The Silent Heir

Chapter 41

An:

Heyyyy kinda late, but enjoy a 4.2k chapter! I'll explain later why I was late.

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"D-don't..." His eyes snapped wide open once more. The dagger was soaked in blood, it was mere inches away from piercing his heart. The pain was by far the most painful he had endured, yet it paled in comparison to the turmoil within.

He looked up to see sapphire eyes, but it was not the same cold winter, but a gentle first snow. Seth blinked once more when he felt droplets wetting his face. Tears fell off from the scarred maiden. "Do-don't h-hurt him..." she whispered as her arms trembled.

"Lucy," Seth whispered, reaching for the girl in pure desperation. Her eyes gleamed in recognition. "I-"

"No!" And as suddenly as it came, those soft eyes turned into a roaring blizzard once more, glaring down with malice. "Let go of me, Lucy! This is our only chance!" Emma roared before her face softened once more. It was grief this time.

"W-wait! P-please just wait a-"

"I am done waiting! This bastard has to die!" Her eyes twisted into a glare once more before it softens into pale horror.

"You can't! Y-you can't d-do this to him! I-"

"He will betray us!" Emma glared down as Seth could not help but flinch. The words were indeed far harsher than steel. "The moment it comes, he will sell us to that bastard! He had already done it once, he surely will-"

"You can't! P-please you c-can't do this!" Lucy pleaded as terror marked her eyes before it hardened back to steel.

"Why not?" Emma looked down, eyes pulsing in anticipation before it softened once more.

"I...I... I love him." Lucy whimpered as it both elated and pained the two.

"You what?" As merciless as the howling winds of winter, Emma's eyes morphed into a horrible scowl. Her muscles tensed as if two forces were struggling to control it. "Him? After all he had done, him??" The dagger bit slightly at his flesh as if it was her finger.

"He killed us!" Emma roared, eyes watering in anger before it twisted back to distraught.

"I know! Kalva be damn, I-I know it already! So p-please, stop saying it!" Lucy cried as silence reigned in. Only her sobs could be heard. "...p-please stop s-saying it..." the dagger was pulled free from Seth's chest. It was as if Emma relented control for a moment.

"Lucy..." Seth whispered as he carefully reaches out his right hand. He never reaches her as she quickly dismounted and avoided his touch. It pained Seth to see her reduced to such a state as she stumbled and fell awkwardly away from him.

"W-wait!" Seth shouted, trying to chase after her, but the blood lost made him slow. Power was already mending his injured body, but it was nowhere as fast as he wanted to. "I-"

"Do-don't!" Lucy shouted, one hand crawling awkwardly away from Seth as the other held out outstretch against him. "D-don't go n-near me." Her whispers trembled against the wind as Seth felt another arrow pierced his lungs.

"L-Lucy I-"

"S-she might h-hurt you." Her anguished eyes pleaded before it suddenly changed back to hatred.

"You are still defending him?!" Emma snarled as it brought Seth dead in his tracks. "After all he had done, you are still defending him?! Why!" Accusing eyes bore down on Seth. The urge to just hide was beginning to grow more and more tempting.

"It was because of him! Him! We died because of his-"

"No!" Her eyes, watering in frustration at the injustice of it all, twisted back into mourning. "Y-you are wrong! I-it wasn't h-him... it wasn't Seth-"