She flipped open the bottle cap with one hand and tossed it over on the floor.
"I didn't ever expect myself to have reawakened. It was truly a miracle that I managed to get back a chance at changing my life," she begun while using her hand to crush a pill right on the floor. "I was happy, and reluctant. Because I knew I would upset many people. However... It couldn't be helped. Since I got my powers back and a lot more."
"That doesn't change the fact that you were fraud about your identity in front of me... Who was your brother to think carefully. Even if you saved my life in doing so." He spoke while watching her place the pill onto a plastic bag and fold it into half.
"And what good would it have done me? If I had already thought about leaving the palace long before I even came here? If I had revealed that I was truly alive, you would be like, 'Aefia, come back to the palace you are not treated well here'. When sincerely, you would be like... 'Aefia. Thanks for killing yourself and leaving me as the Crown prince so now come help me take the throne and become emperor'. Am I right?"
"Don't change the topic!" He shouted, but his mother grabbed his arm back in time for him to burst over to her place again.
"I will get to that a bit later. For now... I think even if I was alive and let you know about it, you would have been like... 'I can't believe you Aefia! You knew this was going to happen and you decided to break me down twice by dying and then reappearimg again!'. And when I would try to explain it to you, the response would have been like, 'I don't trust you anymore. Go to hell.'
"But doesn't that sound oddly familiar? I think I remember hearing this once before." She spoke while tapping her chin for a second, then going back to grinding the drug into a powder. "Oh right! It was the night you found my drugs." She bitterly smiled while stopped pounding on the pill.
As they watched, she reached for a piece of paper inside the box and rolled it up into a very thin straw.
"Anyways. Now what would have happened after you got to know about my existence? Won't you have been like, 'she rather just stay dead!' and then at one point, you might as well have killed me to cure your constant ego. But here is the thing... I didn't want to die again back then. The trauma was quite severe, so it made me stop thinking about it too.
"That day that I had met you, I had a very high fever from when I had suffered a major wound from a battle—it was slightly similar to how painful it is right now—but the difference was... Back then, it was a demon and now it is a demon disguised as someone I know and claims to be my brother. Don't mind me saying this... I just got reminded of it. Oh! And also... Back then... I was actually planning on showing myself to you."
She bent over the powder and held the pipe right over it, sniffing in the white ash that could turn her into ashes if not consumed right there. Although it couldn't stop the bleeding, it could counterattack the pain.
"So you are trying to say that you weren't trying to be a fraud back then?" He asked with a more panicked tone of voice as he watched her sit on the floor and tilt her head back after two sniffs. She let out a sigh before a laugh and turned to the floor to clean it up.
"You keep saying I am a fraud... However, I only did what would have been the best way possible to have solved the problem quickly. I thought maybe if I were a devil, you would stop chasing behind my corpse. Seems like that wasn't the case. You were really trying hard to bring back the figure you thought was your sister."
Her head was spinning as she moved. She didn't know anymore whether it would be affective. This time, it was fentanyl.
The one part about this is that... It was quite dangerous. It was a very strong painkiller, but a synthetic opioid. A little bit too much of it could literally stop her breathing right there. That is why she had a major residue left behind. Which she obviously discarded by blowing on it.
The sense of euphoria immediately took affect of her mind, along with a bit of vertigo. For a split second, she forgot she had vowed to change not so long ago. She also forgot Lewis, the empress and Countess Elanor had seen it, until one of them decided to speak. Of course she couldn't tell exactly who.
"So you confess you played with my feelings?!"
"Yes. I will confess." She muttered while secretly taking an orange bottle along with her. She used the confession as a time for their attention to slip away so they won't notice—although she didn't know why she did that.
The empress noticed the small opening that she had, her eyes widening in realization as she realized Aefia had just used herself as a bait for this.
God knows what we are supposed to do with this girl. She is multiple steps ahead of everyone and she even knows what Lewis may be up to...
"And for the record..." Aefia spoke while trying to stand up. Her knees struggling to support her weigh after the drug. The pain was noticeably gone, but that wasn't the only reason. She needed a slightly hazy mins to keep reminding her of the place she was at. "I actually know what you are planning on doing."
Ah! Dang! I knew it! The empress bit on her bottom lip as she watched her stumbled backwards and bump against a furniture before stabilizing herself. Why is no one doing anything?!
Lewis' face darkened before he took a step towards the sofa nearest to him and he took a sit. His finger reaching for the cold cup of tea and took a sip from it. "Fine. If you know then shut the fuck up."
"Aren't you going to ask just what length I know?" She asked with a frown as she cupped her forehead.
"No, I won't. Unless you are thinking of spilling the truth?" He spoke while folding his arms and leaning back. Suddenly, she started to lose balance all over again. Her knees shook as if she just felt an earthquake. Her body was disconnecting from her mind.
This is nauseating... The stench, the drugs, the people in here. Argh! I am not going to last much longer. They say people get nostalgic when they go home...
Her fingers moved to cover her eyes slightly. A single tear slipping from the corner of her eyes with pure proof of struggle. Her breathing was quite shallow and she could just collapse right there any moment.
"For your plan though... Was it really necessary to stab me?" She muttered under her breathe, barely.
"Why do you question what I do? When I don't question what you do?" He asked back.
"Oh really..." Aefia lifted her gaze to look at him with her garnet eyes. I took this long to just get recalled of that moment at the hunting competition.
Then her lungs convulsed as if in response if the memory. The exact feeling of a brick going down on her head after a very short moment to recover. She immediately covered her mouth as her eyes widened. I also happened to have forgotten I had weak lungs from my past drug sessions.
A few drops of fresh crimson blood spilt on the floor as she tried to stay stood. The veins of her wrist bulging as she tried to stay stable.
"Aefia? Do you need a doctor?" The empress asked while trying to near her. But worried that Lewis would attempt something even more dire right he next second.
"Nah... I am... Good." She whispered while her eyes turned heavy. She slammed her fist into the bookshelve and glared up at Lewis.
"If you are eventually going to call them... Call them now. I will testify."
He let out a smirk before picking up the plate underneath his teacup, and then slamming it into the wall behind Aefia.
"What the—?! What is going on?!"
A group of knights came in while holding spears and pointing the sharp end at the injured person. Elanor suddenly let out a smile as she watched the situation.
"What is happening Lewis?! What did she do?!" The empress shouted while looking at her son in question. But he didn't reply—just stayed stood like a soldier. Her head then turned towards another person. "What is he planning on doing Aefia?!"
However, Aefia too didn't reply. In her mind, she knew what is up next for view.
What kind of a son turns up his birth mother like that?
The guards brought thick chains to wrap around Aefia. The cold metal bit into her skin, which she immediately used her fire element to warm up. Apparently, this chain had a magical property that could freeze her within minutes. "Oh good. I am the victim of everything." She whispered to herself while looking at the empress.
"I am... Sorry." She mouthed. Her face immediately fell into an expression that suggested a hint of what is happening. Something where Aefia was the bait.
She didn't just deduce this... Lewis had written it down on that invitation. She knew it from there. Aefia was a prop.
But for his favour to be done, she requested something in return from him. Bring Countess Elanor into this too.
Lewis had asked if she would be alright with being injured. She only said she would manage if she needed to act. However, there was another twist into it too. For which, Aefia wished to do the unordinary that even he didn't know.
"I am trying to get the throne mother. Because I think I have suffered enough of your tortures from a very young age just because I look like dad. You wanted the throne, you kept it and then you wanted to give it away to someone else to save yourself? I am taking my revenge. Good luck."
You bitch! You are selling your own mother out for a mere seat! Aefia thought to herself as she glanced outside. Then, her ears perked towards another comment.
"Wait! I wanted the throne!"
What the—?! This is... Epic!
Elanor. Elanor... Elanor...
Lewis looked shocked at the woman while drawing his sword back out to keep a distance from him. "Aefia! You brought a lunatic in here?!"
"Hehe... This is fun just by watching." She smirked while tilting her head slightly. "I knew she was using me for a much bigger purpose. To take Nada in, then keep me as guest and then succum to my request. I think I can finally confirm my suspicions."
"What are you—"
"That alliance that I mentioned. In it, I knew she wasn't just any ordinary person who wanted to expose the imperial house for the title of countess. She must have been a dedicated person for it. It was also quite suspicious that she decided to check my grave out when I was at the island. She really is an odd person to my eyes now."
Elanor gritted her teeth. "Aren't you even a bit shocked I betrayed you?"
Aefia let out a sigh and frowned at the woman. "Did you seriously think this is a romance novel? I don't like you woman... You are the older sister of my bully who was trying to use me to climb up. Am I supposed to cry about it now?"
"Wha—"
"Yeah yeah... Shocking. I am simply just this kind of a person."
Lewis let out a laugh while looking at his little sister on the ground. "So what is this plot you have introduced—?"
"He can't take the throne! He isn't the crown prince!"
The room fell into a moment of silence. Then Aefia let out a hysteric laugh. "I knew you were seeking to get the throne before you even mentioned it. That is why I changed the people and put Lewis' name on it before I took my life.
"Why? Weren't you looking forward to marrying George as a crown prince then killing him to become a regent? I knew that would happen before you showed your interest for the Imperial family."
Elanor looked dazed. Her lips pursed into a straight line as she glared at Aefia on the ground. "I only heard you were incredibly smart. I never thought I would be the one to be outsmarted by you."
"I have read enough of the political drama genre to know what side characters like you always want—" She answered as swiftly as she could. Another convulse went through her lungs that caused her to cough out a bit more of her blood. Ugh... The cold is bothering me. I am not elsa to think they put me up in 'this'!
Elanor looked terrified for once. Before she could say anything else, Lewis took a long look at the empress. Aefia sincerely felt bad for her.
Not to lie, she has a life almost like mine. Even when I can't forgive her for what she has done to me and my mind.
"Take the Countess away first." He ordered. The knights bowed and moved to chain the woman up.
His eyes turned to the empress, who was gazing down at Aefia with a horrified pair of eyes. The way she was trembling and spitting blood, also was on drugs—it got her reminded of her own mistakes from when she had managed to keep her at the palace. Before she died that is.
"I think it would be nice to have a family—" a soft ringing interrupted his speech. He trailed his eyes towards where his little sister was.
Aefia started to topple from the chain. Her head was spinning, the effects of the drug wasn't strong enough and she was bleeding out. Afterall, the sword had gone quite deep. It is only a matter of time before she fully let's go.
But before he could order the chains to be removed, Henry burged in due to the commotion form outside.
It only made Aefia's will to live sharper.