Chapter 14: First Wife (2)
Arthur and Amelia stood beside each other, gazing at the night sky. The day had passed rather quickly.
A soft breeze drifted through the silence between them. Neither spoke for a while.
Then, Arthur turned to her, his expression unreadable yet burdened with something unspoken.
"Amy," he said, his voice calm yet weighty, "I’m planning on doing something very bad."
Amelia blinked, her body turning slightly to face him more directly.
"Bad?"
He nodded slowly. "To stay alive. That’s the bad thing I’m planning. This world... the people in it... some of them will want me dead. Some will see me as a threat. Some will hate me just for existing. Despite that, I want to keep living."
His hands clenched into soft fists at his sides.
"I’ll climb to the peak, to a place where no one can reach me, where no one can harm the people I care about. Even if it means becoming a villain in their stories."
Amelia stared, stunned and unsure of what to say. Her eyes trembled faintly.
Arthur’s voice softened. "But this journey... it’s going to be long, and dark, and filled with painful memories."
He turned to her. "I also know you have a crazy dream, right?" A soft smile played on his lips. "You want to see the world too, don’t you? You want to live? A life free from the chains of your family, politics, or duty. To simply be human."