Chapter 201: Soren’s Tale [5]
’I thought that as long as I kept accumulating credits, I would eventually have enough to negotiate with my father, or at least bribe the right people to help her slip away. But reality completely shattered those plans. Everything took a turn for the absolute worst on the day of her awakening ceremony.’
’Fortunately or unfortunately, she succeeded in her awakening. In fact, she awakened a powerful SS-rank flame constitution, but... it was too powerful. Her fragile body simply could not handle the sheer intensity of the constitution, and she nearly died right there on the testing platform.’
Ethea’s heart skipped a beat. ’W-what happened to her?’
’...So you didn’t hear about it, but I guess it makes sense,’ Soren recalled how the family had done their best to keep the incident under wraps. ’Anyway, I think you can already imagine how exhilarated the family was. They finally had a prodigy, someone who could elevate the Valmere name to new heights. However, they became deeply conflicted as well. While they had a legendary flame constitution on their hands, she was fundamentally broken. The very fire she commanded was slowly burning her alive from the inside out. Unless they could find a cure or some way to suppress and stabilize her runaway energy, she was entirely useless to them. She would die before she ever reached adulthood.’
Ethea realized what must have happened next, yet she chose to remain silent, letting Soren finish the story in his own time.
’In the end, they decided to gamble,’ Soren continued. ’But even so, they kept her existence and her condition as hidden as possible. They were terrified that someone would snatch her away. After all, if an emperor, a high-ranking family, or a powerful organization like the Zenith Guild discovered an SS-rank talent and decided to take her in, the Velmere family would have had no way to keep her. And considering how terribly they had treated her in the past, they knew she would never forgive them once she had the backing of a stronger force. So, they kept her locked away, secretly searching for solutions while acting as if nothing had happened.’
He gave the food another slow stir, keeping his eyes on the steam to anchor himself.
’They even warned me. My father made it clear that if a single word of her condition leaked out, she would suffer the consequences. With her very life used as a threat against me, I had no choice but to comply. I couldn’t risk her safety on a gamble. So, I could only work even harder, pushed by the constant fear that if they ever decided she was a lost cause and threw her away, I had to be ready to support and protect her on my own.’
He lowered the heat on the stove, finally turning slightly to smile at her.
’But then, one day, the family head, my father, actually came to see me in person. He stood right in front of me and offered me a deal. A deal to save my little sister.’
’...’
’That’s right, I had to marry you.’
The silence that followed was immediate. Soren froze, suddenly realizing how incredibly blunt that must have sounded to her.
’Ahem, I mean, I had to marry someone,’ he corrected himself quickly, his mental voice returning with a distinct hint of embarrassment and apology. ’At the time, I didn’t have a clue who they were planning to pair me with. I only knew it was an arrangement. Please don’t misunderstand.’
’...’
He sensed Ethea’s quiet amusement ripple through the connection, which only made him feel more self-conscious. He paused for a moment to let the minor embarrassment pass before clearing his thoughts and pushing forward.
’Anyway, naturally, I doubted him. My father had never shown us an ounce of kindness, so I demanded proof. I wanted a full explanation of how this marriage would magically cure my sister, and where this sudden remedy was coming from.’
His gaze darkened at the memory, his knuckles tightening slightly.
’But I only got vague answers. He refused to give me any real details, simply telling me that the alliance would secure the resources needed for her treatment. He cornered me completely, knowing exactly how much I loved my sister and that I couldn’t risk her life just to satisfy my suspicion. He knew I would eventually break.’
And he did.
’With my back against the wall, I had no choice but to agree. But I added my own conditions. I told him I had to see her myself and confirm with my own eyes that she was or would be actually getting better. And they had to promise me they wouldn’t treat her badly anymore, and they would let her attend the Etenia Academy. I added that because that was her dream ever since I had known her.’
He also hoped she would catch the eye of some powerful professor, become their disciple, and be freed from the shackles of the family.
’Surprisingly, he agreed to my terms. But of course, it came with his own set of strict conditions. I was forbidden from questioning anything about the bride, and I had to proceed with the marriage quietly, without causing a single shred of trouble. And the final condition...’
Soren paused, a flicker of complex emotion passing through his eyes.
’I was never to seek my little sister out again. They wanted me entirely gone from her life. I suppose they feared that, because she trusted me more than anyone, I would manipulate her and turn her against them once she became powerful. They also wanted her to be their means to ascend, and to ensure that, they needed me out of the picture.’
Hearing his own words, he felt a sudden wave of clarity wash over him. It finally made sense why he hadn’t been that surprised when he received the disownment notice back then. He also recalled something important.
’My father... He didn’t just take my word for it. To ensure I complied, he had a mental spell placed on me so I wouldn’t actively think of her. It kept me from dwelling on her existence, forcing me to ignore her memory entirely. But I think that very spell was finally destroyed the other day during the mental battle, which is probably why I can finally remember everything clearly now.’
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