The Past(2)

The day Rose brought her lover to meet Nick and Blake, she thought it would be the best day of her life. But it was even worse than they would ever expect it to be.

"Hello, I am Nick. This is Blake. We are Rose's brothers!"

When they saw the tall and handsome, elegant-looking man coming there holding hands with Rose, they actually felt they were a good pair.

"Hello, My name is Eiden. It's nice to meet you."

He smiled and sat at the table with Rose beside him. Just as Rose said, he looked very kind and gentle. From the very first glance, Nick liked him. The same went with Blake too.

However, things didn't end happily. While they were having a chat about how they met and got along, a group of count's guards broke down to their house all of a sudden.

"Mr secretary..."

They looked at Eiden and nodded respectfully.

"Arrest her!"

Suddenly Eiden stood up and pointed at Rose with a disgusted look on his face. The three looked at the guards in disbelief. They couldn't understand what was going on. 

"What the hell are you doing? Why would you arrest her?"

Nick protectively jumped in front of Rose. Blake also joined Nick.

"She stole my money pouch. I got along with her to know the truth. But it seems like she keeps going to hide it. But I don't want to let it go. Arrest her! How dare you?"

Eiden's so-called gentle look had melted to invisible. That guy had been acting all the time. Nick and Blake couldn't believe they actually thought he was a nice guy. 

"No! We won't let you take her away. And, she will never steal! I am telling you!"

Nick yelled at Eiden, but the guards rushed there and held him. Blake also couldn't fight with them because they were just like monsters. They had an unbeatable energy.

"Since you guys love her so much, I can give you a chance. Just because I don't like to see women going to jail!"

Eiden smirked and looked at Rose whose tears were flowing down her cheeks, but had no mind to wipe them. She was in shock and couldn't get what was going on there.

She thought Eiden loved her. It was just...just a drama! She felt so hurt.

And mostly he dared to accuse her like that. 

"If you two come on behalf of her, I promise that I will never take her into this matter. What do you guys say?"

When Eiden said that, of course, both Blake and Nick would say yes. But before that, Rose rushed this time.

"What are you planning? I didn't steal from you. And you-"

She suddenly stopped talking when she saw the guards beating Nick and Blake.

"What are you doing? Stop that! They have done nothing wrong! You dogs!"

Rose didn't know if she was crying in despair or anger. But the guards didn't stop.

"It's better if you keep your mouth shut. If not, your brothers will die pretty soon."

Eiden said and asked the guards to stop. Rose was lost for words. Why was he doing that? She never did anything wrong. Why is it always them? Why is it that they always face trouble no matter what? 

This time, she knew it was her fault. If she didn't fall for such a scheme and got fooled by his looks, maybe nothing like this wouldn't have happened.

"What do you want? Why are you doing this?"

Rose asked, trying her very best to hold the emotions flowing to her mind endlessly.

"...Let's go back. Tie them up."

Eiden didn't answer her. He took the lead and the guard followed him along with Nick and Blake who were bleeding and groaning in pain.

"No...Blake! Nick...Don't..."

Rose couldn't do anything. The guards disappeared even before she could reach them. She was too late. 

'Agh! Ha...What should I do? Brother! Hic!'

Rose could only cry, hugging herself. But she still didn't understand why he had to do that. They were innocent. She never stole. And why did he act so long just for a money pouch she never stole? Did he just want to find her house to arrest her brothers especially?

Question after question haunted her mind all day.

She didn't eat, didn't sleep. She stood on the ground like a crazy woman waiting for her brothers to come back.

It's already been three days.

No one came back. Rose thought of just starving herself to death. However, her neighbour aunty who saw her on the ground senselessly, picked her up and treated her. 

"Brother..come back please."

Rose's whole life had been spent with her brothers. So suddenly realising they are not around her anymore, it felt indescribably empty. Very empty! She felt her life had no meaning. Along with the heartbreak because of her love, she couldn't think about anything anymore. She had totally lost everything.

Few more months passed in agony.

Rose gradually gained some energy and the neighbour aunt took care of her like a mother.

Maybe Rose's waiting was worth it.

After all these months, Nick suddenly returned home!

At first Rose thought she was daydreaming. But it was not. Everything was real. Her brother stood in front of her with a light smile, opening his arms for a hug. Rose ran to him and hugged him feeling the warmth she had been missing all this time.

But the happiness didn't last long when she suddenly realised it was only Nick.

Blake was not with him.

What happened to him?

'He didn't die, right?'

"Where is Blake? Where is he? Why are you alone?"

Rose asked anxiously but only to notice her brother keeping his mouth shut, trying to void her eyes. She knew the next moment, something must have happened to him.

"What happened to him? Why is he not with you?"

Rose shook Nick so hard asking for details. But Nick couldn't help it. He shook his head, closing his eyes with regret.

"Rose, there were many weird things that happened. Shall we go in and talk?"

Rose was not in a calm mood. But when she finally realised Nick was willing to explain things, she grabbed his hand and ran inside the house, closing the door.

They sat around the table and Rose stared at Nick waiting for him to tell everything that happened.

"Rose, something is wrong with Blake."

Nick leaned on the table and lowered his voice as if he was saying something forbidden.

"What are you telling?"

Rose asked in confusion.

"The count...He...Agh! How should I say this?"

Nick annoyingly scratched his nose with a helpless look.

Then continued again after a thought.

"Rose, I guess Blake is not normal like us. There's something special about him."

Nick said mysteriously which made Rose even more impatient.

"Nick, can you please tell me clearly what happened? I don't understand anything."

Rose said to Nick.

"I think from the very beginning they have been looking for Blake. Eiden...He…When he got along with you, his purpose had been bringing Blake to the count."

Nick said and looked at Rose for her reaction. Because he had just said the name of the guy she fell in love with but got heartbroken by.

Rose only had hate on her face. There was no sadness. He hated that guy to the core. Not for fooling her in the name of love, but because he dared to touch her brothers.

"For Blake? Is he a hidden son of the count or something?"

Rose just asked what came to her mind. Because what Nick said made her mind imagine something like that. 

"...Nothing like that. When both of us were brought to the prison, we were pushed into the same cell. However, the next day, they pulled Blake out of the cell and I was left alone in that cell. I didn't know what was going on. So I could only wait for Blake to come back."

Nick took the pot filled with water and drank it down slowly. 

"But he didn't come back even after three days. That's when I felt something was wrong. So I asked the guards there and they just gave me an insulting laugh without saying anything."

Nick looked down and was silent for a moment.

"However, after five more days, I heard something. They didn't say a name. But I was sure it was Blake they were talking about."

Nick hesitated for a moment before he continued. So Rose urged him to continue.

"What did they say? What did you hear?"

"They said… the guy who stayed with me was serving their count in bed. I couldn't believe such a thing. And he was a man, so why would the count-..."

He stopped in shame and his eyes ran to Rose unknowingly.

Rose's eyes grew bigger and her palm was covering her face in shock. 

She couldn't believe they were treating Blake in such a way.

How dare they? 

How could they use those innocent people relying on them, to relieve their dirty desires like that? Her brother was innocent. They were innocent! Why did the person to protect them happen to be the villain? Why would the count humiliate her innocent brother that way? He didn't deserve such a punishment. He was innocent…

Rose was in a rage.

"What happened next?"

Rose still wanted to know everything. 

But she suddenly had the urge to get revenge for what they did, after listening further.

They deserve to die!