SGE His Broken Heart (Sequel to His Darkened Heart)

Chapter 9 Dead of Night

It took Japeth three long, tedious hours soaking in the tub to rid his body of the foul odor that stuck to him courtesy of the stink bomb Rhian and him had had the 'pleasantry' of encountering.

Japeth and Rhian had arrived back to Camelot by early morning, Sophie and Agatha in tow. As soon as they stepped foot on Camelot grounds, Rhian had had Agatha sent to the dungeons much to Sophie's despair who couldn't stop calling Rhian names after that. (Fortunately, Rhian had some guards lock Sophie up in her room so nobody would have to endure her insufferable crying any further).

Japeth had made a beeline straight for the bathroom, ignoring Rhian even as he tried to coax him into having breakfast with him. Japeth would rather be alone than to dine with his brother during that time, especially when he smelt like dung and was worn out from the tiring journey the brothers had gone on to the schools and back.

That's how Japeth found himself submerged in the bubbly warmth of bath water, scrubbing at his face viciously like he were trying in vain to claw his eyes out. Perhaps, clawing his eyes out wouldn't be so bad if it meant Japeth didn't have to gaze upon his brother's face anymore. But going blind wouldn't shake the image, the very memory of what Japeth had seen back in the School for Evil.

Rhian had been such a follower when him and Japeth had gone to capture Agatha. It felt strange to Japeth, having Rhian follow him when it was Japeth who had been doing the following all this time. The obliviousness of Rhian was something Japeth would've found hilarious if it weren't for the deep secret he was keeping from his twin.

There was a reason the gates parted for the two brothers, and it had nothing to do with Sophie's blood but rather their father's blood. But if Japeth had told Rhian that they shared the same blood as the School Master, he'd freak. Japeth would probably have no choice but to kiss any hope of ever getting Aric back goodbye if that happened.

If Japeth knew anything for certain, it was that not seeing Aric again was a sin worse than death.

Japeth felt a prickle of animosity towards Rhian. Not that that hostility wasn't there to begin with in the first place. In fact, that hostility had always been there, ever since Arbed House perhaps. There was always some form of tension between the two brothers that Japeth couldn't seem to shake.

Maybe that emergence of tension had developed from way back when their mother first left them. But it had to be because of Aric. While Aric had been the light in Japeth's life, his very reason to keep going, Aric had been the opposite for Rhian—A painful thorn embedded in Rhian's thumb, a pesky shadow who Rhian thought was probably filling Japeth's head with 'terrible' thoughts.

Japeth would've done anything to make Rhian see Aric in the way he saw him, but Rhian would never do that. He was far too stubborn, far too good to ever accept Aric as anything more than a monster.

Japeth sunk deeper into the tub as if that would hide his entire being from the world and as he did so, water sloshed over the edge and onto the pristine lion printed floor. The sweet smell of soap permeated the air, and after three hours soaking in the tub, Japeth could no longer smell the repulsive scent of dung that'd once stuck to him.

When Japeth raised his hands from the water and held them up to his face, he found his fingers were wrinkled, indicating he'd been in the bath longer than he'd expected. But even as the warmth of the water disappeared and the bubbles evaporated into foam, Japeth didn't get out. For a long time, Japeth sat there in that tub as the water grew cold and his wet hair began to dry.

Japeth's mind couldn't stop turning back to what he'd seen at the School for Evil. In the midst of chasing after Sophie, Japeth and Rhian had stumbled upon the Exhibition of Evil where many historical artifacts belonging to former students were held. Amongst the many objects that Japeth had seen—the first year arrival outfit Sophie herself had once worn, an enchanted mirror that belonged to the Frost Queen, and a pair of slippers that once belonged to Jack's Giant—there was only one thing that truly stood out to him.