Chapter 185- For You (Part 2)
"I know that Rin won't accept the idea of staying in one place. But, I want you to keep an eye on him. He really must not leave the bed at all costs. A soul core injury affects the body in more ways than we could fathom." Emilia said.
After that, she stood up, walked to the door, and said.
"Let me go fetch something." Then, she left the trio alone.
The silence in the room was quite awkward and gloomy. Each one of these women was talented, strong, and very capable. With one order from them, they could get whatever they wished for. Yet, all they cared about at the moment was the young man sleeping on the bed.
"Now, miss Assassin... Care to explain how Rin ended up this injured?" Aria turned around and stared at Elise seriously.
"It's..." The one that tried to answer was Elise.
However, Evelyn put her hand in front of her as a signal for her to stop.
"It's my fault... I didn't assess the situation right and it ended up backfiring on Rin. I shall take responsibility for it." She added.
"Oh, great! The great Assassin is taking responsibility for almost killing my brother. How generous of you!" Aria said in a cold, hostile tone.
The anger in her eyes as she stared at Evelyn was palpable.
"Can I at least recount what happened before you hurl your insults at me?"
After that, Evelyn went ahead and told Aria what happened exactly. From the moment they left till they reached the city and everything that occurred after that.
Throughout all of that, Aria's expression changed and contorted more and more. The shock in her eyes when she realized that Rin had most likely faced a demon, a swarm of enemies and two hypnotized people alone made her heart feel as if it was tearing apart.
When the story was over, Aria touched her face.
"He harmed himself, trying to save both of you?" She asked.
"I have no idea what exactly..." Evelyn was about to reply but Elise cut her off.
"Yes, he did..."
"Huh? How did you even kn-"
"I know him better than anyone. Rin wasn't the type of person to harm himself merely to win a fight. But, if someone he cared for is involved, then he turns into a reckless idiot." Elise said as a flash of warmth appeared in her eyes.
As much as she criticizes Rin's character in such cases, she could only smile to herself when she remembers those traits of his.
"I see... In the end, because of this stupid mission, Rin could've lost his life. Now, he is paying the cost for that. If he just listened to me... It's all your fault!" Glaring at Evelyn, Aria clenched her teeth tightly.
"I don't even know why Rin would trust a filthy assassin like you. I don't know what you want from him or if you got what you came for. Are you satisfied now? Huh?!"
If it wasn't for the fact that they were inside Emilia's office and Rin was resting beside them, Aria would've done things that she wouldn't even approve of. Her anger and hatred toward Evelyn were rising at a very high speed.
In reality, Aria knew that blaming Evelyn for all of this is immature. But, at the moment, Aria wanted a target to put all of her frustration on.
Turning around, she walked to the bed and sat beside it. Then, she put her hand on Rin's face, caressing it slowly.
"Idiot... you are a big, huge, reckless idiot..." She murmured.
"But, please, don't kill yourself, Rin... I won't be able to live a second longer without you... Please understand..." Tears welled up on Aria's face.
No matter how many times she hears Rin's reasons for doing these dangerous things, she won't completely understand them. In her eyes, Rin's life is more valuable than strength, fame, and riches. Hell, it's even more important to her than her own life.
Ironically, Aria didn't realize that her thoughts were a carbon copy of Rin's. Both of them value the lives of people they cared for more than their own lives.
"I"m going for now..." Evelyn whispered as she quickly left the room.
Elise, on the other hand, didn't say anything and merely rested her back on the wall. Even though worry was still eating away from her heart, she kept her composure and didn't express a stronger reaction.
'If I didn't leave him to do whatever he wanted...' She clenched her teeth slightly.
Had she stopped him from doing this mission?... Had she told him to focus on other things instead? None of this would've happened.
Added on top of that was the fact that when she got hypnotized, she most likely tried to harm Rin with her own hands. There is nothing worse for Elise than to end up killing the only person she cares for in this world.
Time passed silently as neither Elise nor Aria said a word. They merely sat there, waiting for Emilia to come back.
"You know, your Highness..." Aria then spoke out of nowhere.
"Hm?"
"Rin cares for you more than anything else."
"..."
"I've even heard him a few times dream about you. Hahaha!" Chuckling sadly, Aria looked down and stayed silent.
"I know..."
"Good, it would've been troublesome if Rin was giving you everything and you were oblivious to it."
"..."
Staying silent for a long while, Elise thought about Aria's words.
"I think I'm not worth all of that."
Hearing that, Aria's hand that was caressing Rin's hand stopped. Then, she turned around.
"Why do you think so, your Highness?"
"The only thing I do is inflict pain on him. He always gives me but I never give back. What worth do I have in his life if I'm bound to hurt everyone around me?" She asked in a slightly agitated tone.
Elise wasn't intending to say anything of that sort. However, for some reason, her mind refused to stop. Aria's words had hit a place in Elise's heart that she never wanted to touch.
"Even now, I had insisted on going with him on the mission. But, I ended up making him self-destruct."
"... I see." Murmuring to herself, Aria stood up and walked toward her.
Then, in a sudden and shocking outcome, she hugged her tightly. Elise's eyes widened slightly as she stared at Aria silently. She never expected that she would get hugged out of nowhere.
"Even though I might be jealous of how much Rin cares about you. But, I also know that no matter what I do, your place in his heart will never be replaced. I don't think Rin would put this much effort into someone who isn't worth it and I'm also sure he had told you this before, didn't he?"
Indeed, Elise does remember that Rin had told her this before. He even made sure to remind her of this more than once.
"He did..."
"Fufuf! Rin is Rin after all. He never stops his recklessness. So, if you want to truly make him feel that he's doing the right thing, just accept it and care for him as much as he does for you. I'm sure that's all he wants."
"I will..."
After patting on her back once, Aria pulled back and then said.
"So, can I ask you a question, your highness? Do you... have feelings for Rin?"
"... Feelings?" Elise tilted her head confusedly.
"I meant... do you see him as a person of the opposite sex?" She asked.
"Isn't he?" Elise asked with even more confusion written on her face.
The reason Aria changed the topic to this light-hearted one even though the situation was extremely serious was that she wanted to try and lessen her worry. Rin was bound to wake up and when he does, Aria didn't want him to see her in a gloomy and sad mood. The other reason is to stop Elise from overthinking and reaching conclusions on her own.
"Sigh, I meant, are you in love with Rin?"
"Huh... What-"
Before Elise could even say anything, the door of the room opened and Emilia came inside holding a flask with a golden liquid inside of it.
"Miss Emilia!"
"I had to search for a while but I finally found it. A soul core strengthening potion. It can be a good way to strengthen the core but it can also heal core injuries."
After sitting down, Emilia started unbuttoning Rin's clothes.
"Miss Emilia?!" Aria panicked slightly when she saw her doing that.
"Relax, this potion can't be consumed normally. I need to directly use it on the place where his core is."
After pulling his shirt up, Rin's chest was revealed for everyone to see. His extremely toned muscles and the defined features of his torso were something to marvel at.
"Now, let's start."
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