Aster Veren
Episode 168's

- Carel

"You're crazy! Why are you telling me now?" I almost screamed, irritated at myself who suddenly dulled around me.

I should have known, that Aster wouldn't have changed that easily if it hadn't–sial! This all happened just because of grandfather's game with the old man of the owner of this academy. Because of them, Aster had to submit to Lusy and receive bad treatment from the two child friends?

... My guess about Aster receiving the threat, it turns out it's all true.

"If they tell me, I can do something to make this never happen." I continued grumbling while clenching both my hands with all my strength.

"What else can you do but make trouble?" Dwi's question made me grunt as hell at her. Yes, that is the reason why everyone is covering up the problems they are facing right now.

"Aster alone understood and helped me immediately when I asked him to stay away from you. Even his own father had already ordered Aster to stay away from you." Continue to explain to me.

"It's not fair!"

"What? It's all over and you just said it's all unfair?"

"of course! Who wants to look stupid just because they don't know the problem from the start? And again, you told me Aster didn't come to mom's funeral, but he did." My protest recalled Dwi's words that day.

"I was just helping him, he himself asked me not to tell you."

"Whatever the reason, you should be telling me the truth!"

"I did it today."

"You!" My growl doesn't scare him. I saw that he was enjoying his food.

"Eat your food before it gets cold. After this I'll take you back to the academy." He made my appetite disappear.

"You're the one who spent it." I said as I pushed my dinner plate closer. I saw that Dwi was already looking at me coldly, it seemed that she did not want to finish my food. But I don't care, what I care about right now is Aster.

Because of me, he had to stay away from me and act like a shitty kid. Just because she didn't want to see me transferred to another class, she didn't want my grandfather's threat to come true, Dwi also said she saw Aster visit my mother several times without my knowledge.

Then the thing that made me feel touched was, the reason he was avoiding me was because he didn't want me to act rashly and make bad rumors about me last year spread. He also wanted to keep me focused on my lessons, but he didn't know that because of it, my focus disappeared.

... With this all my questions have been answered. But somehow I didn't feel the slightest relief when I found out everything. I'm getting more and more upset now.

"Stop putting on such a creepy expression!" Dwi exclaimed at him, I saw him go back to eating food in front of him before continuing his words.

"... Do you want to know why he told me to lie to you on the day Mom left?" The question made me frown confused, suddenly my curiosity peaked again.

"Is there another reason?"

"What do you think?"

"He did it to make me hate him more, didn't he?"

"Stupid! He doesn't want to worry you and catches up with him to Singapore."

"Ha–hah's? Meanin?" I ask not to understand his words.

"I just heard from my dad a few days ago when he went to Singapore,"

"Dad said, Mr. Ansel had an accident the same day as my mother's departure. So Aster asked me to lie to you, and he went abroad to see his father." It obviously surprised me half to death.

"So ...," I muttered that I couldn't imagine Aster's feelings that day, he must have been very scared but he, he even had time to think of me?

Yeah, not wrong either. If I knew the true events, I would actually go catch up with him and accompany him. But because I did not know the truth, I could only grieve alone while questioning Aster's attitude that was so heartbreaking to me.

"Is ... is he okay?" I asked later when I met Dwi's red bead.

"Aster?" The question made me nod quickly.

"Of course, his expression has always looked the same since he took his father's place." The answer makes me nervous.

What does that mean? I never even imagined the expression that Dwi meant. The last time I saw him was, when I went to his house with Kalea. And I saw him in pain that day because Aster drank the poison mixed with his green tea.

Even the person who poisoned him had not been caught until now, just be aware that he was found!

***

- Esther

It's been a week since my father's return, and I've never spoken to him again. When I saw her, I always pretended not to see me. But when Kalea visits, dad can just make small talk to me. Even if it was only two words.

Seeing the togetherness of my father and Kalea makes me nostalgic, considering my past that always felt jealous of the children who had a father and got his love.

Then today, for the first time the feeling of envy re-emerged. But as much as I could hide that feeling, because I didn't want to make Kalea feel worried and bad about me.

Until now, Kalea did not know about the true condition of the father. Because I've asked everyone in the house to shut up. I have also talked to my father about this, and he approved of my proposal to pretend to remember me and consider me his real daughter while being with someone else. Yeah, even though I'm really her daughter.

"... It seems like tomorrow I have to go to mother's place," I muttered suddenly remembering mother, and missed her terribly.

I can't put it off for too long just because you don't remember me. If you don't remember why? I can go alone, no need to be accompanied by anyone. Because it usually is, it's just that I haven't felt alone for a very long time.

"It turns out that being alone feels like this, I've forgotten what it feels like ..," I muttered while breathing cold air tonight.

I looked at the moonlight that was getting dimmer because it was covered in clouds, the cluster of stars was slowly disappearing into the clouds. Leaving the darkness of a lonely night, there was only wind and clouds.

I let out my weary breath as the wind gusts back down my face, then I trim my wind-blown hair before returning to my room, Leaving the porch.

Time has also shown at 11:00 pm, but unfortunately the drowsiness of the curse has not appeared in the slightest. There was only a collection of memories with my father that started filling my head.

The most beautiful moments when my father showed me his affection, when my father had a fight with Uncle Arsel when he was going to take me to school. Then when my father climbed up the tree to get the fruit I wanted, and when he slept beside me hugging my body warmly, gently stroked my hair and kissed it.

All those memories really made me want to run to see my dad and jump into his arms. But I can't do it, because the present father.

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Thanks for reading...