The Villainess only wants to go home

Chapter 104 - A dying Promise

With care, Morana's fingertips gently traced the polished swirling carvings of the handle. Her fingers embraced the cool touch of the wood while her wistful amethyst eyes gazed at her long bow that lay flat on her bed.

Her fingers craved to feel the feathers of the arrow ripple through her grasp, and she would listen to the whistle of the wind as the arrow rips through the air to thrust it's sharp end on its target.

Morana was deep in her thoughts while she continued to gaze at the beautiful carved bow on her bed.

She had always wanted to be the first woman to become an archer in the imperial army. The first to command the imperial archers from the back lines but it was only just a wishful thinking.

Morana, the lady of the household of Courtenay, Count Cyprian's only daughter as the commander of the Aureum imperial archers would only bring mockery to the family royals from other neighbouring countries and not only make her family a laughingstock for raising such a wild daughter who dreams of taking a man's job but will ruin everyone in the Courtenay families' place on the hierarchy in the society of the aristocrats world.

Wherever they would go, noble men and women would whisper curses and ridicule them as they pass by.

Morana could never do that to her family.

The family who loves her very much and raised her to be the lady she is today. However, the ache of leaving her dreams behind for the sake of her family had teared every reason to fight back to achieve it.

And marrying a man would definitely mean she would have to leave the dream and her archery days behind her because a married woman would need to care for her husband's needs, take care of the household while he is away and look after and raise their children, then to die and be forgotten by the same people you cared for.

Morana had always despised being a woman because of it.

Why couldn't she be born as a boy like her older brother, Leo?

She would have all the freedom to do what she wanted, become an archer, and then advance to the higher ranks. She will have the free will of marrying whenever she felt like it and to whomever Morana chooses to marry out of love, not political marriage.

But the Gods chose otherwise, and she is stuck being a woman to then be discharged to a man, forever without a single bit of freedom as she stays quiet and looks pretty.

The daughter of the Count was suddenly startled by a gentle knock at the door.

"Sister, may I enter?" the charming sound of her older brother asking consent to enter her chambers instantly rose a slight chill down her spine and she quickly wrapped the bow in the big material as fast as she could.

She couldn't let her brother know of her secret. What would be come of her if he did?

"Morana, are you in your room?" He questioned softly before waiting for an answer while Morana had quickly hid her bow under her bed. Sliding it in the far back so it wouldn't be seen by maids or anyone if they were to duck down.

With a cool head and calm manner, Morana answered her brother.

"Leo, you can welcome yourself in."

With a faint creak of her doors, it opened, and the tall, lean figure of her older brother stepped in.

Leo's ebony hair seemed as if he brushed it with his fingers because the violent wind ruined it. His bangs had slid to the side and hanged down to cover his left amethyst eye that gazed at his little sister sympathetically.

Morana plopped herself on her bed and shifted her eyes somewhere else other than Leonidas, placing the palms of her hands on the silky material of her blanket.