I Will Die for You, My Darling! - Chapter 18
Chapter 18
“How… How did you know…!”
They exchanged bewildered glances. How did she know? Could she read minds? Was she using magic, like her mother?
‘Idiots. They practically announced it.’
Arietta scoffed inwardly. But there was no need to correct their misconception. Let them believe what they wanted. It worked to her advantage.
“So? Will you do as I say? Or…” Arietta took a step closer.
She barely reached the leader’s chest, yet as he looked down at her, a chill ran down his spine. Her grey eyes curved into crescents, her lips parting in a smile.
“Do you want to see what happens if you disobey me? It will be quite unpleasant…”
A ridiculous bluff. But it worked. They were young, after all.
The leader stumbled back, his bloodless lips trembling. The girl before him was inexplicably terrifying. Small and delicate, seemingly easy to overpower, yet he couldn’t bring himself to touch her.
“Hey, hey. L-Let’s go.”
He finally caved, gathering his group and retreating.
Only Arietta and the battered boy remained. He could only whimper, unable to support himself. Blood flowed from his broken nose and split lip, his cheeks grotesquely swollen.
Bruises bloomed on the skin visible through his tattered clothes. He’d be in agony tomorrow.
Uncaring for her skirt’s cleanliness, Arietta knelt before him. His dark eyes met hers. Today, he gleamed like polished stones, bloodshot with fury and humiliation.
Arietta stared, momentarily captivated by those jewel-like emotions, so rare in Downstream.
“Here’s your bag. You left it. I came to return it.” She placed it on his lap. A soft groan escaped him.
Unable to bear it, Arietta pulled out the healing salve, fumbled with the lid, and dabbed it onto his wounds.
Downstream salve contained a numbing agent. As the pain subsided, a heavy sigh escaped the boy’s lips.
The moment the pain eased, he pushed himself up, using the wall for support. He flung the bag aside. Though the pain was dulled, his balance was still off, his steps unsteady.
Arietta, still kneeling, looked up at him. “Aren’t you going to thank me?”
His thin hand, gripping the wall, trembled.
“And you’re just going to leave all this?”
He didn’t answer.
Arietta sighed. This was what drew her to him, yet his stubbornness was frustrating.
“Even after I helped you. You’re the type to suffer for your pride, aren’t you?”
Her blunt assessment reached his ears. Arietta saw his back stiffen, muscles tensing with barely contained rage, as if he were about to lash out. But his lips remained stubbornly sealed.
“You should be begging me, groveling at my feet. Why make things harder for yourself? This… this is what they call cutting off your nose to spite your face.” Arietta taunted him with words she’d overheard, half-hoping he’d break, half-hoping he wouldn’t.
Either way, she suspected she’d be both pleased and disappointed.
Her final taunt struck a nerve. He had been shuffling away, but now he whirled around. He let go of the wall and stumbled toward her, his face a mask of pain. He practically collapsed, kneeling before her, then grabbed her collar with a dirty hand.
“I’m going to kill you someday.” Even in his weakened state, he radiated menace. Arietta couldn’t blink, couldn’t breathe.
“Remember this. My name is Isaac, and I’m going to kill you.”
With such a rigid, uncompromising personality, how much would he suffer?
This venomous boy, with every slight, every torment, would relentlessly add names to his death list.
Arietta willingly joined the ranks. “I’m Arietta. I’ll be sure to remember, if you’re going to kill me.”
Isaac glared at her with pure hatred. Unable to bear kindness more than contempt, he left, staggering away, abandoning the purifier, the food, the salve.
“Isaac…”
Alone, Arietta whispered his name, savoring it. She finally knew it. Speaking it for the first time felt sweet. She stared at the discarded supplies, precious items treated like trash. These things couldn’t buy his affection. Not when everyone else in Downstream would have been overjoyed to receive them.
