บท 58: A Psychopath By Nature
Did they know what time it was?
I certainly didn't.
Because time went by so fast while sleeping, I wasn't sure whether we were closer to the morning or the night, but judging by how the sun was nowhere to be seen, it couldn't have been the most appropriate time for a wake up call.
"Stand up," he commanded.
As I got a closer look at him, I realized that I knew him already.
He was the guy that had partnered up with Raya in that little card game; the guy I was so desperately trying to avoid. Why was he shoving himself into my life all the time? And it was always the worst roles.
If I had known sooner, I might have tried learning his name.
Ah well, too bad.
"Head, do you mean my grandfather," I asked groggily.
He said nothing at first, but then replied, "no, I am talking about Rayas father, our uncle."
But he wasn't the head yet.
I wanted to reply, but my sleepiness got the better of me and I just ignored his statement. No, it was more like my attention was caught by something else, something much more vile.
"ᴡʜᴏ ᴅᴀʀᴇs ᴅɪsᴛᴜʀʙ ᴍʏ sʟᴇᴇᴘ?" A raspy voice behind me asked.
Like a monster from a swamp, she rose from her slumber.
The many blankets draped over her naked body as if they were wings that had fallen of her back, and her protruding shoulder blades looked like the stems of where the cuts were made.
Her long, unkempt hair hid her face and I only saw parts of her slanted eyes behind them. She lethargically crawled out of the sheets and grabbed me with a tight grip.
"ᴡᴀs ɪᴛ ʏᴏᴜ," she stared at me, "ᴏʀ ᴡᴀs ɪᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ?"
I shook my head rapidly and then pointed at the group in front of me.
Her eyes seemed to gleam as she crooked her head in their direction, "ɪ sᴇᴇ," she said in an icy tone, "ʟᴇᴛ's ᴋɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴇᴍ."
"Hold on, don't kill him yet, he didn't know better," I pleaded and stopped her from moving.
She wasn't listening to me and only pushed onwards, tugging one sheet at the time. I coiled my hands around her back and felt the little bumps from her spine, which reminded me of a small dinosaur.
"ʟᴇᴛ ɢᴏ ᴏғ ᴍᴇ," she screamed and hit me repeatedly, hellbent on exacting revenge.
Similar to a kid that threw a tantrum, she struggled intensely.
That girl really wasn't joking. Her eyes which were feisty looking to begin with, turned even nastier due to her drowsiness.
"What are you mumbling about," I was suddenly asked.
"You might not be able to tell, but I am currently saving your life," I joked.
"What," he made a bewildered expression, "enough, come with me. It was decided that your punishment will be carried out now," he packed me under my armpit and hauled me off the bed.
With much violence, he threw me to the ground, ruining the lighthearted mood I was trying to establish.
"Ouch," I fell to the floor and bruised my knees, "alright I am awake now, you can let go."
He paid no heed to my excamation.
Instead, he lifted my head by my hair and whispered, "what do you know, you had a good run, but your struggle is finally over. You made one fatal mistake, and that was fighting against Raya," he giggled, "now her father personally came back to smite you. Oh, I can't wait to see the face you will make when you are thrown into the streets."
Was there a need to do it at this hour though?
His grip turned tighter and I felt some of my hair ripping.
"what do we have here," he stared at me, one eye squinted, the other opened wide, "you still want to look at me with such defiant gaze? Fine by me."
It was not my fault that I had these eyes.
"I will pay you back for the repeated humiliation," he grinded his teeth, "you damn maggot ate the wrong apple, and now you bear the consequences. I will give you something to eat which you can't digest."
He kicked my stomach.
There was no warning sign that he would do so, and I curled into a ball from the pain, holding my stomach while coughing.
"That was the entreé. Now stand up."
The people around us showed no signs of helping. Some servants were shocked by the drastic turn of events, but no one dared to move, as the eyes of nobility hung above them, like a gorgons gaze.
ʜᴏᴡ ʟᴀᴜɢʜᴀʙʟᴇ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ, ᴛʜᴇ sᴇʀᴠᴀɴᴛs ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ sɪʟᴇɴᴛʟʏ, ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴍᴏᴜᴛʜ sᴇᴡᴇᴅ sʜᴜᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴛʜɪᴄᴋ sᴛʀɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴡᴀʀᴅɪᴄᴇ. ɴᴏ, ɪᴛ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴄʜᴀɪɴ. ᴄᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴜɴsᴇᴇᴍʟɪɴᴇss.
ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴀᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴅᴇᴛᴇsᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ. ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs ᴡʜʏ ɪ ʜᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴs. ᴛʜᴇʏ ʙʀᴇᴇᴅ ʜᴀᴛᴇ, ʜᴀᴛᴇ, ʜᴀᴛᴇ.
ʜᴀᴛᴇ ʟᴇᴀᴅs ᴛᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʜᴀᴛᴇ, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ʟᴇᴀᴅs ᴛᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʜᴀᴛᴇ, ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ɪᴛ ʟᴇᴀᴅs ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ.
ᴍʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴍʏ ʜᴀᴛᴇ. sᴏ ᴍʏ ʜᴀᴛᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ sᴇᴇɴ ᴀs ᴍʏ ᴘᴀssɪᴏɴ. ᴀɴᴅ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴘᴀssɪᴏɴs ʀᴇǫᴜɪʀᴇᴅ ʀᴇʟɪᴇғs.
He impatiently stared at me, waiting for me to rise up. He crossed his arms while tapping his finger in rhythm with the seconds that passed.
"Relax will you," I complained while catching my breath, "I'm sorry that I have rejected you, but violence won't make me change my opinion."
"Y, you bastard," his complexion turned red and he then struck me down, palm to cheek.
The hit stung fairly, because it was not only filled with strength, but with malice. I immediately fell to the ground again.
Now that he was so sure that my judgement time had arrived, he did not hold back anymore.
The people from my family watched me with a hint of glee, while the servants and maids with unnerving stillness.
There really was no plan on helping me was there. Well, it's not like I could blame them. For me it was perfectly understandable, humans are selfish creatures after all.
And I didn't mind. What I hated the most were those who tried to hide it. Their nature.
Yes, if Agnes hated cowards the most, then I hated hypocrites.
However, she had a vastly different opinion on that matter.
"ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ, ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴋɪʟʟ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ʀᴏᴏᴍ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ɴᴏ ᴜsᴇ ɪɴ ᴋᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ ᴡᴀsᴛᴇs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ." She said, and simply from her voice I felt her itching to do so. As if she couldn't wait.
Unbeknownst to the fact that a vengeful spirit had marked his death, he hit me again. His intentions were quite clear, "you are so annoying. Just because you carry our blood, that makes us family? You foul wench can be family with the rats and ravens after today," he bellowed his inner thoughts.
I simply set my gaze at him, and said nothing.
"Damn, just what are you looking at," he said frustratedly.
Wasn't it funny, how when the right button were pressed, such intense emotions could be stimulated, in such brief time?
It was for the guy in front of me, who flew into rage from small provocation, it was the same for Agnes who hated cowardice and of course, it was the same for me.
That is why I sometimes wished I was a psychopath, a person without emotions. Many say I already was one, but they couldn't be more wrong.
A psychopath understood morals, but felt no emotion.
I on the other hand, had no morals, but I understood emotions.
Was I being too nitpicky? Was there really a distinction? Wasn't that just two sides of the same coin?
Ultimately our actions were the same after all. Still, it was important for me, at least.
But maybe if I lost both, would I still human?
"I will kill you the moment you leave through the door. It's death penalty you hear me?" He pointed at me and his face was red hot.
Kill, kill, kill. Everyone around me was yapping about murder, but did they understand the price, I wonder.
Would they dare swing the word around again after they had witnessed the deed?
would they dare take the word in their mouths after bathing in blood for the first time, and realizing no matter how hard one washed their hands, the iron smell never vanished?
Would they dare form the syllables when the life they had taken would come haunt them back at night pushing them inch by inch towards insanity?
"ʏᴇs, ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ," Agnes suddenly answered me. Her voice was quiet, but it was steady.
Oops, I forgot that she could hear me.
With her around, I might really lose myself. She was a bit too reliable. A person who could carry my burden was usually welcome, but not in this case.
The weight of life was what kept me grounded, I needed it. If not, I might just go on a killing spree.
However, there was no need for her to do so this time. Because I had made plans already.
After all, I only make plans so I didn't have to kill.
My schemes, in a way, are not to protect me, but protect my attacker. Wasn't I nice?
"What the hell are you lot doing," someone screamed, her voice reverberated through the room. It was an uncontrolled voice, full of fury. One that came right from the belly.
Here we had another one whose emotions had reached a boiling point.
Family and servant alike, turned their heads. It was the only time everyone were equal, as they were all equally surprised by the new contender that joined the fray.
"I am punishing what needs punishing. Some fool violated the sacred blood of nobility, and did not understand her caste, so I took it upon me to show her the way. You could say that I was acting on god's grace," he laughed madly, "what are you going to do about it, Vera?"
"Do not speak the lords name in vain, for you misguided ideals," Vera replied, her expression was darker than the night today.
"Is it not true that we nobles are inviolable? It was god that has blessed the king since birth, and it was his majesty that blessed us with his creed, so it is in our divine right to act out on what we deem unjust. You of all people here should know that."
She was silent at first. Maybe she agreed, nobody knew, but she then answered, "you should know that we do not live in such a time anymore," she replied, "the king said that we live as equal in this world. If you want to judge someone, do it on the judgement table. Wager your worth and prove your justice with strength."
Judgement table?
I never heard of such a term. That just went to show how I still had much to learn, not only about the laws in this country, but this world.
But I have heard it often these days, the kings philosophy. One time when Agnes' grandfather introduced it, and another time when I fought Raya.
If I remembered correctly, it was about slavery and monarchy. How were the unequal decided in an equal world? The philosophy's answer to that was simple: by dueling.
"ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ ᴏғ ʜɪs ᴍᴀᴊᴇsᴛʏ ɪs ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ |ᴘʜɪʟᴏsᴏᴘʜʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀᴍᴇ|." Agnes explained. She calmed down significantly after Vera arrived. From all the people she was the most amazed when that happened.
The guy chuckled, "you were the one I least expected to utter such sentence. You must truly be desperate to save this girl, that you even resort to the kings magic, when you so vehemently denied his teachings," he packed my head and pinched my cheeks vulgarly.
"You," she growled, "take your hands off."
"I will, but not because you asked me to, but because I don't want to postpone the real show," he sliced his throat with his thumb, "since you want a fair judgement, let us have a 'fair judgement' by the head of this household. I'm sure you will be delighted by that."
He shoved me out of his way and into Veras arms.
"Get moving," he said and walked out with the people leaving right behind him, but I would see them soon.
"Are you alright," Vera asked me, worried.
I only smiled. Her worries were unfounded.
I watched the back of the people turn smaller and then whispered, "get your pitchforks ready, we are moving to the last act."
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