Kaiden stood there quietly, watching her cry, watching her hands tremble around his feet. The silence dragged on for a bit.
Then finally, his voice came out low and calm.
"It's okay," he said slowly. "I know you had no idea what they were going to do to me."
For a second, it felt like the whole world stopped moving.
Maraya's eyes widened, her tears freezing midstream. Relief washed over her face like sunlight after a storm. She lifted her head quickly, hoping maybe—just maybe—he still saw her as family.
But then his next words hit her like a blade.
"But after what they did to me," he said quietly, "you kept quiet."
Her smile vanished instantly.
"You could've gone to Father," he continued, his tone colder now. "You could've told him what happened. But no… you decided to keep quiet."
"I-I was going to tell him!" she stammered, her voice shaking as she clutched her gown tighter. "I just— I didn't know what to do!"
Kaiden took a step forward.
He crouched down slowly until his eyes were level with hers. His shadow fell over her trembling figure as he stared into her wet, bloodshot eyes. Then, without a word, he reached forward and brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
For a moment, his touch was gentle. Too gentle.
"But you never told him," he whispered, his voice flat and empty. "You were afraid."
She froze.
"You were afraid of the consequences… afraid of the complications it would cause. You'd rather let me rot in the woods," he continued, his words like shards of ice, "than let the king know the truth. You'd rather let the beasts feed on my corpse than risk getting yourself in trouble."
Her lips trembled, and fresh tears slid down her cheeks. She covered her mouth with both hands and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I know I messed up. I really did."
Kaiden didn't look angry.
He smiled instead.
It wasn't a warm or forgiving smile—it was sharp, twisted, cold. The kind of smile that didn't belong on his face. The kind of smile that made her heart stop for a second.
She stared at him, terrified. In all her years of watching him grow up, seeing him laugh, cry, and joke around, she had never seen this look before.
This wasn't her brother anymore.
This was something else.
"'Messed up?'" he repeated softly, tilting his head slightly. "That's what you call it?"
She blinked through her tears, but she couldn't find any words.
"You left your little brother to die in the woods," he said slowly, the grin still on his face. "To bleed out helplessly while you ran home like nothing happened. You know what could have happened after? He drowned in his own blood. His body was ripped apart and used to feed the animals. And you have the nerve to call that a mess up?"
Maraya's breath hitched. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, like she couldn't breathe.
Her lips parted, but nothing came out. She had no excuse—no defense. Just silence and shame.
Kaiden leaned closer, eyes narrowing. His voice dropped even lower, almost a whisper now, but sharper than any shout.
"You can't even reply, huh?"
He straightened up suddenly, his voice rising, his tone edged with disgust.
"Siblings are supposed to look out for each other!" he snapped. "They're supposed to protect one another! I was the youngest. The weakest. You were supposed to protect me!"
His voice echoed through the hall, raw and sharp, and Maraya flinched with every word.
"But instead," he said through gritted teeth, "you all plotted to kill your own brother. Because of what… jealousy?!"
She shook her head violently, sobbing harder now. "No—Kaiden, I—"
He laughed.
It wasn't a happy laugh. It was the kind of laugh that didn't sound human anymore. Cold and broken.
"Ahahahahaha…"
Even the sound of it made her skin crawl.
When the laughter finally faded, he looked down at her again. The smile was gone.
His voice came out quiet but heavy, like a death sentence.
"None of you deserve forgiveness."
And just like that, the air in the hall way turned heavy—too heavy to breathe.
Maraya froze completely. She could feel it—the finality in his tone. Whatever was left of her brother's warmth was gone now, swallowed up by something darker.
Kaiden stood up, looking down at her one last time before turning away.
She stayed there on her knees, crying softly, realizing that the boy she once knew was gone forever.