Princess Thief [✔]

35. Renounce

SKERPLA DAY OF SUN

The ride was suffocating giving a sense of overwrought to what would happen once I set foot on Deliora. Yves's broodiness didn't help to ease my distress either. His expression was devoid of anything to people who saw him but I noted the slight narrowing of his eyes and his lips were in a tighter line than usual. He was definitely in a bad mood.

"If you want to say something, feel free to say it," I said, not taking the glum atmosphere any longer.

There were only the two of us here. If we were both females, we could have our maidservant with us since Father would not want them to suspect anything by doing proper decorum, unlike the last time that I was alone that he ordered a separate carriage for the servants just to isolate me, a pretext of his show of affection.

But since he was my brother, a valet and a maidservant should not be together inside the carriage which led to this situation.

He pointed to the door showing Xenon and a couple of knights with us outside. I almost rolled my eyes. It was not like they could hear us clearly if we spoke in a small voice.

I closed the curtain and locked the door before sitting beside him.

"What is it?"

"Why are you back so early? You are declared as the bride and they should be escorting you today not the other way around," he whispered but his voice gradually grew moderate.

"Shh," I hushed. "I need to refuse the proposal. I do not want to marry King Freed."

"But it is your only way out, Carline. Those from the Great Five can undoubtedly deal with Father."

I curved my head, looking blankly at the curtains. "If you're in my shoes, are you willing to sacrifice the lives of many just because of your selfishness?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing, brother. Just know that it is better this way."

"Explain it to me properly, Carline. I want to understand why you made this imprudent choice. You did not even attend the final ceremony seeing how you arrive last night. It was a good thing you were still chosen but why are you so resolute in declining?"

His eyes reflected aggravation. Even if Yves had an inscrutable expression, once an emotion slipped, it was a sincere one. I took a deep sigh since he was seriously fretting over my decision.

I told him things I could divulge and his face became grim every second. Unlike the time when we were younger, the cold eyes that looked down upon me were nowhere, on the contrary, his face contorted into furrowed brows, squinting eyes, and deep lines on his forehead. His anger was palpable as his hand that was comforting me earlier as I spoke was clutching mine tightly.

"I'm sorry, Carline. I had been ignorant and neglected you this whole time. I never thought he had used this kind of threat to you. Father's viciousness knows no bounds," he muttered.

Yes. It was better if he really was ignorant about the whole thing seeing the guilt on his face. This was not even the worse Father did and I kept the truth that they were also part of the threat.

He apologized once again and petted my head. He soothed my hair identically to how Mother always did when I was young. Two strokes and a light pat like an endless pattern, an intimate action that always put me to sleep.

"I will try my best not to fail another sibling again, Carline," he whispered as I fell into slumber.

***