Chapter 9; Dark Side

**Mellic/Asna POV**

"Oh my god! What happened to you, Asna? Why do you have a bruise on your neck, and your right cheek is red?" Violet exclaimed dramatically when she picked me up. I didn't answer; I just glared at her.

"Why should I tell you? Don't ask, because nothing will happen anyway," I replied, looking out the window while she continued to talk.

"It's not okay! You know there's a party at the palace tonight, and you look like that? The emperor has a birthday celebration." She scolded me, clearly stressed.

"There's no problem; I'm still going." She looked even more shocked by my response.

"Asna! If you go looking like that... we won't be able to be the ladies of the night!" I didn't care about being the "lady of the night"; that's not why I was going.

"Then you can be the lady of the night. Maybe you've forgotten our goal, Violet, or do you want me to slap you to wake you up to reality?" She finally fell silent.

"I just want to be the lady of the night because Princess Yna always gets that title during the night celebrations."

"Well, if you know that, then it's not for you. So don't dream about it." After a while, we arrived at Segma, where everything was ready for the party.

I glanced at the mirror and saw the bruise on my neck; I needed to hide it. I decided to change my dress because the one I had on was too revealing... Violet really improvised this time.

A simple dress would be better, since I felt more comfortable in it. I closed my eyes for a moment due to exhaustion and sleepiness.

**Imperial Palace**

We were now inside the palace, and I could see all the beautiful designs and elegant clothes of the nobles. I stood aside, noticing how each man was asking women to dance.

Violet had already danced with several men, but no one had asked me. I didn't care if no one asked me to dance because that wasn't why I came here.

I thought about going over to the drinks table when suddenly Princess Yna appeared in front of me with a smile on her face—a devilish smile.

"Princess Asna, I noticed that not many have asked you to dance. Would you like me to ask Prince Levi to dance with you?" There was a hint of mockery in her voice. I clenched my fists, trying to hold back my anger in front of her.

I ignored her and grabbed my drink, trying to walk past her, but she held onto my arm.

"Princess Asna, won't you accept my offer? I just want you to experience dancing with men." I noticed people around us were starting to pay attention due to her dramatics. She really raised her voice to embarrass me... how annoying!

"No, thanks. Even if no one dances with me here, I don't care! Because I know that I'm too great for those sc*mbags, and they prefer someone with lower standards like you, Princess Yna, right?" Then I smiled at her and walked past.

"Have a nice night, Princess Yna. Enjoy your spotlight." I walked away from her, though I wanted nothing more than to slap her for real.

I strolled around inside as music started playing and couples began dancing... I just wanted this night to end.

Then I noticed Yna dancing with Venom; everyone was watching them because Venom moved so skillfully, especially with how he looked at Princess Yna. But then I saw Yna glance at me.

She smirked upon seeing me watching them dance with Venom and surprised me when she hugged him. Tsk! As if I'd be affected by that...

I turned away and focused on the other dancers.

"Princess Asna! Can I dance with you?" a man I didn't recognize asked in front of me.

"No! Just find someone else. I don't want to dance—"

"Please, Princess Asna! I can't ask Princess Yna to dance unless you agree to dance with me first." That woman was really testing my patience. I took the wine glass from earlier and poured it over his head.

"What do you think you're doing? Do you want your arms cu*t off? Just dream on! Don't treat me like a piece of trash." I shot him a nasty look, causing him to run away from me.

People around us started whispering when suddenly Princess Yna appeared again, this time with Venom by her side, holding her arm.

"I see... it seems Princess Asna wants to dance with Mr. Venom." She looked at Venom and then back at me.

"Venom, can you please dance with Princess Asna... she'll be grateful if you do." She turned back towards me.

"I pity her... I don't think Princess Asna wants any man dancing with her. It's like I can feel her sadness and loneliness," he pretended to cry dramatically.

"Okay... if it makes you happy, my princess, then I'll do it." He kissed the back of her hand as he said this.

"Thank you, Venom." But then I interrupted them with a grin on my face.

"Too bad! I'm not going to dance with you, Mr. Venom... and also, I'm not sad; instead, I'm so happy for Princess Yna. Thank you for your compassion, but no thanks. I'm happy doing what I'm doing right now; I feel at peace." I flashed them my best smile as they grew frustrated in front of me.

"Don't make me laugh, Princess Yna... because you can't win against me."

I walked away from them while still hearing Yna's fake crying behind me. I thought about heading out onto the balcony since it would be quieter than here; plus, I didn't want to see any more of her antics because they were getting old.

As I walked away, I suddenly stopped when I saw Xyn—my real older brother. Ignoring him, I continued walking until he quickly grabbed my arm.

"Asna!" he said, looking only at his hand gripping my arm; I raised an eyebrow at him. He let go once he realized what his grip implied.

"Can we talk for a while?" His request made me raise an eyebrow again.

"Didn't you tell me before that you didn't want to see me? So why do you want to talk now?" He didn't speak but seemed like he had a lot he wanted to say.

"Answer me. I don't want to waste my time if you're not going to say anything." Just as I turned away, he finally spoke up.

"Please help me, Asna! Did you know our father is sick? Ever since his powers started fading away, all our siblings left him behind; I'm all he has left now. All his businesses collapsed after the emperor discovered that Grand Duke was involved in illegal activities, and now our father will go to jail because of it. Please! You're the only one who can help us! I know we've done wrong by you, but I'm begging you—help us!" He knelt before me.

A part of me felt deeply hurt seeing Xyn like this even though I'm not really Asna; still, *sympathy* is my biggest weakness... Once sympathy gets involved with someone, guilt starts haunting me too.

"Please, Asna! I'll do anything you want! Just save Papa."

"Get up if you want help from me! You're making me look bad by kneeling before me." He stood up as instructed.

"Thank—" but I interrupted him.

"After this conversation, I'm going straight back home. And also there's something else I'd like to tell him."

I didn't expect that bringing down the Grand Duke would be this easy. At last, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

I left Xyn when his friends arrived—I didn't want to feel out of place with them.

I stepped out to the balcony to get some fresh air. Thankfully, no one was there; it's better this way. The balcony here isn't that high, so I thought about jumping down with my heels in hand. I laughed as I fell into the thick bushes below.

It's been a while since I laughed like this. It reminded me of Sally. She's probably blaming herself for what happened to me, especially since I had the notebook we were studying for the exam before my accident.

I stood up from the grass and put on my heels. I headed to the small veranda in the imperial palace's garden. I love going there; the flowers lift my spirits.

When I arrived, I froze as I saw someone and quickly hid in the grass. Isn't that Princess Yna? What's she doing here? I saw a man talking to her, though I didn't recognize him.

"The disease needs to spread across the empire, Calex, so people's faith in me as a saint will grow stronger again." What? Is she planning a pandemic just to make herself look good? How desperate!

"Yes, Princess Yna. You know I'd do anything for you," said the man dressed in what looked like a reaper's outfit, moving in for a kiss. She pulled away.

"What are you doing, Calex? You know you can't kiss me! If you want me to love you, just do what I ask," she said, though he only smirked and touched her cheek.

"You'll be mine one day, Princess Yna." Ugh, am I the only one cringing here? It's so sickening to watch. Suddenly, the man vanished in front of her. I stayed hidden as she looked around before finally leaving.

I came out of the bushes… Never mind. I don't really care what she wants to do as long as I can live in peace.

She's so selfish, wanting to spread disease and then act as the cure? What the heck! Whatever, it's not my problem.

I moved toward the veranda and sat down, feeling a bit sleepy. I glanced up at the sky filled with stars, with torches lighting up the surroundings—

I froze when I felt a blade at my throat. I knew it—Venom was behind me.

"Didn't I tell you before, if you ever try to hurt my Princess Yna, I will k*ill you—" He stopped as I took his hand and faced him, putting my finger on his lips.

"Shhh… can you keep quiet?" I lowered my finger to his chest and pushed him slightly. Am I… seducing Venom? Ugh! I just want to mess with him—mind your own business!

"I don't recall ever trying to hurt her unless she goes after me first. You're so protective of Princess Yna… Do you know she's just using you—" I didn't finish as he pointed the dagger at me again.

I laughed because he probably already knew the truth. But suddenly, his expression changed, showing the real Venom in the storyline.

"I don't even care if she doesn't love me… Princess Yna is mine—" I smirked at that.

"Oh, really? You don't care? Stop fooling yourself, Venom. You might deceive everyone, but not yourself."

"What do you know, huh? What do you know about my feelings?" he shouted, clutching his hair and laughing. Tsk, there goes his other side.

"I just want her to love me! But why can't I see it?" he asked.

"Because she's greedy," I replied, and he glared at me.

"She's greedy. She wants all the attention, so it's no wonder she doesn't notice your love because she wants more. I don't know her reasons, but I don't like her meddling with me," I said, though I was nervous because I didn't know what Venom might do to me now that he has no feelings for me.

"Why would I hurt her if she hasn't done anything wrong to me? I know I was harsh to her, but things are different now, so tell Princess Yna to stay away from me too."

He didn't say anything, but I stopped when I saw tears in his eyes. I'm not used to seeing a man cry, but why do I feel hurt seeing him like this?

I couldn't remember much; I was stunned, and my heart started to race. I'd never felt this way around him before—it was always just fear. How strange? When did I start to love him?

I don't know, but I moved closer and wiped his tears away. I screamed internally when I realized what I'd done!

"Those tears are annoying," I said, stepping back and wiping my hand in disgust. Wtf! Did I just wipe the tears of this psycho? What are you doing, Mellic!

His cheeks turned red. Here we go again! Don't tell me—

"Thank you, but I'm sorry to tell you this, Princess Asna. My heart belongs to Princess Yna, so if you're in love with me, it's better you give up."

I was left with my mouth hanging open. What? Are you saying I'm in love with you, you psycho je*rk! I wanted to hurl every insult at him, but all I did was raise an eyebrow and gape.

"Princess Yna told me you're in love with me, which upset me since I already confessed my feelings to her. She keeps telling me to stop because it might hurt you if you found out."

Literally speechless. How dare you say that to me when you're the one infatuated with me!

"Then I hope you understand. I'll take my leave," he said before disappearing in front of me. Excuse me? Me, in love with him? Oh gosh! Is that a joke? Because I'm seriously annoyed.

Tsk! In love my a*ss! You motherf*ck*rs! Eat my middle finger! Frustrated, I raised my middle finger in the air. The nerve of these demons!

I sighed deeply at what he said. That damn psycho! He's so confident to assume I'm in love with him without even asking my opinion.

"Asna!" I turned and saw Xyn not far away. I didn't feel like calling him brother because, first of all, I'm not really Asna, and I'm unfamiliar with the relationship they have as siblings.

I waited until he reached me before speaking.

"Before we go, I need to find Violet; maybe she wants to see the Grand Duke too," I said, and he nodded. We started walking, and then I stopped at what Xyn said.

"Didn't I say I'd do whatever you want?" he said, though I was confused by the tone in his voice; it seemed like he didn't mean it.

"So? I don't like the way you're talking. Be clear about what you're trying to say to me," I said, walking a bit ahead of him.

"Do you still remember Kalelei's birthday last year?"

"No," I replied, still puzzled. What does he mean? Don't tell me—there are still things I haven't seen in Asna's memories!

"Do you love me, not as a brother but as a man?" I was frozen in place. What the f*ck?! For real, Asna?!

"Since then, I've avoided you because of what you said. I always took care of you, but after hearing that, I felt disgusted with myself as your brother. Yet you kept saying it repeatedly, so I decided to distance myself from you," he said sadly.

Wtf, Asna! Are you serious? You actually developed feelings for your own brother? I was too shocked to speak because I was just as surprised by what Xyn said. No wonder he looked at me with such disgust whenever we met. Do I have to keep fixing this mess?! I wish I could slap Asna for her foolishness and ignorance.

It's no surprise that people hate her so much—she's incredibly selfish. I faced Xyn.

"No, I don't remember, so it's better you forget it too. Whatever happened in the past, it's best you let it go because I'm not the same Asna you knew before. Also, I didn't agree to come with you because you'd do whatever I want. I came because I have something to say to the Grand Duke before I leave for good."

"Leave for good? What do you mean by that?" he asked. I looked him straight in the eye.

"I want to be free. It means I'll go far away, to a place where you won't see me anymore, where I can start a normal life."

He didn't say anything, but I could see the shock in his eyes.

"And another thing. Forget about me once I'm gone. Forget that you ever had a sister named Asna," I said, turning to leave, but I was surprised when he hugged me tightly.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, and I could hear him quietly crying as he held me close.

"I'm sorry for failing to protect you. It's my fault you became this way. You've turned heartless, Asna," he said. I didn't know why, but tears started to fall again, though I felt empty. His words didn't hurt me, but my tears fell naturally.

"I truly love you as my sister, but I had to hurt you to change how you see me." I let him hug me for a while, then gently pushed him away.

"It's not your fault. My mind's made up, so it's better if I find Violet so we can get to the Grand Duke quickly." I walked away, with him following close behind. Maybe now Asna regrets what she did—she hurt the one sibling who loved her, but she added malice where there was none.