Six years ago, a woman named Rurahel approached The Emperor and convinced him - more like threatened him - with the three babies in her womb, to help her rise the social hierarchy.
Rurahel was the stepdaughter of a viscount and was both intelligent and beautiful - lustrous purple hair paired with eyes of a deep violet hue that glistened like polished gems - but her commoner blood was never erased, and it would never be, always casting a pervasive shadow over her life.
Somehow, she got the guts to approach The Emperor out of all people.
Rurahel had expected that if she showed unwavering love and support for The Emperor, he would love her wholeheartedly. And maybe even marry her one day, taking her as his queen.
She was supposed to be smart, right? So how the hell did she follow through with that plan without once thinking it was fucking stupid? Anyway...
One night.
The Emperor favoured her for only one night.
And yet, Rurahel got pregnant and gave birth to three children.
Presumably, if the children didn't have the appearance of the imperial family bloodline with striking blonde hair, The Emperor would have killed them before they could even open their eyes.
But since they were born with blonde hair, The Emperor spared them, only giving them their names before leaving his three newborns in the hands of Rurahel; the woman who would then abuse them for the next five years of their life.
'I still don't understand how that drunko thought it was a good idea to hook up with the fucking emperor out of all people. Fuck the Cold Duke of the North or something. But no, she just had to go for the Tyrannical Psychotic Emperor'
Perched on the edge of a tree branch at least a few meters in the sky, Sora's gaze drifted into the distance, recalling what she knew about Rurahel and how the hell she got the Emperor to sleep with her, while she idly swung her legs back and forth in the air.
'Still, the whore expected too much out of a man. Just be grateful he wasn't a bitch and didn't beat you at it. Fuck, then go. She was smart enough to know the definition of a one night stand, right?'
She closed her eyes, a cool night breeze caressed her face, carrying with it the fresh scent of the forest.
Arien's gaze lingered upon her sister as her blonde locks swayed gently in the breeze, her closed eyes and relaxed expression plastered on her face. It was the third time in her whole two lives Arien saw her sister ever so relaxed.
As the midnight wind blew onto Arien's face, she shivered involuntarily and sneezed. The nocturnal breeze, though refreshing, carried a subtle nip that hinted at the embracing coldness of the night.
She wondered whether Arjen and Sora, were immune to the cold or if it was her own sensitivity that rendered her susceptible to its prickling touch.
Noticing Arien's scrunched-up expression, Arjen let out a chuckle and asked, "You good there, Arien?"
"Y-yeah...just a little cold."
Sora's eyelids fluttered open to the gentle murmur of Arjen and Arien's voices, and as her gaze swept across her surroundings, it settled upon the branch beneath her. She followed the branch until her eyes alighted upon a piece of fruit that had sprouted from a sapling begging to bloom on the branch.
Although the fruit seemed just out of reach, with a few playful gusts of wind, it caused the fruit to sway gently before detaching from the stem and landing softly in the palm of her hand.
Looking down at the fruit in hand, it emitted a gentle, yet sweet aroma. She pressed her fingernail into the skin, peeling it open.
'I never knew there were pomegranates here'
She plucked an aril from the pomegranate-like fruit, glancing at the sight of its jewel-like appearance before popping it into her mouth.
'Sweet...and not poisonous'
Arjen turned his head to the side and caught a glimpse of the subtle upward curve at the corners of Sora's lips. His gaze trailed down to what she had in her hand.
"Is that..?"
Sora faced Arjen and offered him the fruit. "Pomegranate, want some?"
Arjen smiled and accepted, "Thank you."
When Sora handed the pomegranate-like fruit to Arjen, he first passed it to Arien who was sitting beside him. As Arien caught a glimpse of the offering, her face lit up with a beaming smile.
"It looks delicious!"
Arien happily scooped up a handful of arils before throwing them into her mouth. As her tongue pressed against the arils, they popped and a burst of sweet, tangy juice danced on her taste buds. The initial sweetness was swiftly followed by a subtle tang, creating a tasteful contrast.
"And it is delicious!"
Arjen reached out, plucking a few of the arils from the not-pomegranate-pomegranate and nodding in agreement, "It's ripe."
Arien's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she savored a few more before she turned to Sora with a question, "Where did you find it, Sora?"
Sora gestured towards the location where she had found the fruit, and Arien obediently followed her finger.
Arjen brought a few arils towards Sora's lips, but she shook her head.
"I already had quite a few, you guys can just have the rest."
Arjen looked skeptical but shrugged and popped the arils into his own mouth. He savored the flavor of the fruit, his expression softening as he enjoyed the taste before he spoke, "You know, I think you used to own a perfume with a similar scent."
"I did?"
Sure, Sora often used perfume, but she didn't actually own any of them; none of them could be considered 'her's'.
Arjen nodded, "Pomegranates. You usually smelled like pomegranates when you came back from work."
"Pomegranates, huh...I don't think I've ever used a pomegranate scented perfume before," Sora mumbled softly, before she turned her head and looked at the now finished fruit in Arien's hand, her messy fingers and sheepish smile.
Arien attempted to shake off the dripping juice from her hands before it could stain her sleeves, but unfortunately, she was too late. The red juice had already left its mark.
She furrowed her brows and then turned to Arjen.
"Do you know where I can wash my hands?"
Arjen simply shrugged, and Arien let out a sigh of frustration. She then shifted her gaze past him to Sora, who didn't directly look at her but responded nonetheless.
"There's a lake, but it's still pretty far away."
"Then what am I going to do about this?" Arien exclaimed, visibly frustrated as she stared at her red-stained sleeves.
"You shouldn't have gotten the juice everywhere then," Arjen said.
"Not my fault!"
Sora gazed into the distant horizon, where a crystal-clear stream of water meandered under the moon. Its reflection painted on the water's surface, casting a soft glow that seemed to dance with the ripples of the flowing lake.
'Fuck it'
Deciding it was the perfect time to test some things out, Sora began to focus her attention on the shimmering water gliding through the stream. Gradually, minuscule water droplets began to ascend from the surface, delicately connecting with other tiny droplets, merging and swirling together.
The water droplets began floating in the chilly air, through the forest and towards where the siblings sat on the branch. The droplets seemed to pause, suspended in mid-air, their surfaces glistening with an iridescence that mirrored the scenery around them like a kaleidoscope of ever-changing patterns, each droplet appearing as if encapsulating a miniature world within.
Arien's jaw dropped in awe and her eyes widened in bewilderment as she watched water droplets float towards them.
Sora's face broke into a sly grin as she began to wave her finger around, directing the water droplets with a sense of playful authority to follow.
"Sora, I never knew you could do this..!" Arien exclaimed with stars in her eyes.
"It's amazing..." Arjen quietly mumbled.
"I know," Sora replied with a prideful huff as she leaned in closer to Arjen.
She swiftly flicked her finger, and the water droplets floated in front of Arien and Arjen.
Arien stared at the display with her mouth still agape while her finger shook slightly as she tentatively poked one of the droplets, causing it to split into smaller droplets that glistened like miniature diamonds under the moonlight.
"Wash your hands first, Arien" Arjen said, already gathering a few droplets and began using them to rinse the fruit juice off his hands.
Arien got her thoughts back and dipped her hands into the gently floating body of water, relishing the cool sensation as the droplets enveloped her skin. But she noticed the sticky red nectar from the fruit still staining her sleeve.
Panic surged through her, and she frantically tried to rub the fabric, fearing it would leave a permanent mark. Fortunately, she managed to clean it off before the color could set, and the fabric returned to its original state.
"Why even bother with that..?" Sora's tone laced with amusement as she watched her sister's clumsy actions, finding Arien's reaction endearing.
"It's like the only dress I have. I don't want to ruin it," Arein replied.
"I could just—"
"No, you're not going to steal anything," Arjen quickly interjected, his tone leaving no room for doubt as he swiftly cut off Sora and her idea.
Sora crossed her arms with a huff, leaning her head onto Arjen's shoulder as she waved the floating droplets of water to move around.
"You guys think I can flood a city one day?"
"Maybe!" Arien said enthusiastically.
Arjen glanced over at Sora's grinning face and let out a resigned sigh, "Just...don't get caught."
"You'll think I'd get caught?"
Arjen gave Sora an "are you serious" look and she responded with a slyer smile.
Arien chuckled softly on the sidelines as she watched her siblings banter about whether or not Sora would get caught one day for terrorism and other hypothetical crimes.
She listened to their voices resound through the empty forest with the leaves on the tree branches rustling gently in the wind.
She let out a breath, feeling the urge to hide among the leaves and observe the world from above, much like a bird soaring in the sky or a horse galloping in a vast open field. The world seemed expansive and inviting, offering a sense of freedom and possibility, something that she could just gaze with her fingertips.
After a prolonged debate, Sora and Arjen finally reached a conclusion. However, when Arien asked about the outcome, neither of them provided her an answer. Sora remained silent, closing her eyes, while Arjen glanced awkwardly at Arien and simply said,
"It got a little off track...it's better if you don't know."
Arien was curious about what topics were mentioned in the conversation, but ultimately shrugged it off and returned back into silence, enjoying the quiet scenery and gentle breezes.
As the winds picked up, Sora's hair was tousled by the breeze, prompting her to sweep her hand across her face, gently tucking her hair behind her ear to keep it from obscuring her vision.
Arjen noticed this and asked, "Do you want me to tie your hair, Sora?"
"Do you have a hair tie?"
Arjen dug through his pocket and pulled out a ribbon. The vibrant red ribbon fluttered through in the breeze as Arjen held it in his hand.
"...Where'd you get that from?"
Arjen rolled the ribbon around his hand and said, "I took it from Rurahel"
Sora looked at Arjen in silence before she let out a chuckle,
Sora looked at the vibrant ribbon in Arjen's hand, a glint of amusement danced in her eyes before a chuckle escaped her lips, "Jeeze, never took you for it, Arjen. I thought the poison was still fucking with me for a second."
Arjen's expression soured, "Stop reminding me about that and turn around."
"Alright, alright."
Sora turned around as asked and Arjen began to gather the strands of her flowing hair into one neat bundle. The feeling of his fingertips dragging across her scalp made her feel like they were back in their apartment.
She was sitting on the floor and her brother was on the couch, allowing him to easily braid her hair to the background noise of the television. Meanwhile, her younger sister slept soundly in her lap.
It was blissful peace. The only sounds that filled the apartment were the murmurs from the television, the gentle patter of raindrops outside, and the soft snores from their sister.
"Okay," Arjen said softly, his fingertips tracing his work on Sora's hair and letting the braid rest on her shoulder. "All done. How is it?"
Sora looked down at the neatly braided locks of gold resting on her shoulder, held tightly at the end with the red ribbon, flowing in the breeze of the wind.
"Not bad."
"What do you mean, 'not bad'. I did great considering I had just my hands to deal with your hair."
"Hmm, true."
As she tilted her head upward, her gaze met the expansive night sky. The moon above continued to cover the vast landscape, bathing it in an ethereal glow and painted intricate patterns of light and shadow upon the forest floor.
Countless stars lit the heavens up like colors blooming across a blank canvas. The sounds of gentle rustling of leaves to the distant calls of unseen creatures hushed the stillness of the night.
Arjen remained silent and slowly brought his hand to the side of Sora's head, drawing her closer and resting her head comfortably against his shoulder.
"Someday," Arien, lost in contemplation, looked over her shoulder at her siblings and quietly asked, "Do you think we'll be able to live freely?"
Arjen briefly glanced at Arien before looking down at his feet swaying in the air.
How high up they were.
It was a familiar sight, gazing down at the ground that seemed so distant, so far away... the same feeling, same instinct he had experienced when he—wait, no. Forget that.
He stayed silent to Arien's waiting eyes.
"You shouldn't think about the future, Arien," Sora began with a whistle, swaying her legs nonchalantly in the chilly night air, "Just keep yourself alive, and when the drunko will die from alcohol poisoning."
Arien looked up at Sora, who kept her eyes closed paired with a relaxed expression.
"Only annoying bitches worry so much about a future they probably won't even get to see. So for now, enjoy the peace and quiet."
A warm smile spread across Arien's face.
Sora was right, she always was. (Arjen would beg to differ, but whatever)
Arjen gently took hold of the strands of Sora's hair that had escaped from her braid and twirling the ends with his fingers. Sora responded with a soft hum, prompting a smile from Arjen.
"You actually make a good point."
"No shit, I'm amazing."
"You are!" Arien agreed enthusiastically.
"Don't feed her ego that much, Arien."
But before they could enjoy the moment by each other's side in peace, Sora opened her eyes and tugged on Arjen's sleeve.
"Some fucker decided to join us tonight," she stated, her tone laced with irritation - a one-eighty from her previous carefree state - and began to cast a glaring gaze at the shadows of the nearby branch.
Arjen dropped his hand from Sora's head, prompting her to stand up and move to the very edge of the branch. Arien wondered how Sora effortlessly balanced on the edge, seemingly defying gravity, without the fear of falling many meters down. She made it seem so easy, it was like it was as natural to her as breathing.
Arjen and Arien quickly rose to their feet and positioned themselves behind Sora, peering in the direction where she was fixated. Arien's eyes widened in surprise as she noticed another person standing on a branch, one step above them.
They glared down at them with an intimidating aura. Their silhouette towered above the three siblings, and the only discernible features were a pair of glowing purple eyes. They bore a striking resemblance to Sora's, yet they were vibrant and had a spark of life.
"Who...who is he?" Arien shakily asked.
Arjen gave a slight shrug, "No clue."
Sora's grip on Arjen's hand tightened, but her posture remained relaxed with her other hand casually tucked into her pocket. She watched the stranger's every move, not allowing a single movement to escape her notice.
Arien, who was the furthest away from the stranger, casted her gaze upon the backs of her siblings and her hand intertwined with Arjen's, shaking.
"Who are you guys," the stranger's voice resonated with a threatening darkness, but it gave away that he was most likely a man.
As his glare intensified, it became apparent to Arjen that the stranger's eyes bore an even more uncanny resemblance to his sister's, albeit with a subtle difference that he couldn't quite pinpoint.
It seemed like the silence that greeted the stranger's question was not the answer he was looking for.
"If I don't get an answer, you might not understand what will happen next."
The stranger edged closer, and Sora remained unfazed, her eyes betraying no hint of emotion as she coldly fixed her gaze upon him. But Arien and Arjen visibly shrank back, instinctively behind Sora.
The stranger's intense gaze made Arien tremble and the bloodlust he exuded left Arjen's legs feeling unsteady, but both of them kept their eyes open and maintained their shaking gaze on the man.
Although the stranger was undoubtedly a threat, he paled in comparison to the terror they had endured at the hands of Rurahel. She was the one who tormented them throughout their new life and haunted them in their memories.
The stranger did not evoke the same level of fear as Rurahel - unless, of course, Sora feared him, even in the slightest.
As the silence deepened, the moon that was momentarily behind clouds fleeted and the stranger's face could be seen.
Dark brown hair framed a face marked by languid purple eyes. A sharp, defined jawline completed his features and when Arien caught a glimpse of him, she guessed he was in his early twenties.
As the moonlight reached Sora, it accentuated her nonchalant features and an expression of mild irritation. Her figure casted a commanding shadow that Arjen and Arien hid in.
"He looks...fancy." Arjen, with the last fiber in his body, managed to send his thoughts in telepathy. He scrutinized the stranger's attire, observing the intricate details of his clothing, the fabric, colors, and distinctive adornments. "Must be a nobleman or something."
Arien looked at the man with fear laced eyes and an expression mixed with terror and apprehension. "D-do you think if we act innocent, he'd let us go..?" she meekly asked.
"Never happening. I'll just deal with it and get you two down from here," Sora said simply.
"What..? We can't do that!" Arien cried.
"We're not just going to leave you here, Sora," Arjen stated.
Both Arien and Arjen quickly retaliated, refusing to let Sora sacrifice herself once more - for the millionth time (Sora always raised a brow at the word 'sacrifice' and disagreed with the phrasing there). But before they could even say anything else, the stranger let out a sudden gasp.
"This...this wasn't what I was expecting," the man covered his mouth as muttered quietly.
"Is it...a fucking pedoph—?"
"Sora! Now's not the time!" Arien internally cried and Arjen followed up with, "And don't you dare finish that sentence."
But before Sora could reply and shoot back an argument, the stranger extended his hand in a gentle manner, taking one more step forward.
"It's dangerous, so why don't you come here?"
With a sudden shift in tone, his sharp voice had changed into one that would appease animals. Stepping even closer on the branch, his face broke into a gentle smile, leaving Arien, Arjen, and even Sora momentarily stunned.
"The fuck? Now you can't change my mind that it's a pedophile, and probably fucked in the head too..!"
The stranger noticed that none of the siblings moved an inch, so he attempted once more, this time with an even softer tone.
"You guys don't have to be so vigilant..."
He reached his hand out to Sora but she backed away before his fingertips could even graze the fabric of her clothes.
With the stranger's action triggering warning signals in Sora's head, she quickly nudged Arien and Arjen farther back. Swiftly withdrawing her hand from her pocket, she flung whatever she was holding between her fingers at the man.
As soon as Sora retrieved her hand from her pocket, the man stumbled back a few steps and clutched his neck. His purple eyes trembled along with his hand as he looked at Sora, who stood there with her arm extended in front of Arien and Arjen.
Fixing him with a piercing gaze, her eyes seemingly bottomless, something that could swallow him into an abyss.
Observing the man's trembling hand covering his neck, a grin faintly appeared before she firmly took hold of Arjen and Arien's hands, drawing them closer to herself.
"When I tell you to, fall back."
Sora's instructions were delivered with a commanding tone that suggested she was prepared to take some drastic measures, even if it meant pushing her two siblings off the tree branch meters high off ground.
With that in mind, Arjen and Arien nodded without complaint to their sister's some-what questionable command.
However, the man once again spoke up, "Okay, I won't get closer."
Sora visibly cringed at the man's words and the way he spoke. He seemed like a kidnapper attempting to lure in children, but failing miserably at it.
Even Arien, who was typically susceptible to sweet, honey-coated words, recognized the man's mannerisms and speech were questionable.
"Sora, I think I agree with you now...He might actually be kinda...mental."
Arien gave in.
The man tried to find what caused the sudden wince of pain and what made his body react in such a way, moving his hand around his neck, but he felt nothing out of the ordinary. It seemed to disappear into thin air and the only thing that remained was the pain.
Sora looked the man up and down, seeing that he was still standing and yapping on, she thought, 'Ah...did I give it the shitty one..?'
The man gradually lowered his hand from his neck, and Sora's eyes narrowed as she fixated on a specific area. Despite the man's apparent lack of surprise at Sora's continued hostility, he persisted in asking, "Can you tell me why you guys are up so high?"
Arien and Arjen found themselves unable to find an answer for the man. They wanted to avoid drawing attention to themselves, knowing that it would only cause more harm than good, but they needed to blur out something, anything..! But nothing came to mind in the heat of the moment.
"Why not? Plus, the lights are beautiful, especially when viewed high up," Sora decided to speak up after a moment of awkward silence.
The man seemed to be taken aback by the unexpected answer and repeated, "...Beautiful?"
Sora didn't elaborate any further than a nonchalant hum.
She cast a fleeting glance toward the Palace. Lights that warmed the night sky in a radiant glow, much different from the stars and moon, but it still caused her heart to almost flutter and eyes to spark up like the lights below, from nostalgia she recalled upon.
It just...looked so much like the place he'd always take her to.
Alone.
With no one but flickering lights and the night sky to take them away.
"Then, would you like to see them close up?"
The stranger's question snapped Sora out of her swallowing thoughts.
She looked at him with an amused expression, and the man returned it with a dry chuckle.
"Right, they're more beautiful when viewed high up," he remarked.
Sora scoffed in response, but the man's attention shifted past her and settled on Arien and Arjen. Arien visibly flinched as she was met with purple once again and casted her gaze away.
"Your names...could I get your names?" The man asked, almost like a plea.
"Should we..?"
"And I thought you guys paid attention in school..." Sora sighed, shaking her head, "Don't bother replying to the schizo."
The man looked a bit sad that he didn't get a response, but then proceeded to remove his coat, throwing it at the three siblings and Sora caught it effortlessly as it was tossed before it could drop to the floor. She looked down at the coat in her hands, then at the man with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
"It's cold, so please wear it."
Sora ran her fingers over the fabric of the coat before she passed it to Arjen, who swiftly draped the coat over Arien's shoulders.
"What about you, Arjen?"
He adjusted the coat to fit snugly on her shoulder blades as a warm smile graced his lips, "You looked like you were going to freeze."
"But—!"
"Arien."
"...alright...but tell me if you get cold."
Arien felt the textured fabric of the coat at her fingertips, noting the intricate patterns and hanging ornaments that adorned it. The sleeves gently swayed with the breeze, grazing the branch she was standing on.
No matter how ignorant Arien was, she knew that the coat must have been quite expensive.
Looking up at the man with a hint of timidity in her eyes, she softly murmured, "T-thank you..."
The man's expression softened at Arien's timid gratitude, but a hint of sadness shadowed his features, almost unsettled by the stark contrast between Arien's tone compared to Sora's he had only heard previously out of the three.
"You kids don't have to say such things," he reassured them, his tone warm and comforting. However, as he continued, his voice took on a darker edge, expressing concern, "To make you wear such thin clothing in this weather..."
It was as if his hospitality was not directed at them, but at someone else.
"Do we talk weirdly?" Arien asked, her fingers gripping the coat on her shoulder a little tighter.
Arjen nodded, "We probably sound a little weird."
"You guys don't sound a little weird, you sound horrible."
Despite Sora picking up on the new language pretty quickly, it was even challenging for her to understand Arien and Arjen's speech with their shitty pronunciation. She vividly recalled the initial attempts from Arien and Arjen to try and have a conversation with her when they first picked up Yurin, and failed miserably.
She had suggested for them to speak Korean for easier communication (Sora couldn't stand hearing them talk in broken Yuria any longer) but Arjen and Arien were determined to persist with the new language and continued to speak in their broken Yuria.
Sora's ears and head suffered.
"I still have trauma after hearing you guys try to speak Yuria for the first time..."
"That's kinda rude, Sora."
"The truth hurts. I thought you knew that already, Arien?"
"Well then, I'll be leaving now."
The man was taking forever to leave and Arien let out a sigh of relief once she heard his announcement.
"See you next time."
His parting words left Arien puzzled, were they going to meet again?
The man tapped his foot on the branch, then leaned backwards, prompting Arien to instinctively reach out, fearing that the man had fallen from the considerable height. However, instead of witnessing a fall or hearing any sounds of distress, she was taken aback at the man floating midair, akin to water droplets, before vanishing into thin air.
"Holy shit...I wanna do that," Sora said with a tinge of awe laced underneath her breath. She was evidently fascinated and glanced at the spot where the man had stood before taking off, and she grinned.
After some time, they made their way back to the room just before sunrise.
Sora slid the coat off Arien's shoulders and threw a blanket over her head. She took a moment to examine the coat, inspecting each and every corner.
"Why do you need to do that every time we get something, Sora?" Arien questioned, peeking through the space of the blanket.
Sora shrugged, "Habit, I guess."
"This is very extravagant." Arjen moved his hand over the coat, hovering over each and every gemstone and ornament adorning it. "I wonder...since he isn't blond, he can't be royalty—"
"...BLONDE!" Arien suddenly called out.
"What..?"
"That man...He saw our blonde hair!"
A chilly wind suddenly blew past and the realisation hit Arjen.
"Oh...we're in huge trouble, aren't we..?" Arjen muttered.
"We must be idiots..." Arien hid her face in between her legs. "He definitely knew the instinctively royal trait is their blonde hair..."
"Don't worry," Sora hummed as she picked more ornaments off the coat with a simple tug, placing them aside, "I doubt it'll be able to talk, let alone tell anyone."
Arien slowly raised her head from her knees, her eyes searching Sora's face as she asked, "What do you mean by that, Sora?"
"Well, unless it's body is immune to poison."
Sora brought a deep crimson gemstone towards the window, allowing the natural light to cascade over the facets of the gem. She closed her right eye, leaning back on her arm while examining the gem with her left.
"Tetrodotoxin is pretty strong after all," she said while the red gemstone was held between her thumb and forefinger - fiery hues that seemed to dance within the heart of the stone - before she lowered the gem from her face, her fingers lingering on its smooth surface and resting it on her lap. "Actually, on second thought...nevermind."
Arien's eyes widened in disbelief, her expression a mix of shock and concern as she processed what she just heard.
"Oh," Arjen uttered, his gaze shifting to Sora with a hint of resignation, as if he already knew she'd do something like this.
"Sora, you can't just poison people! And with something like Tetrodotoxin!" Arien exclaimed with a slight accent slipping through.
"It's not actually Tetrodotoxin, just something similar," Sora corrected, "If it was actual Tetrodotoxin, the schitzo would've been completely paralysed from the moment it touched the skin."
"Still!"
SMASH—!
As the sharp sound of shattering glass pierced the air, Arien flinched and her initial surprise and anger dissipated in an instant.
Sora momentarily torn from her focus on the gems and looked, following Arien and Arjen's hurried movements towards the glass window to see what was happening.
Rurahel stood with a broken wine bottle clenched tightly in her hand, the shards glinting in the light. Her movements were wild and erratic as she waved the broken bottle around, the dangerous glint in her eyes betraying her intoxicated state.
Her maids were all visibly anxious, gathering around her and attempting to calm their lady down, but was met with little success. Rurahel, being the drunko she was, remained oblivious to their pleas and continued her frenzied actions.
Sora rose from the bed, pushing the gemstones aside as she stood up, the vibrant hues catching the light for a brief moment. She made her way to the window and gazed out at the source of the commotion.
A nonchalant expression settled on her features, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Another fucking another tantrum, great."
"I guess...though, she's acting a little strange, don't you think?" Arjen said after watching Rurahel for a while.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
Rurahel's piercing scream reverberated through air as she brandished the jagged, broken glass bottle threateningly at the maids attempting to approach her. In her intoxicated fury, she seemed to become aware of three sets of eyes peering at her from the window and directed the shards of glass toward the window, seemingly aimed at the onlookers.
"Y-you—! If it weren't f-for you...I'd be—!"
Her slurred words and the glinting tip of the shattered bottle seemed to point at Arien and Arjen, who stood at the forefront, their expressions tense as they watched from behind the glass window down at the chaotic scene. But instead, Rurahel's gaze and the shards of broken glass was pointed past them, fixating on a pair of eyes peering down at her from behind Arien and Arjen.
The maids persisted in their attempts to approach Rurahel, but she only retreated further, her actions growing increasingly frenzied and unpredictable as she wielded the broken glass bottle with escalating desperation.
Sora seemed to pick up on what was going to play out, and reached out to cover Arien and Arjen's eyes. Before Arien or Arjen could voice their confusion at Sora's sudden action, a sudden, sharp sound cut through the tense atmosphere, causing a moment of anxious silence to descend upon the room.
✨Stab—! ✨
"KYAA! Lady Rurahel!"
"L-LADY RURAHEL!"
The cries and screams of the maids replaced the sickening sound in less then a second, and all Arien and Arjen could hear was one sentence that followed;
"Lady R-Rurahel...LADY RURAHEL IS DEAD!"
What they didn't see - other than the chaotic clamor from outside the window - shrouded in darkness, was the snickering grin etched on their sister's face, her expression casted an unsettling, elongated shadow that seemed to reach out like an ominous, gnarled hand.
Sora's eyes flashed with a flicker of amusement and delight.
It was like she saw something beautiful - no, something that transcended beyond the divine being of beauty itself - a masterpiece of emotion, a painted picture brought to life, each stroke and hue expressing raw, palpable sentiment right before her.
[]
Nahhh
Although I practically dropped TTSNL, I was bored and decided to jump all the way to ch 158 (latest chapter of the manhwa) and I have a few questions...
When, what, where, and why? 😀
No like seriously, what the hell happened