When the Villains Unite - Chapter 16; Part 4

“So, all you had to do was sit there and listen to me! I’m… here to… talk….”

“….”

“I think you’re misunderstanding….”

Damian is raging, and I feel like he is about to storm out of the room at any moment. I try to force my voice out through my sobs, but my words are choked with sorrow.

Through my teary eyes, I see Damian’s hand twitching. He couldn’t bring himself to reach out to me.

“Regardless of the Count’s death, I feel like I’ve been a burden to you and Bellamy. So now… hmph…. Don’t do that…. But you left first, so…. I don’t care what happens… Don’t…”

“…. How can it now matter? That day… I was-”

“Were you disappointed in me when I stabbed the Count?”

“…”

“I’m not as altruistic as you think I am, Damian. I care more about what you and Bellamy hid from me that day than what you did to the count. I thought those lies forced me to live in a fantasy, completely detached from reality.”

I regained my composure at Damian’s falling moment, but I couldn’t help but sob between words.

“That day, after I saw what you were dealing with when you captured the Count. After you trapped me in that fantasy, I felt so selfish and stupid for letting it happen.”

I looked at Damian, who was listening to me with a blank expression, and continued. A small vortex suddenly formed in the center of his office.

It was a familiar scene, but Damian kept staring at me, frozen in place, as if the change in air didn’t bother him. When it dissipated, Bellamy’s navy-blue hair whipped around in the breeze. It was only a matter of time before Damian’s body jerked backward in the air as his eyes met mine, a mess of tears.

“You’re no better than an animal.”

“… Damian!”

I called out to him at Bellamy’s alarming behavior, but Bellamy was unperturbed. He strode straight to me, using his strength to pull the ragged hem of my skirt down. Before I could stop him, Bellamy’s hands were wet with blood as he gripped the dress. When my gaze traveled to his face, I knew I shouldn’t make any moves.

“Rose.”

“… Yes?”

“Go home.”

Bellamy removed his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders. It was an order.

Meanwhile, Damian was sprawled out on the floor with his head down, tears streaming down his face. His face was covered in blood from the punches he inflicted on himself. It was clear that his tears were not from Bellamy’s strike on him.

“Don’t do anything you’ll regret…”

“Brother, I’m not ye-”

Bellamy gently squeezed my shoulder before I could finish. Despite his cautious behavior, his expression looked as if he was about to kill someone. Even though I knew it would be Damian, I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth again.

“I think it’s time for me to intervene.”

“…”

“I’ll be right behind you, so just stay quiet.”

He gestured for me to follow him to my room in the mansion.

Is it okay for me to leave like this?

I didn’t know what Bellamy would do to Damian in my absence. I doubt it would be much different from the way he attacked Damian when he first showed up. At least they are brothers, so I don’t think he will kill him.

I knew in my head that what Damian did to me was wrong, but it bothered me that he punished himself for it. If he listened to me, he wouldn’t feel so guilty. Seeing Bellamy’s face, I was even more worried.

I’m at the manor now. Isn’t there anything I can do? I already made a mess of things even after assuring him I would take care of it. He said he would be right back, so I’ll just have to trust him.

* * *

An eerie silence filled the office of the Head of the Imperial Knights on the fourth floor of the Imperial Palace.

Bellamy slowly looked around the mess in the office. The carpet was covered with strong vodka and broken bottles. The desk and bookcase were out of order by the events that happened. When he finally concluded it was the undeniable sign of an affair, he strode toward Damian who lay slumped against the doorway.

With every step Bellamy took, Damian felt the sharp ripples of magic. He remained still, staring at the ground, with no intention of rebelling. The old, red carpet was soaked with different types of liquids.

“I don’t need any excuses.”

“…”

Damian wished Bellamy would leave him for dead. He knew that atonement was not something he could do unless Rose gave him permission. He also knew that Bellamy wouldn’t punish him or he would never be able to stand before Rose again.

Damian despised himself for wanting to remain by her side even after hurting her. The tears he shed at the thought of her now felt like an abomination, and he had long since stopped crying.

Bellamy looked down at him, expressionless and silent. It was the first time since their childhood that he had seen Damian cry. He felt no pity for him, though. If Damian’s didn’t come to his senses then, he would have killed him, even if they were brothers.

Alas, Bellamy couldn’t erase the memory of Rose leaning on him and longing for him, even when he was gone for a brief moment. Now that he knew it was something Rose did to warn him, he knew that the woman with the warmest heart of all would struggle with Damian’s absence.

Damian stood straight before the emotionless Bellamy. The few seconds of silence were tense, like a blade no one dared to break. The silence was broken by the sound of a heavy blow. Damian felt the full force of Bellamy’s punch, but he didn’t fall. Even if his posture slipped, he straightened up and endured the pain.

The horrific blows continued, stopping only when Damian collapsed and was unable to get back up.

“Kugh….”

The final blow from Bellamy left Damian a mangled mess, spitting blood from his mouth.

Glaring down at him, Bellamy wiped the blood from his hands with a handkerchief. He cleaned up the rest of the room from the mess his brother had inflicted on Rose.

Damian lazily blinked, trying to focus through his blurry vision.

“Don’t be under any illusions that this is the end of it.”

“…”

“Today, you let go of the reins she had on you.”

Damian’s lips remained in a straight line as he continued to bleed; he didn’t need to be reminded of the situation he was in now.

“So, if you want her to hold your leash again, you’ll have to beg.”

“…”

“I will abide by her decision.”

Bellamy’s last words were a warning. The moment Rose decided to abandon him, Bellamy would do the same.

Bellamy used his teleportation magic and disappeared. Damian silently stared at the spot where Damian left, his words ringing through his ears.

“Ha, ha, ha….”

Damian began to chuckle at his own stupidity.

From the beginning, his brother had handed Rose the choice. He didn’t know why he didn’t realize it was his own arrogance that allowed him to have hope of keeping her in his arms, especially when she was already so in love she couldn’t escape.

He pushed his tattered body to his feet. He could feel Bellamy’s magic twisting his inside, but he wouldn’t lie down. It was time to think about what to do next.

* * *

I stepped into the tub and bathed before Bellamy arrived. I chose to wash rather than wait for him, fearing that if I showed him the mess from the palace earlier, he might hunt Damian again. I felt a tingling sensation in my vagina and realized it was probably a cut. I was lucky that blood couldn’t be seen with the naked eye.

When I was done, I thought about applying a face mask, so I put my face back into the tub. I blew air under the water and watched it bubble absentmindedly, thinking about what to do next.

I tried telling Damian that it was a misunderstanding, but that conversation went downhill. Bellamy barged in and ordered me to stay at the mansion. I panicked at the sudden change in events and was unable to think straight. In short, it went from bad to worse….

As Damian said, is this really the end?

I had nothing left in this world but the Orca brothers. The thought of Damian being taken away from me made me feel hollow and empty. It would only be Bellamy and I in this spacious house…

Kofi