Arken's demanding voice hung in the air, heavy and insistent, backing Kazien further into a corner.
He stared into Arken's pale purple eyes, searching for an escape route but finding none. On his lap, Arken's body felt hot, pressed against him without any gap, forcing Kazien to face the reality he had been desperately trying to deny all this time.
Kazien swallowed, his throat feeling dry. He knew he couldn't stay silent forever. He had to answer, even though that answer might crush the heart of the brother he loved.
"Honestly... I don't know, Arken." Kazien's voice finally came out, sounding hoarse and full of doubt. He averted his gaze, unable to look directly into those hopeful eyes. "Right now, I already have Alvin and Allen. My heart, my promises... everything is tied to them."
Kazien took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm in his chest. "I cannot possibly betray the two of them. I beg you to understand."
Silence seized the room again for a few seconds. Arken did not answer immediately. He just stared at his brother's face with a gaze that was growing dimmer, as if the light in his eyes was slowly extinguishing upon hearing that gentle but firm rejection.
"Can't you accept me as your third future spouse?" asked Arken again, his voice now sounding smaller, fragile, like cracked glass. "That is all I ask, Brother."
Kazien's heart dropped. The question sounded so simple, yet its weight crushed his chest.
"I can't, Arken." confessed Kazien honestly, his tone full of regret. "I have also promised Alvin and Allen that there will be no one else besides Allen who will become my future spouse. I cannot break my own oath."
The next moment, Arken moved. Not to pull away, but to embrace Kazien's sturdy body. Arken hugged his brother's waist tightly, burying his face in the crook of Kazien's neck.
Kazien froze. He could feel Arken's body trembling violently in his arms. That embrace was not the warm hug of a brother, but a hug of frustration from someone whose love was blocked by a high wall. Stifled sobs began to be heard, and Kazien felt his shoulder becoming wet with tears.
Kazien's hand lifted hesitantly, then finally landed on Arken's back, stroking it slowly. "Arken, I admit you are cute. So cute..." whispered Kazien softly, trying to offer comfort he knew wouldn't be enough. "But, I consider you my cute little brother whom I am proud of. Nothing more than that."
Those words seemed to be the final verdict.
Slowly, Arken released his embrace. He pulled back slightly, creating a distance between their faces. Arken looked at Kazien's face with a smile, a smile that was heartbreaking because it was combined with tears that continued to flow heavily, wetting his reddened cheeks.
"In that case..." Arken took a ragged breath, steadying his voice to sound tough. "Please cancel this eternity contract, Brother Kazien."
Gasp!
Kazien's breath hitched violently. His eyes widened, as if something had brutally stabbed his heart the moment that sentence was uttered.
That request was far more terrifying than any death threat. If the eternity contract were cancelled, Arken would die instantly.
Seeing Arken's face smiling painfully, as if willing to let go of everything just to not be hurt any further, made Kazien's defenses crumble. An immense fear of loss exploded inside him.
"Arken, what are you saying?!" shouted Kazien in frustration, his hands gripping Arken's shoulders unconsciously. "I will do anything for you! I will give you anything you ask! But please... never speak of canceling the contract like that to me! Never!"
Arken stared into Kazien's panic-filled eyes. He saw genuine fear there. With his remaining courage, Arken offered the only way out he desired.
"Then, I beg you, accept me as your third future wife, Brother Kazien." pleaded Arken full of hope, his voice trembling but his eyes demanding certainty. "That is the only thing I want from you."
Kazien fell silent, his body stiff. He was truly trapped. He couldn't answer either option.
Cancel the contract? That was impossible. I couldn't bear to lose Arken. Accept him as a wife? That meant betraying Alvin and Allen.
His mind hit a dead end. All the choices Arken gave him were impossible to grant. He was squeezed between love and an oath.
Click!
The sound of the bedroom door opening suddenly broke the suffocating tension.
Kazien and Arken turned simultaneously. In the doorway stood Alvin and Allen. Their steps were calm as they entered the spacious room. The scene before them was Kazien, naked, holding the equally naked Arken, in an intimate position with a face full of tears.
It should have triggered anger or jealousy. However, not a single one of those negative emotions appeared on the faces of Kazien's two fiancés.
Alvin looked at Arken with a gentle gaze, full of understanding. It seems Arken has already told my future husband everything. thought Alvin with pity, seeing Arken sobbing. I can feel my future husband's immense frustration. You really are stupid, My Dear. Are you that stubborn towards Arken to the point of making him cry like this?
"My Dear, why don't you just accept him?"
Alvin's voice broke the silence. Calm, yet possessing an authority that made Kazien jolt.
Instantly, Kazien stared at Alvin with a look of disbelief. "W-what did you say?"
"You heard me!" said Alvin while walking closer, his steps elegant yet firm. He stopped right by the bedside, staring at Kazien who was still blank.
"Remember, you were the one who made Arken an orphan after killing his father!" asserted Alvin, reminding him of that accidental killing. "And you were also the one who accepted Arken as your brother, swore to make him happy, even going so far as to threaten to turn him into an undead if he dared to die."
Alvin let out a long sigh, looking at his stubborn fiancé with a sharp gaze.
"You gave him hope and excessive affection." continued Alvin, his voice stressing every word so it would sink into Kazien's dense brain. "Don't blame Arken for falling for you. That is a logical consequence. But blame your own possessive nature for making him fall for you! You bound him too tightly until he had no other choice but to love you."
Kazien gaped. He didn't expect Alvin to actually defend Arken and corner him. He was about to open his mouth to defend himself, to say that he did it all for Arken's own good, but another voice cut him off.
"Aren't you two already bound by an eternity contract?" chipped in Allen suddenly.
The question was thrown in a flat, light tone, as if Allen were merely asking about the lunch menu.
But the effect was like a lightning strike in broad daylight.
Instantly, Kazien and Arken's eyes widened to the maximum. Their bodies tensed up. The biggest secret they had kept tightly sealed had just been stripped bare.
Neither of them ever expected that Allen knew they were bound by an eternity contract.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned into a gripping silence after Allen mentioned the contract. Arken looked at Kazien in panic, while Kazien looked at Allen with a pale face.
"W-What did you just say, Allen?" stuttered Kazien. He tried to play dumb, hoping his hearing was wrong. "What contract? I didn't..."
"You don't need to hide it, My Love!" cut in Allen casually. He smirked, a smile implying he knew everything. "Alvin and I already know because our souls are interconnected."
Instantly, Kazien was paralyzed. His tongue was tied. His arguments died.
He was silenced and could not answer Allen's words. Checkmate.
Cold sweat began to trickle down Kazien's temples. However, what made his heart beat so fast it hurt wasn't the fear of being caught having secretly bound a contract with Arken. Nor was it fear that Alvin and Allen would be angry or jealous.
The real fear had just crept up his spine, cold and terrifying.
His mind drifted to one other figure who was also connected in this complex web of soul contracts. His older sister.
If Alvin and Allen know because our souls are connected... that means Sis Selena also knows. thought Kazien, horror starting to blanket his face.
The image of Selena's furious face appeared in his mind. His older sister was very protective and held loyalty in high regard.
She will definitely be furious with me! thought Kazien in terror, his hands trembling on his thighs. When she found out about Allen alone, she went on a rampage like that and almost destroyed everything. What if she finds out I secretly bound Arken too?
Kazien swallowed hard. The problem in this room wasn't over yet, but the vision of Selena's future rage had instantly shrunk his courage.
What do I do now?