Instead of answering, the Lady just smirked at the man's reflection from the large window she's facing while the man faced her long backless dress making him see her pale body.
"Shouldn't you worry more about your fiancée than just a mere stranger like me?" Psyche had finally said sighing as she faced the guy who's so gorgeous
That his blonde hair was shining brightly at the rays of the sun striking his figure in place with his blue eyes seeking for an answer, pleading that the lady in front of her was just lying or angry for the moment.
"Stranger? Psyche we're family, you're my sister! Yet you made me fall in love with you!" the blonde-haired boy - who was Aiden Killford, the young master of the Killford dukedom as well as the younger stepbrother of Psyche, said with bursting anger looking at her but immediately controlled himself seeing how determined Psyche looked for a moment.
She thought that for the first time, her younger brother that was an easy-going kid on the outside who has lots of friends can't contain his emotions in front of her
Comparing herself with Aiden surely makes her remember how she was adopted in Killford. She was homeschooled, she never went to the academy after being adopted because of the trauma that made her gain some psychological issues
"Why did you think I made you fall in love with me, Aiden? Please stop with those delusions of yours. You knew from the very beginning I can't love" Psyche burst in anger right in front of him throwing the glass containing wine on the wall making it shatter to pieces staining both the floor and wall while she breathes heavily making the window on her back as her support
This day will be long enough for the both of us
He thought trying to come near her to explain further but her expression says 'Stay a meter away from me or else you'll not like what I'll do next' even if breathing heavily she still manages to portray that venomously gorgeous meaningful look on her face
Why do you even look more gorgeous now that you're angry? Aiden thought as he just sighed and gave up coming near her making him stand on his previous position while intently looking at her
"I knew it but I just can't help falling for you, you knew when I'm hurt, you say hurtful words to me but when I think about them they're your advice. You always protected me from the shadows. So tell me, who will not fall in love with those actions you're making?" Aiden confessed looking desperate in front of her that only made Psyche put her hands on her temples trying to massage them gently feeling a little bit off as she sighed for a long minute while trying to find a chair inside the library.
"What made you think I did that all for you? You just said it earlier. I just USED you" Psyche said, as she emphasize the word 'used' in front of him, calmly sitting on the chair near the shelves looking at Aiden seriously making him feel useless comparing him to a toy that was already used that had no more used to her
"No, I won't give up. Even if you use me or anything as long as I'm on your side, I'm alright with that" Aiden said pleading his way towards Psyche
He continuously looked at the lady who was sitting like she's a goddess that had cascaded from a long time ago when he was just eleven years old.
Looking back on his past he remembered how he was captivated by the sight of the lady who resembled so much like his father and him, she has golden blonde hair and ocean blue eyes making her part of the Killford household through adoption.
He remembered the time when the lady was just 13 years old being adopted in the Killford household, there was no Duke or Duchess to assist her in the house only Aiden's guardian because just like what had happened to Psyche, his family was also murdered disguising it as an accident.
In Ferius time when he was still alive being the duke of Killford household, he proposed to the emperor about prosecuting the corrupt and greedy officials and nobles of the entire empire but because of this his enemies grew big as they started to get nervous with the sudden announcement yet later on before it got to be passed as a law, Duke Killford together with his family were brutally assassinated in a nearby forest
Even before proposing the said idea, the Duke already had many enemies that's why his death was never an accident, to begin with
Aiden Killford - being the child who will succeed the throne that was saved until the last breath of Duke Ferius and Duchess Romina - was the only bloodline that survived the attack
That night, everything seemed peaceful but not with the Killford family marking the night as the beginning of their demise.
Aiden, as the child who had survived alone being saved by his parents, was left alone in the dark forest only to be rescued by one of the Duke's attendants that had miraculously survived the assassination attack appearing all bloodied and injured yet he still managed to keep Aiden away from any danger returning him to the Killford household on that cold winter night
Aiden remembered the night that they were supposed to return to the Killford household after going from their estate in the countryside but it became the reason for their family's tragedy.
Maids and butlers were shocked with the news of the accident on the Duke and the Duchess creating grievance on the emperor and to the whole empire about the tragedy that happened to the Killford family
Knowing Aiden, the only bloodline of the Duke who had survived in the tragedy and the only gem of the late Duke and duchess, emperor Gordon had appointed him his guardian who will assist the little child and the Killford household for the time being before Aiden grows old to handle them alone and become the duke
The guardian was no other than the attendant, who also survived, of the late duke named Grindel who later on became his very first friend making him feel positive emotions over negative ones
Upon arriving at eleven years old, there came Psyche the girl who was like the definition of a goddess making his heartbeat for the first time seeing her
He felt paralyzed from their first meeting like his world suddenly stopped with just the two of them but it was easily crushed upon hearing Grindel say that she'll be officially his sister due to the semblance she had with the family.
"You'll only be hurt in the end, Aiden. You have a fiancée who deeply loves you. I don't want to ruin that" Psyche said calmly observing the change from her younger brother.
She reminisced the time when they were still young when the time she got adopted into the Killford household she became like someone else continuously hating the nobles and everything but she just couldn't accept the fact that she always saw her little brother on Aiden that's why she reflexively do things that makes Aiden misunderstood
She acted ironically with her hate on the nobles towards Aiden like instead of being gentle when talking to him she's being rude by giving him advice, she always avoids him but always watches from the shadows, she always stays silent even though she wanted to talk to him. These characteristics of her made Aiden more curious about her for a long period
Upon knowing everything about what had happened to her through his investigations, he knew one thing. They had experienced the same tragedy that he'll know the reasons later on
After becoming a young adult Aiden had discovered that the tragedy of his family from that snowy night was well-planned and not just a mere accident on the road. That discovery made him have his hatred for the first time to the noble society. He knew, being the successor of his father's title, they had lots of known enemies within the empire he knew this the moment he understood how society works
"It's alright, Psyche. I just said those words to take out a piece of baggage in my heart that's making me feel heavy. Please forgive me for saying those and acting impulsively sister" Aiden said sighing for the moment walking to Psyche making her features unreadable but gladly accepting Aiden's nearing pace.
As soon as Aiden went near towards her, he knelt and took one of Psyche's hands to kiss the back of it.
"You knew from the very start that we do have the same enemy, we do have the same plot of revenge but we just kept it a secret until now," Aiden said softly while looking intently at Psyche after kissing the back of her hand while still holding hers
Psyche instead of being angry to what he did, made a wide smirk
Finally, my plan to exact revenge is just around the corner. Even though I never expected this to happen, eventually time will still make it because of his unusual behavior I've observed for a long period
"So you already knew mine from the very beginning. Can you tell me more about yours?" Psyche said curiously and interested with the turn of events
Aiden instead of being shocked portrayed the same smirked Psyche had earlier. The same venomous smirked that will bite each enemy's head.
"I should call you Psyche when we're alone," Aiden said seriously that making Psyche nod in response with a wide smirk.
"Call me whatever you want as long as you want me to use you," she said meaningfully looking at Aiden's face
Now the hands that were being held by Aiden have been on his face caressing his soft white cheeks as Psyche's face went nearer just a few inches away before their lips met
"And there's one more condition to that, make the daughter of the Maxwell or your fiancée fall deeper in love with you" with that being said Psyche's soft lips had brushed against Aiden's for a second because she immediately moved away after doing that
Aiden can't process what just happened as his sister, his adopted sister whom he thought had no feelings towards her, suddenly brushed her soft sweet lips into his and for a moment he felt thrilled about it
I can't believe this will happen, my heart's beating faster than before just like the first time I met her. Psyche what are you trying to do to me? You said you can't love but you made me want you more
"That's just to seal our deal, no more no less," Psyche said now standing up from her seat and was about to take a step forward when Aiden's other hand stopped her from moving as he holds her wrist gently standing in front of her seriously breathing heavily for the moment
"And this is the seal for my contract as well," Aiden said and in just a swift movement his lips were already on hers as he kissed her gently and possessively
Psyche was about to hit him as she struggled with the kiss but before she could even hit him he stopped her hands from moving and put them at her back savoring the taste of her lips
After a while, Aiden breaks their kiss making Psyche breathe heavily again while making Aiden's hands on her waist as her support from falling
What had just happened to her surprised her whole being making her realize that she no longer consider him as her younger brother like he's Grey
"You also need to learn more self-defense and training if you want to defend yourself first, sister" Aiden whispered to her ears making her fiercely glare at him yet seconds later she smirked and returned the same force of tease after hearing him say, sister
"Would you mind teaching me how, brother?" Psyche said teasingly moving her hands to his hard chest making circular shapes as she just smirked her way in front of him
"But first things first, care to explain your plans before I leave, Aiden?" Psyche said stopping what she's been doing earlier to move aside and break Aiden's hug
"With pleasure, Psyche," Aiden said smirking gladly who was now walking to the large table with books behind it drafting his plans on the paper as Psyche followed behind seeing what he'd been planning for years already as she did the same smirked as Aiden's
The start of revenge will soon be tasted by those disgusting greedy nobles
"These apples seem nice, Mary! Going to buy them for my little brother" Iris who was turning thirteen for a few days said to Mary, the daughter of the fruit vendor as well as her best friendThey were in Laufer's street where vendors sell goods, it's part of the market in the empire.She knew that her brother loves apples so much and so after working part-time in cleaning the bakery that hired her, she always bought food for her family as her father and mother are also working on their mini-farm."You always seemed happy, Iris! I hope you can stay that way!" Mary said smiling while Iris was handling the apples that she bought and just smiled and winked at Mary."That's just my personality, Mary! Trust this girl will never change and will always be the girl you'll see buying apples for her little brother and family!" Iris said smiling brightly at Mary as the sun shines captivated her view for a while
"So have you finally thought about my proposal?" the sister of the emperor, who was formerly known as Princess Analize was now Duchess Orden, said to Arthur in the imperial palace who was currently sitting on the large chair as the emperor while she sat for the guest's seat"Are you sure you want this? I think Duke Maxwell's eldest son Damon was against the idea of tying him up with my daughter knowing how he reacts when my daughter gets overly obsessive towards him" Arthur, the emperor, said worrying about his daughter's behavior"Oh please let her be, Damon was just playing hard to get. What I want you to understand is about the proposal of the Morgan family, about their mining business" Duchess Analize cleared what she was saying earlier making the emperor's worried face wash instantly replacing a large grin"Yes and consequently, because of the said evidence, they've been stripped out of their titles. We're curre
The knights in our duchy were so easy to manipulate. Not minding some cat's noiseDamon thought while walking ahead to town with his long brown coat he put on earlierNever did he know that he was being observed by the shadow knights of the dukeSome of the shadow knights were assigned to spy on him reporting back what he's been doingUnless Damon knew he was being watched and decided to escape from their grasps but for the moment, he's still in the dark about itDuring his walk, he was mesmerized at how beautiful the surrounding is with the leaves of the cherry blossoms falling to places having sun's rays all overHe felt nostalgia after watching such gentle scenery for the second time after getting out of Maxwell's householdThis was the second time I've watched cherry blossoms' leaves falling like they are pieces into place
Not again?!Iris thought frustratingly while she's trying to arrange her hair upward again even without her cloth covering it that must have slipped away after running"You must be thinking, I'm a noble in disguise because of my appearance but trust me, I'm just a commoner Mister so there's no used stealing away something from me' Iris said truthfully while looking for a way to escape her situation to buy the ingredients Selby asked him earlierBut to no avail, she couldn't find any spot to escape as he well blocked them considering he's way faster than those bad guys earlierCalming herself, she just sighed while looking at the mysterious guy in front of himDamon was surprised to know but he didn't make it obvious enough to let her knowInstead, he removed his brown coat and handed it to her body covering her whole beingIris was surprised by th
"I'm El, nice to meet you," Damon said introducing himself smiling confidently at Selby who was astounded and surprised by him"Hmmm, fair enough, I'm Selby Loughes the son's owner of Loughes bakeshop" Selby introduced himself being arrogant for once because of the unexpected person having excellent baking skills than himInstead of being offended, Damon chuckled while looking at Selby who was now seriously looking back at him"Consider yourself lucky that Iris had introduced you to me. You may start tomorrow but if you have time today then do assist Iris on the ingredients to be used here. The list and money were already on her" Selby said still eyeing Damon who was smiling at him only to look at Iris after mentioning her nameSelby looked at how astounded and surprised Iris was just like him earlier but regained her posture immediately after being eyed by the twoAfter Selby fake a
"What the?!" was what Damon exclaimed after seeing Iris ran towards the running thief. She was chasing after him when Damon was picking up the ingredients that had fallen to the ground. With that in mind, he decided to go after her reflexively knowing that she could be in danger if he ignored their situation. He’s also considering that she’s not just someone to him. She’s the first commoner he made friends with his fake identity that’s why he needed to keep her safeHe immediately stood up and was about to go ahead where Iris was, if he didn't remember about the ingredients. So he immediately put all the ingredients that were on the ground earlier into the bag. He rearranges them and as he talks to a commoner guy watching the scene innocently"Do take these ingredients to the Loughes bakeshop. If I found out that you didn't deliver these to the shop, I might hunt you for the rest of your life," the innocent commoner heard Damon’s venomous
"Iris?!" Damon said surprised at the sudden figure in front of him. She was wearing the brown coat that he gave earlier"What are you doing here?! You should've gone to Selby's shop by now!" Damon exclaimed making a point in their current situation. Yet, he only see how Iris was fuming with an angry expressions towards him'Uh oh, this means trouble. Have to get her out of here before she discovered something about me' Damon thought walking near the angry young woman in front of him - sighing"You don't know how worried I was for you that I had no choice to follow you here. What's gotten with you that time? Did you know who the guy was?" curiosity was what Iris had portrayed in her expressions and in her voice"I thought he's someone familiar, he’s figure was quite too familiar to me. Now let's probably go before some beasts appear out of nowhere," Damon said with concern look to her. He started pulling her towards him. that gesture made Iris blushe
"Just for once, make yourself appear like this when it's only the two of us," Damon said tightly gripping her hand that was soft enough to let him caress his face"If I knew better, you already thought I'm a noble. Let me make it clear to you again, El. I'm a commoner. If you want I could introduce you to my family later on," Iris suggested the idea for him to stop confusing her as a noble. Even if she's the only one misunderstanding the situation. He didn’t even said anything about her being a noble but she’s assuming. She’s assuming because that was what Mary had thought of her before'I did imagine her as a noble earlier but as time passed by after observing her, I already knew she's born a commoner. From the way, she acted as if she’s like a boy and the way she chased the thief earlier –she’s actually fearless. Those actions of hers surprises me even more'Damon thought who was now chuckling in front of her"I