Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 591: Troubles Abound ()
"Elle... Elle..." Dante gently called for Estelle’s attention, his brows furrowed in concern.
They had just returned to the Scabbard Tower and Estelle had dismounted and now stood by a pillar, awaiting Dante.
However, now that Dante had shifted, it turned out Estelle’s mind was not even present at all.
There was a faraway look in Estelle’s eyes and it took Dante a few calls to draw Estelle’s attention back to reality.
"Hmm?" Estelle asked, shaking her head slightly as she focused her gaze on Dante’s worried eyes.
Dante could tell Estelle was truly shaken by the unexpected demise of the little girl and he was not certain what he could say to make her feel better.
"Are you alright?" Dante asked carefully, studying Estelle’s reaction.
Estelle smiled slightly, a smile that was so obviously forced that even one who did not know her as well as Dante did would be able to tell, that her smile was the farthest thing from genuine.
And then, Estelle nodded her head, as though to provide an added layer of assurance, which was not quite successful
"You have never been very good at lying, Elle." Dante reminded Estelle.
Estelle’s smile dropped and she exhaled shakily,
Turning around, she grasped the railing of the landing platform and leaned over, in hopes to hide the conflicting emotions reflected in her eyes.
"That child... she died, Dante. She just died... just like that..." Estelle said quietly.
"She did." Dante confirmed in a calm, collected tone.
Estelle grunted beneath her breath, an unwarranted anger surging through her veins, as her emotions churned violently.
"Don’t do that, Dante...do not act like this is just another day on the job. Do not act like there is nothing more to it but a new statistic to take a record of..."
"Do not brush it off so easily and carry on with your day like you always do. That was a child...a living child, not some dust on your outer robe to brush off. Do not be so nonchalant to act as though it is all okay, nothing about this is okay...none of this is okay..." Estelle whispered in displeasure.
Dante’s brows furrowed slightly, taken aback at how he was now the one at fault.
"I see you are agitated and will need some time to cool off. Will you rather I stay or leave?" Dante asked Estelle after a moment of silence.
Estelle scoffed in disbelief at Dante’s question, whirling around to face him.
"I would rather you do not ignore my words and provide me a direct answer." Estelle said instead.
"You asked no questions, Elle. Only made accusations, to which I am not certain my denial will count for much given your emotional state." Dante replied objectively. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
"My emotional state..." Estelle murmured to herself, her frown deepening.
"There you go again, thinking about everything like it is a mission to be objective about..." Estelle said with a shake of her head.
"You wish for me to break down and wail? Or would you rather I had withheld the confirmation of death from the couple only to have it broken to them by another examiner? If I do not do all this, then I am unconcerned and unaffected by the death?" Dante asked, his tone still calm.
Estelle was quiet, she also knew she was being unreasonable to an extent, but she could not help it when she was so shaken and Dante seemed perfectly fine.
"I just... I cannot tell how you truly feel most of the time. I do not know if I have grown blind... I could read you so well when we were much younger, but now, I struggle..."
"Is it truly that you are so calm and collected about everything? Were you always so guarded and controlled? When did it become such a grave crime to allow your emotions free reign in worthy situations...or are the emotions just...not there?" Estelle asked Dante, one question after the other.
"Is this about the child? Is this about us? Or both?" Dante asked Estelle for clarity.
"I... I do not know." Estelle murmured.
It had been over a year, in many ways, Estelle had gained reassurances, yet in equally as many ways, uncertainties grew with the passing day, fed by her inability to read Dante as well as she would have liked to.
What questions did Estelle truly want answers to? Estelle herself was not certain.
"I have seen death, Elle. Too much of it, and the one thing I have learnt is that death is a finality. The child is a victim of the terrible situation that has hit Fort Scabbard... the child will be an everlasting symbol of our failure as protectors of this fortress."
"What are my tears worth? Am I worthy to mourn at this time? There are hundreds more afflicted with the contagion, hundreds of lives hanging on the balance..."
"The contagion is fatal at the complete manifestation of the third symptom, the contagion is even more malicious to the young than the aged, in barely a few days, hundreds might die...all of these lives are the responsibility of the Scabbard dragons...my responsibility as heir."
"Even if the world is falling apart, this must be reported accordingly for measures to be taken... I would save everyone, if I could...if it were an enemy I could battle, it would be defeated."
"This is new for you, as it is for me..." Dante trailed off as Estelle’s expression changed.
"And I also am still new for you?" Estelle asked knowingly.
"What is that to mean?" Dante asked directly.
"I have the title as your rider and all the accolades that come with it...but you give me nothing more Dante. Even now, you withhold from me what I truly desire..."
"You withhold yourself from me... your heart." Estelle let the words slip for the first time, though she had pondered them a thousand times.
"As troubles abound, we grow more distant. I am not blind to it but you gave me your word, that you would wait for me...do you tire of it?" Dante asked.
Estelle’s eyes widened slightly and she quickly shook her head.
"I will not dishonor you, Elle... I will not dishonor you with a heart that is clouded in shadows... this is a vow I must keep and I hate myself everyday, that to keep my vow, I must hurt you... I hate that to truly have you, I must cause you pain."
Estelle tried to speak but Dante had already taken his leave and he did not look back.





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