The next three days in Amelina's life was spent holed in her room except during trainings, but anyone could see how the life was drained slowly from her once lively eyes, one that slowly progressed after Khun Ran left. But she never complained nor voiced out her thoughts for what had recently happened. Even the trainings proceeded like usual albeit her lack of conversation with people around her, including Asensio and even more Maschenny.
Now she even questions herself, since when did this happened?
With no Miru becoming the intermediary for her and Aguero, arranging meetings at the most suitable time and place becoming more impossible without letting anyone, especially Maschenny or Eduan know. While she knows she can handle not being able to meet him for a few days, her inner child-like attitude was desperate for someone to cling to, to be consoled especially after what had happened lately. The tears that she thought would fall never fell, and the screams that she held in never resounded.
Was this what Maschenny wanted her to become?
Amelina's not sure how long her façade could hold out now without the presence of Ran, Eira and Miru supporting her from behind, and the lack of interaction with Aguero only made her grey world darker.
She feels so alone.
Even the Asensio whom had been so affectionate with her from the first day is gradually becoming distant, a grim and stoic expression on his face whenever Amelina trained with the Jahad Princess. While she never hoped anything from this person who calls himself her big brother, it pains how his eyes tend to not meet hers anymore. Additionally, he doesn't personally tend to her wounds and bruises when he used to fret over a simple scratch before.
It's clear he was on Maschenny's side all along.
And currently, Amelina sat rigidly in front of the mirror and eyed the bags under her eyes she'd attained and the messily tied up ponytail she personally did, quietly waiting for the minute she'd have to go out for another hellish session of training. It's not like she couldn't tidy herself up, but she just had no spirit to do things properly with her inner turmoil and the burden she'd been keeping to herself. But unexpectedly, it was Maschenny who came to meet her in the room, a few unfamiliar women dressed in maids' clothes-
Amelina's not sure if she'd like the direction of this situation.
"These are the new maids father hired for you. Order them to do anything."
Short but infuriating.
Now, there was never a word the princess in front of her uttered is likable enough for Amelina, that she sometimes will slip her distaste through her mask of façade.
"I don't need them. Take them back," Amelina tried not to sound rude, but she could see a few maids frowning. Well, they should've expected that kind of treatment in the Khun family if they wanted to work here in the first place.
Rather, they should've realized which hellhole they chose.
"Look here, lil' sis. I know you're still upset because of the fact that your closest servants decided to abandon you for a new family elsewhere, but this is not how you treat people, isn't it?" Maschenny sighed, but a wide smile was still plastered on her ethereal feature. As much as Amelina wanted to retort back, her instinct told her to hold everything back. The princess then went beside Amelina, crouching a bit so she could whisper into Amelina's ear, "Remember, the more you let go, you won't feel the pain anymore. Forget about them and focus on building yourself."
Amelina hated the fact that she knew the princess better than anyone.
It wasn't an advice from an older sister to her younger sister, but a threat from the queen to a mere pawn. A mere disposable pawn.
Here, she was nothing compared to the oh-so-great Jahad Princess. She has no power, authority and nothing.
If she could rewind back time, she would've rewind back to when she's still a baby and not catch Eduan's attention in the first place. Then, she wouldn't be stuck in such a prison with no one on her side. Maybe if only Eira found her, she could've lived quietly with the maid and maybe she could even leave this dysfunctional family where lives are easily lost.
No one…
It didn't take long for Amelina to notice that there was a peculiar change in the main estate- which all the servants she once knew had all been switched out.
The maids who used to clean the hallway with Eira, the cook who would purposely forget yogurts in places she could reach and even those who'd been guarding certain spots under the supervision of Miru all have but disappeared in the times she'd been grieving in her room. Of course Amelina could notice it especially after years of roaming the big castle-like estate with Ran, sometimes Asensio and on rare occasions, with Eduan.
There were no one else she could recognize now. Why did this happened in the first place?
As much as she didn't like the change, she can't exactly voice out her protest since according to Maschenny, the change was ordered by Eduan himself. Did something happened after a few days not seeing him? He did have that tendency to do anything unexpected depending on his mood, but she can only grow restless when she remembered how things between her and the Khun family head turned sour on the night Ran left.
It's his fault for being insensitive, who could blame her?
Did he finally perhaps got tired of her?
Could he possibly be thinking of switching her out too?
If that was the case, she wouldn't have to feel trapped inside this cage-like mansion.
But all thoughts about Eduan were forgotten because when the night came, the exhaustion Amelina felt only doubled when the maids Maschenny introduced earlier in the day huddled inside her room without even knocking and 'forcefully' tended to her, the shove and pull and push obviously didn't come unnoticed by Amelina who took note of the way the maids looking down on her. How do they even see her?
And it was only later when they were about to leave did Amelina's sharp ears caught the words they'd been thinking all the time they 'served' her, a faint static crackled at the words.
"Abandoned child…"
Perhaps the absence of the ones always holding back her rein weren't present, but Amelina heard something snapped. Like a rubber band being pulled apart and finally snapped when it could not bear the force inflicted anymore.
Before she knew it, a spear was hurled right beside the last maid who was about to follow her colleagues leaving the room, who in return shrieked as she back away in fear, the other maids running away from the eerily calm Amelina who held an electric spear like she did nothing wrong. Amelina was smaller in size, indeed, but only the maid knew how overwhelming it felt to have that child staring down at you with an indifferent expression, a faint glow of aqua emitted from her eyes and the threatening weapon that child held.
Amelina herself couldn't recall how long did the maid trembled with tears continuously springing out since she, as the assailant herself said nothing but stared in silence, before finally the maid scrambled away with a warning: "S-sir Eduan will hear of this!"
For the first time in three days, Amelina peacefully slept like a log till late in the morning.
Amelina woke up to the unprofessional scampering of feet in front of her room's door, and she braced herself to face yet another annoying hour dealing with equally annoying set of maids. But what met her when she first opened the door were gasps and utter fear.
She didn't take any life last night, right?
No, she was sure she held back a lot. And Amelina don't think she would ever be ready to do so.
But aside from that, their behavior was definitely better than yesterday except for their constant trembling form and unending stream of sorry spouted from their lips. What surprised her even more was the willingness- almost crossing the boundary of desperation of the maids to leave the room when she asked them to leave her alone for the rest of the day.
At least that's one thing settled.
Now that she just noticed, where was the maid who she almost made a hole in her head? She should apologize now that the servants are tamer compared to yesterday. Well, she can do that later after training.
Not that she knew that maid is no more.
Author's note:
Welp, I'm glad to know my loyal readers are happy with the update! XD
I'm not sure how to adjust my ever-changing schedules for time to write and update, but I'll do my best for all of you, considering I've been saying I wanted to reach the first season of TOG.
Sumeragi-san, Einklley-san, BloodyMoon03-san, Imherefortog-san and ennette, thank you for your supports and constant comments for like-every time I update the fic? XD I don't think I can continue this fic without your feedback and encouraging words so thank you very much! :)
And Einklley-san, I can't say I have an eternal main team that I won't change, but I can say that I'm a proud Venti main! ;) And of course, I've seen Asensio's latest appearance and I don't think I can write about him without fangirling now XD
Thank you for still reading this fic!
Arigato!
Love chu guys!