New Arc: What's Inside 21/XXI. Ask Me Why (Remastered)
That was a night to remember, that night on July 7, 2013…
“YOU-!” This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening…
Even thinking it multiple times wouldn’t change a thing. It has already proven to be hopeless.
With the last of his human strength, he lifted the unconscious Johnny and piggybacked him as he begrudgingly dragged his two feet slowly climbing the unstable, and steep stairs of the isolated, dilapidated tower.
He couldn’t believe his eyes, his nose, and his senses. It was as if every tingling sensation in his body lied to him.
The skies glowed in bright red as the crackling of the fire engulfed the evening night.
The echoes of gunshots and the sirens of the police cars soon became background noise to what can only be described as living hell on earth.
The view and noises outside the window reflected much like hell itself that Arthur thought he hallucinated.
The wailing, the cries, and the smell of burnt flesh radiated inside and outside of the Carlisle Castle near the northern border of the city of London and all of the evil spirit, and the demons feasted as the souls of evil men torched in earth fire.
He felt a stinging, burning sensation – a spark hit him in the face as he fled with his brother from the chaos that occurred in the lower floors of the castle.
“What happened?” He mumbled as he slowly turned his head to the horror outside the tower. “Is this London?”
The horrifying sight reminded him of the Great Fire of London more than a hundred years ago, yet, this was different.
The killing intent, the murderous aura, and the presence of death easily shook him to his core.
No matter how much he argued with himself, it wouldn’t change anything, but it wasn’t like this.
There were no Oracle involved, and Eon won’t let Michael use his powers to save those people. It’s as if God had shut the doors of Heaven once more.
How did it end up like this?
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Going back four years ago…
“I’m Irene, your fiancée.” A little girl entered the mansion as if she owned it and with entitlement, she stomped and marched towards Arthur at the dining table, and dropped the bomb.
That was the turning point.
“What?” Arthur got his shock of a lifetime. He was just a twelve year old child. “Fiancee? She must be kidding, what is this - prank wars?” He simply thought, clumsily letting go of the book he held in his hands.
“Dad! What’s the meaning of this?” Johnny pulled away from the table.
His chair wobbled backwards as he stood up and reacted violently. His eyes displayed confusion and anger at the same time.
He couldn’t believe that a girl would suddenly pronounce herself to be his twin’s fiancée.
“I have a way to appease the Queen. You just need to follow the flow.” Edward back tracked the Pride’s orders as he lifted his eyes and observed the girl’s stature.
He opened his mouth, astounded by this stunt, and stood shocked by what he deduced from those words that he remembered.
“Are you lost, little girl?” Jackson sprang up and calmly approached the young lady.
“No. I’m not.” The thick Russian accent and the sassy way of speaking, the flick of the finger, and the black wavy hair, and the black irises and eyelashes, everything screamed Russian.
There’s only one Russian that Arthur knew of – The Icy Queen of Russia, one of the three mafia organization that the Interpol was actively trying to infiltrate.
“Father, can I speak with you, privately?” He turned his head around to face Edward, and Arthur’s stern voice vibrated irritation from head to toe.
“Arthur, where are your manners? You should escort Lady Irene first before anything else.” Edward regained his compose and his arrogant and smug face got on Arthur’s nerves once again, clenching his fist, and cannot argue back, he hid his wrath under a smile, stood up, and-
“I do apologize, Lady Irene. Matthew!” His hands waved as the butler scrambled to get another chair ready.
“Have you eaten already or would you like a cup of tea with us here?” He bowed elegantly that it captured Irene’s heart in a beat, his sweet words and accommodating smile proved to be more of a Casanova hit to the young lady’s demeanor earlier.
“I’ve already had tea, but I’d like to taste your preferences.” Calm, unmoving, and stern – the Russian girl has manners as well and doesn’t want to display that she’s that easy to please.
“As you wish, my lady.” His soothing, gentle voice quickly melted the Princess’ icy heart.
Matthew presented one of the dining chairs reserved for visitors from the kitchen outback and Arthur assisted Irene as she sat down.
As soon as Arthur settled down as well in his chair, the atmosphere became as heavy as a two ton truck.
He gripped his utensils as hard as he can, shaking with wrath, and trying to contain his anger.
Silence took over almost immediately over the dining room, and the children refused to eat their food any longer.
It wasn’t the first time that Edward decided for the children. It wasn’t the first time that their freedom of choice was taken away from them.
Arthur displayed great resentment against the fact that the arrangements were made under a contract, but not under love.
But as the other kids showed their protest visibly by not touching their food, Arthur unveiled an apathetic response towards the engagement and towards the lady as days passed.
He was used to it. USED. TO. IT.
He never had a say to anything in his life – to his angelic one, and to this human life.
Whatever came, he didn’t fight, whatever fate threw, he didn’t care, whatever was instructed - he did what he could and embraced the command.
Sometimes, he finds a grey area to fit his excuses, but he rarely did that.
Somehow, when he did, something inside him felt terrible, it’s as if a bug crawled beneath his skin eating him alive, every piece, bit by bit.
He is the Angel of Mercy however he is also the Angel of Integrity.
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“I already told you, I will never accept this engagement!” Johnny’s annoyance resonated in the halls early in the morning the next day.
Everything still didn’t sit right with the twin, especially having no explanation from their own father.
I’m not just a tool, so is Arthur, he’s not something that can be sold off to some family because my father deems it necessary.
He knew that Arthur wouldn’t protest, he realized that his father won’t be moved as well, and his only choice was to bully the bride out of the engagement.
His sheer commitment to act as the bad guy distressed him the most as he only knew how to act proper and righteous, but he just cannot sit at peace with everything that was happening inside their own mansion – inside their own home.
“Whether you accept it or not is not my problem, I am only here to get to know my future husband.” The sharp r’s and the airy atmosphere to this lady’s words had heavy meaning to both of the two.
Edward stayed still inside his study room. He truly knew his child. He knew Arthur would diffuse the situation as Irene did not deserve this kind of treatment.
He was right.
With his bare feet, and the Bible still his hands, Arthur stepped out of the bedroom and arrogantly stared at the two from beyond the shadows.
Johnny and Irene were too immersed in their arguments that they didn’t pay much attention to the people or the place around them.
“Is it too much to get a quiet time inside my home?” He announced his presence to the two.
Growling in provocation, his deep voice startled the two in the living room as if they had encountered a wild lion in the forest.
Johnny bowed his head, while Irene looked everywhere to find the voice.
She instantly recognized it was Arthur’s. Who wouldn’t? Those developed Adam’s apple, that mature look on his face, the elegance that screamed royalty and the mouth that only spoke wisdom – It can only be Arthur.
From beyond the shadows, Arthur finally emerged and slowly walked down the stairs, as if he was walking in a red carpet.
Slowly, with grace, elegantly, Irene can only see glittering light around him.
No, no, no, no, you can’t be in love with him.
Naïve. She thought, embarrassingly as she looked at the other way, and composed her thoughts.
Though she, herself, accepted this engagement, she didn’t want to be engrossed in love too much as she has her priorities straight.
In a young age, she quickly matured in front of an immoral and immature mother who became overprotective of her, knowing that her body was weak.
“Good morning, Arthur.” She brushed off her admiration to the man. She knew it would spell trouble if she became too invested in the arranged relationship.
Nothing good comes out of love.
Her cold and sassy nature helped her maintain what was left of her dignity.
She was the one who requested the engagement ever since she knew that it was Arthur who took down the Queen’s operations in London – her own mother!
Finally! There was someone who can take her down!
“Good morning. Lady Irene, it is too early for a visit. And Johnny, it is too early for a fight.” Arthur sets his book down the coffee table as he waves to Matthew preparing tea and boiling water at the kitchen.
He laid the Bible on the coffee table in the living room.
“It isn’t early for a fight. I wanted to wake dad up.” Johnny just woke up hearing from Matthew’s announcement that Irene has arrived.
Arthur could see everything. Johnny jumping out of the bed, spraining his ankle, the twist in his stance shouts pain from the ankle.
Sprinting and limping all the way to their dresser, and swiftly putting on the shirt he pulled out hastily from the drawers, the sticker at his nape still sticks out, and his pants, tough black, appeared to be worn inside out.
His hair, juggled from all those action, and his face still has visible soap from washing his face too fast.
A drop of toothpaste smudged in his white shirt at the back exhibited that while he was brushing his teeth in a haste, and he had worn the shirt backside to the front, and had to rethink and had to wear it the right side.
“If you wanted him woken up, you could just enter his study room and wake him up.” His sarcastic response riled Johnny more as it was his first time seeing Arthur taking sides with anyone against him.
Arthur did not want any more trouble than there was. The arrangement was something he accepted to satisfy his father’s work.
“You- I’m doing this for you! ARE. YOU. NOT. MAD?” Johnny’s teeth gritted, almost a vein popping out of his neck, and his saliva spitting out everywhere, unbefitting for a prince living in his mansion.
His shout woke Eddie and Jackson from their rooms, the two begrudgingly walked out of their rooms, still on their pajamas and scratching their heads and eyes for the ruckus that awaken them.
“Bloody hell?” Jackson stayed late last night due to an exam coming up.
His eye contacts were still at its container, and as he stepped out and peeked from his room near the dining room, he spotted three blurry figures in the living room.
“What was that?” Eddie came out from hiding as well, and descended the stairs, clumsily missing the last step and plunging down to the ground at a fast speeds.
“What ARE YOU doing?” His stunt extinguished the heavy air from around. Irene looked around, turned her eyes on the other way, and about to burst out laughing.
Johnny, still irritated, sardonically asked an idiotic question as he hurried to help his brother up.
“Pffft…” Irene still tried to hold it in.
“Pfffttt… hahahahhaa…” Arthur laughed out loud and smiled sweetly. Irene laughed a little and smiled simply with her right hand covering her mouth.
A fine manner, what ladylike behavior!
“Come on, guys… Don’t laugh at me.” Eddie stood back up, his cheeks turned into rosy red, as he blushed and approached Arthur and Irene.
“The tea is ready, young master.” Matthew drew near from the dining room to the living room.
Fortunately, everyone calmed down as the clown entered the room.
“May I invite you to drink tea, my lady?” He bowed and gently offered his hands leading Irene to the single chair in the living room.
His cold eyes averted from Irene to the tea that Matthew was pouring them.
Arthur also sat down on the couch adjacent to the seat of Irene and called out for his brothers.
“Johnny, Eddie, Jack. Come, have tea with us.” Matthew also laid out some sweets in the coffee table.
Johnny gulped and clearly sweated. One of the things he started enjoying was the sweets that Matthew began preparing every afternoon in London.
Arthur stayed calm and collected after that first fateful encounter with Irene. He did not protest nor said his piece with his father after that, he only stayed silent whenever Edward was around.
It was as if he wanted to erase his presence when his father was around.
At one point, it became harder and harder for Arthur to ask for his monthly allowance, he did not want to have a part of the money that’s torturing humans.
He set-up an account under Matthew’s supervision and tried to find freelancing jobs and works that can help him survive without Edward’s money, but proved to be futile when he signed up under his name.
It was getting harder and harder for Arthur to move on his own.
Eddie and Jackson approached the table nonchalantly, though blurry, Jackson recognized Arthur’s voice and followed their figures sitting at the couch.
“John?” His irritated expression soon got replaced with a playful one. Pouting and looking away as if acting being cute will get him to be excused for his rude behavior.
“Is this how you usually take disagreements?” Irene’s face reflected a little disappointment.
She couldn’t show her great prowess of debate as the competition died down early with a little bit of bribe of sweets.
“SWEETS, huh.” Jackson took a bite. He didn’t expect it was sweets since everything and everyone were all blurry.
“I didn’t know that the Smith’s lion can be bribed with sweets.” The atmosphere became almost light to bear.
Hmph! Irene sweetly teased Johnny as if they were not fighting earlier.
Cunning, adaptable, and can handle people well. So, this was the kind of lady the Queen has been raising.
Arthur silently observed from the distance. As soon as Irene took the last gulp of her tea, Arthur-
“Can I take you for a walk outside?” He broke his silence and looked intently to Irene’s eyes.
“Are you saying it’s time to confront me?” The lady asked, unmoving, unshaken, but Arthur does not answer. He only sprang up from his seat and opened the front door.
So straightforward, I like that.
Irene gently stood up, bit the last part of the cookie in her hand, and followed Arthur out the door.
What is he thinking? What would he want from me?
Irene’s worries were at the same time Arthur’s, he couldn’t hear Irene’s heart as she does not have a heart of malice, but he’s willing to listen and to say whatever’s on her heart as well.
What could it be?