I Refuse to be a Named Character

Part 7

Knock. Knock.

The sound repeated. I stood up, clutching my sword that I had stashed at my bedside. Looking through the glass, I saw a familiar face looking at me with a smug expression.

Fetter.

He gestured for me to open up the window. Let me in. I could see him mouthing the words.

I pointed at my sword and then at his throat. Come in and I'll kill you. I mouthed back.

I turned away, planning to leave the room and find Luke, unwilling to face off with this terrifying person alone.

SLAM!

His palm slapped against the glass, the sudden noise causing me to jump. But as my eyes traced back to the window, it wasn't the sight of him that stopped me in his tracks, but the parchment in his hands, pressed against the window, a single word written on it on full display for me to see.

I felt the blood drain from my face, my hands tightening on the sword hilt, the leather cutting into my palms. Slowly, I approached the window, opening it and slashing my sword forward at the same time.

"Watch it!" Fetter jumped backwards, but didn't move fast enough to save the paper, which was cut into two pieces, both halves fluttering to the ground on either side of me. They landed face up, still allowing me to see the word that had been written on it. I stepped on the pieces, grinding them into the dirt, tearing them to shreds beneath my feet. The dirt and rocks in the garden path cut into my feet, but I ignored the pain, focusing on destroying the word until it could no longer be read.

"Do you really hate your name that much?" Fetter was smiling, but the expression looked more like a wild animal baring its fangs.

"..." I stared at him silently, my weapon still held ready. It had caught me by surprise. That parchment he had held had a single name written on it. My name. My old name in my old life. "It's not my name anymore."

"Then why did you destroy it?" Fetter laughed quietly. "Seems to me that you care greatly about your old name and it being known." A long finger tapped his chin as he pretended to think. "I wonder how you would react if I announced your name to everyone?"

"..."

"Then you wouldn't just be a nameless person anymore, would you?"

"..."

"I wonder how long you would last after that?" He stared past me, as if imagining it. "I would love to see my brothers' faces when they look at your corpse."

"..."

"Hey, this is no fun if your don't fight back!" Fetter leaned forward. "What if I agree to keep it a secret if you agree to betray your precious Lucien?"

BAM!

My left fist connected with the prince's smirking face before my thoughts could catch up. Fetter flew through the air, stumbling backwards as his back struck a nearby tree trunk. Sliding to the ground, he rubbed his face and stared up at me with an affectionate expression.

"Yes! Just like that! I love your struggling face the most! I'm so happy I could get my hands on the one thing you are the most scared of!" He clapped his hands. "You know, Graham has already become absolutely delusional at the idea of being cared for my someone who doesn't want to use him for personal gain, while Lucien is at his absolute breaking point. I bet it won't take much of a push to send him into a killing spree." He leaned back against the tree, chuckling, wincing slightly as the movement hurt his face. "The more they want you. The more they care... the more I want to break you. And now I know your name."