【100K SPECIAL】

Author's Note:

Dear readers,

Thank you for contributing so much to this novel! The diligent reading, voting, and commenting—I appreciate it—many thanks! This chapter is a special occasion for 100K READS and 7K VOTES. It feels like barely any time have passed since publishing my first two chapters, gosh. Though I have experienced many ups and downs in my life, coming back to writing is still my top priority.

In fact, it comes to the point where I am writing to make myself entertained rather than for my readers. Reading comments just makes me feel better, and helps me ignore that I am a selfish shitty human who malds every easily and live under a fake endearing mask— ahem

Anyways, just keep in mind that the more comments, the better I feel! *Wink wink, nudge nudge, hint hint*? Okay, just make me happy please.

But of course, I want to award you guys for the support. This "special chapter" is different compared to the other chapters I've published ^-^

Hehe, be prepared for some new spices!

*****

A spiral of stairs present before me. Only the top is illuminated by the sun's clemency shine, while the rest is overshadowed in the film of a thick brocade. If I am just a mere step away from entering the depths of hell right now, then my mind must be flying up the stairs, back to when I stood at the top of the hierarchy.

I found myself wandering back to the past.

There was a soft coat of fleece wrapped around me. It was warm and gentle, not too heavy or light. The coat shielded me from the air... it was suffocating, but it felt good to stay in my own bubble of space... undisturbed by the chaotic outside forces—

All of a sudden, a gust of cold air whipped across my cheeks. The coldness of the world truly made me realize just how small I was, and how easily I could get knocked over.

My... my coat! It was thrown off of me, falling onto the carpeted floor.

I looked up, meeting my worst nightmare—the mischievous smile of my older brother.

Zephyratt is seven years older than me, and his height shows. Thirteen is the age of adolescence, and also the age of rapid growing. Big brother has already towered over me by two heads...!

"I've caught you, Lucy!" He laughed, showing off his victory pose—a 'v' shaped by his two fingers, and an arm set on his hips.

I wanted to cringe and crawl into the floor, but as his little brother, I didn't tell him.

After all, I am just a six-year-old boy. How was I supposed to express my feelings on such a matter of posing and gestures?

"You can't hide from me! After all, I am your big brother and know you the best!" Zephyratt crouched down to meet my eyes.

It was such a shame.

I wholeheartedly believed that hiding in the corner would spare me from the embarrassment of associating myself with him.

"Mother said that she knows me the best." I retorted, a hit of sulk written across my childish face.

Zephyratt's smile widened. "That doesn't count. Mother is a girl—we are both boys. So of course I would know you the best!"

I sat there in silence.

Once again, I was reminded of why I didn't want to associate myself with him. Perhaps it was because of the lack of logic in his statements. It was difficult to imagine this adolescent becoming the heir to the seat of Duke Rubius.

It would be better if Father lived forever, so that Zephyratt would never take over.

"What do you think you're doing, Ratt?"

Both my brother and I sat there. Zephyratt's face froze and contorted in funny scrunches. There is only one person in the lands of Lydia who would dare to call him "Ratt".

"Sister..." My voice came out in soft whimpers.

Scarletta is a year older than my brother; fourteen years of age. She exuded the aura of maturity and frigidness. Perhaps if I were to outstretch my hand to her, my hand would freeze into a pile of ice. I didn't want that, so I did not dare to stay close.

"I have been searching all over the manor for you, Lucy." Her voice was cold, but I could tell that her gaze softened.

"Come with big sister, hm?" Scarletta reached a hand to me.

Zephyratt frowned. "I found Lucy first, so Lucy will naturally follow me!"

Scarletta arched an eyebrow, unfazed by his provocation. "Oh really? It seems to me that Lucy does not want to hang out with his big brother. Lucy clearly likes his big sister more... for many reasons that I don't even have enough fingers to count for."

Zephyratt: !!!

His face flamed hot red, as he huffed angrily, "You must be delusional!"

Both siblings turned to look at me, their gazes mixed—one chilling cold, and one searing hot. "Who would you rather play with, Lucy? Me or him/her?" Their voices overlapped in my ears, amplifying the headache tearing at my head.

Their fights made me dizzy.

It was all so pointless yet entertaining; just like my very own existence. But who to choose? Zephyratt is assertive and hot-tempered. He likes to stick close, like a piece of mold that won't go away. Scarletta is cold and indifferent. She speaks very little, and speaks of negative connotations more than positive ones.

Simply said... I didn't want to choose either.

All of a sudden, a small giggle fell from above. "Why are you two tormenting your little brother, huh? Can't you see that Lucy is uncomfortable, Zeph, Scarlet?"

My eyes flickered to look at the familiar figure.

She must be the Goddess sent down to the lands of Lydia to save me.

Rachelle is deemed as the most perfect woman in Lydia Kingdom. She is my mother, so it doesn't matter if it was actually I who deemed her as so. Her long locks of black silky hair fell down her shoulders, resembling free lines of running ink. Her delicate eyes were a gentle hue of honey gold, and seemed to have enough patience for the whole kingdom.

Big sister, brother, and Father all say that I look the most similar to her.

From our cheeks to the every ounce of our flesh... it was as if I was created just to be their second Rachelle. As much as I find the fondling annoying, I cannot bring myself to fully despise it.

After all, to be the clone of the most perfect woman... that is an achievement worth dying for.

"Come to Mother..." Rachelle gestured over to me.

I did not think twice before getting up from the corner, running into her embrace. Rachelle was always there to save me from my troublesome siblings. Ahh, she is truly the most perfect woman in Lydia Kingdom.

"The nice and lovely maids have prepared you desserts," Rachelle smiled gently. "Let's go to the dining table and eat some snacks."

Time passes fast when I was with Mother.

I ended up sitting on a luxurious chair, over twice my size. The maids served the tea and desserts, with plates of delicious slices of cake. Their icing was white as the moonlight's cascading gaze, gentle and harmonizing.

To be honest, I didn't know what there was to like about cake.

It was just sweet.

But Mother liked it, so I should as well.

"Young Master," a sweet girl curtseyed before me. Willow was taught by the other motherly maidservants how to tie her hair, binding it into a beautiful flower bun. It resembled the precious white chrysanthemum flowers, with luscious locks of starry white hair.

She wore a maid dress. The House of Rubius had a tailor handmade a new uniform for her size—the size of a nine-year-old girl.

Willow was fed well and better. Her skinny exterior turned plump yet slender, and her skin became a healthy colour of wheat.

"It is great to see you again, Young Master." Willow beamed a smile.

I also felt the same.

I was afraid that the Sequence Contract pained her. I remembered her expression of contorted agony, when Father held the Staff of Curses, implementing the red hydrangea flower onto her chest. But a smile had quickly overcame her furrowed brows. Perhaps there was a type of freedom she sought from this curse.

"You know what to do, Lucy." Rachelle gestured to me.

There was a tradition in the House of Rubius. Once a Master finds their maid or servant trustworthy, they will reward them with a dip of icing on the face. This was to remind a servant that their relationship was on equal footing, and that they deserve the most sweetest of noble desserts.

But Rachelle messed it up. When she entered the House of Rubius, she had accidentally sent a plate of cake flying—right into a maidservant's face. Instead of enraging or frightening the maid, the latter rather became extraordinarily excited.

If a normal trust was just a dip of icing—then a whole plate meant so much more...!

Thus, the tradition evolved to become an "entire plate" of icing.

I picked up a plate of cake, then looked at Willow. The maid was on the tip of her feet. She was on the verge of collapse... ready to faint from such excitement—

A plate of icing shoved up her nose—

"I'm sorry," I couldn't help but blurt out. I had accompanied Willow to wash off the icing. For some odd reason, the maid did not mind and rather insisted to keep the icing on longer. The most I could endure looking at her face of icing was... five hours.

I had to clean her up by then.

Rachelle laughed heartily. Her sweetness was like contagious honey. It made all the maids in the vicinity fall over and laugh as well. They couldn't help but be enamoured by her grace.

I wanted to be such a person too. Maybe that was why I decided to save Willow in the first place.

The next morning, I was found by my siblings. I may have been able to escape from them for a whole day, but I couldn't escape forever. Though dragged lightly, I was still dragged away. The door to the dressing chamber had shut, enclosing me inside a room that heightened all my fears... because my nightmares are most likely able to come true in there.

"Try this one," Scarletta assisted me.

She handed me a hangar, with a malevolent dress hung.

I took a deep breath: ...

"Come on, Lucy! Big brother wants to see how you look like!" Zephyratt smiled sillily. That smile made me want to directly bang my head against the wall. It would be best if I bleed out and die.

Scarletta gazed upon me.

Her indifferent face expressed how she does not take refusal as an answer. It made me fear of disappointing her... similar to a cold temperature tearing at my flesh, forcing me to shrivel up and die.

Looking at both siblings made me kill a part of myself.

Though they were quite different, they were also quite similar.

—I changed behind a curtain. That was right; I submitted to my siblings. They were both at least seven years older than me, and both two heads taller than me. Despite the fact that I could have bursted into cries to have them stop, I find crying such an unpleasant thing to resort to.

Sobbing, crying, whining, screaming—

That was not how a perfect person should act.

"I... I don't know..." I muttered under my breath, as I stepped out from behind the curtain. Despite my hesitance, Zephyratt had dramatically clasped his chest. Even tints of crimson red blush tainted Scarletta's cold demeanour.

According to my siblings, I was a "deity sent down to gift them happiness".

The dress was short yet ruffled in richly brewed coffee-black, the feathery fabric making me rustle in discomfort. It snuggled at my hips, revealing my thin waist which was enveloped in the black satin. The sleeves were short but enough to cover my shoulders, bringing some peace to my dear mind.

"These skin-coloured tights are perfect!" Zephyratt studied. "It perfectly fits you, and the colour is so transparent that it seems like these are your natural legs!"

As he began spouting nonsense, Scarletta agreed intently with a serious hum.

Nevertheless to say, I had no words.

My two elder siblings pushed me to seat at a chair, then swiped out a purse of tools... There was at least a hundred different version of brushes in there.

Scarletta and Zephyratt brushed my hair, both amazed at how smooth the process went.

When they were finished, I was called "a masterpiece".

Though I was quite glad to be called a masterpiece, I am still unsure of my feelings. After all, the words of my siblings could never be taken seriously.

"Let's go show off Lucy to mother!" Zephyratt cheered.

For some odd reason, Scarletta agreed with a stern nod.

Their needy hands dragged me out of the dressing chamber, pulling me forwards down the hallway. We ran down the hallway, the walls of beige colour flashing before my eyes. At last, after running down several spirals of stairs, we arrived before the dining hall.

Zephyratt as an adolescent was without manners.

He rudely pushed open the Grand double doors, "Mother! Sister and I have to show you something—" His loud and cheery voice came to a stop.

Even I could feel my heart stop.

Rachelle was sprawled upon the dining table, her back pressed against the dining surface. Her long strands of black hair scattered on the wooden table, winding like a delicate breeze. She closed her eyes, with the thin lashes quivering slightly.

A pair of lips pressed against hers.

Father—Anderson Rubius—had leaned down to her face. Anderson was the most stern and cold in the House of Rubius. I often speculated that Scarletta had inherited her cold demeanour from him. But her coldness could not even compare to half of his.

This was the first time I saw Father wear such a gentle look.

His eyes were shut, but his focus never left Mother. They kissed heavily on the table, their breaths intertwined and mingled into one soft mix—

"Father is taking Mother away from us." I broke the delicate atmosphere.

In an instant, the exchange of love had shattered into mere pieces. Anderson quickly snapped out of it, raising his head. A look of pure shock had spiralled in his silver eyes. It was weird. I thought that those silver eyes were only capable of intimidating or scaring others away, making a good demon disguise.

Even I would be convinced that he was a demon.

"Wait!" Zephyratt returned back to himself. "You're not allowed to take Mother away from us!" He scrambled over to pull at Anderson's leggings.

Scarletta joined in, her childish side being revealed.

I was pushed within the crowd. Life as a six-year-old child was difficult. I couldn't even control the direction of my walk.

Anderson was speechless. "You goddamn kids—"

A giggle filled the dining hall. Rachelle had sat herself up from the table, sitting neatly and gently. Her soft laugh brought her husband's anger to a sudden halt. Rachelle smiled at us, her delicate golden eyes reflecting mine within them. "Father and I are 'kissing'. We love each other, so it is only normal for us to kiss."

That last statement seemed to hit something in my big brother.

Zephyratt suddenly flared up. He probed his face just inches before mine, "Lucy! I want a kiss from Lucy!"

No way. I wanted to laugh at my big brother. He must be the most gullible fool in all of Lydia Kingdom to believe that I would kiss him.

I did not move. A silence dawned in the dining hall.

"Oh, I see..." Zephyratt laughed nervously. He seemed to wear a smile, but his spirit had been doused in cold water. "That's right. It was a bit too much of me to ask for a kiss... hahaha..."

This feeling is weird.

Normally when I see his face, I would rather cough out blood than to study it a second longer. After all, his cheeriness annoyed me—enough for me to move mountains across seas and oceans. But it was very uncomfortable to see him shrivelled up like a wilting flower.

Someone like him should always be happy, no matter how dissatisfied or how much I wanted to leave.

I moved fast. Swiftly pressing my lips against his cheek; I withdrew after less then half a second. The air seemed to stagnate—

"LUCY!!! I LOVE YOU TOO!!!" Zephyratt outright sobbed.

Tears slid rapidly down his cheeks, drowning his face in an endless sea of saltwater. Ahhh... I regret giving in to him. Now, I am even more annoyed.

A slight nudge poked at my arm.

I was met by the expectant expression of Scarletta. She hinted by also pointing at her cheek, her silver eyes caught in the mixture of a melted iceberg.

...My older sister have changed.

In the end, Scarletta also received her kiss. I wished that my eyes had deceived me, but I swear that I saw a layer of mist form before her eyes... as if she was about to cry.

As speculated, she and Zephyratt were truly one of the same kind.

Rachelle watched my two siblings fight over for me. I thought that she would come to my rescue again like she always did. However, Rachelle just giggled heartedly. Anderson also couldn't help but choke out a small laugh.

My heart may have just broken into two.

At least Willow helped me escape the mess. She entered the dining hall, carrying a tray of desserts. "Young Master, I have prepared an assortment of snacks for everyone!" A cheery smile was on her face, resembling the mirage of flowers blooming within the gaze of the beaming sun.

Even though I wasn't hiding under the protection of a coat, I still felt warmth.

This kind of magic cannot be achieved by just anyone... even mages. My family is truly the most magical family of them all.

All of a sudden, my vision halted.

I had stopped wandering my past memories. Those days were over. I stood before the last step between the depths of hell and I. Rachelle's endearing smile was gone. She was the most perfect woman of Lydia Kingdom, but her decaying cold body made even the warmest temperatures freeze.

Anderson's strict features dissipated into a mist. He used to hide his warm feelings behind a stern facade, but he was now hiding in a place I could not reach.

Scarletta always fought against elder brother; her unyielding will is always beyond the hierarchy system. But her bravery and courage had fallen down the drain, while her ashes were washed away in the night's mournful winds.

Zephyratt and his flirtatious antics had always made my head spin, throwing me on edge. His cheeriness brought so many faults to the perfection I was trying to build. However, no matter how hard I try to search for him, not a single light shone the way for me again.

Willow evolved from a slave to the servant of a Young Master. Her joyous gaze and her baked snacks were gone. Even when I try to search for the taste, my mouth still remains bland.

They were all gone.

My gaze fall forwards. A woman with ghastly white hair had stood there, her sickly stature waiting for a ripple to smash the still waters. She raises her face, revealing a pair of deadly red eyes. "...are you ready to end it all?"

I turned to look behind me.

The steps that I took previously had all vanished without a trace. With nowhere left to go, I swiftly turned back to look at the woman.

"...end it all, please."