Secrets of the lost past

Chapter 7

Before Darius had truly finished what he’d wanted to say, before he’d started preparing to leave Eira to think about the situation, she jumped into the arms he held out so wide for her.
Darius’ broken eyes were nowhere to be seen. For the first moment of the hug, he stared at the wall with widened, teary eyes, not being able to hug her back. Hell, he wasn’t able to move at all either.
His pupils started moving left and right as the awaited tears fell once again from his reddish cheeks. But this time, the sad tears that had fallen before, were so deep in the past nobody could recall them being around. They were replaced by tears of happiness, the tears of a new start. The tears of a first hug from a different person.
My mouth tasted exceptionally sweet as I watched what was going on. As I looked at Eira trying to put her petite hands fully across Darius’ neck, as I saw that he finally hugged her back. His hands were brushing her long hair, fingers twirling some strands, surprisingly not shaking. He held his hand stably, rather fiercely, like he never wanted to let go of the moment he was experiencing. He didn’t want to let that hug go, he thought it was the first and last one.
He wanted to stay like that for the rest of eternity. Holding on to the thing that was most important to him, knowing he will never lose it if he clings onto it hard enough.
It was as if Eira never walked away from him, like he was staying the closest possible for her whole life. Despite saying she was uncomfortable minutes ago, she was confidently smiling, her eyes shining like she just found the one thing that made her life worth living.
They hugged like their lives were based on it, like that hug was the blood vessels in their body.
I didn’t care that me and Dimitry were surrounding them like we were some news reporters, at least it felt good to see such a nice relationship forming in person.
Thinking about it, we actually were the new reporters of that hug. We were, yet we weren’t planning on publishing it anywhere. We were the reporters of our own minds. We reported the moment, so that we could cherish it through the worst days of our lives. We both thought an enchanting father-daughter relationship would end all wars in our heads.
Darius could hug Eira for the end of time, yes. But as we saw, Eira didn’t.
She ended the hug, slowly pulling back, yet as we saw, her eyes didn’t lose not even a single speck of happiness.
-Who’s that? -she asked, pointing to Dimitry.
He kneeled next to Darius, blinking a bit before answering.
-I’m your uncle, sweet. You know, me and your father are brothers, and that’s–
-I know.
Without any other word or explanation, she jumped into his arms as well.
But, what was much more funny? The face Eira had made when she first made contact with the sip of vodka he drank before coming at her through his smell. Her eyes widened more than Darius’ when she hugged him. But she held her breath, she didn’t want to break the contact, though it meant having to be introduced to vodka for the first time.
She moved up her hands to his shiny hair, starting to touch it a bit.
Eira didn’t care about the booze smell, yet Dimitry twitched at the slight touch to his hair.
She barely touched it. Was he that scared of her messing up his utterly perfect hair? Or did he always do this?
I mean, if I had hair like that and not one like an old woman, I’d most likely do the same too.
Dimitry’s hair looked like he spent hours every morning to adjust it to its best form, he couldn’t dare seeing his hair slightly messy. And now, when it got the smallest little touch from a child.
The time he twitched, she noticed immediately. Eira pulled away, and now, she had a reason to do so. It looked like she was just a bit happy that she didn’t have to put up with the booze smell.
-What happened? -Dimitry asked, fixing the small dent Eira had made in his perfect hairstyle.
-Nothing. Actually. It’s just I was stunned at…Your cologne. It smells interesting.
We decided to simply laugh, and not tell her that: “Darling, this is not cologne, it’s your uncle’s disgusting addiction.”, so cologne felt like the best option.
-Yes. Your uncle has rather extraordinary taste.

  One thing I definitely didn’t think I was going to do would be the thing I did that time. I was running through my first ever street shop in these times, instead of enjoying everything that it had, I was running through, paying no attention whatsoever to what I was going past.
I had knocked over at least ten people, it was as if the word “Sorry” was the only one in my vocabulary, like I was destined to always apologize through my greatest despair.
But that wasn’t the case. I wasn’t the one going through such a thing. Infact, I was running to prevent someone else from their greatest despair they don’t know yet.
The word echoed through my mouth yet again, for the eleventh time. Except now, it wasn’t a stranger I apologized to for knocking them over.
The last time I’d seen him was probably during my first ball here, and after that, it was as if he disappeared into the void of his fake lies.
The lies I barely knew. My first conversation with Jasper had nothing to do with lies. I didn’t know him during our first conversation. Not that I do now. Maybe just a little bit.
Despite running through the street shop, one thing I didn’t expect from myself would have been actually almost knocking him over while galloping. But if he wouldn’t have regained his balance seconds after, it would have definitely made up for stepping on his foot last time. I’m somehow obsessed with hurting him by accident.
He would have simply said it’s okay and moved on, but that, only if he wouldn’t have taken a sneak glance at who almost killed him.
Jasper cleared his throat, cleaning his clothing a bit.
As always, he didn’t quite look like the richest person in the street shop, he looked rather normal. He didn’t have any polished coats to decorate his attire, no fancy shoes or anything.
If I would be honest, I’m not sure he needed any of those things to look any better. His clothes matched his looks. I’m certain a noble fit wouldn’t have looked as good on him.
-Ah…What’s the rush you’re bustling through everyone for? -he asked, slightly pulling me away from the crowd, avoiding any similar accident.
-I’m simply heading to this one meeting…I mean–Not quite a meeting, a talk or something like that…
Oops. My ability to talk disappeared the moment I decided to look up at him. Oops…
-Well, what advice would you give me if I were to tell you I recently saw someone who had these terrible rumors going on about him, and then…Turned out, none of them were true, but they still remained in the kingdom…Without any names, out of your heart, what advice would fix the situation?
-No names. I think you’ve already busted that when you mentioned the rumors, Emerald. I know who you’re talking about. But still…
I wasn’t sure I could keep up with the way this man was playing with my nerves and heart at the same time. Did he really think it was funny? Funny to take the ability of speaking from me?
-What changed your opinion of the person? The last time I recalled, you tried to dirty the person’s name even more. Isn’t that true?
-It definitely is. But it changed. I learned the true story. Sadly it was too late.
I could only speak through slight breaks, and yet I was still grateful I was able to let out the smallest murmurs from my mouth.
His playful gaze turned to a disappointed one, his eyebrows lifted a bit.
-Emerald, don’t tell me you’ve fallen into his lies too. You already know the true story. He raped a woman for fun, cheated on one, who knows what else he did? I hope you know getting close to him would grant you the same fate.
-And what if I don’t believe that’s the true story? What if I think that’s a corrupt lie and that he didn’t harm anyone–
By the time I could speak, he stopped me. He pulled me even further from the crowd, one hand gripping mine so hard I stopped talking immediately.
-I think twisting my words wouldn’t give you the proper advice you want. I already gave it to you. Leave him and his lies alone, and…I don’t know, hope he did not eye you out already.
This was so disgusting. He talked about Darius like he was a wolf yearning to look for a different prey for each day. Like he was the villain in everybody’s story.
-He’s dangerous, okay? He’s more dangerous than you ever thought he was. You cannot play around with this.
Now he claims he’s a mental psychopath. Like I always thought he was.
-Okay. I didn’t know you didn’t understand simple grammar -I said, searching one of my pockets for something.
Maybe the search lasted long because I didn’t look where I searched. I still tried to look through his emotions. I found nothing that made my heart beat as fast as it did while he looked at me with such anticipation.
-Here. Take this, buy a pretzel or something, just stop with this…claim you’re believing -I said, giving him the two cents I’d been looking for so badly.
I didn’t care how good commoner clothes looked on him, I still seemed to judge him by them.
I agreed. I agreed to help them clear Darius’ name, because after all, he might’ve been just a young and lost father, wanting to not gain recognition, but his child back. And I was not changing my mind just for a stupid opinion.
I never thought I was going to be in their house yet again, see those dead family portraits yet again. I actually thought I was going to curse that house for the remainder of my life.
The dining room with the fourteen chairs had four of those chairs occupied already. I myself was surprised at four, I thought we were three.
But who knows, perhaps they added one extra seat for their second personalities nobody knows about yet.
Well, that wasn’t quite the case. It wasn’t Dimitry and Darius’ secret personalities occupying the seat, but someone else. Someone I didn’t think would survive living in such a life for too long.
-Alright. Before we start doing what we need to, I suppose I’m going to introduce you to someone -Dimitry said, rolling his eyes as he talked about the introduction. -Before our family died, they made a pact with another family that they were going to…wed their daughter to me to give her a little more recognition by giving her my last name. And the contract they signed about the marriage lasts even until their death, so…
He was rather distressed talking about it. I could see on his face he didn’t agree with any of the things said in that contract, like he was already talking to an attorney about divorcing.
-And she really wanted to join us on this talking session, I simply thought I’d tell you before she comes. Honestly, I have no idea what she’s still doing getting ready, but oh well.
Dimitry didn’t have to say that twice. Like the girl had heard what he said from the second floor, she came rushing down the stairs in hurry. She had a sage green off-shoulder dress on, its skirt came rushing downward in layers, decorated with shiny pearls at some places. Her hairstyle was accessorized with a daisy flower crown, accentuated with pretty leaves.
Her hair was dark brown and voluminous. It dropped all the way to her elbows, curled at the ends. The girl’s eyes and brows were more hunter than prey, her eyes were slightly innocent and slightly serious at the same time, they were painted with a shade of the darkest brown I ever saw. Her brows were thinner than what they were supposed to be like, which gave her face more interest.
Her body shape wasn’t thin, but it was nowhere near thick either. It was actually perfect for her appearance
She was really put together. So put together she probably didn’t know we were going to talk about the ways to not get someone killed.
The time she finally arrived, the dining table was full of appetizers , all kinds of drinks and decorations.
But one thing I really didn’t expect from her to actually be kind, regardless of being in a serious relationship with someone rather the opposite.
Them being opposite was one thing that definitely made the poor girl’s life living hell.
-Okay, now we can finally begin with the ideas–
Dimitry was so shocked he couldn’t finish what he wanted to say for the first time. Everyone suddenly bombed the dining room with voices, each saying more and more different ideas. When one voice felt like it wasn’t heard enough, it became louder, saying what it wanted in an aggressive tone. It was surprising that the wine glasses on the table didn’t break from the harsh voices surrounding them.
Everyone was so loud I could barely hear my own thoughts. Not that there were any important thoughts lingering through my brain, just the ones about the screaming.
-Okay, okay, but how could we make him regain custody of Eira? -I asked, though I knew none of my words were going to get an answer if we continued in this manner.
-What if we do something like protesting on the streets? -Dimitry’s fiance asked.
Those were all the things I could recall from every voice wanting to be heard. Though almost none of them were.
It seemed like all people thought their ideas were important. They had all wanted to share it so that they won’t forget. But sadly, no one paid attention to anyone.
As always, Dimitry was the one who wanted to speak the loudest. He slightly slammed a fist across the table, making most of us go silent.
Then, the wine glasses were finally safe, but now, they could have broken from the pure silence surrounding them.
-Why don’t we share ideas one by one and then listen to everybody?
But we shared all our ideas in the loudness of everyone else’s voice. Now, we all forgot them, now the ideas are just flying somewhere in the endless void of loud and unheard voices, wanting to be heard by everyone but heard by the void only.
-Yes, but still, what actually is your origin? Like how old were you when your family died? Who was the abuser–
-I swear to God…Do you truly need to know every little detail to have a slightly normal idea? Is this what you came here all dressed up for? To share insane things and then ask what’s the reason you’re here?
I knew this was what the poor girl had to go through. I was entirely sure Dimitry didn’t tell her anything about the story and still expects her to come up with a life changing idea without knowing anything.
Yet the girl’s small knowledge about the story wasn’t the worst thing. It was the way Dimitry’s jaw twitched when she asked what had really happened. I could see on his face he wasn’t in the mood to repeat it again. For some reason, part of me still thought they were lying. I thought that their parents didn’t die, I thought that Darius’ abuser wasn’t real, I thought that nothing they said before was close to real.
I cleared my throat, to which everyone thought I was about to say an idea that will save this already busted day. That must’ve been a bit disappointing to them.
-This is getting a little crazy, don’t you think? Listen, are you sure you’re telling the truth with this whole case or…I started, taking a sip of water then elbowing the table. -Is it just a silly lie you thought about to keep you and your ‘brother’ entertained?
Even after hearing the story they claimed was the truth, it still felt good to play with their nerves. Darius was insanely close to slapping his forehead in disgust, while Dimitry rolled his eyes with his jaw twitching even more.
-What are you talking about? You think they would think of something so detailed, all for them to play for a few weeks? What might be the reason you think this for?
-There. She was the only one needed in this conversation. Darling, can’t you see you have no reason to be here other than to eat and drink? Maybe that’s why you’ve been gaining so much weight recently…Anyway, out of all people, you choose to speak up over something you know nothing about? -Dimitry yelled, losing control every time he took a glance at the girl’s eyes, dropping at each hurtful word he said. -At least think of something normal if you desperately wanted to be here!
Her eyes kept dropping and dropping, but I could still see she was used to it. I could see she was used to words even worse than what was said that time. After all that, she still managed to bring herself to smile, even if it meant us having to see the most fake smile ever.
-You’re cruel. First, you make me think you lied for this whole time. Then, you talk to her that way and still bring yourself to breathe every day and to sleep every night?
-That’s quite funny. Are you trying to say that it’s my fault you think so illogical? You think I agreed to marry her and stay with her for my whole life? You think I want a woman for more than two nights? -Dimitry yelled, standing up from the table.
His anger knew no limits that day, and neither did his ego.
Standing up so fiercely and quickly and then saying things that barely even belong in Hell, he still had energy to do even more.
The table, with all things on it, decorated beautifully, was his next victim to ruin.
The stuff that used to be on the table flew freely across the whole dining room. It was only the tablecloth that remained securely clutched in Dimitry’s hands.
-We have been here for almost two hours, and we still didn’t get anything done! -he said, turning his gaze towards me. -And you, if you still don’t trust us, then just leave. We’d appreciate it if you never came back, either.
Did he really think I had doubted them only because I was bored? Did he actually think I doubted them because I had nothing better to do?
I mean, if we think of it that way, they could have thought that too when I didn’t believe them.
Luckily I didn’t think too much about where I would go once I left the house.
All I needed to do was hope Jasper was still at the street shop, that he was still walking through it in his pretty commoner clothes.
For my greatest luck, he was. He was sitting on a bench near the end of the street shop, looking at the castle opposite to it.
Once he saw me trying to fake that I was still searching for him, the castle disappeared completely from his list of things he paid attention to.
-What happened? Crime meeting didn’t go well and the police are searching for you? If you’re planning an escape route, I’m more than happy to help lead you out of here. This place is horrible anyway -he said turning towards me. -I’ll take you to the Empire of Wealth, that’s such a pretty place to–
-So you actually don’t care about the lies you’ve said? You don’t care you’re spreading foolish rumors to a hoard of people who may actually believe it? What kind of drugs were you offered to think this is normal?
I didn’t care about the supposed “Empire of Wealth” he talked about, the only thing I cared about was…seeing him. Well, that’s evolution gone pretty badly.
-You’re making this bigger of a concept than it should be, Emerald. It’s not a problem if you’re a bit too inexperienced to understand.
And the only bad part about this was that he enjoyed it.
-So now you’re happening to insult me?
He scrunched his brows.
-Emerald, I really am sorry. But as I see it, I suppose you’re not.
Like I did last time, he was also searching one of his pockets.
-Have this. I don’t want your money to be wasted on a heartlessly brutal liar -he murmured, opening my hands and placing two cents inside.