Episode 135 - Pool of blood

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If anyone were to see Dea’s expression right now they would think that he had lost someone very important to him. His face looked as if he was about to cry or had just cried. Dea watched Ario, the man who took him and his cousins, lay on the ground in an unsightly look.

This was the man who practically raised them. This was the man who saved their grandmother who almost passed to the other world. This was the man who brought her to the hospital and paid for all her expenses in exchange for nothing.

Just as he thought of his grandmother, a thought flashed in his mind. It was a dark thought that never would’ve crossed his mind if he did not see the ‘real’ Ario today. Doubt he would only have if he didn’t trust Ario.

His eyes trembled as anxiety kicked into the pits of his stomach. In a shaking voice, he asked slowly, “Where… is our grandmother?”

“.....”

Crown Prince Nexiel, Musician Hal, and the women in the room did not understand Dea’s question. The room was filled with silence as people glanced at each other in confusion. It was a question that seemed very out of place. However, when this question was heard by Con, Aedelak, and Eugene, they immediately understood what Dea was thinking.

‘Arie and Dea’s grandmother separated from them because she had to be hospitalized.’ Eugene furrowed her brows and she thought silently. She remembered feeling weird when they told her about this story.

The answer that Dea wanted to hear did not come out of Ario’s mouth. Ario was deafeningly quiet and merely lay down in a pitiful state as if he were the miserable one.

Unable to control his temper, Dea stepped closer, “WHERE’S OUR GRANDMOTHER!” His shout was filled with impatience and unease, making everyone around him concerned.

Dea’s face slowly turned into one of despair as he watched Ario’s lips curve into a smile.

“What… do you think?” Amid the pain, Ario taunted Dea.

Dea’s heart skipped a bit as his knees began to tremble. There was no need for Ario to say no more. No grandmother was fighting for her life to see her grandsons. There was no grandmother in the hospital. Ario had never admitted their grandmother to a hospital.

Their grandmother had passed away from the beginning...

No one expected to hear these tragedies in the past few minutes. Many truths were said that no one knows what to feel anymore. From Kal turning hundreds of women into tributes to the truth behind the Queen’s death to the Crown Prince who was suddenly revealed to be Kal’s child and was free from Promissium, and to Dea’s grandmother not being alive.

There were tragedies on top of tragedies that everyone felt that nothing would surprise them any longer if they were to suddenly learn ‘the truth about themselves.

In the midst of this silence, one young male’s eyes were completely bloodshot as they glared at the heavily breathing Ario. Con’s fist was clenched tight as he never expected this outcome. Immense anger washed over him and he wanted nothing more than to kill the man in front of Dea, but before he could make his move, Dea moved first.

Con’s eyes were wide as he shouted after Dea, “Wait!”

His shout wasn’t heard as something inside the calm and steady Dea snapped. He rushed towards the surprised Ario with a face filled with deep hatred.

Everyone could see Dea’s fist containing all his strength approach Ario’s face, but just before it made contact, it stopped, as if there was no longer any strength in them. Dea’s body turned soft as if it was made from jelly and before Eugene's group could react, the group of women reacted first by screaming out in horror!

The screams were incredibly piercing that Aernest had to completely mute his headphones or his ears would burst. No one was able to follow or understand what was happening but one thing they heard from the barely audible group of women was ‘chest’, ‘his chest’.

Eugene and her group could only see Dea’s back when suddenly Dea kneeled in front of Ario. Everyone could now see something strange: a tent was pitching in the center of Dea's back.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

In the room filled with screams and panic, an odd sound of water dripping could be heard. It was then that Eugene and the rest lowered their gazes, and the sight that entered their eyes shocked them senseless. On the floor under Dea, red substances slowly dripped from above. Some of the red drops were slow and some were fast but overall they were steady.

Just then, a slicing sound could be heard. This was followed by red substances flowing uncontrollably to the floor. The room turned silent for two seconds before a loud thud could be heard. This was the sound of Dea collapsing to the ground, headfirst.

“P-ugh.” Dea coughed out a mist of blood as he lay in the pool of his blood. He could feel his body temperature dropping rapidly as his eyes began to feel hazy. He was the one in the advantage. Or so he would’ve still been if he hadn’t let Ario’s taunt take over his mind. His guard was down because he could see that Ario did not have the strength left to resist. It was precisely that, that he didn’t attempt to block Ario’s fists that had come to him.

Con’s face was pale as he rushed to Dea without a second thought, “DEA!”

Aedelak wasn’t able to react and stop Con from rushing out alone in time. This two-second delay was something she will later come to regret.

Eugene could see everything happening very fast through her grey eyes and she could see him repeating the same mistakes Dea did by allowing anger to take control over his sound decisions. Just then, she saw something very small flashing on Ario’s hands and she warned, “BE CAREFUL!!”

Her shout was loud, loud enough for Con to snap out of his thought and quickly dodged.

Ario's face was dark because he had failed to accomplish his aim, but his lips curled up afterward. He had intended to pierce Con's abdomen in the same way he did to Dea's, but whatever. At the very least, he got one of his arms.

No one dared to scream as they stared at the lifeless arm on the floor. Their eyes slowly moved from the arm to Con holding onto his empty sleeves...

Con’s usual blank face was covered in a frown. Losing his composure had cost him his arm and he dared not take his eyes away from Ario who was now a meter away from him. He stepped backward as his eyes glared at Ario whilst at the same time, keeping track of Dea with the corner of his eyes. He knew that if he wanted to save Dea, he had to stop Dea from losing more blood but at the moment… there was nothing he could do without a weapon!

‘What to do?’ Like Con, she was trying to find a solution. To stop Dea from bleeding, someone must divert Ario’s attention away! But Dea and Con were basically out of commission. And Euria, Aernest, Musician Hal, Crown Prince Nexiel, and herself are basically useless.

She glanced at her bandaged hand, quickly shook her head, and turned to Aedelak. Aedelak was the only one who could fight but how could she let Aedelak go alone?!

Just as she began to panic, her eyes caught Ario staring at her creepily. She could count on one hand the number of times she had broken out in cold sweat, and this was one of them. Ario looked at her as if she were a prey that he was about to butcher.

In the middle of their eye contact, a question suddenly popped up into her mind. It was an important question she should've addressed before thinking of any other questions when she heard Ario address her by her unusual title, Fourth Miss.

Why? Of everyone, why did he specifically call her out? From age 0 to now, it was impossible for her to have made any enemies, let alone do anything at all! If it was because she was born into one of the noblest houses, then she understands, however, why not Louis, the eldest son of the Veria family, or Euria who was the youngest twin daughter of the Veria family? Why her?

Before she could ponder deeply upon this problem, she quickly snapped out of it as the situation did not allow her to think of anything other than getting away from Ario who was suddenly running towards her at an alarming speed!

“MISS! Stay back!” Aedelak covered for her as she pushed Eugene, Aernest, and Euria back.

Crown Prince Nexiel and Musician Hal nodded to each other as they stepped up. Musician Hal picked up a vase using his mouth and handed it to Aedelak. Together they stood as a barrier to protect the children behind them. Crown Prince Nexiel pulled Euria, and Aernest behind him, crushing Eugene who was behind Aernest to the door.

“He-y!” Eugene's muffled voice could be heard, but no one moved because they were preoccupied with Aedelak and Ario's fight. Musician Hal was somewhat useless but not at the same time because he was able to divert Ario’s attention away, by his ticklish kick that landed here and there.

There was no doubt that Musician Hal’s actions were annoying as Ario began to glare murderously at Musician Hal! “You damn cripple!” He cussed as he waved the sharp object that he used to pierce Dea’s abdomen and slice Con’s arms off at Musician Hal.

But who was Musician Hal? Someone who had no arms! Therefore Musician Hal’s dodging range was wide!

Ario’s sharp stick thrust at Musician Hal numerous times! No matter what he did, he was never able to land a single hit on Musician Hal and had to put up with Musician Hal’s ticklish kick that landed on him every time! Impatience began to build up inside him as he sped up his attacks and focussed completely on Musician Hal.

“Aedelak! Musician!” Aernest’s eyes were filled with anxiousness! Because the three were fighting so close to him, he could feel the air vibrating on his skin. He was worried for the two but the more time passed, the more hopeful he felt! Surprisingly, Aedelak and Musician Hal were able to hold the fort!

Because of this intense fight and also because his headphones were completely on mute, he wasn’t able to hear a group entering beyond the door. The group joined one side and was able to turn the tide around.

“GET OUT OF THE WAY!” Ario screamed! His high-pitch scream made everyone’s flesh crawl as they winced from his voice. Because he was completely out of patience and did not pay attention to anything else other than Musician Hal, Aedelak took the chance to make her big move!

Using the heavy vase Musician Hal had given her, she quickly slammed the vase from up high and into Ario’s unguarded head!

BANG!!

The sound of a heavy object hitting something hard followed by the sound of someone’s bone-cracking could be heard. “URGH” Ario grunted as his eyes turned bloodshot! Sensing that the person behind him was going to attack a second time, he took one quick step towards Musician Hal and twisted to his side, barely able to avoid Aedelak’s attack from the top.

Seeing that her attack missed, Aedelak’s eyes got wide. “!” Her arms instinctively moved the vase to her chest as she blocked Ario’s fast stab!

Crack-

The knife pierced through the sturdy vase and headed to Aedelak who belatedly took a step backward.

Ario’s face crept up in a smile as he shouted, “DI-”

‘Prohibere.’ in an un-audible voice, a mumble-like-whisper, someone spoke. By who, no one knows...