“Go ahead,” Isla replied. She was still thinking about her own feelings and this new experience that she didn’t think twice or notice the sudden change in Arthur’s expression.
“I have been thinking about this for a while, and I might sound selfish, but please bear with me.” He said.
“…” His tone made Isla snap out of her daze and look down at him, sensing the rather odd atmosphere of the entire conversation that shifted quickly. “What is it? Tell me.”
“In reality, uh, how should I put this?… We have known each other for almost a month now. I’m glad I met you since it truly changed everything about my life.” He said as he clasped his hands together and bent forward. “However, I recently realized that apart from your name, and some bits and pieces of information scattered in the media, I really know nothing about you.”
“…”
“What I want to say is. I haven’t gotten to know you or the others well enough till this point. We are good friends and I know this is just a secondary thing. But, it just dawned on me that I’m unaware of most things related to you guys.” He said. Arthur knew that he was actively prying into Isla’s business at that moment and he was not someone who usually does that.
However, even when he was trying to ignore what Lamenter said, he still could not forget what that bastard said. It just sounded off in his head and it felt even more bitter when he realized that Isla’s enemy knew more about her than Arthur did. He felt completely distanced from the group even though he was a part of it.
Isla listened to all of that silently as she looked at Arthur. She tried to read his thoughts through his eyes and all she could see was conflicting ideas. Something didn’t seem right.
A few seconds later, she spoke. “Did Lamenter tell you something?”
Recalling the battle, Isla saw that the two stopped multiple times to talk and she knew that Lamenter wasn’t going to just let Arthur go without planting some kind of idea in his head.
“No… He just said some stupid nonsense and I don’t really care about that. Still, I would be lying if I said he didn’t fuel the idea.” Arthur said.
“Hmm…”
‘I’m glad he didn’t let that get to his head. Lamenter’s entire goal is to make Arthur turn against me.’ Isla mused.
“What do you want to know then?” She asked.
“I mean… Anything is fine. As long as I get to know you better.” Arthur shrugged. “Like your childhood for example.” He specified.
“Childhood?” Isla frowned subtly before she exhaled and looked away. “Well, my childhood isn’t really as impressive as you might think. It was relatively peaceful for what it’s worth. Due to my father’s job, we had to move around a lot and so I couldn’t stay at one single school for long periods of time. But, due to our family, I was able to study in the most prestigious schools in the world.”
“…” Arthur adjusted his position and listened to Isla quietly.
“I couldn’t really make any friends because of it and even when I tried to make friends, they all either tried to simply please me due to my family or they simply tried to use me for their gains. I quickly realized that it was impossible to have genuine relationships when I was a part of the Goldsmith family. I struggled with that idea for a while. I was isolated for a good chunk of my time there and I was also isolated at home. If I’m not being trained to become the perfect heir of the family then I’m just sitting in my room alone.”
“… That’s cruel,” Arthur muttered as he looked at Isla. He already expected her childhood to be hard due to her position, but to think that she didn’t even get the opportunity to make friends when she was a small child wasn’t particularly pleasant to hear.
“Yeah, before meeting the others, it was a very interesting period of my life. I tried to spend time reading, learning, and discovering things I could never do myself. But well… It was never really a good time. It never was.” Isla looked down for a moment as she closed her eyes. Her head was in turmoil for a moment before she calmed down. “The rest of my childhood is probably something you’re already aware of, it’s public information.”
“… Yeah.”
‘Her childhood was really hard… Why did that bastard want me to ask her about it? Does he think it’s Isla’s fault she was treated this way?’ Arthur frowned. From everything he heard, Isla was clearly the victim of her own success and status and she couldn’t do anything about it. How can Arthur be angry about it? But, still, for the sake of the conversation, he didn’t stop there.
“Why did your family treat you this way? You were a child and you deserved to have some free time to play.” Arthur asked.
empire
“It’s because…” Then, for a split second, Arthur saw Isla’s eyes flash with a weird glint as if she suddenly remembered something. Then, she looked up at Arthur with wide eyes. “It’s nothing. They are that way and there is no explanation for it.”
“Isla? Are you ok?” Arthur asked worriedly. He had never seen Isla like this before. The sudden shift in her mood was horrifying. Staring into her eyes, all he could see was chaos. The usually organized and calm Isla looked like she was having an internal battle.
“It’s fine. I don’t think we should continue this conversation any further. As for what Lamenter said, don’t concern yourself with it. He just wants you to turn against us.”
“…” Arthur was completely stunned.
“I’m going to leave now.” Isla stood up. “I hope that satisfied your curiosity. One last thing, I would appreciate it if we don’t talk about this again. Thank you.” And then walked away quickly, disappearing somewhere. Arthur sat there, staring at the same spot where she was standing.
He didn’t know what to think of it at all. The way Isla’s attitude changed completely confused him. Especially what she said at last.
‘Why did she say that? Did I pass my boundaries?’ Arthur asked himself as he blinked. This was the first time Isla had spoken to him that way. It wasn’t the usual Isla at all.
“…” Arthur looked down. The words Lamenter said repeated in his head again and again, far more prominent than ever.
‘Ask her about her past and see what she says…’ He muttered. ‘She only tells people she trusts about her past. I’m also trustworthy, am I not? Surely it’s not that… I’m sure…’
“… Who am I even kidding?” Arthur muttered as he rubbed his face. ‘Why is this making me feel bitter? It’s not my right to ask more than I should know. I mean, in the end, it was just one month, not a year or longer. It makes sense I’m not trusted enough with these kinds of secrets.’
Even as Arthur was telling himself that, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling more and more disappointed. He was afraid to admit that Lamenter might’ve been right. Isla still didn’t trust Arthur as much as the others. He thought he already reached that level, but it wasn’t the case after all.
Arthur’s limits were far shorter than he expected.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3