"I have never seen my brother this happy before."
Ciel did not have to look at the person who spoke in order to know who it was. He kept his attention on the two who were trying too hard to imitate a dancing pair and failing miserably. A smile was drawn on his sister's face—an unfamiliar expression created by the arch that reached the corners of her blood-red eyes.
He and the second prince, Light, stood a considerable distance away from the two, blending among the shadows cast by the moonlight upon the tall tree on the side of the garden. Only the sound of the crickets singing in the vicinity mixed with the energetic, yet faint, music of the orchestra filled the air, swaying along the peace of the night.
"His Highness does not look happy to me," Ciel mused, disapproval lingering on his tongue. He was aware that he need not conceal his apparent enmity towards the crown prince from Light as the white-haired teen knew it all too well. It was as if it had become an unspoken pledge that they act honestly in front of each other at all times given their rivalry.
"Sure, keep convincing yourself. I will come back to you and agree if you see my brother making physical contact with another living person. Counting how long his hand has been clasped onto Sister's own, at least." The second prince sounded too confident to Ciel's liking, yet he could not deny the fact that the other was stating the truth.
Everyone knows that the crown prince loathed being touched. Not by servants, not by anyone, not even by his own family. He did not wear gloves often as it was dangerous for a combat mage since it could disrupt their fights. That being said, Prince Lucifer was never someone to hold another person's hand for a dance.
Ciel was a witness to how his sister looked too disgusted with herself because the prince refused to touch her hand. He was a witness to how the lightning mage always leaned away as if his sister was someone he would rather die than be in contact with. The prince avoided her like a contagious disease as if his life itself depended on it.
Ciel hated it.
Was it really that hard to give an exception to the girl you will marry? Could it be considered a ridiculous request to consider the lone girl's feelings? Prince Lucifer was no different than Young Master Zach.
"You know... I am envious of Sister."
He looked at his long-time rival with confusion evident in how his face contorted. His right brow slightly raised as his lips formed a frown. Envious? What was there to be envious about? His sister, Avy, definitely suffered so much humiliation. He did not understand this stupid prince at all.
"My brother never held me as a child. Well, I do remember him always standing somewhere nearby... but he never reached out to hold my hand. Perhaps, it was just me, or he did look terrified."
Ciel was surprised to see the bitter smile decorating the prince's childish features. His voice had a hint of melancholia, different from his usual demeanor basked with arrogance and confidence. Golden eyes reflected the moonlight seeping through the leaves of the trees they had taken shelter in.
"Believe it or not, my brother is not the heartless bastard you perceive him to be. I just know. He is my brother. Perhaps, I am siding with him because of that, but His Highness is a sincere person," Light expressed, and Ciel could trace the resolution in his choice of words. Still, he did not want to believe him.
"Why is he being good to her now? He could have done that a long time ago. Why now?"
Why now, when his sister is finally coming back to them?
"You are scared."
Ciel's whole body froze with that statement. His blood ran cold and he dared not look at the direction of the second prince. Scared? Scared of what?
"You are scared that Sister is becoming happier, but not because of you or your family. You are scared that she might pick my brother over all of you in the end. You are scared that you will be left to rot-"
The sound of an object paving the surrounding wind was heard as Light cut his own statement. Ciel's heart began to beat faster, and his sight darkened along with his heavy breathing. He did not realize he had already withdrawn his small blades and used them to silence the prince in his presence.
The summit rules did not allow the attendees to bring any kind of dangerous weapon inside the palace. However, being an Arkwright made it a piece of cake to avoid the inspection at the entrance.
One fact that no one aside from the inner circle of the Arkwright Family knew was that a child of their blood is taught to master a weapon that can be hidden from others in plain sight. Cessations had been around before the empire was even established; hence, the ancestors of the ruby-eyed family did not want to rely solely on their magic.
Having a number of enemies, they started a tradition to engrave a certain weapon mastery on their kin in order for them to defend their safety if the situation calls for it.
Ciel's choice of weapon is a small blade that he could easily hide inside his pocket. It was attached to a thin metal string that dispenses from the handle.
"What is wrong with being scared? Unlike you, I hardly remember what my mother looked or sounded like." Ciel wasted no time to hear Light's response and calmly walked away. He did not want to hear more of his fears from another person's mouth.
Ciel was well aware that he was not being reasonable by disliking the fact that only the crown prince could get a bright smile and a genuine laugh from his sister. He watched him ignore her for years and he could not shake off the thoughts that he would not stay the same and eventually leave Avy even more broken than before.
He halfheartedly went back to the banquet hall, trying to push aside the words remarked by his long-time rival. He relaxed his muscles before he entered the hall, not wanting to show his agitation to cunning nobles who could use a slight bit of information to prey on. Although it was not like him to be sociable, he still could not refuse the occasional conversations he had to go along with whenever an envoy from another country tried to squirm their way into his family's good graces by flattering him with unnecessary praises.
Being the youngest of a prominent family comes with being seen as an easy target. Ciel would have been easily swayed if he was raised like how most nobles raise their children—weak and naïve. However, a heart that trusts has been taken away from him a long time ago, and people might not believe him if he said it out loud, but it was his sister who opened his eyes to how filthy their world could be.
"Are you having fun, young master?"
A familiar playful voice called Ciel's attention, pulling him out of his thoughts. Looking in the direction where the voice came from, he was met with a pair of forest-colored eyes looking at him with a friendly squint.
"Young Master Arden," he greeted politely, "I was just coming back from a stroll outside. Noises are pretty exhausting, you see." If you are smart enough to notice, I would prefer not to talk to you.
The only heir to the Dukedom of Arden, Grey Arden, snickered to himself as if he was able to decipher the hidden message behind Ciel's statement. It would not be a surprise if he did, knowing that he actually had the intelligence to understand such a thing. However, it did not stop the noble from running his mouth.
"You really take after your brother, and it is oddly amusing. Almost as if I am talking to him when we first started attending the academy," Grey pointed out which somewhat made something inside Ciel bloom with pride. Unbeknownst to other people, the youngest Arkwright did admire his elder brother and it brought him joy knowing that he is seen to be similar to him in some way. However, that is not something he would openly say.
"Thank you, young master. In that case, I believe my brother would be a better-suited partner in a conversation. Moreover, he would be delighted to fill in your curiosities. My sister, for example." Ciel gave him a side look that did not come off as anything friendly, clearly expressing his displeasure.
Grey laughed once again before voicing out an answer. "Who is not curious about Lady Avy? Seeing her attending an event is rarer than seeing a beast child openly wandering around the capital."
Ciel's brows slightly knitted upon hearing this. He did not appreciate the high-ranking noble comparing his sister with a beast though he did not have anything against the race.
"Besides," Grey continued, "I doubt Ashton would be delighted to speak of your sister to another man not belonging to your family, young master."
Well, it was not a lie. Ciel was aware that none of them would be willing to entertain anyone who would want any information regarding their esteemed house's only lady. After all, most people who speak to them about his sister, Avy, usually have hidden intentions, especially men who desire a bite from their family's military power and influence.
To the young master's surprise, Grey Arden was actually a decent conversationalist. More like a person who knows how to feel the other's emotions, catering to them with words in order to keep the conversation flowing. Ciel did not have a hard time answering his questions and even asking him about his own curiosities. Still, he was careful not to disclose anything that would come back to bite him the next day. Before he knew it, the older male was bidding his goodbyes.
"It was nice speaking with you, Young Master Ciel. Do send my regards to your brother," Grey politely told him before walking away.
However, not even a minute had passed after the older noble left when darkness suddenly engulfed the hall. It was followed by the deafening screams from the nobles that were present.
Ciel took a defensive stance, not knowing what would happen next. He knew where each member of their family stood before the blackout and he made sure to make it known to them where he was, too. The only thing that worried him was his sister. Though, knowing she was outside with the crown prince did ease some of his nerves a little.
"No one moves! Or else everyone will get their heads cut off!" a wild, rough voice of a man echoed in the air, earning a few gasps from the nobles.
It was just like that night when all of the illumination stones died and everyone temporarily lost their mana as if it was cessation. Ciel could not feel his own even though he tried to call upon his flames.
"Do not make a sound. T'is Light." A familiar voice whispered next to him before he was carefully dragged away, the culprit holding onto his sleeves. It was a good thing that he had already stood in the farthest corner of the hall, away from the people, hence, they were able to tiptoe to the hallway on the side.
However, before they could reach the door leading to the exit, a big fire ignited in the middle of the hall. The unknown assailants used the tablecloths that they drenched in expensive alcohol that the nobles were drinking in order to make the flames that illuminated the whole place.
"No one moves, ye? Didja not understand?" a man dressed in black, covered from head to toe, appeared behind the two boys, grabbing them by the back of their collars to drag them back to the middle of the hall.
"Get...! Get your hands off me!" The two of them struggled, however, losing their mana felt like losing half of their energy and they were not able to break free.
"Stop struggling, you brats—!"
After a test of strength, Ciel was able to land a decently strong punch on the man's face, making the assailant slam him hard on the wall in irritation, still holding Light's arms with his left hand.
"Fuck! That hurt!" The fire only provided little light for Ciel to see the bloodshot eyes that the man used to look down on him as he supported his head from being hit on the wall. "Now yer gonna get it."
The big guy unsheathed a blade from his belt, causing Light to make use of all of his strength to even slightly stop the man from slashing the ruby-eyed mage. To his horror, it did not make the assailant budge even a bit.
The light of the fire was reflected by the blade as the man angrily stomped his way to Ciel who was still not able to stand up, but before he could raise the dagger to stab the younger boy, a figure appeared next to him in a flash, a crude cuss was heard, and the big man crashed on the ground, knocked out cold.
"Dumb shit," a voice of a girl said.
The two younger mages were too stunned to make a sound, their gazes glued on the glowing pair of crimsons.
Avy's flowing black hair was damp, and it was a little bit messy, not holding the former style that it had when the banquet started a few hours before.
"S-Sister...! Are you alright?" as if he did not suffer from any hit from the black-cladded man, Ciel immediately stood up, although wobbly, to rush to his sister's side.
"Are you alright? You were slammed like a demolition ball. Blame your luck for encountering a bastard who looked like he'd been eating kids for breakfast. Bitch could crush your skull with those muscles." Avy grabbed the side of his head with both of her hands, looking for any feeling of warm liquid that might have already started dripping down from any wound, if he got any.
"Good. Your head wasn't smashed open. You'll live," she casually said, turning to the other boy to do the same. When she confirmed that none of them was seriously hurt or in need of stitches, she put her palms on their shoulders. Her right palm is on Light's left and her left palm is on Ciel's right.
"Stay quiet and avoid any kind of light to keep yourselves hidden. If one of you dies, I'll bury you both, got it?" The two young mages were not able to see the expression that decorated the lady's face as the pillars of the hallways blocked the light from shining on them directly. However, both of them felt the seriousness in the girl's tone.
"But where are you going? You cannot go in there as well...!" the white-haired prince protested, although while whispering. Ciel shared the same sentiment. He cannot let his sister go back to the middle of the hall and fall prey to the unknown assailants.
"I'm trying to test something out, not playing hero. So, behave and stay the fu-..." Avy inhaled deeply. "Stay away from the light."
The younger Arkwright wanted to speak, however, he knew the heaviness of the tone that his sister used. Perhaps, it was another whim of hers that she wanted them to play along with. Still, he believed that Avy's action aimed to protect them from harm.
"Little princess' going somewhere?"
Before any of them could speak once again, another man dressed in all black showed up and without any other heads up, picked up the lady's body.
"Do not make a noise!" Avy shouted, halting the two boys from doing anything that the lady went against.
The ruby-eyed lady cussed multiple times, expressing her irritation.
"Ah– Fuck, get off!" Avy shouted, struggling to get away.
Although it was dark, Ciel was able to catch a glimpse of the reflection on something that the girl was clutching in her right hand. Was it a stick? No. It was more like a pen.
It was the thing that kept his sister's hair suspended in a bun earlier.
"I need help here! This bitch is being difficult!" the man shouted to someone and not a second later, another black-cladded person came to his rescue.
A vein throbbed on Ciel's temple, hearing how his sister was handled and addressed. He was trying to rush to the girl but he was held back by Light who grabbed onto his arm with all he got. All they could do was watch.
The newcomer tried to grab Avy, but in a blink of an eye, the girl raised her arm and stabbed his eye with something that looked like a pen.
"AARGHHH! FUCKING BITCH!" the man shouted and was about to throw a punch when all of a sudden...
He twitched uncontrollably as if he was electrified before dropping to the ground with a loud thud.
"What the—" The one who was holding Avy was not given a chance to recover from shock as he soon followed his colleague, suffering from the same fate.
Avy was able to break free.
~~~
Avy panted heavily. She exerted all her efforts on wriggling aggressively like a worm being cooked in salt that she could feel her knees wanting to give out.
However, she felt ecstatic. She held the stun pen that she had been working on for weeks, a warm sensation of liquid dripping on her hand. It was a success.
Of course, she was confident that it would work, knowing it was not powered by a magic stone but a battery that she built using the materials that the magic world could offer. It was not hard as she was able to utilize the magical technology that she got her hands on during the days that she did nothing. Still, the outcome was more than she had expected.
"Sister!" she was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the voice of Ciel call out to her. She swerved her neck in their direction and found the two boys running to her in a hurry.
Her brows knitted together in disapproval. Did she not tell them to stay put and be quiet? She could only choose whether to use the spell that erases one's presence on herself or other people and she chose to use it on them. Now, they refused to behave.
"I told you to keep quiet," she hissed, earning an apologetic look from her brother who then lowered his head in shame.
"You could have gotten hurt, Sister..." he breathed out, his voice soft yet resolute.
"You wouldn't understand, but I'd prefer I get stabbed than have you dying on me." Avy's sharp glare did not die down. She knows she can handle herself getting the misfortune instead of Ciel. After all, she could heal herself if she wanted to. Besides, she had two curses lurking in the shadows, doing their jobs, and surely one of them would have come to her rescue if she was put in a situation where she would get killed.
Ciel and Light did not have that kind of luxury. They could die without the plot even starting and it would impact the story greatly. Avy's side of the battle would suffer an enormous loss.
Or perhaps... She just refused to accept that she wanted the youngest to leave the danger zone unscathed.
"Avy! Ciel!" a familiar voice interrupted. Alistair came running to them, and although the dim illumination of the flames was present, Avy could picture the restless expression that the knights' commander wore as he rushed towards them.
"Uncle Alistair." Ciel sounded relieved as the presence of the older Arkwright indicated a better situation for all of them.
Well, it was, in fact, true. It was just then that Avy realized how the deafening silence with only pleading cries and the cracking fire that dominated the hall were replaced by noises that did not sound as alarming as it was before. She heard no more threats from the black-clad men, although the hall was still engulfed in darkness.
Alistair's eyes ignited in malevolence the moment he noticed the two unconscious culprits on the floor. He immediately turned to his niece and nephew and was shocked to see the droplets of blood trickling down Avy's hand.
However, before the man could open his mouth to speak, the girl was quick to refute any misunderstanding.
"It's not my blood," she cleared up, shaking off the remaining blood that stained her hand, trying to hide the pen out of her uncle's sight.
"Thank goodness." Alistair breathed. He noticed another presence with the two and was not surprised to see Light casually standing on the side. The white-haired imperial did not have any noticeable injury on him. At least, he was not showing signs of having any.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has been searching for you." The knights' commander ushered the three to the center of the hall where the people were gathered and were now trying to leave through the center door.
"The pillars have already apprehended the invaders, but His Majesty, the emperor, ordered for every attendee to evacuate to the open grounds. Some of the assassins might have hidden somewhere inside," he explained as he guided the three youngsters to a safer place.
It was one of the reasons why Avy was certain that nothing big would happen that night unless she played a role in changing a lot in the story.
As she was walking, she watched as the strongest families of the empire, led by their elderly—including her grandfather—gathered near the big flames. The current head of their family, the dukes, were with them along with their respective heirs.
The men in black had their hands and feet tied quite tightly, face-planting on the cold marble floor. Duchess Valentina had her feet resting on one of the invaders' heads, showing her complete domination over them.
The emperor knew what he was doing when he agreed to the non-aggression pact between the nations. Unlike other kingdoms and empires, Kriseon trained their nobles to fight and only the strongest fighters of noble families could be an heir to their name. The cunning ruler was aware that his people could defend themselves without a knight guarding them if the situation called for it. Hence, in an enclosed space with excellent combatants, Kriseon had the upper hand.
"Commander!" a knight came running towards them, carefully avoiding the nobles in the way. Seeing Avy and the two younger boys, the knight gave a respectful bow before stating the reason for his arrival.
"A large number of restriction stones were found in the palace's vicinity. Your presence is needed, sir," the knight notified politely. Alistair hummed in response before sending the man away.
He glanced at Avy and the two boys, uncertainty painted on his face that was shadowed by the darkness of the hall. Avy vaguely remembers his appearance in the novel as he was not relevant enough to be shown often. Moreover, not much information is stated about the Arkwright family. They were described with words that did not come far from one another. Cold. Heartless. Cruel.
She realized those were words that came from people who feared them.
Why would a heartless man deem the safety of his family more important than his sworn duties?
"We're fine here. No one's injured," she assured the man who reluctantly surrendered to her words and left to fill in his responsibilities. Of course, not without one last glance of concern that Avy shook off with a gesture of her hand.
Some of the nobles and participants of the gathering had already vacated the hall with only a few important figures that remained to lend their hand to the pillars of the empire. The invaders were with them, not yet being escorted out. Perhaps, the Kriseonian nobles thought they would be better off in their line of sight where they could execute them in a second if they tried to do something suspicious.
Even with only the flames aiding her vision, Avy recognized some familiar faces. There was Mallory's fiancé, standing next to an older man that she saw for the first time that night. There were a few people who probably had a higher standing as they were important enough to be included in the meeting with the empire's mightiest forces.
Her eyes landed on the person standing a few feet away from the invaders. The ash-brown hair with mauve streaks reflected the orange hues of the flames. The young ruler of the country of Auxiviel that Avy could remember was named Cartal. He was a little farther away from the older nobles, scanning the faces of the apprehended men next to a person whom Avy also recognized. The same midnight-blue hair that she last saw when she entered the notorious prison, Gehenna.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?"
Light's voice was able to call her attention back. She turned to the two younger mages and found Ciel sitting on the floor as he was helped by the second prince to stand up.
"What happened?" she asked, her brows meeting again accompanied by a questioning stare, watching the boy get back up on his feet.
"I simply got dizzy, Sister. Worry not," he responded, mildly hitting his temple with his palm as if trying to knock his brain back into place. Avy clicked her tongue, shaking her head in disapproval.
"Yeah, you must've hit your head harder than I thought," she persisted before setting her attention on the other lad who still had his arm waiting for the raven-haired boy as if anticipating his fall once again.
"Would you mind accompanying him to the servants? You two should call it a night, I can just stay here with Ashton."
Avy knew that Ciel would prefer for them to stay together after a dangerous encounter. However, she did not find it appealing to watch him wobble every time he moved.
"But—"
"I'm safe with them, I'm telling you," she interrupted the boy as he tried to reason his way out.
Sighing with his head hanging low, the younger Arkwright nodded, accepting his defeat. With one final glance at her, the two lads made their way out of the banquet hall, leaving Avy as she watched them disappear before her eyes. Once they had already stepped out of the large doors where a couple of knights stood, she decided to go to the group of people in the hall.
She recognized her father's stature even if his back was the only thing she could see. Beside him was Lord Alcasser who seemed to be discussing something as the other nobles were nodding in response. Ashton was with them, of course, standing behind their father just like the other heirs of each house, listening intently whilst also whispering their thoughts to their respective family heads.
"Ouch...!"
Avy's attention was so focused on her family that she was not able to evade the person who bumped into her shoulder as she walked. The sound of the pen that she was holding dropping on the marble floor echoed throughout the hall as she stumbled backward to regain her balance.
"Apologies, my lady, I was not in my right mind," the man uttered, a familiar voice gracing her ears.
Avy looked up, brows clashing in the middle of her forehead in displeasure. She was met with a pair of clear blue eyes, filled with contempt and mischief. Lord Rasheen Harrington towered over her and she felt the same tightness in her chest that she felt before when they met in Gehenna.
"Are you alright?" the older man asked, his face wearing a blatantly apparent mask of fake concern.
Avy could feel her body trembling as if an entity had taken control of her that very moment. She mustered all her strength to give an answer, to voice out even the shortest response, but it was futile. She could only nod her head, as though a deer caught in headlights.
"Then, if you may excuse me," Lord Rasheen stated before continuing on his way. However, before he totally left, he stopped just as he was standing next to Avy and spoke.
"You no longer reply to my letters, my lady. It pains me."
Avy froze in place, hearing the chilling voice of the man whisper in her ear. It took her a moment to recover, and when she finally did, the Lord had already walked away.
She shook the feeling off her system and looked around to search for the pen that she dropped. She had realized that it rolled in the direction where the criminals were kept in place. Glancing at the walking figure of the novel villain, she squeezed her fist into a ball to calm herself down before going to pick up the pen.
When she bent down to grab the pen from the floor, sudden dizziness flooded her system, causing her to fumble. A flash of memories and voices terrorized her head like an alarm continuing to scream.
"Your family does not care for you, my lady"
"No one would look for you if you disappeared. You were the cause of your mother's demise, after all."
"I care for you more than anyone, Lady Avana."
"I am always with you."
"...DIE!!"
Everything happened in a split second. The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the marble floor, the king of Auxiviel sprawled in front of her, bleeding, and one of the invaders was burning to death. The lights of the hall came back and she could clearly see the red pool growing on the side of the young ruler.
There was chaos. She could see everyone opening their mouths, saying something, however, her ears only rang. In the midst of the mayhem, she was able to catch a glimpse of the blue-haired villain standing near the exit. A smile was displayed on his face.
The last thing she remembered was the warm hand of the injured King Cartal, grabbing her own as she trembled.
~~~
Ayoooo guys. Sorry for disappearing for a long time. I almost died lol, not kidding. But here you go. Thanks for sliding into my dms everyday lmaoooo I love your dedication. Talk to me on ig if you'd like to ask anything. It's silverxxvoid
ALSO, a reader drew a fanart of this storyyyy IT'S SO PRETTY OH MY LORD I LOVE IT SO MUCH
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