The air in the room grew heavier as Emilia finished serving tea and took a seat.
She sat with her back straight, hands folded in her lap, her expression caught between composure and the faint tremor of soone bracing themselves to rip open an old wound.
Because she was... she wanted to be open about what she had experienced, after all these were people she could trust.
She took a deep breath, her eyes sweeping the faces around her.
Hilda was here — a woman she saw as a second mother.
When Elga was absent, Hilda had stepped in without hesitation, caring for her like she was her own.
That warmth, that sense of safety, was sothing Emilia had quietly leaned on for years and made her see Hilda as soone very thrustworthy.
Elga, of course, was more than just the woman who gave her a roof.
She wasn’t Emilia’s biological mother — that truth had never been hidden since they looked so different, but she was the one who found her, sheltered her, loved her without asking for a single thing in return.
Emilia loved her, she loved her a lot, like a child loved their mother... Elga had done so much for her without even wanting anything back.
Rain... Rain was complicated.
A woman who used to be like a sister, soone she could laugh with.
But lately? There was sothing in her deanor, like a candle that had burned too fast and was now an unfamiliar fla.
She was very different from the calm, composed and sweet Rain she knew... but it seed like she had gotten into a relationship and it hadn’t worked out, since Rain had sat her down to give her an hour lecture of the evils of n.
Still, a sister was a sister in the end.
And then... Azel.
She didn’t know what to make of him.
He was the son of the sword saint according to everybody but they didn’t look the sa, at least according to her mories, but still, she was a bit hurt.
Was he her replacent? Did her father even miss her? Those were the questions that she needed answers to.
She wouldn’t know until she asked him herself.
But for now, the man before her needed to hear everything, as well as everyone.
Emilia drew in another slow breath, the air feeling thick in her lungs.
"I was kidnapped when I was six... or maybe seven," she began, her voice steady despite the weight of her words. "I apologize... my mory is still hazy in so places."
Hilda’s hands clenched on her lap.
Rain’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Elga leaned forward as if every syllable was a lifeline she needed to grab; this was her daughter, she had always been curious about how she ended up in the outskirts of dari Forest and now she would hear.
"I’d insisted my father take along," Emilia continued. "We were living in a cottage near Deymoor Town. It was quiet there... peaceful. He said the city was too noisy, but I was curious."
Rain’s brows furrowed.
’Despite his fa, the Sword Saint chooses to live in such a place?’
With the amount of money he probably had, he could get a mansion or multiple mansions in the capital.
[It’s called preference, It’s better leave people guessing than let them know where you sleep, especially as a man that has a lot of enemies]
Rain didn’t argue.
She had to admit — it was smart. The Sword Saint was a mystery even to those who revered him.
Emilia turned her gaze to Azel, her curiosity sharp.
"How’s the place?"
Azel’s lips twitched into a faint smile. "We renovated it a bit. But your room... it’s still there. Despite how lazy the old man can be, he cleans it every single day."
Her expression changed — it was just for a fre seconds, but enough for him to notice.
A shadow lifted from her shoulders, replaced by sothing warr.
"Has he... let you inside?" she asked.
"Nah, not even once."
Her smile grew faint but steady, and Azel could almost feel her confidence returning.
Sotis, all it took was one answer to keep a fla alive.
"I got separated from him," she said, her voice softening. "It was my first ti in the place. I was having fun... too much fun. I thought, ’Father is strong, so I don’t need to protect myself.’"
Her next breath was shaky. "Then sothing pressed against my face as I rounded an alley. A cloth, maybe. I couldn’t breathe. I lost consciousness."
Azel’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t pause.
"When I woke, I was in chains. Neck, arms, legs. I tried to scream his na, but I couldn’t. I tried to use my aura — to call him, to break the chains but nothing worked. The tal resisted aura itself."
Her gaze dimd. "I stayed there for days. I thought... maybe he’d forgotten . But the thugs said the Sword Saint was on a rampage above. I waited. I told myself he’d co for . That he’d rescue , and everyone else here."
Her lips pressed together. "But he never ca. And soon... I was shipped out of Deymoor."
Elga’s hands trembled.
Hilda’s eyes glistened.
Rain kept her face unreadable, but her grip on Lillia who sat on her lap tightened.
"We had to cross the Hills," Emilia continued, her tone steadier now, as if the mory had grown sharper the more she spoke. "A rocky path to another small town where their smuggling continued. There were about thirty of us in the carriage. Mostly children."
A faint shiver ran through her. "Then a monster attacked. A Dire Wolf, there weren’t much capable people guarding the slaves. People scread, people died. So of the guards were ripped apart. The rest fought to survive. In the chaos... the chains around my wrists loosened from the crash. I pushed them against the broken wheel until the links gave way."
She looked down at her hands, almost seeing those old bruises again.
"I ran. I didn’t stop to think. I didn’t even count the days. I didn’t sleep — not really. Monsters were out there, and I knew stopping ant dying. I told myself I’d get back to Father. I told myself I’d get revenge."
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. "I made it to the outskirts of a forest. I thought I was close to ho... but I wasn’t. I slipped down a ledge, hit my head on a rock. And then... everything went dark. When I woke, I didn’t know who I was except for the fact that my na was Emilia."
’And I forgot how to use my aura too?’ She thought, her body had subconsciously masked her aura... so she wasn’t even aware.
Elga’s lips quivered as she listened.
"But I reached the forest," Emilia said with a smile now, her voice warming. "And Mother was there. She helped . She beca my family. She gave ... a ho."
Elga’s tears finally spilled over.
"Mother," Emilia whispered, her voice thick with emotion, "it doesn’t matter if I’m not your blood. I will always be your daughter. You saved . You took in. I’m grateful for that every day."
Elga couldn’t speak — she simply wept silently, the sound of her trembling breath filling the room.
Then Emilia stood, her steps slow but sure, until she was right in front of Azel.
Her eyes were unwavering.
"Mister... Sir... I don’t care what title you go by," she said. "If you can help get my revenge, I will gladly beco your wife."
The air went still.
Rain’s head jerked up.
Hilda froze mid-breath.
Even Lillia blinked, sensing the tension in the room.
"Eh?"
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