's all because of you!! What could a light apology from you mouth do, huh?!! You're not even my father's real daughter!!!"

"Please stop...! It hurts...!!", I pleaded, struggling.

"Your deserve your execution, Melissa!! You deserve it-

For you dared to be a part of our Family...!!"

That was... the last meeting with my so-called brother before I died in my past life.

It caused me great impact since that was probably the most fierce fight between the two of us.

And it was because of that event, as well-

That I didn't wish to encounter him at present.

Haha..... Fate must be playing with me right now. I thought while I currently ran into my brother as a matter of coincidence.

I was conflicted of the emotions within me that I couldn't understand so well after coming across with Lucian.

And I was troubled on how I would respond to him. Not because I considered if I would be genuinely nice to him this time, but because of my worries concerning the Duke.

If the Duke were to know about how I tried to picked up a fight with the bastard, it was possible that his favorability toward me would decrease. Therefore, it was a very crucial matter.

In truth, I was particularly not in approval of the method that I'd act gentle to the brat. If possible, I just wanted to ignore him as a matter of fact. But for the sake of my pennies, I might've had no choice but to do so.

And so I smiled at him and uttered,

"I was about to return back to my room, dear brother."

From the point that I stated those sweet words, I had a realization that I've done it.

The most tiring and the longest tactic ever which was called 'playing nice'.

"Uwaah, stop saying those words. You're creeping me out!", he counterattacked, irritating me.

Hold it in, Melissa. This is for the sake of money...! I thought, preventing my anger to show up on the outside.

".......Did you meet up with father?", he questioned not long after as he set his gaze to the side.

Perhaps, no- Lucian must've also been aware of it.

Unlike my current age, Lucian was three years older than me which makes him ten years old this year. Thus, it might've been possible for him to realize...

The fact that his father couldn't accept the truth.

And as for the me that noticed this, I remained silent for a while, being speechless.

It's not like I wanted to pity him, but it's just that I could relate on how he felt.

It was said that the Duke's attention was directed more on Sherryl and not him, who was his first son.

And the fact that he was also in a minor age made me guess that he has been envious of Sherryl.

Because, her half-sister was doted more than him. And because Wendell made it look like he merely accepted Lucian as his son, to be the successor of the Shevaria Family.

He most likely thought of his sister as an eyesore back then. And when Sherryl died, he might've thought of it as a faint chance to make the Duke pay more attention to him.

But then, I was adopted as Sherryl's replacement...

Maybe that was why he didn't like me, in the first place.

... In the end, we might've felt the same way about Sherryl.

But, what he didn't know was-

"You might as well meet father if you want to.", I said with a serious look.

"W-what are you saying...?! I wasn't pointing it out like that-!"

"If you want to gain his attention, then just beg him so.", I straightforwardly said then added,

"I'm sure that he'll understand if you do that."

Thereafter I started walking, passing through his figure that paused after perceiving my words, at the long hallway.

It was a definite that he would never understand why I phrased that sentence so bluntly.

What Lucian didn't know was he's been truly loved by the Duke in actual.

Compared to me, who was discarded after I no longer had any use to him...

It was true that I envied Sherryl because of this case. But-

"I envied you more than that girl, Lucian...", I whispered behind my brother's back.