Seeing her expression, Hugo humbled himself once again, trying to excuse himself and give Emilia space to breathe.
"It would be better for me to give you some time to collect yourself," he began, standing up from his seat and trying to go to the door.
"Before you go," Emilia stopped him in his tracks. "I have a question."
Hugo nodded, completely attentive to her words.
"What happened to everyone after that day? And… what will happen to me and Ace from now on?" Emilia asked, her composed eyes being more chilling than a killer's gaze.
"Miss Argos was admitted into a hospital and recovered shortly after. I don't doubt that the events of that day have been haunting her ever since. Miss Windsor has joined the search for both of you with fervor. And young Wellberg's body was cremated."
Emilia held her head down as she absorbed the information. "I see…"
"On the matter of what will happen to you, I can only say that from now on you are considered fugitives. You not only committed murder, but you also injured a successor of the Argos Family. You are outlaws of society and I'm afraid that the best I can do for you is to provide shelter and support out of curious eyes."
'As expected, there really is no turning back,' Emilia felt something inside her shatter.
Hugo watched the sullen atmosphere that surrounded Emilia with worried yet restrained eyes. "As I've previously said, I won't ask for your forgiveness, nor do I expect it. All I can say is for you to hold on and try not to lose yourself."
"Thank you, but you don't need to worry. I've already resolved myself," Emilia raised her head towards Hugo, her eyes carrying a frightening strength within.
'Such eyes at such a young age…' Hugo pondered, feeling guilt grip his heart but not allowing himself to waver.
"Well then," Hugo extended his hand, offering a handshake.
Emilia took it, Hugo being able to feel all the weight that small hand was burdened with.
"Have a nice day, young lady. I wish you good luck on this new path you're undertaking," Hugo ended his sentence as he crossed the door.
"I thank you, sir," Emilia stated with an unsettling yet worrisome smile, grounded and unshakeable that Hugo noticed it as the door closed behind him.
With the door finally closed, Emilia walked away from the entrance in direction of Ace's room.
When she arrived, Emilia sat down beside him, hearing the beeping sounds of the machines that monitored his condition in total silence.
---
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At the very base of the mountain that had become Ace's and Emilia's refuge, with the golden rays of the setting sun showering the sky, Hugo escaped the canopy of the woods, finding Isabella waiting for him.
"I thought you had stopped smoking," Hugo said as Isabella exhaled the smoke from her cigarette.
"And who do you think is to blame for it?" calmly retorted Isabella as she put out her cigarette and threw it in the trash bin.
"Apologies. Thank you for putting up with me. You are the only one I can truly trust after all."
Isabella clicked her tongue.
"Stop it with the compliments. I'll never ever forgive you for letting things end like this," Isabella glared at Hugo with seething rage.
"You truly are an exemplary educator. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for me," Hugo stared back at the mountain with a melancholic gaze.
"This world isn't as forgiving and gentle as we'd wish it to be. And no matter how much we try to change fate, there are simply some things we can't escape even after running to the ends of the world. I will accept the responsibility that comes with all of my decisions, even if that entails giving up my head as an offering."
"You really have gone senile to be saying that so lightly," Isabella gazed at him with contempt.
"Who knows. Maybe I did," Hugo started walking with his held down, followed by Isabella.
As they walked, Hugo continued to ramble about with Isabella listening intently word for word.
"I've spent the last 50 years chasing after one thing alone, doing what I can and amassing the necessary resources to capture it. In the end, I'm just like that young lady. Maybe I'm simply trying to achieve my own revenge by calling onto a power I cannot even begin to fathom."
"Revenge, huh? Don't make me laugh," Isabella scoffed annoyingly at Hugo's words. "That's just a pretense. You talked to her, but you didn't tell her everything."
Isabella stopped midway, making Hugo also halt to glance back at her.
"I'm sure of it. You never tell anyone everything. You just pull the strings and keep everything to yourself."
"You are correct," Hugo turned his head forward, hiding his expression and emotions from Isabella. "I suppose you've started to understand how I work after observing me for the past 15 years."
"That girl," Isabella had a regretful and pained expression sprawled out on her face. "She won't be okay."
Hugo simply continued to walk forward without ever looking back. Isabella, looking at his back walking away, could only follow while gritting her teeth.
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Meanwhile back at the residence, Emilia was staring at Ace's face with a blank expression for a long time while her mind became a bundle of thoughts that replayed all the recent events and revelations, making her come to a single thread of introspection.
'At the point I'm at, without anything else to lose, I'm wondering if it really was the right choice after all. I killed someone I considered a friend. I hurt my best friend to avoid dragging her down with me. I betrayed the kindness, warmth and life that my sister gave me.'
Tears started running down her face though her expression remained blank.
'Revenge. I've thrown everything away for revenge. And the only thing remaining from all of that is you.'
Emilia straddled Ace's body sitting on top of him, and without even realizing it herself, she grabbed his neck with both hands.
'You. It's all because of you. If you weren't there, I would… I would…'
Emilia's hands trembled with her sobbing and sorrowful expression letting tears fall on Ace's face.
'It's no good. I can't do it. Maybe…'
In the end, she simply gripped his cloth, pressing her head against his chest and letting out all the pain she had kept inside of her heart in a stream of tears.
'Maybe I really should have just let you kill me that day.'