"By the way... Lewis..." Aefia asked all of a sudden, just a few minutes prior to leaving the rooftop. "I was thinking that since we are going to leave pretty immediately tomorrow, and I always had the wish to take a look at the statue underneath the famous bridge... Well I was thinking if you wanted to accompany me there."
"Well that was so sudden?" He asked back while narrowing his eyes at her, but failed to catch any suspicious look on her face.
"I know. The idea was sudden too... But I was really willing to see it before I left tomorrow. That is... Not even seventeen hours left." She answered back with a smile, which felt more genuine compared to what she would be flashing most of the time.
"I guess alright..." He shrugged while walking away. "I am just expecting it to be very boring. Like anything else that is present."
"Then what about a game?" As instantly as he had said it, she answered back with a playful and a childish glint. "It's alright if you don't want to participate... Not going to force you."
He felt like she was probably, internally feeling rejected by her brother, seeing that way she turned childish and was planning on walking towards somewhere even he didn't know at this point.
He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn around before stroking her head for a moment. "What are the rules?" For some reasons, he felt pitiful for what she would be going through and how she felt lonely around this time. She hated crowded places, but she was also afraid of being left alone.
Although she had never spoken about how it exactly feels, it could be told that she just didn't want to feel left out and doing nothing, otherwise she would get anxious over the situations.
"Simple. We will need to move in a very fast pace and so... We will have to depart at our own directions. The one who reaches the statue first, will win a wish. Like the next time they make the chocolate cake, the other person can't have their piece, or that the other person should stay shut up–"
"The other person should stay shut up. I prefer that most." Lewis spouted with an annoyed face at her. She stayed silent, for some reasons. He stared at her in confusion as she folded her arms and didn't continue speaking even after he asked her to continue. But didn't even move her expression, that awkward smile that made her look more dead.
But unknown to him that time, it was a sign.
"Ok fine! You can talk..." He let out a defeated sigh at the end. "What are the rules?"
"I haven't even said what my wish was..."
"Fine! Just hurry up."
"I wish that if I win... You don't get to have any piece or remnant of the chocolate cake for your entire life..." She answered, while keeping the smile in tact.
"It's not fair!"
"Trust me... It is..."
"How?!"
"Because of one gets injured on their way there... They are eliminated from the game." She answered while making him turn more clueless with her words.
"..."
"Anyways. So I will tell you when the game starts tomorrow... Since we can't really move around when the duchess is awake or the servants are keeping an eye out. And given the fact that you bad at stuff like that... I will handle it."
"You really are good at bragging. And that's annoying..."
"Don't worry... You won't have to suffer that annoying habit of mine for long anymore..." She answered back, unmoved.
"You are strange..." He answered while walking away, but after a few steps, he decided to turn around.
Aefia, with the smile still stuck to her face, was faced towards the large ceiling to floor window and stared at the sky awkwardly. Behind her, her left hand came to clasp her right elbow as she tilted her head towards the sky. "I am... In fact... Strange to myself..." She had muttered to herself.
He only felt that she was doing this because she was facing her anxiety, so he didn't really give a mind to it anymore. He walked away that day, the way back to the annex, he tried asking questions, but she didn't bugde. Only until they were a few paces behind the duchess, did he decide to actually try and trigger a reaction out of her.
He hit her at the back of her head with a fist. Not even a slap.
It was done by accident of course, but given how frail Aefia had become over the past few days, she stumbled, almost hitting herself with a nearby sharp objects. It was a nearby lamp post and her face was inches away from collided with the particularly sharp part, as she lost her footing almost completely.
But only her palms had been injured since she managed to keep herself from falling further with her own strength. The skin where she had hit the area, just groaned with the pressure, but didn't bleed. But the pain was intense, since she had hit her knuckles square against the corner. Despite that, she only gritted her teeth and stepped back only a second later.
She didn't speak, even then... And her smile stayed tucked at the corners of her face. But he was able to catch the split second that she had dropped the smile, before slamming the stoic mask back on. He was left speechless as he watched her move away from the lamp post to step towards the stone laid path again, but she kept her distance this time.
Due to the sudden commotion, the duchess turned around. "What happened?" She asked with narrowed eye, which looked tired.
"Nothing." Aefia immediately replied while hiding both her hands behind her. She didn't give her the chance to speak after that, and stayed silent. The duchess turned around and continued to walk.
Lewis, who had his mouth pressed in a thin line, looked sideways towards where Aefia was. Then, he wrapped a hand at her left shoulder, where he was standing at her right, and pulled her closer. "Sorry about that..." He whispered while looking forward. He kept his arm at her shoulder while continuing to walking.
"Nah... It's not a problem." She answered back while dropping her hands to her sides after a short while.
"It doesn't hurt?" He asked again, while using his right hand to lightly grab her wrist and check the injury himself. There were two reddening lines across the centre of her palm, and it looked very painful given that the dip was taking far longer to reset and the areas reddened a lot.
"Not really. I can stand the injury." Her swift answer sent him into a self trip of guilt. "But I don't see why you would apologize. I guess it serves me right for smacking your head earlier."
"But you didn't smack me that hard..."
"Are sure? By the looks of it, it looked extremely painful."
"Don't worry about it. If you can stand this injury, I can stand that." He answered by smile, and pulling at her cheek with his fingers. "By the way, the last time, you were speaking about the game?"
Aefia stopped smiling, dead, her gaze travelling thousands of miles away. She stared into void, and it alerted him. But as sudden as she had turned silent, she had also replied back.
"I think it would be better to talk about it tomorrow. I am really tired."
Lewis felt it irritating that she was hiding something from him. "Why are suddenly smiling like that?" He asked while growing at her direction.
"I don't know... It's my birthday after all..." She answered while putting on that smile again. "And I just happened to realize that one of my biggest wishes had been fulfilled before I even knew it..."
"And what is that?" He asked back, curiously.
"I always wanted an elder brother... And I just happened to have two elder brother's and one younger brother... All of those brothers care about me... That was my wish." She answered while playfully jabbing his rib and turning her gaze sideways. "Although... I couldn't ask for forgiveness from George... I guess I can ask you for it?"
Her sudden change in subject sent him into a zone of alert. "Why does he need to forgive you?"
"I seemed to have troubled him and the duchess with a few things before we had left that empire and departing to this one." She answered while turning her gaze away.
"Nah... He would be unbothered. But as for me, I don't see a mistake to forgive." He answered while bending forward to plant a kiss at her forehead.
"And either ways... If anything... I had always wanted a younger sister who would be like a little supporter if I ever wanted to go on the battlefield. Looks like I got what I had wanted. A sister who is as violent as me."
"But if I can't go to the battlefield? What are you going to do about that?"
"Well... I guess I won't want to risk suddenly losing my sister to the hands of our enemies." He answered while clawing at her ponytail, then placing his hand back at her shoulder. "Especially my favourite sibling out of them all.
Then, a fragile smile leaned onto her face.
"What's the matter? Why are you smiling like that?" He asked confusingly.
"What if... I chose to take my own life all of a sudden? ... What would you do?" She asked with a voice that threatened to break, due to the sore throat that had suddenly formed.
"Then I would try to find out the reason you did it. If it were for a person, I would kill them, if it were for something else... Well... Anything... I would clear it and make sure in the next life, if you were reborn, you wouldn't do it again." He answered back swiftly. But that also forced a though into his mind.
"Why are you asking suddenly? Is something bothering you?"
She wanted to speak, but she couldn't. Knowing precisely well that since George was eager to stop her, he would be too. She didn't want another failure, and she really needed to conduct this sacrifice to keep him in particular, safe.
"No... Nothing. Just curious." She answered back. "Anyways... Good night!" With that, she ran towards her room, leaving him to walk the remaining distance to where he was staying.
The very next morning, a knock came at his door. He knew precisely well that it was Aefia, and he opened it, unaware that the moment he let the day start, it was going to worsen. It was a swift conversation, before she hugged him and then disappeared.
Once the door closed, he tore open the envelope.
"You may be thinking this is actually a game. But trust me, you already won from the start. And also, it may or may not dissapoint you that I have reached the statue before you. Try not to carry any jacket or scarf, it will be considered cheating."
That was the only thing written onto it. He then immediately departed, forcing himself to survive the cold while walking towards the statue. He knew the shortest route, and he had insisted himself to take it, but he didn't know that by then, she was already at the bridge.
It was only after seven minutes that he came face to face with the statue, but he hesitated to lift his gaze. "Alright... A silent sibling... Did I get it?" He asked while looking at the marble tiles of the floor. He was still a little bit far from where the statue was.
There was a feeling that something was wrong, as he avoided lifting his gaze for a moment.
The atmosphere, environment and the way the wind blew, was too different, specifically today.
However, when he still mastered the courage to look up, he instantly regretted it.
The same sister that he was talking to last night, was laying dead on the statue's hand with blood flowing off from the edges of the hands. It was only then, clear reason why she asked him to not bring any sort of extra clothing to keep him warm.
Because if he did, he would have sacrificed it to maybe try and bring her back. And this might cause misconceptions to the others that he might have killed her. She didn't want to seem involved with everything and just wanted to rest in peace while making sure her small circle of people were safe.
And either ways, as a brother, he was horrified by the fact that she was... Gone.
He rushed over without hesitation, fully aware and knowing that he couldn't do anything to stop it now. He reached out, and stood where the arms of the statue was extended to keep Aefia's body from colliding with the ground.
He placed his hand at her cheek, while glancing at the way she was motionless, pale and void of any expression. She looked like she was staring directly at the place where her soul was probably walking away, and the smile missing from her face. It was probably the expression he wanted to see when she was constantly smiling the last time.
At the sight of this, he wanted to scream, but not out of fear or that he was scared. "You thought... I may have not been disappointed?!" He asked while lifting her head with his other hand. "Well you were wrong... Because I am most definitely dissapointed..."
The blood pouring out from the back of her head, dropped onto his fingers, but he didn't mind. The sight of her bloodied, also wasn't bothersome. He was used to all these things. The only thing he couldn't accept, was the fact that just a few minutes ago, she had been a living human.
But there was still hope. Because in his mind, he knew that if someone had pushed her, she would have been alive by now.
"You aren't that stupid... Are you?" He asked while smiling.
"Aefia. Stop acting. I know you are acting. Stop it!" He laughed while falling to his knees.
"I know you too well... You are too good an actor... Stop acting. You got me now... Open your eyes."
His head suddenly hang low as he panicked.
"Aefia!" His desperation caused him to stand again. His fingers drowning in her blood as he lifted her head. The last remains of her blood drained out as he craddled her face.
But again... If she were to be able to come back alive... At least her pupils would have been responsive. However, they stayed dark as void even as the sun shone directly at them.
The realization hit him just then...
"You little psycho! How were you so stupid to do that!" He shouted while hugging her dead form.
"You said you were just curious last night! You lied to your brother's face!"