章節 401: Chapter 401
"Be honest." Keith strictly said, and Avriel tensed up some more.
"I am not lying," Avriel answered, and then continued, "I did not feel good. I just... did not feel bad either."
Keith allowed the silence to settle in, waiting patiently for her to come clean, and when she finally sighed, he smiled.
"Would you look down on me if I liked it?" She lightly asked.
"No."
She nodded to his answer and then met his eyes again.
"I felt nothing when I killed those people. No pity, no hesitation, no guilt. But I did feel satisfied knowing that I had eliminated potential threats. That wouldn't count as feeling good, right?"
"I see."
"Does that make me a bad person?"
"That's a curious question, but only you can find an answer to it. People's perception of good and bad varies, and a Hero in one's eyes could be a Villain in another's eyes."
"I want to know what you think of me." She got straight to the point and kept eye contact with him.
"No." He told her and found her body relaxing as soon as she heard him.
"I don't want to kill people." She lowered her head and meekly said. "I really don't."
"And yet you would not hesitate to kill someone if you see it fit." He smiled at her.
Avriel did not really feel comfortable with his words but nodded her head as she could not refute them.
Another period of silence descended between them, and this time, it lasted for minutes where the Princess collected her thoughts and finally smiled again.
"You were born this way. And it is not a result of anyone's influence that you are indifferent to death and killing."
She raised her head and met his eyes, curious at his words.
"You were born to rule, and your truth does not allow you to see death from the perspective of a Mortal." He mysteriously said and then glanced at the clock.
There was still some time in dinner, and he looked into her eyes, scrutinising them.
"Do you want to know your truth?" He asked.
"Yes." And she unhesitantly answered.
"It will come at a very steep price, Princess." He warned with a gentle smile, and she just smiled back at him.
"You want me."
Keith amusedly smiled at her words that sounded sure, and truthfully, he was a little surprised too.
"I am curious."
"You told me you were not a good person when we met for the first time, Lord Keith. And those who are not good, do not extend their goodwill for no reason." The girl giggled. "It took me a lot of time to figure out what your intentions are, and it was thanks to Lady Rebecca, who on more than one occasion threw a teasing remark at me that you treat me with the same care that you extend to your family. It was then that I realised what your intentions might be. And well, she did once tease me about making me pay for her lessons one day by becoming her sister."
"That sounds more like Rebecca's intention than mine." He chuckled.
"Would you deny it then?" She lightly smiled at him.
"No." He shook his head. "You are right. I want you." He looked into her eyes. "And since you dare to speak these words in front of me, I can see that you have already made up your mind."
"Would I have a choice?" She curiously asked, but her voice was devoid of any helplessness or unwillingness.
"Time, yes. Choice, no." He shook his head and answered her honestly.
"I know." She smiled. "I may have found out that I am indifferent to death, but I do have people that I care about, Lord Keith."
"I don't need to threaten a girl to get her, Princess." He smiled as she giggled at his words.
"That can not be refuted. My older sister is quite smitten with you, and so is my cousin."
"Most ladies are." He shrugged, and she laughed and nodded her head.
"I read my brother's thoughts. My mother has already discussed the possibility of you taking me as your wife or a lover. And there were hardly any objections."
"Is that so?"
"Yes." She nodded to him.
"How does it make you feel?"
"If I am being honest, I have no thoughts against the idea. I do think that my life would be quite fun by your side." She honestly answered and then blushed a little.
"You are changing, and changing fast."
The sudden words froze her, and then she frowned as she looked at him.
"Allow me to tell you a story about two sisters." He said and crossed his legs as he started playing with a fireball in his hands. "A long time ago, a girl was born to a very noble Immortal Family, and she was born with immense talent. The Family held high hopes for her, and they believed that once she grew older and strong enough, she would become a great boon to the Patheon they served. However, when the time came, she surprised them and did something unexpected."
Avriel intently listened to his words and when he stopped playing with the fireball and looked into her eyes again, she became a little impatient.
"She became a very strong Immortal, and she achieved the feat at a very young age as well. But when the time came to gain her Divinities and become a Goddess, she went against the arrangements of her Family and submitted herself to a very Powerful Goddess. Her Family was not on bad terms with that Goddess even though they respected her a lot. And the reason was that she was not the Goddess of the Pantheon they served. She was the Head of a rival Pantheon, and even if they were not enemies, they were not allies either. For them to be upset about her decision was justified."
Keith stopped again and smiled as he saw the girl burn in curiosity.
"The girl joined the Pantheon of the Goddess she chose to serve, and it immensely displeased her family. However, there was a certain little girl, a very intelligent little girl,who admired her older sister a lot. And she started admiring her even more after her decision to go against the Family's arrangements. She made it her goal to one day become just like her, and even though she was not as talented as her older sister, she did manage to achieve her dream one day. Her sister was present there when she submitted herself to the same Goddess she had chosen, and she had never been more proud of herself in her life than when her older sister acknowledged her efforts and expressed her happiness as she invited her into the fold."
Keith stopped again, this time, throwing her a teasing smile, and sure enough, she could not contain her curiosity this time.
"What happened to the family?"
"They had to accept her decision, and they realised that it was perhaps for the best." He told her what happened. "You see, the decisions of the two sisters allowed them to break free from the shackles of the Patheon they served, and since the Goddess they had chosen was not an enemy, it allowed them to survive the war that followed in which the Pantheon the Family served perished. The older sister had seen it coming, and only the younger sister who followed her lead understood her decision at that time."
"Who were they?" She curiously asked.
"Hecate and her younger sister, Mnemosyne. She is also called Moneta or Mneme."
"The Titaness that was Zeus's lover?" She frowned, remembering where she had read the name, and he could not help but chuckle at her first thought.
"She was never his lover. In fact, she died a maiden just like her sister. The Myths hold some truth, but mostly, they happen to be far from it."
"Oh..." She smiled. "The Goddess they chose to serve was Nyx?"
"Yes." He nodded to her.
"How did she die?"
"I can not tell you that."
Avriel kept looking into his eyes, and then a small smile settled on her face.
"I am Mneme's Inheritor?"
"Yes, you the Inheritor of the Goddess of Memories, Speech, Muses, and Time."
"Does Lady Rebecca know?"
"No." He shook his head.
"So, I am already her sister. I wonder how she would react to the news."
"Legacies don't work like that." He chuckled. "Hecate and Mnemosyne were independent Goddesses with their own set of Divinities which they did not share."
"I see." She nodded to him.
"Come. It's dinner time." He said and then patted her head as he walked past her.
When the two of them entered the Main Lounge, Avriel could not help but notice the curious glances that Ayesha and Nana were giving her, and for some reason, she had a hunch that they had overhead her conversation with Keith.
She subconsciously turned to look at Ingvild, and when their eyes met, she understood that her dear friend had also heard her conversation because there was a hint of excitement in her eyes.
However, even when they all sat down at the dining table, no one raised any questions about her conversation with Keith, and even Ingvild only engaged her in a miscellaneous chat. Just like everything was normal.
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