Amelina sat upright against a big tree in the lawn just outside the estate, thinking back what Maschenny had offered her that morning.

Or more to a threat?

"Begin your training or never set a foot outside ever again."

Apparently, she had caused a lot of commotion when she had gone missing and when Maschenny heard from Ran that they both encountered the beast in the forest, the princess had decided to start her training as early as possible.

As early as tomorrow.

'It's because I was too weak..' Amelina sighed. 'I don't want to train with big sis Maschenny, but I don't want to stay trapped in the estate..'

Eira had graciously told her that the socks she was made to wear was actually to hide the blisters that she had from Eduan, who weirdly hadn't come to play with her that day.

'It's not like he would care less if I have a scratch or two,' Amelina pouted, thinking back of her days with Eduan. 'Like, I could've lost my life during our playtimes.'

But still, Amelina couldn't get rid of the bitter feeling that gnawed at her from the bottom of her heart. It may doesn't show on her face, but that was only because hiding her emotions was one of her virtue.

'Maybe I should just-'

"Hey."

Amelina flinched, quickly turning towards the figure who was standing a few feet away from where she sat.

"Ran?"

"I came to see how you're doing."

Amelina was taken aback by the sentiment.

'Just how many times have I been surprised by this boy? This is so unlike me.'

"I-I'm fine," instinctively scooting away a little when he sat down beside her.

"Really."

The awkward silence that came after silently suffocates Amelina, who had never really interacted with anyone around her age before.

"Also, I came to give you this," the apathetic boy handed her something, without even looking back at her gaping face.

"Y-yogurt?" Amelina managed to stutter out, as she (giddily) took her favorite treat from the boy's hand.

"You gave me one last night, remember?"

"Oh."

Amelina's heart fluttered as she clenched the treat. 'Isn't this the first time I've received something like this from anyone?'

True enough, not even Eduan nor Maschenny had given her anything remarkable for her, and what the servants provided her wasn't always her favorite.

Even her very first yogurt was something stolen from the kitchen when the head cook was busy.

And Eira once had prohibited her from eating too much yogurts.

"Ame."

"Wait, Ame?" the girl spluttered out, as she repeated the new nickname.

"Amelina's too long. Ame is fine enough for me."

Once again, a warm feeling took over Amelina's heart, as she continue to stare at the emotionless boy beside her.

"I heard from the maid that you're going to begin your training with Maschenny?"

"Oh.. yeah.." Amelina looked back down, remembering back the bitter feeling.

'Eira must have told him. Should I just tell him how I feel, then?' Amelina contemplated, fidgeting with her skirt.

"I know the trainings are also for my own good, but.. I just can't get rid of the feeling being cornered now..."

Ran glanced at the girl before sighing. "Isn't it great? You'll be able to protect yourself instead of having someone else to do so."

Amelina could feel arrows stabbing her back as she looked away from the boy.

'Is he bringing yesterday's incident up?'

"Besides, if you're brave enough to not close your eyes when the beast was about to attack you, I don't think some trainings will burden you."

Time seemed to be in a slow motion as the wind breezes past the two, leaves fleeting in the air. The world looked as if it had become brighter in Amelina's eyes, as she took in the scene before her. Even the impassive look on Ran's face looked much gentler now.

'Perhaps, that was his own way of soothing me.'

For once on that day, Amelina smiled. Not the usual fake one, but a real, genuine smile.

"Thank you, Ran."

'Maybe.. just maybe, I don't think I have to put up a facade in front of him. Perhaps I should just go through this training!'

Amelina wanted to cry out in pain.

"Come on! I know you can do better than just dodging!"

"Yes! Big sis Maschenny!"

The training ground in the main estate were rowdy with a Jahad princess sending attacks towards a three years old girl, and Amelina trying her very best to make sure she doesn't actually die from those attacks.

It was a total hell training for Amelina, who had never been pushed to do such things before. She was proud to say that she has advantages when it comes to shinsoo attacks, but she was completely helpless when it comes to physical attacks.

The continuous strikes came to a stop as Amelina suddenly fell head first to the ground.

The blue haired woman glowered down at the small figure on the ground, poking the seemingly lifeless body with her foot.

"Ame, are you still alive?"

"I-I'm fine!" Amelina quickly got up, revealing a stream of blood from her nose. "I can still continue, big sis Maschenny!"

Maschenny gave the girl a deadpanned expression, as she turned around, passing by a fidgety Eira and a bored-looking Ran. "No, you're not. We're stopping here today. As much as I wanted to push you harder, it would be boring if you snap up too soon."

"But.."

'What does she mean?"

"For now, work harder on your counterattacks rather than running away all the time," the princess sauntered away, her long hairs flowing gracefully in the wind despite the hours spent on the training ground.

The said girl flinched as Maschenny's last words hit her, making her look away to the side.

'She did notice, after all.'

Amelina hissed at the sudden pulses of pain all over her body, as she once again dropped to the cold cement.

'I mean, my danger alarm keeps alerting me all the time. How could I not run away?'

She really wanted to cry.

But she promised herself a long time ago that she won't cry anymore. Not in front of everyone. Not Eduan. Not Maschenny. Not Ran.

True, the whole week of training was harsh and grueling for an amateur like her. But she can't go around showing her weaknesses after confidently coming up to Maschenny to agree on the offer.

A literal contract with the devil herself.

Even though the princess had told her that she was improving very quickly, it would be meaningless if she can't implement it for her survival. Not to mention her motivation was thinning day by day.

"Miss Ame, are you alright?" Eira fretted over Amelina's lying form, who responded with a thumbs-up.

Somehow, the short nickname given by a certain boy was already used by the people around her now. Speaking of the boy-

"Aren't you going to get up?"

Amelina looked up to see a crouching Ran in front of her with his ever-so-apathetic face that she has come to cherish, believe it or not.

After their not-so-fateful encounter, both of them had developed some kind of bond that could even rival that of Eduan's with Amelina.

'Scratch that, I would prefer Ran over Eduan any day.'

The absence of Eduan for the whole week gives more space for Amelina to adjust to her new lifestyle. Or more to she just doesn't have any time to think about him.

Ran offered a hand, which Amelina gratefully took with a heave. The girl became more comfortable around him as they spent a lot of time together whenever Amelina was free from training.

Even the protective Eira seemed to approve of Ran's presence.

After settling down in Amelina's room, the maid took the responsibility of patching Amelina up, namely her nosebleed and scratches and bruises on the girl's arms and legs.

It pains Eira when she glanced at the small girl, whom arms and legs were covered with more plasters as the days went on. She knew it wasn't her place to voice it out, but sometimes she wished that the Jahad princess wouldn't push her young mistress too much.

"It's a good thing that your blisters are healing up fine. You probably won't have to wear the socks from tomorrow on!" Eira cheerfully stated, trying to cover her almost croaking tone. "Since I still have other things to attend to, I'll have to take my leave now. Please enjoy your rest, miss Ame."

Amelina waved the maid goodbye while Ran just stared.

"Ahh, the bed is so comfy," Amelina laid prone on the bed. "Today's training was intense!"

As usual, Amelina started to complain about her training to Ran, who only gave curt answers and responses, but that was enough to make Amelina's day better.

"I think you're improving well, though. From a helpless, weak girl to someone who can actually evades the attacks from a Jahad princess," Ran casually added, while spooning his yogurt.

"Sure, that's what Maschenny said too. But I still can't do any shinsoo attacks!" Amelina rolled to her side, now facing Ran properly. "Besides, I'm weak to physical attacks."

"Hmm... Do you want me to help you train, then?" Ran pointed the small spoon towards the girl.

"Really? Will you?" Amelina enthusiastically asked back, not before savoring the yogurt Ran fed her.

It really surprised Amelina when the quiet boy too had taken a liking to her favorite treat.

The boy nods back, taking another spoonful of yogurt.

Amelina looked at Ran in wonder before blurting out, "I really wonder why won't you train together with me though. It kind of hurts me when all you do is watch by the side while I got beat up by her."

"Well, it is your training. Besides, you know I don't get along with Maschenny," Ran looked away.

Amelina put her hands on Ran's shoulders, giving it a little squeeze while the girl herself looked down. "Please, don't let me suffer alone..."

"Are you trying to get my sympathy?" Ran nonchalantly remarked, clearly amused by the girl's attempt.

"Ran! Come on!" Amelina desperately tries again. She really doesn't want to go through that hell alone. "Besides, we get to spend more time together!"

Amelina stopped her incoherent reasonings when she realized that Ran was suddenly quiet. Well he was always quiet, but not when he was in the mood to tease Amelina.

Like earlier.

"...fine. I'll think about it."

"Yay!" Amelina cheered, jumping on the bed. Her childish nature was only brought out after she had spent her days with Ran, who was around her age.

Even if the boy himself didn't act around his age.

Though Eira seemed remarkably happy with her attitude around Ran.

The rest of the evening was spent with the two chatting happily, though most of the time Amelina would question Ran about the things that she didn't come to know.

Mostly about the family.

Honestly, the boy was astonished at how clueless the girl was about the Khun family, along with the dark politics within.

Then again, Ran had (secretly) interrogated Eira, who told him that Amelina has always been living in a closed-off world, protected from any harm.

'No wonder no one knew about her,' Ran thought. 'Her existence itself was a secret, only known to those in the main estate.'

There were also several rumors about some of Eduan's wives getting restless when the man had not paid any interest to them anymore, what Ran had heard from all-over the family.

The boy noticed that Amelina had suddenly gone quiet, snapping him out of his thoughts. A small smile crept up to his face as he patted the now snoozing girl, who probably fell asleep from exhaustion.

After taking his own sweet time of playing around with the girl's hair, he simply set the girl properly on the bed then left after covering her with a blanket.

"I'll come again tomorrow."

It was already midnight when Amelina suddenly woke up, not from the usual nightmares, but from the contentment of sleeping for too long.

'I really should stop sleeping when Ran's still with me.'

But then again, that was what she promised herself last time too. Ran didn't mention anything about it, though.

Amelina noticed that her training outfit had been mysteriously changed into a nightgown. Of course, it's not really a mystery if she knew that Eira was the one who changed them. Only Eira had the audacity of entering the room as her personal maid, after all.

Looking at her bare legs and sleeveless arms, Amelina had noticed that the numbers of plasters and bandages had increased yet again, as how it would as the days passed on.

'I've come to get used to it, but seeing these really pains me..'

Stretching up, Amelina decided to sneak to the kitchen to snatch some yogurts that the head cook may had left for her (or not sometimes). After getting caught red-handed by the head cook once, she had been scolded for good ten minutes before being shooed away with several cups of yogurts in arm.

From there, Amelina learned not to judge people too fast, because the head cook was actually nice despite the scowl often adoring his face.

'But... I should've brought some kind of light with me, it's too dark-'

Amelina almost cursed out loud as she stumbled into something hard, a person to be exact, when she was aimlessly turning around the corner.

'Looks like Eira will have to treat another bruise tomorrow,' Amelina thought as she braced for the impact.

But it never came.

What she came to feel was a big hand pulling her small body (quite roughly if she might add) until she literally crashed onto the person.

"It's been a week since I saw you, and the first thing you do is crashing into me?"

Amelina internally gasped (and cursed), recognizing the voice that she may or may not have come to miss. The girl looked up into the mesmerizing blue eyes her father possesed, taking in the familiar feature.

As if she had stopped functioning, the little girl froze on the spot, not noticing the way Eduan narrowing his eyes at the sight of numerous bandages and plasters on Amelina's arms and legs.

"Hmm.."

...

"Waa!" Amelina cried out on surprise, as Eduan effortlessly picked her up on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, heading to who-knows-where.

The little girl could only watch as Eduan strode down the hallway where she had passed by earlier, heading towards a familiar room.

Her room actually.

The man kicked the door open without any care and the poor door closed itself upon impact right after Eduan entered.

Setting Amelina on the bed, the older Khun pulled the covers, as if preparing to sleep with the girl like any usual nights before the forest incident.

Wait, as if?

"You're going to sleep with me tonight?!" Amelina blurted out in shock as she sat upright. She seriously hadn't expect the turn of events. She just wanted to stea- take some of the yogurts from the kitchen, that's all!

"I can do whatever I want," Eduan pulled Amelina back so the girl would lie back down.

'Ugh, there is it. He's trying to force me to sleep.'

Amelina surely isn't proud to say that she'd figure out a lot of Eduan's habits, upon being with him most of her childhood. One of it is the sudden hand that would cover her eyes so she can see nothing but darkness, a way to lull her to sleep.

Like, right now.

As always, she would try to remove the bigger and stronger hand, and in the end would just (tiredly) rest her small hands on the hand covering her sight. What she didn't know was that Eduan enjoyed the sight of her struggling against his hand, silently chuckling.

"Was training hard?" Eduan broke the silence, after Amelina's not-so-silent struggle.

"...not really."

'Lies. I silently screamed in pain everyday..'

"Did you miss me?"

"No."

A chuckle escaped Eduan's lips when Amelina answered it way faster than the first question. Not to mention without any hesitation.

"Maschenny's been keeping me busy the whole week, that sly princess," Eduan grumbled, still keeping his hand firm on Amelina's eyes.

'Yea, and she's your daughter. She literally inherited that from you.'

Eduan's complaints filled the night with Amelina giving curt answers here and there (with lots of internal remarks) until the girl finally fell asleep, hands limp on Eduan's hand.

"Should I go back to my room?" Eduan wondered out loud, remembering that one of his many wives was probably waiting to get laid in his room.

His little stroll outside actually brought him to his daughter that he had not seen since last week, due to a certain Jahad princess. Maschenny had done various things to keep him busy through her connections, preventing Eduan to make time for his personal playtime with Amelina.

It even went as far as preventing him from being able to sleep with the said girl, and it was only later when Eduan found out that the little girl beside him now had began her training.

On her own consent.

'Will she also climb the tower when she becomes stronger later? Kids really grew up fast..'

A nostalgic memory came flashing in Eduan's mind for a second.

'An adventure, huh?..

I should just sleep.'

The man turned to face the sleeping girl, stroking Amelina's head as he himself fell into a slumber.

When Amelina woke up, she (unwillingly) went through Eduan's playtime for a short while before getting ready for the day's training. Short but enough to remind her that his electricity still don't work on her.

'Good, that means I can still survive longer!' Amelina inwardly cheered, clenching tight her right fist.

Survive.

The word that had been burned into Amelina's spirit even when she was still a baby. For some reason, the word suddenly weighs heavier and feels more unsettling today.

'It's okay. That's what I've been doing all this time after all.'

Eira had stayed behind to clean her room while Eduan had gone off (after a strangely gentle pat on her head) saying he still had some of unfinished work because of a certain princess, so the girl was alone walking down the hall towards the training ground.

'Hopefully Ran will join in my tortu- I mean training today. Wait, but he's already so strong, so maybe it's not really a torture?'

"You little vermin!!"

Amelina hadn't realized that the insult was directed at her until she was forced to turn around by the shoulder, making her face-to-face with a scowling woman in her nightgown.

"What-"

"Do you know what you had done?!! You selfishly stole my time with my husband, and you think you can just walk away?!!"

The girl was seriously taken aback. What exactly did she do to make such a beautiful woman mad? And husband?

"I-I don't know what are you talking about..."

The woman's face contorted into what Amelina would call a resentful one, as she tightens the grip on Amelina's shoulder who slightly winced.

"I saw with my own two eyes that he brought you into that room! I patiently waited for him to come back but he never did! And this morning he just brushed me off saying that something important came up and the important thing was supposed to be you?! Are you f*cking kidding me?! Tell me which b*tch sent for you or I'll kil you!!"

The woman raised her hand up, preparing to slap Amelina as the girl instinctively used her arms to shield her face-

Until another figure abruptly snatched the hand intending to hit her, making her once again surprised.

"Miru!" Amelina exclaimed, clearly happy to see him after a long time.

"Are you okay, miss?" Miru smiled down to her all the while clutching to the woman's hand tightly.

"Ugh, let me go, you lowly servant!!" the woman screeched.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, madam," Miru sternly stated, his face turned impassive when he turned to the woman.

"Do you even know what she did?!"

"I have no interest in what aggravates you, madam. I shoulder the responsibility to protect the young miss from any harm."

'Miru...'

It really touched Amelina when she saw Miru, even more when he said that. She knew the retainer was punished solely because of her selfish actions, but he still-

"It'll be your fault if my sons are exiled after this, you hear that?! How do you think I survived all these years?!"

Struck.

The word 'survived' resonated in Amelina's mind as she turned her attention to the struggling woman who kept screaming her lungs out bout her degraded family.

All because of her?

'I see.. All other people in this family are also struggling to survive.. I was the one who-'

Amelina suddenly felt like puking her insides out.

'Is it the truth? Then was all my actions all these times were wrong?'

The girl was eerily silent as Miru ordered some other servants to take the mad woman away.

"Miss Amelina, plesae don't mind much about what she said. She was just exaggerating-" the retainer worriedly inspect the emotionless expression on the girl's face. "Miss?"

Amelina snapped out of her thoughts as she looked up to the crouching Miru, with a wide smile on her face.

"I'm alright, Miru," Amelina assured, turning around. "I still have to go to training. See you later, then."

Without hearing any reply, Amelina bolted to the very opposite direction from the training ground.

Amelina panted heavily as her hand rested on a tree. She didn't bother to check where she was, a place surrounded by trees with a lake in front of her- as long as she was alone, that was fine.

Everything was fine, that's what she'd always assure herself.

Her hand flew to her throat as she gagged beside the tree, her other hand desperately clawed at the tree, supporting her from falling down with how weak her legs were feeling.

After emptying out her insides, Amelina wobbly went towards the lake to wash her face and mouth.

Gazing at her reflection on the rippling lake, her hand reached out to touch her wet cheek.

'Why am I... crying?'

That's it.

No more holding back.

It started off as ragged sobs and pants and later turned into bawls and cries, as more and more drops of tears slid down her cheek.

"I-is it.. wrong to survive here?!" I-is my- existence a misfortune for others? I-is it wrong... wanting to live on? What's wrong with this place?!"

The girl went on crying out her feelings, complaining to no one in particular just so that all the ugly emotions would somehow go away. So that her lonely self would be satisfied after finally letting it all out.

Her lone self.

Alone...

"Here."

Author's note:

I'm very sorry for the late update!! I feel very bad for those who had bookmarked this fanfic. Oh, and I'm also happy to see that many people are actually enjoying this fanfic! (sorry I'm just a very self-concious person)

I also have some announcements to make..

First of all, my phone broke down and I have very limited time to use , so I may have to consider changing the sites to post this fanfic (Quotev, maybe?).

Secondly, the drafts for the next three chapters are ready, but I still had no time to edit and post it. And I have online examinations for this month (please pray for my life so my brother won't kill me when he sees my results!) so expect a month of hiatus. (or longer, considering my broken phone)

Thirdly, I've also published another fanfic on other site... It's called Changing Life and evolved around Jahad and the Ten Family Leaders. (it's modern AU!) You can check it out in my time of absence to update this fic.

Thank you for the favorites and comments!! (honestly, that's what been keeping me alive for this fanfic all this time)

Sayonara!! Love chu guys!