C4 Truth of Theirs

Kana's stomach was swollen and flamed with bloody red. The same thing that reflected on her face. The physician instructed them a few more treatments to help her recover before slipping out of the room with a darkened face.

"What are you still doing here?!" Atlas yells at the servants, "Get some food for Ara!" He then sighed as they walked out in a hurry. His eyes dropped on Kana.

The other man is pressing a cloth on her stomach. "Does it hurt?" He asked.

The child nods shyly, failing to meet his eyes. And as she silently endures the chill of the blocked ice her skin is pressed against, a small growl sprays the room. The men looked at her and she hid her heated face from them.

"Wait a moment, Ara, all right? The help is preparing your food." He caressed her long hair as he spoke.

Atlas clicked his tongue, "That woman must be deranged for starving her own daughter. If we hadn't arrived early, what would have happened to Ara? We can't allow her to continue this, Aldrin!"

So, the blonde man's name is Aldrin.

Aldrin sighed, "I know. The only solution I have is that we leave the estate. But if we do that, that man will do everything in his power to bring us back."

"So we can't run away?"

"We're nobles, Atlas. Everybody knows us. We can't hide."

'Nobles?' Kana queried to herself.

"What about Amara? Surely we can do something to hide her from that woman." Atlas said with grit.

Aldrin is composed and quiet. His eyes focused on Kana, and then as if he had an idea, he said, "Ara's tutelage won't begin until next week. We have till then to make sure she recovers. But keeping her home with the Duchess won't help her, and we can't ask other people to take care of her." He stopped, his tongue hesitating, "I think we should just take her with us to the Academy."

"What?! You know it's forbidden for women to enter that place. We won't get away with it."

"If you have a better idea, then I would gladly hear it."

A cat seemed to have gotten Atlas's tongue. After showing a displeased face, he runs his hand through his smooth-looking locks, and sighs, "Fine. What choice do we have? But what about that woman?"

A woman's voice suddenly interjected, her expensive red dress sweeping off the floor as she stood at the doors, "Is that the proper way to address the Duchess?"

Aldrin's face darkened upon meeting the indifferent eyes of the woman while Atlas clicked his tongue in her presence. Both their hands are clenched.

"What do you want?" Atlas growled, his tail looked frenzied.

"I heard you called a physician." Her voice was the coldest Kana had ever heard.

"Of course we did! You strangled Ara!" Atlas shouted.

The woman slowly walked up to him. Atlas was taller and bulkier. Against him, she looked like a delicate doll. But what she did next wasn't delicate in any way. She raised her hand and slapped him.

Kana gasped, and when she looked at the woman, she saw her twisted face beam up. She spoke, "How dare you speak to me like that, boy? Don't forget that I am the Duchess and you are nothing but a weak and pathetic imitation of your father's shadow. You are below me. No matter what you do, you will never reach me. So, try and stand up to me again and I will show you hell!"

For some reason, Kana was shivering nonstop.

Actually, she knew why.

There is a dark and ominous aura looming over the woman, making the air heavy and murky, so much that it is taking everything out of her just to breathe. It's as if her throat is being sliced over and over again.

Were the men suffering the same way?

She glanced at Aldrin. He seemed fine. In fact, he's unaffected. His eyes are stabbing the woman hard and Atlas is the same. If looks could kill, the woman would've dropped dead.

But Atlas then smiles at the woman, "If Father hears about this, will you be so kind as to show him that hell as well?"

The woman didn't budge. Kana catches footsteps getting closer and after a second, she sees the maids come in with trays in their hands. They were hurrying, but when they saw the auburn curls of the woman, their faces all turned pale.

The Duchess turned around, and pointed to one of the servants, "Come here."

The servant could be seen shaking hard but she stepped closer, and when she was in front of the Duchess, her eyes immediately shut themselves.

However, the Duchess didn't do anything to her. She just picked up one of the bowls in the tray the maid held, and splashed its contents at Atlas! A whip echoed in the air as she rammed the bowl onto Atlas' face.

Kana covered her eyes and waited for the crack that should have followed. But then, there's silence. She turned her head to look at them and found that a man held the Duchess's arm, halting her from her act.

The man is as tall as Atlas and is clothed luxuriously that it refined his lean body. She notices his hair to have the same color as Atlas and even his face is similar. The only things that had set him apart are the two different hues in his nippy eyes.

The Duchess pulled her arm away from his grip and shot him a sharp look, but the man's apathetic eyes didn't care for it. She scoffed and walked out of the room silently.

When she was gone, Atlas ran to the young man and flung his arms around him as the man stood frozen.

"Asera, you arrived at the right time." Aldrin said with a smile.

The man called Asera just nodded. He passes a look at Kana, then asks, "Her neck?"

Atlas loudly answers, "She was strangled by that woman and was imprisoned in her room for the day without any food or water. Can you believe it?"

Asera didn't speak. Aldrin sees the mess on Atlas's clothes, "Atlas, go wash up and change. You're dirty."

Atlas places his arms behind his head, and carelessly says, "If Asera didn't stop that woman, I would've shown her what kind of a nobody I really am."

"We shouldn't provoke her." Aldrin said calmly.

"Are you saying we should just keep quiet and let her walk all over us? Let her hurt our sister?" Atlas yelled aggressively. The man seemed to have mastered the language of shouting, and his buttons were easily pushed.

Aldrin sighs, and then looks at him seriously, "No. But don't forget that she's a Plunderer. You may be strong Atlas but she has years of experience in fighting. If a fight breaks out between us, I don't think we can guarantee a win."

Atlas humphed, and turned his head the other way. He caught the servants still shaking, and says, "You're still here? Hurry and give Ara her food."

The servants placed the trays on Kana's bed and positioned to feed her, but Aldrin smiles at them so kindly and says, "I'll feed her. You can leave. Thank you."

The servants seemed to have dropped a ton of burden from their shoulders. They left the room feeling relaxed after seeing Aldrin's angelic face.

Kana still couldn't speak, but somehow she's beginning to understand her situation. The men are her older brothers.

And she has been reincarnated.