It was —
"Misty?" Aeric lifted an eyebrow. His immediate older sister, who was nothing more than a year older than him, was standing there, shifting her weight from one foot to the other with an anxious expression.
Her gaze darted up, then down, avoiding his own, her brows slightly knitted, as if struggling with something unspoken.
Aeric also noticed what she was wearing. It was a light, soft-colored nightgown that draped loosely over her frame, a frame that he had not at all noticed before.
Slim, small hands, a firm bust and surprisingly thick thighs. But even with all that, she had a vulnerable look on her face. Aeric didn't care. He felt no sympathy stirring inside him. Not for her or any of his sisters.
He gave her a direct stare in her nervous scarlet eyes, waiting for her to say something.
What he didn't know was that Misty was gawking at his body. Aeric had forgotten that he was only putting on a pair of simple white shorts and a thin coat during the cultivation exercise.
He had walked to the door and opened it, showing his sweaty, chiseled body to his very impressionable sister.
Misty bit her lip, trying to drag her eyes away.
"What are you doing here?" Aeric finally asked when she couldn't say anything, his voice flat. Misty bit her lip again, glanced down the hall, and sighed.
"I tried... I tried to get Rosette to come with me," she mumbled, casting a fleeting glance at him before her eyes dropped back down to the floor.
Arching a brow once again, Aeric glanced out into the hall as if he could confirm her story. "Rosette's not here," he observed.
"Yes." Misty nodded, awkwardly clutching her arm with her opposite hand. "She... she didn't listen."
There was a small, awkward silence. 'What the hell is this about?' Aeric's patience was already wearing thin. "So, what do you want then? The night is here."
With fidgeting fingers, Misty shifted as she clutched the fabric of her nightgown. "I wanted... to apologize."
'Apologize, huh?'
"Think about it, you say? All I do is think, Misty. And guess what — I don't have space in my mind for two obnoxious, hateful sisters." He felt his anger rising, hot and blinding, and with a final scowl. "Never knock on my door ever again."
Slamming the door in her face, he crossed back to his bed, sitting down heavily on the plushness with his fists clenched at his sides.
'The audacity she has,' Aeric thought. 'How dare they? How dare they act like any of this was something I could simply forgive and forget? They've treated me like an outcast, like the abomination everyone calls me, for as long as I can remember.
'All because I am the only son, because I was born as an anomaly. Because I was strange. Now, they come to me with nonsensical apologies and nervous pleas, as if I would somehow ignore years of resentment and betrayal. Or ignore what happened on this very day. Treated always like an outsider, and now expected to welcome them with open arms?'
"Pfft. In their dreams."
[Ding!] The system's notification rang.
Aeric read the notification:
[Next exercise in 11 hours: 1- Divine Tortoise Method.
— complete Body Tempering for muscles and bones.
2- One Minute Plank]
[Rewards 25XP for completion]
'Hmm,' Aeric noted. 'A one minute plank sounds excruciating.'
He scoffed and threw himself onto the bed, attempting to calm the roiling storm of frustration in his chest. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, hoping for some rest to prepare himself for cultivating first thing tomorrow.
Another knock at his door. Aeric groaned, forcing himself upright. "Who is it now?" he muttered under his breath, glancing over to the door.
"It's your maiden, my lord. I've brought you dinner."
Aeric paused. He realized then just how hungry he was, and his hand instinctively moved to his stomach. "Oh. Yes... Thank you. I am a little hungry."