While they were bathing in the river, Ellena and her brother looked at Amos with a confused look because they didn't understand what he was trying to do.
Especially Ellena wanted to why he was holding her back when she could wash all the dirt on her body and refresh herself, and as a bonus, she might even get to see Velian bathing, so no matter how she looked, it was the perfect chance for her.
Even though she fancied Amos and his strength and morals, for some reason she couldn't but feel that something is not right with him.
She knew there was a huge age gap between them, but still, it wouldn't have stopped her from seducing Amos since he is everything she searched for in a man, if she didn't feel strange a strange connection with him, and right now she was about to be surprised by Amos' words.
"Hey guys," he said, motioning for Ellena and her brother to come closer. "I need to talk to you two. It's important."
Ellena and Marcus exchanged a confused look before following Amos away from the river and into the shade of the trees.
"What's going on?" Ellena asked, a note of worry creeping into her voice, seeing the unusually worried face of Amos.
Amos took a deep breath and looked at them both. "I need to tell you something," he said. "Something that I've been keeping from everyone and something that will affect your life."
Ellena's brother raised an eyebrow, while Ellena leaned in closer. "What is it? You can tell us anything, we are here to support you," she said.
Amos hesitated for a moment, as if unsure of how to continue. And he knew this isn't going to be something easy for him after all this time.
After feeling hesitant and scared about the result, Amos decided to proceed with what he was about to do. He didn't want to keep this a secret anymore because he realised how much his regrets hurt him."I need to tell you something. Something that I should have told you a long time ago."
He took a deep breath before continuing. "I am not who you think I am. I didn't find you two by a random chance, I'm not just a normal adventurer,"
Ellena's eyes widened hearing this because she thought Amos just took pity on them, when he met them randomly at the orphanage, but hearing his words she didn't know how he knew them, and listening to his next words she felt her heart almost exploding from the pressure.
"I am actually your stepfather. I know this is confusing, but I was married to your mother, it's not a legal marriage, but I loved her, when her husband and his family got to know what happened, they were enraged and started destroying everything including my family and we had nowhere to run- "
Ellena and her brother both stared at Amos, their eyes widening in shock. "What?" Ellena exclaimed. "How is that possible?"
Amos looked at them both, his expression pained. "I never meant to deceive you," he said.
"She wanted to take you two with us and escape to another kingdom, but before that, she got caught and her husband killed her, but they didn't stop there, he ruined her whole family too,"
Ellen's suddenly remembered about the story she heard from her side of the family.
She heard that her mother got an incurable disease from her family and died with them, at that time, it didn't really sound suspicious to them, but right now she felt like everything she believed was a lie
"No way! I would believe such an absurd story," Ellena's brother argued with tears coming from his eyes listening to the tragedy that fell on them.
"Do you even have any proof? Maybe you're just trying to make things up?" He didn't mean to be rude, but his emotion got the best of him and couldn't help but vent on Amos that claim to be their stepfather.
Suddenly he sent his hand into his pocket and took a locket out of his pocket, which instantly caused both siblings to cry with their eyes looking pained.
"That is-" Ellena said and took out her own one, which had the same design almost identical to the one both of them had.
"She gave it to me, she said this is the most valuable thing to her so I should keep it, I didn't want to take it, but she forced it on me,"
Amos couldn't even finish as both siblings quickly took the locket from his hands and opened it.
"So it was you, she was talking about," Ellena didn't know how to react.
She knew after all this time, Amos isn't a man that is going to lie to them, but can they really accept the man who caused their mother's death like that? If she didn't get involved in a relationship with him, she would probably live but she won't find happiness in her life.
"Ugh~ I don't know-" Conflicted both of them, sat on the floor with their eyes looking rather dead.
"Amos, did she love you more than us? Why didn't she live with us instead of finding someone else? Aren't we good enough for her?" Ellena's brother questioned with his mind racing.
He wanted to know everything, and he wanted to know why she couldn't think about them and live for them.
"..."
Even though he brought up that question, he didn't get any answer from the person who claim to be their stepfather.
"..."
Ellena also waited but she didn't hear anything, so interested in what he is doing both of them looked at him, but they regretted looking at him as his face looked like it was melting.
"Ahhhhhhhhh! Amos," Ellena shouted scared not knowing what is happening.
"R-u-n,"
Amos shouted in a raspy voice, barely audible as his face continued to contort and melt. Ellena and her brother hesitated for a moment, transfixed by the horrifying sight before them, but then quickly turned and began to run in the opposite direction.
For a moment, they thought about helping him, as they got close to him, but the fear overtook their body seeing his skin melting.
As they ran, Ellena could hear Amos's agonized screams behind her, and she felt a pang of guilt and fear. She wanted to turn back and help him, but her survival instinct kicked in and she knew she had to keep moving.
"Noooo! Noooo! Don't take him away from us, Kyla help me!" Ellena shouted in fear, hoping someone would come to help them.
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