EnglandxReader - CHAINED Ch14

CHAINED
—Magic is everywhere, you just don't realize it was there.

Chapter 14: The Truth

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"He is the second prince of Forlin."

You could only stare blankly at the girl. You opened your mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

Lili seemed to roll between regret and pity. She bit her lip nervously. "Y-You really didn't know?"

You opened your mouth once again even though you couldn't find a response and felt your hand curl to clutch the sheet, but you stayed silent.

"I'm sorry... m-maybe I shouldn't have—"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" you finally blew. "I need to talk to him! Stay here!"

She panicked and tried to stop you. "Wait, I—"

But you were already gone.

Running out from the room, you frantically ran outside and back to the lake where you last saw him. He was still there, his back facing you, looking out to the firefly-lit lake.

He noticed you approaching him, but he was not given the chance to speak before you harshly pulled his shirt's collar.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

He was lost for a moment. "What? The bloody hell are you chirping about?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" Your anger couldn't be held any longer. "You're Alfred's brother!"

His eyes widen for a second before he hung his head and turned silent. He stood up and released your grip on his shirt. He looked at you with an unreadable expression. "How did you know?"

"Just cut it and spill the truth!"

He silently cursed under his breath. "Lili..." you heard him mutter. He sighed and casually put his hands in his pockets. "I guess it's finally time to let you know, anyway."

"Time? It's finally time?! You lied to me about something this big!" You stomped your feet to emphasize your anger. "You're no different than Alfred!"

He didn't answer. You tried to look bold, fighting back the tears threatening to escape your eyes, but he seemed unwavered about it.

He finally said, "Fine. I'll tell you about it. I'll tell you everything."

You tensed.

"But not here," he added. "People might be listening."

He led you back to Lili's house. The girl was waiting outside, a worried look plastered across her features. She gave you a concerned look once she saw you, but you didn't dare to look at her.

The three of you sat circled in the living room, a tense silence surrounding the area. Nobody dared to speak.

You took the liberty to ask. "So... is it really true? You're Alfred's brother?"

He didn't look at you when he answered, "Yes. At least, you're half right."

You didn't need to voice your confusion.

"I used to be Forlin's crown prince," he said silently. "Kirkland... That was my mother's name."

You hesitantly asked, "What happened?"

He turned silent again. Lili finally spoke up. "Um... Master Arthur is Sir Alfred's half-brother. They have different mothers."

You turned your attention to the girl.

"Lady Kirkland passed away just after she gave birth to Master Arthur. King Jones got remarried four years after," she said. "There was a big tragedy behind that."

You saw Arthur shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Lili continued, "There was... a misunderstanding between Lady Kirkland and Lady Braginski at one time." You shivered at the mention of the name. "As you can see, Lady Braginski was Sir Ivan's mother. She was the castle's chancellor."

"W-Was?"

"She passed away the same time as Lady Kirkland," she said quietly.

Arthur finally spoke again. "My mother was a great Magician. She used to be the leader of the Dark Wizards," he said silently. "But she had an incurable disease. An illness that will surely end with death."

You could almost guess what happened next.

"Before she passed away, there was a huge clash between her and Ivan's mother."

Figuring that Arthur would not continue, Lili added, "She put a curse upon Lady Braginski. Not only that, she also passed her disease to her eldest daughter, Lady Yekaterina, Sir Braginski's older sister."

You gasped. An incurable disease? Didn't Heracles tell you something about that with one of Ivan's sisters?

"Lady Kirkland was a great queen that everyone respects," Lili said again. "But rules are rules. With her Black Magic finally revealed, she was banished from the castle. The rule was forced to go with her son, Master Arthur, because of her expected death."

The story ended with an even tenser atmosphere. You gripped the hem of your shirt. You never knew Arthur had such a dark past. His rebellious attitude, his rivalry with Ivan, his hatred for Forlin... everything made sense. It was just natural that you'd do the same if you were in his position. You bit your lip and nervously glanced at the revealed prince. You couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"I'll leave now... It's late," Lili said nervously, standing up from her seat. "Goodnight, Master Arthur, Lady [Name]."

She was gone in seconds. You cursed silently. You should've gone with her, but your knees felt weak you weren't sure if you could stand up straight right now. There was an awkward silence between the two of you.

He said without turning his gaze, "Aren't you tired?"

You didn't answer.

There was another silence. Sighing to yourself, you finally gathered the courage to stand up and walked in front of him, looking down at the Mage.

"Hey," you said. He looked back up at you. You glanced away to escape his searching gaze. "You know... you should've told me about this sooner."

"There is no difference. I still told you either way."

"That's not what I meant." You clenched your fists. "You should've told me about it... sooner."

He didn't respond.

"I am your Apprentice, after all." You laughed dryly. "If you want to learn from someone, you should know at least a little about your teacher, right? On the other side, the teacher should share with their pupils." You paused. "What I'm saying is... I'm here, you know. Always am."

You weren't expecting an answer and were about to leave, but he stopped you by grabbing your wrist when you were about to turn around. He pulled you close and leaned on you, hiding his face in the crook of your neck. Your face flared with heat, but you didn't dare say a word.

You stayed in that position for a while before his grip on your wrist tightened.

"You really never know anything, huh?"

He paused.

"Thank you..."

Your expression softened and your lips curled into a small smile. "You're welcome."

It took you a while to notice that he had started crying.

Little did you know that someone was watching from a corner of the room, listening to every word and sentence.

To be continued...