"..."
Eli's gaze bore into Mariel, who occupied his lap, her head bowed in sha.
She did it on impulse, she was frustrated by Eli's nonchalance act while she was trying her best to seduce him.
Despite being she was the daughter of two children, she had never seduced a man, let alone forced herself upon soone.
Her hands trembled, Her eyes started to shake in fear and the room seed to tighten around her, amplifying the reality of what had just transpired.
The reality struck her deeply.....an act not of passion, but an assault on the son of her late husband.
Even if she harboured no affection for that man, Even if what she did was normal in this world....her conscience hit her hard.
She knew she was in the wrong...
Yet, strangely, fear didn't consu her. In fact, If Eli never wished to see her again, she'd graciously accept the 'kind' punishnt,
However,
If Eli chose to unveil this chapter to her daughters, the re thought of her daughters hating her and looking at her with disgust.....a palpable fear gripped her and losing them made her think of taking her own life.
"..." Eli's remained fixed on the quivering woman before him.
He wasn't sure how to respond because he never thought he would be in this predicant.
'Like Mother, Like Daughter' Eli thought, a complex mixture of emotions flooding his mind as he recalled the incident with Scarlett, his big sister.
She had tried to teach a simple kiss, only for the situation to escalate to sothing 'more', ultimately leading her to cry and seek forgiveness for her inappropriate act.
'Mother and Daughter... ah?' Eli felt a knot forming in the pit of his stomach.
The situation had taken an unexpectedly intricate turn, he just wanted to know more about the 'curse' but....now, how was he supposed to react when her sisters found out about this,
'sigh'
"Your mother was the one who seduced , ask her"
That day would be Mariel's funeral, a testant to her love for her daughters.
"It's just a mistake, we were drunk at that ti, so..."
They wouldn't even believe that.
"I kinda horny, So I fucked you mother, Big Sis"
That's.....might work?
"I mistook her for you"
...That's the end of everything.
"One day, My Elder daughter ca to visit "
Suddenly, a voice shattered Eli's thoughts. His gaze lingered on Mariel, still with her bowed head.
"I was on cloud nine when Scarlett herself paid a visit... but that joy was short-lived when I heard,
'I want to protect my little brother. Please teach , Mother'
Her face, devoid of any emotion to , shattered what remained of my heart into irreparable fragnts.
I knew....I knew I bore the weight of responsibility for everything....failing to express love, being preoccupied with my own troubles, neglecting them, not appreciating their effort and not supporting them when they needed most.
And yet, a flicker of hope persisted that ti might heal all wounds.
However,
When my little Mia spoke those words,
'Mother, I want to support my big brother for the rest of my life... and I don't want to learn anything from a woman like you, so please let Big Sister teach everything.'
My shattered heart, already fractured, now crumbled into a million pieces....My neglect had hurt her more than Scarlett.
B-But whatever, I have is everything to them.
I-I did everything for them....the Duke's house, wealth, respect, protection they could find nowhere else...I gave them all of that, and yet..." Mariel shook her head in distress, and with hesitant resolve, she continued,
"A-at that ti, a-anger took hold of , compelling to forcibly sever their ties with their so-called 'brother'.....I burned every letter they sent you, including what you sent them.
During that period, I received significant proposals... A marriage proposal.
Opting for that engagent seed more beneficial for them than marrying a s-s-soulless man, so I-I accepted the proposal to form an engagent first.
A-And that marked the last day m-y daughters spoke to m-" Mariel trembled heavily, but Eli's gaze remained unwavering.
Mariel raised her head, eting Eli's eyes with teary determination,
"W-What did I do wrong?
All I did was ensure their protection, and support, and present them with a promising future that I never had in my wretched life.
I-In return, all I asked for was love... even a tiny hit of affection would have sufficed, but instead, all I received were hatred and insults.
...All because of their 'brother'... I truly hate you" Mariel glared at Eli, clutching his collar with an emotionless tone,
"You know, when I heard the news of my husband's death....all I felt was relief, as if I no longer had to dirty my hands. However, when I learned you were dead....it brought happiness.
Happiness that you had finally perished... even though I knew nothing about you" Mariel slowly lowered her head again.
"But, here you are alive, stealing their love away from ....
I-I am s-sorry.
So, please don't reveal anything that transpired here to my daughters....I'll give you anything, but please spare them from hating any further....I at least wanted to linger in their hearts as a person... even if not as a mother. So please".
Eli, staring at Mariel, gently grasped the hand that clutched his collar, pressing her soft hand with his fingers, 'Blaming ... ah? That's the scapegoat everyone uses to avoid confronting the truth' Eli pondered.
Eli didn't care whether she pointed him out just to ease her conscience because, in essence, he wasn't any different.
"Huh?" When Mariel felt a soft sensation on her hand, she looked up to find Eli staring at her sternly.
"Ms. Mariel, you haven't explained why you kissed if you hate ?" Eli's question cut through the tension, his eyes searching for an honest response.
Mariel was taken aback by his calling 'Ms'.
"T-That... I-I..." Mariel couldn't answer his question as she already knew the answer, 'T-Tell what? That I already decided to marry you--' her thoughts stumbled, halted by the intensity of Eli's scrutiny.
"Don't tell , during our first eting, you were talking to after all?" Eli's eyes narrowed, prompting Mariel to avert her gaze.
"Hmm...What did you say?...Hmm...Ah..
'Shining like a star in the night, he was young compared to ' or sothing like that, right?" Eli's inquiry was laced with a subtle playfulness, his fingers slowly intertwining with hers.
Caught in the reminiscence of her own words, a rosy hue painted Mariel's cheeks. Yet, she swiftly concealed it, stamring, "N-No, I-I d..."
Her attempt to deny it was cut short as Eli gently pulled their intertwined hands close to his mouth, fixing his gaze on her eyes.
"Tell , Why do you want to marry ?"
"I-I..T-T..."
"or do you just want to tease your daughters?"
"H-Huh? Y-Yes, I-I just wanted to tea-ease my daughters that ti, that's all" Mariel, seizing a sudden escape, used the opportunity he purposefully gave.
"....I see" Eli continued to stare at Mariel's relieved eyes, his own thoughts shrouded in a quiet understanding.
Eli understood she sohow got attracted....'Let's say love at first sight' Eli contemplated.
Even now, Eli wasn't much interested in having a relationship with both mother and daughter, and there were certain reasons.
One: They wouldn't be selfish in asking for anything. Eli wanted his wives to be selfish so that he could genuinely pamper and spoil them. However, if it was a mother and daughter pair, they'd always sacrifice their husband's indulgence for each other.
Causing complicated emotions for everyone involved.
Second: There was also the possibility that they might get intimate, which was certainly not to Eli's liking. He was possessive, even if it was his other wife, and it could cause complicated emotions for him.
By the looks of it, Mariel might be...'Let's not think about it' Eli warned himself.
'Sniff'
Eli sniffed at her hands, making her flinch.
Before she could ask, he questioned, "Then why did you kiss now?"
Hearing those words again, her face flushed, and she stamred,
"I... I-I..I..."
Except for 'I,' nothing else ca out of her mouth, as if she was searching for sothing.
Then suddenly,
"Huh? I-I was drunk, so I-my mind--"
"No, You're not"
"I-I..." Mariel bit her lips as she searched for sothing else, "I-I... was lonely?"
Her face turned bright red as if she couldn't believe her own words.
"Lonely?" Eli raised his eyebrows.
"...." With sha, Mariel nodded her head.
Eli stared at Mariel's shaful face, 'Well, that's one way of putting it' he thought and gently bit her hand.
"~aah--Wh-What are you doing?"
Mariel tried to pull her hand away, but Eli continued,
"So, you do this to anybody?" Eli asked as he stared into her eyes.
"NO!!" Mariel said with anger, "I AM NOT THAT KIND OF WOMAN!!!" she scread.
"Oh? So I am the only one?"
"..." Biting her trembling lips, Mariel nodded.
"Hmmm...am I special to you?"
"...T-That--Hhuh?" Mariel was about to lie again when suddenly pulled into Eli's chest.
Lifting her chin, Eli asked, "Special?" again.
Eli's face was dangerously near to Mariel's flustered face.
"...." Mariel didn't know what to answer as she blankly stared at Eli's srizing eyes.
Eli stared at Mariel's face, which resembled his big sister's face. Her flustered expression made his blood boil.
Maybe because this was the reason he didn't want her to be with anyone.
Mariel and Scarlett had the sa face except for the mole and haircut. Eli felt a little conflicted with his thoughts....
Yet, having Mariel in his hand, 'Maybe, just maybe this one ti...' Eli wondered whether to give it a shot to see what could transpire.
However,
The mont he moved forward, Eli knew he was going to hurt his sisters' feelings, especially Mia. Since her hatred for her mother originated from the manipulation of their father.
Mariel has many flaws when it cos to her children; however, whatever she did was for their own good. Yes, she forced her children, but what for? Her ambition? No, she just wanted her children to be in a better place.
Even Eli, himself known as a Soulless, never hopped into a relationship with transcendent won.....It's just how the world works.
If one was viewed as a strict parent, what Mariel did was absolutely right; there was no mistaking it. But if one were to look at it from the children's perspective, without love, whatever they had would be nothing but a re illusion.
Does Eli feel sad for her?....no,
Does Eli feel pity for her?...no,
Does he feel anger at her for blaming her incompetence on him?.... Of course not.
He....felt nothing for her story. It's not like she was the only one suffering in the world.
However,
This woman, who was doing her best to support her children even if they hated her to the core.....Eli wanted to protect her.
Her willingness to be with her children every ti just to hear their words....even if it was hateful.....Eli wanted to possess this woman.
Her mole under the right eye... Eli wanted to own it.
Though it may take ti to 'change' her, Eli truly wanted this woman.
"Mariel"
"!!!" Mariel flinched as she snapped out of a daze when she saw his eyes with flickering pink pupils.
'M-Mariel!!' Mariel thought, worried about how her respect had reduced.
Eli rubbed her red trembling lips, "You are shining in my eyes"
'Ba-dump, Ba-dump'
"Huh?---~HMMMMFFFFF~" Mariel's eyes widened in shock when she felt Eli bitting her lips tightly as if to leave so mark.
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