The Duke's Passion

807  I’d rather face the cruel truth than be coaxed by a lie

"Or should I keep wondering what did they do to my real twin brother?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Silvia held her breath as she stared at Cassara's face, gripping the armrest unknowingly. In the future, everyone would know that Yulis wasn't actually a La Crox, but a pureblooded Bloodfang. No one questioned it, nor did this truth even matter. There was a more important matter to settle, and Yulis's origins were not of them.

Yulis was with Lilou; thus, his loyalty was all that mattered. However, it was an entirely different case with Cassara. Cassara always believed Yulis was her twin brother. Growing up, Cassara and Yulis were the closest and the distance between them just somehow grew wider.

"Did they kill him?" Cassara inquired, breaking the building-up silence in Silvia's chambers. "Did they kill my brother, Silvia?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, Cassara."

"There's no need to pretend, Silvia." Cassara shook her head mildly. "I am not asking if this was the truth. All I want to know is whether my real brother is still alive or if they killed him even before he could see the beauty of this world."

"Cassara."

"I always had this feeling even before, but I deluded myself that it was probably because I am not just as fond of him as much as when we were children. My focus was on Rottie and Hell, so I blamed myself for the growing distance between me and my twin." Cassara cut her off mid-sentence. "Back then, every time I look at him, I have to shun this guilt."

"Maybe I should be a little more considerate of him. He is my twin, after all. However, he doesn't even care about me. Why would I care? Those were my thoughts back then. I would go on with my day with those thoughts, but deep in my heart, I knew I was simply deluding myself," she continued in a quiet voice. "A big part of my heart couldn't help but blame him."

"If only my twin brother care about me enough, I wouldn't have to squeeze myself into Rottie and Hell's life. If only he showed even the slightest concern. Perhaps I wouldn't crave love from a sibling. He would be enough for me; after all, he was my only real family and we're siblings," she added, smiling bitterly as she lowered her eyes. "But instead of blaming him and hating him, I just thought maybe if I ignore him, I wouldn't hate my brother."

"He is my twin, and it's better if, instead of loathing his existence, we'll remain passive with each other. I don't want to hate him, Silvia. I love him because, at the end of the day, he was my twin." Cassara slowly raised her eyes, holding Silvia's gaze firmly. "But as I grow older, I couldn't help but raise some suspicion about our connection."

"Is he really my twin brother? But why can't I feel the same connection I had with the rest of my step-siblings?" she tilted her head to the side. "It took me two lifetimes to come up to a logical conclusion. Or rather, it took me two lifetimes to have the courage to acknowledge this conclusion."

"Yulis isn't my brother, is he?" Cassara added with a tinge of certainty. "He is not my brother or yours or even has a little bit of blood of the La Crox."

Silvia opened her mouth, but her voice was lost in her throat. How was she supposed to answer that? Yulis's real origin and purpose were easier to accept back then, but the situation was different.

"I have no idea." Silvia shook her head when she recovered her voice, sticking to her initial resolution to feign ignorance. "If you have concerns, you should ask Yulis, not me. I have more important things to settle since Stefan was out there in the front line for you and me and for the people of this land."

Cassara let out a dry snicker. "Right… my concerns were always not important to anyone."

"Cassara, that is not what I mean."

"And what do you mean, Silvia?" Cassara cocked her head to the side. "That my concerns, my feelings, and my questions could be dealt with later? That my feelings are important, but they can take another delay? Isn't that so hypocritical? Do you… people really take me for a fool?"

Silvia let out a deep exhale, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I know I cannot blame everyone, since I've always acted spoiled and clueless." Cassara shook her head, letting out another short, dry laugh. "It's not that I am a fool, Silvia. It's just that I really don't care about everything that's going on in here. I don't have a huge ambition in life."

Cassara planted her hand on the armrest, pushing herself up while continuing her sentiments.

"All I ever wanted was for my siblings to have a good relationship, just like when we were children. Those peaceful days… when we didn't care about who takes the throne or how to get more power. Everyone, you included, is just tense. That is why I always thought that perhaps if they have a foolish sister, they would loosen up a bit." "What are you doing?" Silvia arched her brow, watching Cassara approach her seat. She raised her head when Cassara stood beside her chair, cocking her head to the side, puzzled. Cassara gazed down at Silvia in silence momentarily. Her eyes were emotionless; the pompous princess she used to be was gone. All that was left was the lack of emotion for the person before her. Matter of fact, Cassara didn't seem to care about anything anymore.

"Cassara." Silvia pushed herself up, only to sit down again as Cassara pressed Silvia's shoulder. Her eyes went wide in surprise, gazing up at Cassara in surprise. "Cassara, what are you —"

"I went here tonight because I cannot decide whether to punish you or not." A thick layer of frost coated Cassara's eyes. "Deep in my heart, I was hoping my sister will at least share my sentiments and try to console me. However, you just shrug off my concerns like usual. Thus, don't blame me for punishing you, Silvia."

Cassara swiftly moved her hand from Silvia's shoulder to the latter's temple. Her other hand was on the other side of Silvia's head, bending over until they were at eye level. "At this point, I'd rather face the cruel truth than be coaxed by a lie, Silvia. I hope you are the same." The side of her lips curled up. "Because your truth… will cripple you, Silvia. I'll teach you how to enlighten someone."

Silvia's lips parted, wide-eyed. Before she could retaliate, she was suddenly pulled to the crippling memories Silvia, herself tried to seal so she would forget about them.

**** NOTE:

I was busy moving to another place. Hence, the lack of updates. Will get used to my new place and got my internet line connected, so updates will resume today. Thank you :)