Estella opened her eyes, still leaning back against the sculpture. The early sunlight gently warmed her skin. She slowly turned her head… and then she saw him.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrJjv89rJh
Her brother was sitting right next to her.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TTWksTlSp
For a moment, her breath caught, her heart beating faster. She wanted to touch him, to tell him how sorry she was. But she knew it was impossible. He wasn’t really here. He was just a memory, a fleeting shadow of the past that had returned to haunt her.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWJIordu1h
She watched him, the way the wind played with his short, black hair. And then their eyes met.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnKw5RfzXu
Pain.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm102go6tsq
That was the first thing she saw in his eyes.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDXKlErlCo
She swallowed hard, feeling something tighten in her throat. She knew that memory. She knew exactly what he was going to say next.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWU05afavz
“Do you think she’ll come back?” His voice was quiet, monotone, exactly as she remembered it.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbFycZmvq5
She didn’t want to answer. She didn’t want to relive it all. But she knew she couldn’t change the past, she couldn’t change what had already happened.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡla8mGSO17X
“Who knows… Maybe she’ll come back, maybe she won’t,” she said finally, reaching for his hand and squeezing it lightly.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIde9YVvaej
“And even if she doesn’t, we still have each other, Anstellerette. I’ll never leave you.” The words left her lips easily, but even she knew it was a lie.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjIeiERrMr
A faint smile appeared on her brother’s face. He stood up and stretched, his long tail sweeping the air. Estella watched him, feeling the weight of this moment.
She knew this was the last time she could talk to him in peace. No arguments, no hurtful words, no tears.
“Are you hungry? Because I am. I was thinking of going for waffles,” she said quietly.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzG2KoHZ9w
Anstellerette nodded. Arm in arm, they began to walk away from the sculpture. Each step Estella took became heavier, slower, as if something inside her was trying to stop her.
She looked at her brother. She saw his lips moving, but his words sounded like a muffled echo. She couldn’t hear them.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XxPsPtO9H
Except for one of his last sentences.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3qoqIyjQm
“I love you, Estebella. You’re the best sister.”
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfBocLhUIy
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnsUMAtQP0
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrB5Md5eJF
And then the world around her fell apart.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXoO3JirsR
The silver leaves of the tree, the warm rays of the sun, the gentle breeze—everything dissolved into nothingness, and she found herself back in the familiar chamber of the tree castle.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAC2K5qRB9
That was the moment.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF9bgUmTuU
The one she regretted the most.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UjIr0h6Kp
“Please… hear me out for once…” His voice was quiet, full of desperation. There was an almost pleading gleam in his eyes, but Estella didn’t want to see it. She didn’t want to listen. She didn’t want to hear another word.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MXXwLAiVI
“Silence!”
Her scream echoed off the walls.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEUZH3euFA
“Estebella, please, give him a chance…”
Estella looked up.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIGsoXkcpB
Sitaka stood right behind her brother, one of her hands resting on her stomach. At the sight of her, Estella gritted her teeth, then stood up abruptly, pointing an accusing finger at her.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cY5Wc806I
“This is your fault, you slut! If you had never come here, this wouldn’t have happened!
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJp853o2mNR
She had had enough. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to cause her…him…them pain. But she couldn’t stop herself. All that screaming made her feel better.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMA5CntMq7
She saw tears streaming down Sitaka’s face, and her brother hugged the woman standing by his side.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAMPFwMSWZ
For the first time, she saw anger in his eyes.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAVBzMwFQj
“Leave her out of this,” he growled. His voice was sharper than ever before. “This is between you and me!”
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4jXNM6LDD
Estella laughed coldly.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOu1FCLhFIW
“Oh, really, Anstellerette? And who came here and announced she was pregnant? Pregnant with your child?!
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09lo6tN3tl
She saw his jaw clench, his lip bit. His tail curled between his legs.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Xpap4MWcy
“That’s exactly what I thought… Now get out of my sight.” You… and that rag of yours…
Anstellerette, however, did not move. He only sighed heavily and placed his hand on his heart. before he continued.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF2LrbchVf
“You know, I decided to return to Nokta, to…”
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAn7jXYYUB
“And?” she interrupted him sharply. “Maybe it’s for the best! Maybe at least I won’t have to see that cursed child of yours! Or Sitaka! And especially you! I hate you for it!”
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUP5SeHeqq
Silence.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZKne4LYvr
Estella saw the muscles in his jaw tense, his hands clench into fists.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqMTTclBFr
“Do you really think so?” he asked quietly.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLNa6Vf3I0
“Of course I do.”
She didn’t look away. She stood tall, proud, with cold eyes.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1QYJOru9F
But deep inside… deep inside, everything in her was screaming for her to stop.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerT5H57xOw
His lips moved, but she didn’t hear his words.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxaPIlGGmG
Then he took a step back.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjikO0eajDg
“I understand…” His voice was empty.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKw3Fm0fUK
“If these are your last words to me… then fine. I won’t be coming back anymore.”
“Fine,” she hissed, though every word he said cut into her like a knife.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3ZxmEklxL
He looked at her one last time.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN62ZdRNab4
His tail twitched slightly, as if waiting for her to stop him.
But she was silent.
She didn’t even turn around when the door closed with a dull thud.
She didn’t know how long she stood there.
Her gaze fell on the place where her brother had been a moment ago.
And then it hit her.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhHyobe92c
He was really gone.
Not just from this room. Not just from her castle.
From her life.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5y6xnAoTg
….
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Wh0MmqgNs
Forever.
….
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKHDTEPlhf
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV88GAhOm7K
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEIsmoQLvm
Her memory shattered again, and she came back to reality.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmsxsOwt8l
The sun was slowly setting.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6s08jacKEA
Estella looked in the direction where Kigami and Kimoko had disappeared, following their path to Nokta. She placed her hands on her heart.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSw3Q0nt2SW
“Goodbye, my loves… May my blessing protect you.”
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWOgGyRDZr
She closed her eyes.
66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrRYFwtn6X
“I hope to see you soon… Brother.”
ns216.73.216.22da2
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.