Same World, Same Princess, Different Path [WMMAP]

Chapter 19 - The Hunting Season Part.5

"Do your best, Kiel! I know you're going to get through this event without any problems, as usual." After Jeanette left Claude's tent, the night had passed and the second event would soon begin. The brunette had taken the liberty of joining her cousin towards his tent before he left to encourage him to do his best.

"Thank you Jeanette, I will do my best." He smiled sincerely at her, but his smile gradually faded when he saw her face more closely. 'She cried again yesterday...?' He adjusted his outfit and put his sword in its sheath. "Jeanette."

"Yes?"

"Come over here." He took her wrist and led her into his tent, out of sight. Jeanette turned her head from side to side, almost admiring his private space. "There's still an hour before the event starts. We still have time."

"Time? What for?" He sat her down on his bed and quickly placed a stool in front of her. She watched him do this, an innocent smile on her face, but with her thoughts completely turned upside down. 'Why did he call me in? What's going on?' She began to clench her fists, stressed. The expression Ijekiel approached was anything but jovial. "Ijekiel? Are you okay?"

The white-haired boy sighed and ran a hand over his face. "No." He then placed his hands on Jeanette's fists and she immediately relaxed. "Jeanette, what did she say to you yesterday?"

She almost gasped when she finally understood what he was talking about. "Athanasia? Not much, she just... She thanked me, yes, she did! She thanked me before she left!" She laughed as she looked away. She wasn't good at lying and Ijekiel saw it right away.

"Stop lying to me, you cried Jeanette. I can read you like an open book." Slowly, she lost the smile she had forced herself to make and then, without warning, a tear beaded from her eyes. She sniffed loudly and wiped her face with one hand at Ijekiel's concerned look. "It's okay, Jeanette. You can cry when you're with me. I always promised you that I would be there for you. So cry if you need to."

Soon she was in his arms, crying her eyes out into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her body as she clung to him even more.

"Ijekiel?" She finally managed to get some words in between her sobs.

"Yes?"

"Am I a bad sister?" Ijekiel widened his eyes. Surprised by her sudden question, he took her by the shoulders to find himself back face to face with her and her watery eyes.

"How can you...? Of course not, you're not a bad sister, and you're not a bad person either." He took the sleeve of his shirt to come and put it on his cousin's red cheeks.

"B-but... Athanasia said that..." New tears formed as she remembered all the events that had occurred. "She said that she hates me... I know it's my fault and I'm trying to make up for it... But it's hard Ijekiel, it's too hard..." She quickly began to cry again in front of her elder's eyes, who clenched his jaw.

For the first time in a long time, Ijekiel was angry. He was angry that she was suffering like this, he was angry at himself because he couldn't help it. Jeanette was not a bad person or a dishonest person. She could be naive sometimes, but could that justify everything she was going through? She had dreamed of having a family since she was a little girl, it was her dearest dream. He was always there for her, he was her cousin and her protector. He promised her that under his protection, nothing would ever happen to her. He promised her that when she would meet her family, he would always be there for her.

Because that was his mission. He was her savior, the one who was going to take her to the paradise she wanted to see, the one who was going to make her happy. But there she was, crying every tear her body could allow as she tried to hide the truth from him.