Duncan Tepes landed on the ground with a stern expression. "Have you had enough fun?" He asked coldly.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart and regain my composure. Jayce
approached, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Apologies, grandfather," Jayce said smoothly, "I just wanted to test my brother-in-law."
Duncan's gaze hardened. "Don't take me for a fool, Earth. That was a serious fight. If I hadn't intervened, who knows what might have happened." He glanced at me with a critical eye.
I stood up, brushing dirt from my clothes. "What?" I asked, my voice edged with frustration. Duncan's eyes bore into mine. "You started attacking him out of nowhere. What happened?" I shot a glare at Jayce, my heart burning with hatred. But I knew better than to act on impulse now. Killing him would only bring more trouble. Jayce, as the adopted son of Duncan Tepes, held a rank equal to mine. "Nothing," I said curtly, refusing to elaborate.
"Amael!" Christina's worried voice cut through the tension as she rushed to my side. "Why did you start fighting out of nowhere?"
I held my forehead after Christina banged it.
Christina knew about my past life, and I could tell her who Earth really was, but that would only complicate things further. She was already burdened with running the kingdom in our mother's absence. I decided to keep my reasons to myself for now.
From the castle, I saw Elizabeth and others approaching. The fight had caused quite an uproar, stirring unnecessary gossip among the nobles. I didn't regret attacking Jayce, but it wasn't the right moment. How could I have held back, though? My hatred was burning me alive. I wanted to slice off his head.
Elizabeth's eyes darted between Jayce and me, noting our disheveled states. Her expression darkened. "Why did you attack him, Amael?" She asked, her tone icy.
So, they all saw me as the instigator. Of course, from the outside, I was to blame. They couldn't understand that this bastard deserved a hundred deaths. "He provoked me," I replied, my voice flat.
Elizabeth's face grew colder at my nonchalant response. "Even though Earth provoked you, you tried to kill him, Amael. Is that a reason to kill someone?"
But they couldn't understand. If I told them Jayce had killed my love, Ephera, and also Shayna in my past life, they'd see me as a lunatic, rambling nonsense. I was too enraged to explain a long story because of this bastard.
Seeing Earth smile only fueled my anger. Why was Elizabeth angry at me in the first place?
Elizabeth stepped forward. "Amael, answer me," she insisted.
I had never faced her icy demeanor before. Now, I understood why so many feared
antagonizing her. But I didn't care. My anger drowned out any rational thought.
I laughed snarkily. "Of course, you'd defend your adopted brother, wouldn't you, Elizabeth? Over even your fiancé?" I spat out, annoyed.
The onlookers gasped. Elizabeth's crimson eyes narrowed.
"Don't give me that look, Elizabeth," I retorted.
"A-Amael," Celeste called out worriedly, shaking her head as she glanced between Elizabeth and me.
Nobody could piss off Lady Elizabeth?
"You guys can't understand anything about me," I said, my voice trembling with anger.
It was the truth. Only a few understood what I truly felt. Currently, only Cleenah knew the full context.
Layla was the only one who truly knew me. She would have supported me without a second thought, without caring about Earth or anyone else. That's who she was.
"Amael..." Christina reached out to me, probably understanding my frustration, but Myrcella stopped her.
I turned to Elizabeth. "Enjoy yourself with the banquet, Elizabeth. Your adorable brother is back, after all," I snorted and walked away.
Damn, I just messed up the engagement party.
I couldn't leave without Christina, and disappearing after a dispute with Elizabeth would only cause more problems. So, I chose to retreat to a random room in the castle.
Sitting on the bed, I held my forehead. My anger had subsided a bit, but the memory of Earth's smirk still burned. My words to Elizabeth replayed in my mind. I had ranted, spilling my frustrations.
I slumped on the bed, sighing. Thoughts of Layla filled my mind. "Yeah, you know, she would always be talking about me, teasing me, annoying others while doing her best to look good for me. And you know her overprotectiveness. I want her to pamper me," I mumbled.
The brief time she was my girlfriend, and the way she pampered me, was one of the most enjoyable moments of my life.
"Well, that's not wrong," I admitted, scratching my cheek, a bit embarrassed.
"Well, I am technically a teenager."
"How so?" I asked, curious.
Is that really the description of my perfect woman? It sounded like a psycho. Well, I guess Layla of the Villainess' route fit that description, but still...
After a moment of talking with Cleenah, I already felt better. It was astonishing how a small chat with her could lift my spirits. I could never abandon her.
"Honestly, I don't know. I just want to kill him right away," I said.
House, and you would antagonize all of them.>]
"Yeah, you're right." I nodded. "But I can't, Cleenah. Letting that bastard live on Earth was the greatest mistake of my life."
"Control my emotions?"
I smiled. "You want to use him as a training dummy so I won't get controlled by Vysindra
again?" Vysindra's hatred was several times deeper than mine, and when he synchronized with me, it amplified my own hatred toward Jayce. It was corrupting me. I could literally feel it. []
Staring at the ceiling for a moment, I frowned, sighed, and finally sulked. "Fine... I will be
A knock on the door startled me.
They already found me?
The door opened, and I froze.