"mistress" • diluc

xiv

• third person •

"Aila."

A breath caught in her throat. She stopped in her tracks.

"Stay. I have to talk to you."

Eula's eyes pierced into Diluc who stood at the door, blinking in confusion. He nodded upon noticing her glare, before smiling nervously at Aila, reluctantly releasing her hand, and then leaving. He shut the door behind him.

Aila turned, her expression hardening like stone.

"What do you want?" she spat.

Her older sister stood, approaching her.

A soft sigh left Eula's lips.

"Why are you involving yourself in this? Answer me honestly, Aila," she pleaded, folding her arms with a tilt of her head. The clouds shrouded the sun outside, draping the room in a dark shadow. "This is triggering for you."

Aila stumbled back. She shook her head.

"...Mother and Father still don't believe you, do they?"

Aila's breath fell staggered.

"You're doing this because you don't want anyone else to get hurt, aren't you? Aila, answer me." Eula reached forward. Aila jolted back.

Eula's eyes narrowed for a moment. Aila's teeth gritted.

"What do you know..." Aila muttered. She chuckled bittersweetly. Her shoulders raised, tensing, her waterlines suddenly welling with tears. "What do you know?!" she yelled. Eula's eyebrows jumped. "You left me all by myself, you left me to deal with all of their anger and their hatred and their insults all by myself, and you have the nerve to question something so fucking obvious?!"

Eula pursed her lips.

"Of course they still don't believe me!" Aila exclaimed, wiping her angry tears with her gloved hands. "Now they just can't fucking wait until they can get me married off, so I can become a fucking Lawrence baby machine and create damn mentally-fucked Lawrence babies with their damn mentally-fucked Lawrence mother like me! But you wouldn't understand, would you?! Because you left me!" Aila sobbed. "You left me! I can't leave like you! They'll kill me! They'll kill me!"

Aila laughed, failing to keep her sobs in, realising that wiping her tears was useless. "You don't know what they did." Eula was still, her eyes wide. "You don't know what they did to me. They'll kill me this time."

Eula's gaze fell. "'This time'..?"

Aila cursed beneath her breath. She wasn't supposed to let that out.

Eula's eyes darkened. Her head raised.

"Who did it?" she muttered.

Aila was slightly taken aback. She blinked, her eyebrows knitting. "Don't change the–"

"Who did it, Aila?" Eula's tone had unexpectedly lowered. "I wasn't able to find the last one: I swear I'll kill this one- Who did it?!"

Aila clutched the fabric of her coat. She noticed Eula's gaze fall to her stomach.

"Do you know who it was?" Eula's voice softened.

Slowly, Aila nodded. Eula knew now.

"Tell me, Aila. I report that bastard– No, I'll deal with him personally. Tell me."

"It was consensual," Aila mumbled.

"Don't lie, Aila!"

Aila's pupils flickered. She glanced towards the door. It was still closed.