Tinge Of Sympathy

His exquisite brows furrowed once again. Is this girl playing with him? She just said the medicine was with her and now she's telling him that it was not with her?

"There are other places. Is what I mean. And no those places are not literaly a place where people go to. But somewhere else, somewhere no one would have ever thought."

She then leisurely crossed her legs and looked at him with a smug and arrogant face, "So, will you accept my offer?"

This was never her plan. Despite knowing that they are going to fulfill a promise with the Wright family, she never thought of using it for marriage. But without fully knowing it, both of them interacted and her curiosity was piqued.

He willingly gave her his real number and even spoke with her despite all her questions. Then the security of the database. If she was not known as Pianist, surely she wouldn't have been able to enter it.

She became more and more interested to the student council president of Computer Science Department. And now that she found out, that he was actually a family of whom the promise was made, the marriage proposal suddenly came to her.

'An interesting person with a tremendous background, hitting two birds with one stone,' she added in her head. She was still after all a curious person.

She had checked them, the Wright family. She knew of the children of her age and close to her age. That is why she had an idea of who he truly is in the Wright family.

He is known as the 'Shield' of their family's security part. He had created so many defenses and security enhancement for their softwares. At the age of 12 he was acknowledged by the current Master of the Wright Empire, which is his grandfather.

Someone who has the same job as her, surely she would be interested. Plus she heard how formidable Shield was in the programming circle.

"Before anything else, why would they have a three year time? They could have asked for their condition back then," as she was lost in thought, Ashton once again asked this question.

"Your sister was five back then and the sickness have just started, she'll be fine even if she waits for three years," she replied, with seriousness in it.

*BANG*

Split second after she finished her sentence the center table was split into two by his punch, "She'll be fine?"

His eyes have finally showed anger, it was cold and distant a while ago but this time it was really filled with anger. Even after he pushed her down, it didn't reach the anger he's showing now.

"Do you know how much in pain she was for the past three years? A five year old kid had been enduring tremendous pain not even adults could handle, and you tell me its fine for her to wait for three years?"

Despite him roaring at her, she didn't even flinch and just glanced at the broken center table.

"Too bad I really like this table of yours, it's unique on its own," she even uttered as if an angry lion was not staring at her wanting to gobble her up.

The next second, she felt his cold hand in her neck ready to break it. She looked up and met his blazing gaze. His black eyes that looks like a warm hole hiding so much viciousness.

"Stop kidding with me now," he gritted his teeth as he stare down at her.

She could feel his hand tightening but she didn't even flinch. Her airway slowly tightened and she could barely breath but she still met his eyes like she was not on the brink of dying from his own hands.

Well she was also sure that he will not kill her, the medicine is with her after all.

"Pain? Physical pain is much more bearable than psychological one. Why do you think would they save her instantly when their very own daughter would suddenly lose her breath just by the sight of a syringe?"

Her eyes flickered, she's speaking with difficulty but she didn't care and she just continued, "Your sister had suffered for three years, but back then their daughter suffered for 10 years. And the last year was her worst, she felt like she was continuously tortured, her bones was crashed and her insides were burnt, then it would heal before repeating the process."

His hand slowly let her go as he looked at her, clearly shocked by her monologue. She touched her delicate neck and guessing by his grip it would surely bruise, she smiled bitterly and looked at him.

"The pain was tremendous that even the pain you just inflicted was like a feather's touch to her. Do you see now? Whose parents would sacrifice their daughter in such a way? Why would they make her do something that would make her reminisce the pain she went through?"

Finally he sat down once again and just stared at her, even the coldness in his eyes were gone, changed purely by shock and confusion.

"You were…"

"Yes I was once just like her. I had suffered from the same illness when I was just three, younger than she was. And I suffered far longer than her, 9 years of repetitive attack before my parents finally found the cure. But even that cure came from hell."

She chuckled but even her chuckle was filled with bitterness. That's right, the promise was a cure to an illness never before seen anywhere. It was an illness for a child that would suddenly suffer from tremendous pain.

The pain would start from their muscles, their limbs would feel like thousands of needles are prickling them. Slowly the pain would travel to their organs, the organs weren't damaged but even so, the pain was there. Like an invisible hand squishing each of their organs.

If a pain reliever wouldn't be given to them at the first hour of the attack, then even if it was given, the pain would not subside and would torture the patient for 24 hours. After that 24 hours they would be weak for a month, unable to even lift their finger.

The pain reliever could easily be created by the scientists of each 'family', it was far stronger than the normal commercialized pain relievers. And if the one taking it does not have the unknown illness, that person would die. For it would relax everything, even making the heart to relax to the point for it to stop beating.

"Illness and cure both came from hell. No the cure was even more ruthless," she continued.

Seeing her complexion turning pale and hearing her explanation he couldn't help but to worry. Worry for his young sister who's still fighting against that unknown illness.

"Then my sister…"

She looked at him and somehow felt a tinge of sympathy. His cold demeanor and indifference, his aloofness and ruthlessness have completely disappeared upon the mention of his sister.

Seeing his sister suffer every attack he must have felt tremendous pain as well. Two other faces appeared in her mind to which she sadly smiled. She wiped this away before looking back up at him.

"You don't have to worry, the medicine's effect have tremendously lowered now. Though it would still be painful but I can assure you that the pain it will bring her would be as bearable as her sickness. That is a good way of putting it already."

"After that? Was there any more attacks?" he asked this time all the coldness from him disappeared.

He fully believed her now, despite not showing any evidence of her having the cure. He somehow started believing her.

"No more. I was completely cured, so you really don't have to worry any more. There's only a bit of side effect."

"What kind of side effect?" he once again started worrying after hearing that there would be a side effect to the medicine.

"I don't know if it would be the same to her but every year, at most five times. For a whole day, the body would fall completely weak and vulnerable. Just like when the pain reliever was not administered on time, she wouldn't be able to lift even her finger. Speaking is fine but it is also weaker. But there is no pain accompanying it," she patiently explained.

This is after all a transaction, she needs to lay open everything before the other party could decide.

Ashton fell into a deep thought. He could just accept it. The problem would be the elders back home. Would they accept this?

No they will definitely accept it. The elder's princess were none other than Ashley. And in 10 years he would still be young, being divorced once is nothing for him.

"Give me a moment, I'll just contact my parents. I can't entirely decide this on my own," He stood up ready to call his parents.

"ASH!!" when a call came from the door and it was opened from outside.