Chapter 5 4: Trapped In Silence

• I accompany Taddeo even though I feel like he doesn't want me around. Whenever I approach him, it's like he wants to avoid me like a plague. But... my mission here is to get to know him. He's the one my twin sister will marry. And while I don't like being in this position, I also don't want my mom to have another reason to nag at me because of Alethea's made-up stories.
• Taddeo stopped walking, so I did too. He glanced at me, and his lifeless eyes sent shivers down my spine.
• "Can you stop following me?"
• “Why? Aren't we supposed to get to know each other and get along? That's what your parents said." I tried to smile at him, but it quickly faded when he ignored me and acted like he heard nothing.
• Taddeo isn't bad. Unlike his brother who called me a liar, he's just quiet and a bit snobbish, but he's not bad. If I were the one marrying him, I wouldn't complain.
• I know I'm lying with this charade, but... does he really have to rub it in my face? Also, how did Arcel find out I was lying? Am I too obvious? So now, I'm doing everything to be Alethea.
• As much as possible, I keep my distance from Arcel. He's dangerous. His eyes are too sharp, and he might uncover my facade.
• Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even notice that we're now at the mini-bar on the first floor of the house. Taddeo poured himself a drink and transferred it to a glass. He glanced at me.
• "Do you drink?"
• Although his question caught me off guard, I quickly shook my head. I've stopped drinking for a long time. Ever since I realized that no matter what I do, Mama won't worry about me like a normal parent would, I quit.
• Taddeo didn't speak again. I thought at first that he would ignore me again like earlier, but he walked to the refrigerator and got some juice, poured it into a glass, and handed it to me.
• “I hope you drink orange juice.”
• I stared at the glass in my hand now. I told you, he's not that bad! Aside from being snobbish and cold sometimes, he's not annoying like his younger brother.
• I gave Taddeo a small smile and thanked him.
• We were quiet there, but even so, the quietness gave me comfort. I looked at Taddeo's mannerisms and smiled to myself as I sipped my juice. It's the first time someone offered me juice. I don't experience things like this often, so yes, I really appreciate the little things like this.
• Our quiet moment was interrupted when someone cleared their throat beside me. We both looked at him, and I immediately saw Arcel. My calm feeling suddenly disappeared, and it felt like his presence disturbed my emotions.
• My hand turned cold as his intense eyes seemed to be scrutinizing me closely. His words from earlier about uncovering my secret kept repeating in my mind.
• "Where are you going, Ace?" Taddeo asked him.
• "Meeting with friends." He smiled at his brother as if he were the kindest person on earth. But when he looked at me, I noticed the darkness in his eyes.
• Taddeo remained silent and turned away along with his brother. I wanted to avoid, but his eyes seemed to hold onto mine like a magnet.
• “See you later.” I don’t know if it's just me, but there's something unusual in his tone.
• Internally, I shake my head. I'm analyzing his actions too much because of his threats against me.
• Though Taddeo doesn't often talk to me, he lets me follow him. The only time I stop is when he enters his room. Sometimes we talk. When I ask him something, he answers, albeit very briefly.
• In the afternoon, I saw Aunt Adelaide at the back of the house. She held a wine glass and looked into the distance. I decided to talk to her once I got to know Taddeo better. I would just ask her about her son.
• “Aunt Adelaide.” I touched her shoulder, and her eyes widened as she accidentally dropped her wine glass, clearly startled by my presence.
• At first, she looked at me as if she were scared of something, but when she calmed down, she quickly apologized.
• My heart was pounding fast. I think I scared her. I must have startled her with my sudden call.
• “S-Sorry, Thea. I was just startled. I must be spacing out too much that I didn't notice you immediately. I should avoid coffee. I'm getting too nervous.” Aunt Adelaide laughed, but it seemed forced. She was about to pick up the broken wine glass when she stopped. “I'll just call someone to clean this up. Oh, my goodness, I'm really sorry.”
• I forced a smile at her. “I should be the one apologizing to you, Auntie.”
• Aunt Adelaide smiled at me, but this time, there was a hint of sadness. “You really have your father's eyes. When I look at you, it's like seeing Saxon.”
• I felt the weight and sadness in her words. I know Aunt Adelaide was very close to my father, so his loss must have been incredibly painful for her, no matter how long it has been. It's the same for me. Even after years, the wound of my father's death is still fresh, especially since partially, I was the reason.
• Aunt Adelaide excused herself and left temporarily to call someone to clean up the broken glass.
• Something was bothering me, but since I couldn't understand it, I just brushed it off.
• “Don't do that again.” My back snapped, and the hair on my neck stood up. I felt a strange chill in the voice I heard. It’s menacing.
• I turned to the direction of the voice. At first, I prayed that it wasn't directed at me by that familiar voice, but all hope dropped when I saw his dark eyes staring at me. His eyes are dark, dangerous... and full of hatred. Even though I know his anger and resentment aren't directed at me, it's so palpable I can taste it.
• I swallowed and calmed myself. I tried to strike a normal conversation with him so he wouldn't notice the fear I felt for him.
• “What?” I want to applaud myself for not stuttering with my words.
• Arcel walked towards me. His infuriating smirk was nowhere to be seen. He showed a different expression, one that I felt he didn't show to anyone else.
• “Startle my mom. She’s not good with sudden appearances behind her. Don’t do that or I’ll make you regret it.”
• “I didn't mean to.” I also didn't expect that to be his reaction when I called his name. I didn't intend to startle him either.
• Arcel stared at me for a moment, as if he was about to devour me alive. Aunt Adelaide arrived, and that's when I breathed a sigh of relief.
• “Arcel, you're here already.”
• The darkness in Arcel's eyes quickly disappeared. He's so good at concealing his emotions that you wouldn't think he was looking at me badly just two minutes ago. He also put on his usual friendly smile.
• He looked at his mother with that friendly aura and hugged her.
• “Hi, Mom. I just got home. I saw Thea, so I thought I’d talk with my future sister-in-law.”
• I furrowed my brow slightly at his words. There was a distaste in the way he said the last words. I couldn't be wrong about that. Does he not want me to be his sister-in-law? Did he even ask me if I wanted him to be my brother-in-law?
• “Good thing you and Thea get along.”
• Arcel gave me a side-eye glance, his smirk turning ominous. “Yes, of course.”
• Liar. If anyone between us is lying, it's him. He's so good at lying and pretending that even his own parents don't notice. He may act like a good boy, but I feel like he has sociopathic tendencies. The kind that doesn't care about people's morality or what's right or wrong. For him, what matters most is that it’ll be beneficial to his side, and to his side alone.
• As I said, I shouldn't be getting close to Arcel. I'd rather be ignored by Taddeo because at least he doesn't pay attention to me, unlike his brother, whose type of person you can't understand.
• Just the thought sent shivers down my spine.
• I hardly heard other people's voices because all my attention was focused on Arcel. He's so good at hiding his emotions that if he didn't show me the behavior behind his smiles, even I would be deceived. I might even say he's a better choice to marry than his brother.
• Arcel looked at me again. I looked away. I didn't want him to catch me staring at him and whatever else this man might think.
• “By the way, your dad and I are leaving, Arcel. This time, we’ll be gone for a while and won't be back right away. Is it okay for you to stay with Thea? You can explore the place. I’m sure Alethea would like to see the beautiful views here in the countryside. Take a breather from the bustling city, right?”
• I just smiled at Aunt but didn't speak. I wanted to scream 'no.' Don't leave me with your son. But if Taddeo's with me, maybe I can tolerate Arcel somehow.
• The next day, Aunt Adelaide left. She said not to worry because her daughter will also come home. She's just a bit busy right now. I don't know if I can breathe easily here. What if Arcel's like her? I hope not.
• I entered the house again. When I closed the door, that's when I realized what situation I'm in.
• Now, I am trapped in this house with two men I can’t comprehend. One is the self-centered fiancé who doesn’t give two cents about me. The other one is a demon dressed in human clothing. If this situation could get any worse, I don't know. Maybe before I return to my old life, I won't be myself anymore.