The Tyrant's Pet

[ FLASHBACK ]

A woman was leaning against the railing of the terrace. The House of Grimsbanne was surrounded by trees, established in the vast clearing. There was not any good view to watch, but somehow, the woman was smiling as if she was seeing more than the darkness of the night.

"You look happy." Her brother\'s voice coming from behind disrupted her peace. "Did you peek into the future again?"

The woman glanced back and chuckled, watching her big brother, Abel, join her on the terrace.

"Guess what I saw." Her lips stretched even wider while Abel leaned his side against the railing.

"Mhm." He hummed, assessing the bright smile on her beautiful face. "No idea, but that smile piqued my interest. Mind sharing, what\'s there in the future?"

"Destruction." Ameria, the lady with long virgin black hair, peeled her eyes from him and looked ahead. "The Grimsbanne will wreak havoc. You... you three in particular."

"You seem happy about that."

"That\'s not what made me happy." A weak chuckle slipped past her shut lips. "I\'m glad I saw it and knew the cause. Thus, there\'s a solution to stop it."

Abel shook his head, setting his eyes on the thick darkness surrounding the forbidden forest. "Ameria, stop looking into the future for something so nonsense. Knowing what\'s ahead takes out the fun of tomorrow."

"Fun is not the only thing that tomorrow brings. There\'s also fear and uncertainty."

"But that is the order of the world, sister."

"That is why I peek to keep that order." Ameria looked back at him with a playful grin. "I don\'t want my family to be in danger."

"We are not in danger."

"The moment we are born, we\'re already in danger, Abel. The time this blood came into existence, danger was born. Can be for us or for this world. It is just a matter of time."

"You think too much," was what he said, but he couldn\'t deny her claims. What Ameria said was true. Their existence was a threat to this world, and this world was a threat to them because everyone just wanted their cursed bloodline to disappear.

They thought without the Grimsbanne, the world was a better place. How unfair.

"Abel, what do you think about Marsella?" she asked after a moment of silence, making his brow arch. Ameria slowly turned her head and tilted her head to the side. "Hmm?"

"Nothing." He shrugged. "I think she is pitiful for even existing. Just like you and me. Hopefully, she dies."

"Death... is not the only way out, Abel."

"You will not bend my beliefs."

"I\'m not trying to bend it. You\'ve lived longer than I did and have seen many things on the mainland. I\'m just glad you liked Soran." She chuckled and looked away. "I like Soran, though I wished we never met him."

"Hah... that\'s new." His brows rose, and curiosity was apparent in his eyes.

Everyone liked Soran, and Ameria was one of those who would stick around the man every day. For Ameria to say this only meant she saw something in the future that she wished to not happen.

"Silly thing about this gift is that I cannot change the past. I can only change the future if I interfere in the present," she said under her breath, bitterness filling her eyes. "I want to say how I wished I had chased Soran away, but he is a very kind man. Deep in my heart, I am glad to be his friend."

"You are so changeable, Ameria."

"Haha. I like everyone." Ameria faced him again, bearing the brightest and the most beautiful smile Abel had seen. He never thought anyone could smile like this, but ever since she was born, this house was just never the same boring and dull one.

"You\'re abnormal."

"You keep saying that just because I often choose kindness."

"No, I keep saying that because you always choose others before you."

Ameria shook her head while her smile was cemented on her face. "Perhaps that is my purpose."

"Purpose, huh?" Abel pressed his lips into a thin line, pondering about this word, purpose. "What a strange word."

"Fun fact!" she clapped all of a sudden while her lips stretched even broader. "Guess who I am going to marry."

"You will marry? No. Some fool will fall for you?"

"What is that tone?" she frowned, scrunching her nose up. "I am a woman -- a beautiful lady. So it shouldn\'t surprise you I would have a husband someday."

Ameria looked at him in disappointment, shaking her head once again. "I\'ll marry the man I fancy."

"You fancy a man?" Abel gasped weakly, in disbelief at what he was hearing from his younger sister.

"Mhm. The young Lord of the Vonstein Clan." Ameria giggled happily as her cheeks blushed. "In the future, we would have beautiful children and live a simple life in the woods."

"Hah... I guess you will never leave the woods."

"It\'s nice to know what my choices will lead me." She lowered her head until her chin was resting on her arms. "Even if just a glimpse, I know if I keep doing what I was doing, I will have a good life."

"A good life with a Vonstein..." Abel hummed a long, dull tune, assessing the corner of her eyes. "Whatever makes you happy, sister."

Her eyes softened. "I won\'t marry him."

"Huh?"

"I fancy Jarvis, and I\'m glad he will cherish me in the future. At least, I\'ve seen the two of us together." Ameria kept her soft eyes ahead, and this time, Abel finally noticed something amiss.

"Why would the Grimsbanne bring destruction, Ameria? What is it in the future you saw?"

Ameria didn\'t respond for a minute before she looked back at him. Her lips curled up subtly, gazing at him with genuine affection and respect. Abel knew her, and knowing her, Ameria was someone who would sacrifice her own happiness for others.

She was selfless, and that was the only thing he hated about her. An angel lost in hell and was deemed evil. Ameria was not evil, but the blood running in her veins said otherwise.

"Don\'t hate Marsella too much, Abel. She needs salvation, not condemnation. Try to understand her as her big brother."