Shatter, Scatter, Hate (11)
Crimson blood stained the floor.
The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood.
Broken furniture and blood-soaked bandages were scattered across the sofa.
"This is..."
Ariel murmured, her face pale as she took in the chaotic scene.
A voice, laced with a faint tremor, echoed through the darkened room.
"...What in the world happened here?"
The question hung in the air.
The children, including Allen, couldn't bring themselves to speak.
The suddenness of the situation had paralyzed their minds.
"..."
"Oh, brother... Where are you...? This awful smell of blood, and all this blood..."
"..."
"...What happened to brother?"
Anxious questions followed one after another.
And yet, no answers came.
Seeing the children standing there, speechless and bewildered, Ariel felt her patience wearing thin.
"Move... before I kill you all."
Ariel finally snapped.
She unleashed a chilling aura as she roughly shoved aside the children standing in her way.
Her steps were swift and determined.
The scarecrows surrounding them swayed as she moved, but she paid them no mind.
Ariel pressed forward.
Lucy and Rachel followed closely behind as she crossed the living room.
"Please... Please, brother... Tell me you're alright..."
Her voice, laced with anxiety, was brittle, on the verge of breaking.
Their hurried footsteps quickly carried them through the oppressive darkness.
-Squish...
With every step they took, their shoes splashed in the pool of blood, sending sticky droplets flying.
The closer they got to the room, the more prominent the traces of violence became, the more overpowering the stench of blood.
"Young master... What in the world..."
"No... If something happened to Raiden, I..."
Rachel and Lucy were slowly turning pale.
The composure they had been desperately clinging to was crumbling before their eyes.
Anxiety gnawed at their hearts.
The three girls moved towards the bedroom, guided by the trail of blood.
-Click, creek...
A delicate hand reached out and gripped the doorknob.
The closed-door creaked softly as it swung open.
Through the widening gap, a familiar figure came into view.
"Brother...?"
"Young... master...?"
The room was painted in shades of red.
And at the center of this macabre tableau lay a black-haired boy, lying motionless on the bed.
The girls instantly recognized him as Raiden and rushed into the room.
"Raiden...!"
"Young master!!"
His abdomen was wrapped in thick bandages, stained with faint traces of red.
His arms were tightly bound, rendering him immobile.
The boy they were reunited with after five days apart was a picture of utter devastation.
"Brother... Why..."
"Young master...!"
His sister and his maid rushed to his side.
While the two of them checked on Raiden's condition.
The princess, who had been standing frozen by the door, quietly turned her gaze towards the living room.
"...You, over there."
The children looked back, their faces a mixture of emotions.
Lucy addressed them, her voice ice-cold.
A chilling aura, completely at odds with her usual gentle demeanor, descended upon the room.
"What exactly happened here...? Why is Raiden in such a state?"
"..."
The children remained silent.
Lucy felt a surge of anger rising within her.
Just as she was about to unleash her fury, Margaret, who had been standing behind her, stepped forward and spoke.
"I... I will explain."
"...Princess Phyler."
Margaret's eyes met Lucy's, and she bit her lip before lowering her head.
In a trembling voice, she began to speak.
She told them everything that had transpired, from the Academy attack to the events that followed.
***
-Slap...!!
A sharp pain exploded on her cheek as a hand connected with her face.
The sickening thud of flesh against flesh shattered the silence.
A bright red mark bloomed on her pale skin.
"...Ugh."
Margaret winced, her shoulder instinctively hunching against the burning pain.
Through her blurry vision, she saw the golden-haired girl standing before her, her blue eyes blazing with fury.
"Princess Phyler... How could you."
"..."
"How could you do that to Raiden...?"
Margaret swallowed a groan, unable to meet the disbelieving gaze of those blue eyes.
Lucy raised her hand again.
This time, she grabbed Margaret by the collar.
"You... You should have known better...! Do you have any idea how much Raiden did for you?!"
"When you were attacked by the undead during the field trip, when you were almost killed during the ranking competition, he risked his life to protect you... How could you...!!"
Margaret felt each accusation, laced with resentment, pierce her heart like venomous thorns.
She bit down hard on her tongue, refusing to let her pain show.
"Did you hate Raiden that much...? Enough to erase all the debts you owed him with a single letter...?"
"..."
"Answer me!!"
Lucy's face contorted with rage as she roared.
With every violent shake of her hand, Margaret's head bobbed helplessly.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly hostile, the other children, who had been cowering behind Margaret, finally intervened.
"Y-Your Highness... Please calm down..."
"If you must reprimand someone, please direct your anger towards us, not Princess Phyler..."
Allen and Clara tried to defuse the situation, but their words only seemed to make matters worse.
"You are all the same!!"
Lucy shouted, shoving their hands away.
"Raiden always did his best. He risked his life countless times for the sake of others!!"
"..."
"And yet, he always suffered in silence. He constantly tortured himself with thoughts of whether he could have done better, whether he could have achieved a different outcome...!"
The children flinched, their hands trembling involuntarily.
They knew it was true.
They had witnessed Raiden's inner turmoil through their shared senses.
They knew that every night, he agonized over what he could do for others.
"How dare you be so brazen after everything he's done for you, after all the debts you owe him...?!"
The children fell silent, their hearts heavy with guilt.
Every word that left Lucy's mouth chipped away at their consciences.
"You didn't even know what kind of pain Raiden was going through, what kind of emotional burdens he was carrying...!"
"..."
"You blindly believed in a fragmented version of the past... and judged him based on your own assumptions!"
Did you ever stop to think how much your actions might have hurt him?
She wanted to ask them, to scream it in their faces.
But Lucy stopped herself, the words catching in her throat.
"..."
A sobering thought had crossed her mind.
The truth was, she wasn't so different from them.
Just a few months ago, she had been just as hostile towards Raiden as they were.
Unaware of the tragedy that had befallen Duchess Lishite, she had harbored nothing but resentment towards him, believing he had betrayed her.
She, too, had been ignorant of the circumstances.
She, too, had hurt Raiden.
She, too, had misjudged him.
And so, Lucy realized she had no right to condemn them.
'If it weren't for Seon...'
If Seon hadn't told her the truth.
If Raiden hadn't been the one to comfort her when she was crying.
She might have been standing there among them, consumed by the same hatred and resentment.
The thought sent chills down her spine.
Her grip on Margaret's collar loosened, her hand falling limply to her side.
"..."
A heavy silence descended upon the room once more.
Lucy stood there, her face shrouded in shadows, biting her lip.
Margaret remained slumped on the floor, her body drained of all strength.
And behind them stood Allen and the other children, their expressions a mixture of guilt and shame.
The tense silence was finally broken by the sound of a door slamming open.
-Crash!
"M-Miss... Please calm down..."
"Let go of me, Rachel. I can't hold it in anymore."
Ariel stormed out of the bedroom, her footsteps heavy with purpose.
Rachel trailed behind her, her expression etched with worry.
Ariel's sharp, crimson eyes, blazing with fury, swept across the children standing in the living room.
A surge of blue mana erupted around her, sending a chill through the air.
"You."
"Ariel..."
"You goddamn bastards."
Ariel's gaze, cold and unforgiving, settled on Allen.
It was clear that she had overheard their entire conversation.
Her voice, as cold as the winter wind, dripped with barely suppressed rage. In her hand, a spear materialized, its tip glinting ominously.
"I told you... I told you not to touch him..."
"..."
"I told you to leave him alone!!"
-Shing, thud!!
The spear whistled through the air, striking Allen across the face.
Allen made no move to defend himself, taking the full brunt of the blow. He crumpled to the floor, the impact knocking the air out of his lungs.
"Miss...!"
"Get off me, Rachel. Today's the day I finally paint the walls with his blood."
Ariel shrugged off Rachel's restraining hand and pointed the spear at Allen once more.
This time, the spear was different. Sharp, icy thorns protruded from its edges.
"W-Wait, Ariel...!"
"Lady Lishite!!"
Clara and Eivy, startled by the murderous intent radiating from her, stepped forward to intervene.
Ariel turned to face them, her fury only intensifying.
"Get out of my way."
"B-But Ariel..."
"I said move."
The air crackled with tension.
Ariel stood her ground, consumed by rage, for what felt like an eternity.
...And all the while, they remained oblivious to the fact that Raiden had regained consciousness.
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Only Rachael has the right to blame them for what happened to mc she the only one to unconditionally support mc
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