Love—a word often heralded as the ultimate salvation, embodying the deepest of human emotions.
However, love is like a coin, with two distinct faces, each representing a different interpretation of its meaning.
The true essence of love can be divided into two categories, each shaped by individual perspectives.
The first type of love is selfless and nurturing. It's about sacrificing personal happiness for the well-being of a partner, finding joy in mutual compromises, and striving for shared happiness. This love is rooted in care and empathy but becomes destructive when not reciprocated, leading to self-harm and unfulfilled desires.
In this form, love is a delicate balance that thrives on mutual respect and understanding.
The second type of love, however, is more possessive and intense. It stems from a desire to monopolize a partner's attention and affection, regardless of their own feelings or wishes. This kind of love prioritizes one's own emotions above all else, gradually evolving into obsession and possessiveness.
It's a love that seeks control, often blurring the line between affection and dominance, where the idea of sharing or compromising becomes intolerable.
Both forms of love are powerful in their own right, but they reveal the duality of human relationships—one driven by care and sacrifice, the other by possession and control.
Although the second type might appear detrimental in the long term, especially if the partner is unwilling to reciprocate those feelings, for Avendial, who was focused on Rivia—who displayed similar possessiveness toward him—it was evident that if left unchecked, this situation could soon escalate but.....
He knew how much easier it was for those with this type of love to manipulate.
He definitely did not see Rivia as a tool, since he had known her since childhood. There were definitely feelings between them. But it was true that he did not love her, while she did.
The end result of this would definitely not be beneficial for both of them.
He needed her support, and considering her potential to harm either him or herself could be a significant loss.
Looking at her facial expression, which was shocked, Avendial knew that it would be a tough task to make her use the sword style of the Arinphiam Empire's Royal family, given that the clause of heart would never allow her to do this.
After all, the title attached after her name, 'Dominic Aurelia', was evidence of her loyalty towards the Empire.
This so-called loyalty was simply an assurance from the Empire to all the swordmasters with two rules:
1. No swordmaster will ever use the sword techniques of the Royal Family.
2. Their actions shouldn't harm the foundation of the Empire.
To put it simply, it wasn't some curse or slave mark, but simply a line taught every day by mentors and teachers, brainwashing them into making all the swordmasters never use the royal family's sword techniques, which were considered the strongest in the empire. Instead, they were allowed to develop their own techniques based on it.
After developing their own techniques, they received their surnames.
It may not appear to be a big thing, considering that there wasn't any contract, seal, or curse attached to force a swordmaster into following those rules. But it was far more potent than any curse.
This method was a simple brainwashing where every hour of the day, until a child of age 4 or 5 was trained under their mentor, they were told the same rules all the time until they turned 20.
It was as if making their mind remember this and their body infused with these words into their very cells, causing them to never betray.
"W-What?" Rivia's voice trembled as she heard those conditions from Avendial. If it was about killing the noblemen, she could easily do it, not caring about her life, but he also wanted her to break embedded rules, causing her lips to part as she inquired while trembling.
"I see..." Avendial pulled his hand away from her head and body as he turned his eyes towards the window of the car as it moved toward the mansion, causing Rivia to feel his hand slip away from her skin and instantly tighten her grip.
"No! No! Please, Master, I will do it, don't abandon me!" While she felt that the opportunity she had gotten was slipping away, Rivia cried out as she tightened her grip before hugging him tightly as if he was going to separate from her soon, leaving her alone. This caused her mind to recall the days of her orphanage when, as a little girl, she needed to fend for herself, "Uwaaah....! Please...!"