Fate's Game [GL]

A melancholic song spread its wings, filling the air with its regularly¹, layered melody. Its highs and ups bubbling nostalgic feelings of the past.

It was Nuvole Bianche, the song Sasha played to Emilié before her birthday.

Following the song, should be the coming of a vivacious laced interval, yet a tinge of sorrow blended itself in, giving that part off in a turbid way.

The song was played by a young man in a dark blue blazer who sat on a black piano. His raven black hair bobbing up and down in tact.

His eyes closed, bathing in the notes and his pale white fingers fluttering on the keys freely like a butterfly, showcasing his accurate skills in an elegant way.

On each of his finger tips was a vertical streak glowing with a pinkish color, seemingly from a thin object, leaving a mark by heat friction of some sort.

In the past, such streaks were often seen on the surgeons who worked much with stitching equipment in the operation room; stitching up open wounds.

Those surgeons have similar vertical streaks on their dominant finger tips, left by the thin thread they used to stitch with, and the young man's fingers resembled those marks of such surgeons very much.

The only difference was that his pinkish streaks were much thinner, intenser and on every finger tip of his hands.

Those streaks made a very stark contrast on his pale skin and wasn't easy to overlook, but that was not the only blemish on his soft skin; there was an inch long scar under his left eye.

The scar gave the young man a rough edge to his refined features, dispelling any suggestive sign that might let him be confused with a woman; when in truth, he, she was one.

'Knock'

A knock sound disrupted Emilié from her tranced state. Then she abruptly stopped playing leaving a disharmonious sound linger.

"Can't stop playing that ol' thing?", asked her a deep voice from behind.

She didn't turn to know it was Emil who barged in, interrupting her piano session.

"Hmph," she snorted, how risible! "That coming from your mouth! Since when did you become so bitter to trash your own sentiments?", she said with raspy voice, her finger trailing the initials engraved on the piano.

J.Bathol- the name of the piano maker and the same custom made piano that Emil gifted Sasha.

There is a pair of two pianos with the same sophisticated design. Just one was in white and the other in black.

The white one being in Sasha's office in the Evans mansion and the other, the black one, was standing here in this room, in the summerhouse.

In the first year Emilié grew up here, she stumbled upon this room with the piano and noticed right off the bat the engravings, which led her to realize one huge thing; that both Sasha and Emil were lovers.

Sasha told her once in one of her music therapy sessions, that that piano was a gift from someone very special to him, and she did not overlooked the longing eyes he had that time.

Emilié did not read much into it at that time, but now, that she counted one and one together, she did not know how to work out this thought.

Her 'now' father, together with that man. It cleared of many doubts in her heart, but it let her contemplate on many things too.

Should she now pity Bethea?

For her man having cheated on her and deceived her, her whole live! And give her the right to cheat too, since Sasha was the first one to cheat on her!

But than, why did she have to suffer under Bethea's hand? Only because she reminded her of Emil? And why did Claudia... had to, to...

Again the image of her past father bubbles up, overlapping with that of Bethea. This image manifested in her brain and in this 12 years, she spent her thoughts over it so much, it began to fester.

Can it be that those two can only show their love for their offsprings, through hurt and destruction?

In the past, right after she made the connection of Emil and Sasha being lovers, she confronted Emil about it and squeezed out all the information Emil had, from the day their love blossomed, to Sera rescuing him from scheming hands, to the details of Claudia's death, don't holding back any information from her.

Sera was mad at Emil when she found out he told her.

How could he just spill out everything to a five year old child?!

She snapped, shouting and cursing at him if he had some screws loose, after being drifted apart from his other half for so long; beating the sh*t out of him.

Emil did not know what over came him, when he saw those ocean blue eyes clouded in blankness. Maybe he wanted to evoke some emotions in her at that moment.

But his excuse was that, Emilié wouldn't remember any of the things he said anyways.

What got him in for another round of beating with a shout, that even when a young child wouldn't remember, she would carry the feelings and emotions of that moment with her.

Emil half-heartedly let his slip off pass and Sera ignored him after that, only talking to him when its was an emergency and she had no other option.

She was too mad at Emil to have a conversation with him without enraging.

That person seriously cracked her cold facade to oblivion, allowing her true feelings to leak through, to the point that Jane had to calm her down every time, after the two held a conversation.

Hence, Sera and Jane slowly builded up a bond. Becoming something like best friends, ganging up on Emil at times.

The only neutral person, Aria, would pat his back and say, " Uncle Emil, you messed up. You should better buy them some flowers and chocolate, Mom told me every girl likes them and would forgett past mistakes. Try it."

And then he would run away, before his aunt or aunty Sera saw him, and he would have to experience the same treatment as Emil.

".." He fell so deep that even a greenhorn gave him advice!

Yet the thing that made him vexed the most was, that Emilié hasn't forgotten one thing he told her and kept this grudge on him like a married housewife keeping tabs on his husband's whereabout.

".." Seriously, what a big mistake he has done!

"Ouch! That hurts." he chuckled dryly, no humor taken there. "Ah, but I'm not here to bug you-

"Then for what did you come here for?" Emilié asked sharply, fully turning around, initiating eye contact, just like how Sera taught her.

Rule Nr.7, always hold eye contact. Eyes are the windows of one's souls telling you more than you might think. Never miss the opportunity to catch on to the others intentions, moods, or signs they may unawarely show in them.

And right now, Emil was leaning with one arm on the door frame brimming with leisurness, however his silver eyes and dark eyebrows edged in some distress, dispelling his brisk act in Emilié's eye.

"Are you really going to keep on taking those pills? You became eighteen last month, you are free to choose your own path. You don't have to play on this farce to hide anymore!" Emil's distress grew more and more looking at Emilié's boyish figure.

She had taken the hormone blockers for twelve years until coming of age. The age where she is legally seen as an a.d.u.l.t with the ability to make her own decisions.

Even older than her past self, who desperately wanted to become her own decision maker.

But Emilié did not stop taking the hormone blockers.

Fred, her personal doctor who administers her dosage use, told them both, that Emilié shouldn't continue taking them, if she wanted to get back a healthier body with no long lasting side effect.

Her body was trained under Sera's hand, yet her body looked frail and her skin a sickly pale with dark circles under her eyes.

It was as if the sun did not kiss her skin with any color.

"Im choosing, don't you see? I will keep taking them however long I want." Emilié mocked, giving Emil no face.

"Bu-, you know you have to take more pills with different medical properties, and they will add on your body, leaving side ef-!"

"Yeah, I know!" Emilié growled, disrupting him again. His fatherly nagging was getting to her head.

What right does he have to tell her off! She doesn't need his worry!

But as soon as the anger grew, she forcefully simmered them down, remembering the teachings drilled into her.

Rule Nr.5, be calm and never let your emotions take over your mind. Emotions will take actions and the follow-up can be unsalvageable nasty.

"I, I just..." He did not continue, knowing well he will only hit on a wall.

Emil shrugged in his arms to his body in defense, nothing of the leisurness visible anymore. He just wants the best for her, yet she always denies his care.

She won't listen, then dont listen!

When the day comes she hits on her own wall, he will be sure to stay next to her and catch her before she falls hard.

Emilié stood up leaving the room. When she passed by Emil she stopped for a short while.

"Are you really going there?" Emil murmured audible enough for Emilié.

"En", she affirmed and left, without giving him a glance.

🌷

1 regularly- stands here for the song being played regularly by Emilié. It has nothing to do with the description of the song.