Aina attempts to implore the aching sensation from her head to disappear as she sat in front of her half-sister, Leianna, who was brightly smiling as if she didn't have any problems in the world. And for the most perfect lady in the kingdom, perhaps Leianna really doesn't have any problems. Born to the most powerful family in the kingdom, Leianna had been given a diamond spoon the moment she came out of her mother's womb. From the start until she became a lady, the first daughter of the Evrian duchy was given everything a lady could ever want in her life. Glory, money, and power.
It was easy to feel inferior when facing such a woman. Perhaps, that is why, no matter how much power and beauty Leianna had, she had many other ladies, watching her, observing, as they waited for her downfall. Not to mention whenever Aina hides at parties and balls, she would always hear other noble ladies criticising her half-sister, calling her all sorts of profanities they would never be able to say in front of the lady herself.
"Ciana, how are you feeling today?" though no matter what those other ladies do, they will never match up to Leianna, future Crown Princess, Empress and daughter to Alixandre Evrian.
It was a miracle that Aina sat in front of her at Leianna's sacred rose garden which had been built especially for her by the Duke when she had been born, when hours before, Aina's body felt like they were about to break with just a simple step.
"Fine..." Aina was supposed to call Leianna at the end of her sentence using an honorific. But she didn't know what to call her.
My lady?
Your grace?
Your Highness?
None of those felt right.
Sister?
"You may call me however you like, Ciana" Leianna says, looking as if she instantly understood Aina's dilemma.
She couldn't possibly call someone older than her with just her name. "A-Alright" was all she could say but she knew it would be long before she could decide what she would call Leianna.
"I would like it if you call me sister, though" Aina freezes at Leianna's words. She looks up from her reflection on the dark tea on her cup and stares at Leianna with wide eyes.
"W-Why?" Aina felt at a loss for words.
Aina still remembers the first time she met Leianna. It was not like anything significant happened. Rather, she remembers the emotions of someone looking forward to having a sibling after being an only child for so long. Unlike how she is at the present, Aina was the hopeful one when she was a child. She was naive and was easily appeased back then. Not to mention every meal she shared with her 'new family' was so harmonious.
And they really tried their best, to include her at the beginning.
She just didn't fit.
They stopped trying.
And so did she.
"Ciana. You might not remember because you were so young back then. But when you had first gotten here, I was the first one to meet you besides our father" Leianna started, she had a serene smile on her face as she took a sip of tea.
Aina did not answer, but the confusion visible on her face was enough to let Leianna know that Aina does not remember meeting her at all. "It was a few days when you arrived. Father told us to give you space and enough time to adjust before formally meeting you, but I just couldn't wait. All I had in my mind was that I was excited to meet my new little sister" Leianna placed the teacup down, her eyes remained on Aina who wanted to look at anything other than her half-sister's powerful violet eyes.
"Why…are you telling me?" Aina finally finds her voice again.
Leianna smiles at her question and completely releases the cup from her fingers. She reaches and takes Aina's hands, holding them both as if Aina was something that she treasured and would never let go.
"Ciana…you might have forgotten my words the first time we met but it will never change. You are and always will be, the most precious youngest daughter of this house"
Aina had a lot of questions in her mind. Precious? Was she really? That adjective seemed better suited to describe Leianna, the first and the real daughter of the Duke. No matter how much she tried to recall a memory, Aina really couldn't remember. But what she didn't know was that a lot of her memories from when she was young, she had forced herself to forget due to the immense trauma she had suffered from.
"You don't have to remember, all you need to do is believe my words" Leianna didn't want her little sister remembering all the horrible memories she received from that man. In fact, Leianna was more than relieved upon finding out that most of Aina's memories from her childhood had been left forgotten.
Aina feels as if she was a stranger to her own skin, for how could she believe the words of one Leianna who once pretended that she never existed. In fact, Aina wonders what brought such behaviour for the woman. Leianna certainly never pretended to care for Aina, so why would she do this now?
It was so unlike her.
"Don't look so wary of me, Ciana. I truly am saying the truth"
"Why are you doing this now?" If the way she spoke was rude, Aina couldn't care less.
Leianna maintains the perfect smile on her lips. "Ciana, for the past eight years, I have done nothing but be someone that protects you from the shadows. You may not have been aware, but everytime that you have ever suffered from a nightmare or a fever, it has been told to me by the past family medics"
"Of course, I didn't allow myself to be near you, nor did our father and brothers. But I assure you, that everything we have ever done was to protect you" the smile leaves her face, and her expression becomes forlorn.
"It was what we thought was best. Ever since that incident…" Leianna's electric eyes suddenly turned to her and Aina flinched.
"...we didn't dare bother you. The previous medic had also told us to give you space, that you really needed to be left alone, and you refused to speak to us after what happened, as well, so we did think that maybe all you needed was a bit of space and time"
"I had always thought that I would be able to protect you from everything forever" the silver-haired lady shows a pained smile.
"My precious little sister, I am…really sorry" Aina takes a sharp breath when the corners of Leianna's eyes are full of unshed tears. She looked like had been hiding her feelings for a while, like her emotions were a full dam waiting to burst. And no matter how much Aina wanted to reject her apology, the sadness and guilt that filled Leianna's eyes dared to vanish all the hate she had harboured for their family for years.
Could she ever forgive them?
Is it possible? To ever feel anything for them that wasn't hate and disinterest?
"I couldn't bring myself to face you after what had happened. And none of my brothers could either. Father, especially, was blaming himself that you had suffered so much. We didn't know what to do. You were the youngest and the most treasured member of our family. Even though you entered this manor in a surprising way, all of us, from the moment we saw you, knew that you were going to be someone special to us all. It didn't even matter how you were conceived, you are Ciana, our light"
Aina feels her own tears coming. And Leianna had stood from where she sat, walked to her side, bent her knees and held her hands. It was the most intimate contact she had ever gotten from her so-called family. Leianna was looking into her eyes with so much warmth that Aina felt as if she was going to break.
No matter how much Aina wanted to believe her words, it felt like she would be forgetting everything she had suffered if she so easily forgave. Leianna seems to understand her silence because she smiles, and how wonderful it looked on her despite the tears running from her eyes.
"I know it wouldn't be easy to fix our relationship, but baby steps, like they always say, right? Do you trust me, at least on this, my little sister?" Leianna calls her 'little sister' so easily, and Aina wondered how she could do it so naturally, like she had always been calling her that her whole life.
Aina couldn't bring herself to talk without wracking to sobs so she just nodded, and wiped the unshed tears on her eyes with her sleeves like she was a little kid. And sitting in front of the kneeling woman, she really did feel as if she were eight years old again.
Leianna takes her handkerchief to wipe her own tears, like how a lady should do and smiles, and Aina never knew someone could ever smile so bright. "Thank you" she says though for what she was thanking for, Aina didn't know.
"Leianna"