Silent Swords, Echoing Dreams

My arms-dealer father brought home a pair of twin bodyguards from an underground fighting ring.
My sister, Vivian, chose the brother who fawned over her.
That left me with the other one, the silent one with expressive mutism.
I knew that rejected bodyguards were thrown back into the fighting pits to fend for themselves, so my soft heart got the better of me, and I took him in.
He couldnt speak, so I found doctors and therapists for him.
He was an outcast, bullied by the others for his quiet nature, so I trained twice as hard, beating down anyone who dared to lay a hand on him.
I spent my nights learning sign language and psychology, desperate for a way to connect with him.
I thought my devotion would earn his undying loyalty.
Until the night of the botched arms deal, when he watched as both Vivian and I were trapped by the flames.
He didn't hesitate. He ran to her.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice clear. "I can't let anything happen to Vivi."
His mutism had been cured long ago.
As the explosion consumed me, he looked at me, and his lips formed the words:
"I owe you this life. I'll repay you in the next."
I opened my eyes and was back on the day we chose our bodyguards.

A stinging pain in my palm snapped me back to reality. The crescent-shaped wounds my nails had dug into my skin were a grim reminder that this was not a dream.
My sister glanced at me, then wrapped her arm around our father's, her voice a sweet poison. "Daddy, it looks like sister is still thinking. Why don't you let me choose first?"
Under our father's doting gaze, she preened like a peacock, her eyes flitting between the two brothers, Zane and Kael.
"I think I'll choose Kael," she announced, though her eyes had been fixed on Zane the whole time. "Sister is such a loner. She needs a bodyguard who knows how to read people."
I watched her performance, my mind replaying the scene from my past life. She'd said the exact same thing then, pretending to be considerate by offering me the more outgoing brother, Zane. She knew I would fall for it. She knew my heart was too soft.
Back then, her act had worked. Id not only let her have Zane but had taken the silent, brooding Kael under my wing.
It wasn't until the fire, when she cried for the brothers to save me first but held her hand out to Kael, that I finally understood. Zane, her sworn protector, was right beside her. The exit was closer to her. But she had always been certain I would yield, that my compassion was a weakness to be exploited. She got what she wanted and a reputation for being selfless.
But this time, I met her confident gaze.
"I'll do as you say, sister."
The smile on Vivian's face froze.
She wasn't the only one in shock. Kael's head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"No," our father interjected. "Vivian, you're fragile. You need the stronger protection. Kael has a speech impediment. He's not suitable."
I understood. Father had already decided. This whole charade of letting us choose was just for show.
"Daddy, let's let sister choose first" Vivian began, putting on her sweet, obedient daughter mask again. But Kael cut her off.
"Sir, my speech impediment has been cured."
In my past life, Kael hadn't spoken a word until the moment I died. But now?
His eyes were no longer vacant. They were filled with a sharp, hidden pain as they met my scrutinizing gaze.
So, he was reborn too.
Watching his desperate attempt to be chosen, I thought of his last words to meI'll repay you in the nextand a bitter, ironic laugh threatened to escape my lips. It didn't matter. I didn't want him anyway.
Father didn't respond. In a blur of motion, Kael moved. One of the elite guards standing by my fathers side was on the ground, neutralized, in the span of a single breath.
A flicker of surprise crossed my father's face. Vivian beamed. She had always preferred Kaels cold, aloof beauty. If not for his diagnosis, he would have been her first choice.
Finally, my father nodded. "Very well. Kael, you will be with Vivian. As for Zane"
"He'll be with Aria."
The silent Zanes brow furrowed. He dropped to one knee, his voice tight and strained. "Sir, I cannot obey this command."
"You refuse?"
My father's face darkened. He might favor Vivian, but I was still his daughter. A bodyguard's public refusal was a direct challenge to his authority.
"Then you can crawl back to the fighting pits. The Smith family has no use for disobedient dogs."
I knew this would happen. A bodyguard who wasn't chosen was discarded. In my past life, I couldn't bear to see Kael sent back to die, so I kept him. This time, it was Zane's turn.
I stood by, a silent spectator.
Vivian, however, was panicking. She rushed to Zane's side, reaching for his arm, but he subtly moved away. She stomped her foot, her voice a petulant whine. "Zane, if you don't go with my sister, they'll beat you to death!"
Zane looked up, his eyes burning with a fierce, unwavering loyalty. "My life's only purpose is to serve you, Miss Vivian!"
A blush crept up Vivian's cheeks.
I let out a soft laugh. This display of blind devotion was just as pathetic the second time around.
"Sister!" Vivian whirled on me, her eyes instantly welling with tears. "Are you just going to stand there and watch him die?"
From the brothers' perspective, she must have looked like a tragic, beautiful angel.
I took a step forward. "Father, since Zane is so loyal to my sister, why not let them both serve her? One is good, but two is better. Vivian's safety is what matters most."
My words were exactly what she wanted to hear. From the moment the twins had arrived, she had been torn, unable to choose.
Father hesitated. "Aria, what about you?"
I lowered my head, playing the part of the dutiful, self-sacrificing older sister. "It's fine, Father. I'm the older sister. I should give way to Vivian."
Suddenly, every gaze in the room was filled with approval.
A smile touched my father's lips. "Aria, you've matured."
"However," he continued, "things are unstable right now. Our enemies are watching. It's not safe for you to be without protection."
I looked up, meeting his approving gaze and catching the complex emotion in Kael's eyes. I didn't care enough to decipher it.
"If you're worried, Father, you can send me to work with my cousin. I won't cause any trouble for the family."
In my past life, I had no foundation in this family, so I had poured all my energy into saving Kael. Vivian was born when I was five. To ensure she was the sole recipient of their affection, my parents had sent me to live with distant relatives. It was only two years ago, when the family needed to manage some bad press, that my father brought me back.
My cousin, who ran the family's overseas arms trade, always brought Vivian limited-edition bags and jewelry when he came home. Even her nanny was treated better than I was. The money for Kael's medical treatments had come from my own meager allowance, saved penny by penny.
This time, I knew better than anyone: if I wanted to escape being a pawn, I had to seize every opportunity to build my own power.
My cousin was cold and dismissive, assigning me to a low-level position in his company. I didn't complain. I poured every waking moment into my work. Using my knowledge from my previous life, I quickly mastered the business, even seizing an opportunity everyone else had written off, landing a massive contract for the company.
That success finally caught my cousin's attention. He summoned me for a formal meeting. "There's an important business dinner tonight. You're coming with me."
The banquet was a sea of influential figures. My cousin introduced me to several key partners. "This is my uncle's daughter, Aria Smith."
I was poised and articulate, my insights into the business impressing many. Soon, the rumor of the capable elder Miss Smith spread through the circle, eclipsing my sister, who was known only for her frivolous lifestyle.
That night, when I returned to the Smith villa, Vivian stormed into my room the moment I opened the door.
"Sister, you should just stay quietly at home."
I glanced at her.
Her voice was sharp. "The Smith family business is run by men. As daughters, our greatest contribution is to marry well. Cousin has helped you, but your foundation is weak. If you mess up, you'll not only bring shame to the family, you might lose your value as a marriage asset."
I responded coldly, "Vivian, by what right do you presume to plan my future?"
I stepped closer, my gaze like steel. "You've enjoyed everyone's favor your entire life. Does my carving out a path for myself threaten you that much?"
"Sister" Her face flushed, and she glanced at Zane, who stood guard behind her. Her eyes immediately welled with tears. "I know, it's all my fault If it weren't for me, Mom and Dad would never have sent you away."
"Save your tears," I snapped. "You're not the one who should be crying."
"After you were born, they threw me away like trash so you could have everything. With those so-called relatives, I was beaten, starved, and almost assaulted. I escaped and survived on the streets like a stray dog!"
I backed her toward the door, my voice a low snarl. "You can continue being the perfect little princess. No one is going to take that from you. But you will not tell me how to live my life!"
"Sister, that's not what I meant," she sobbed, grabbing my sleeve. "I really do care about you. I want to make it up to you. Why won't you let me I might as well just die."
She made a show of running toward the window.
Zane caught her, pulling her into a protective embrace. He glared at me. "Miss Aria! Miss Vivian has a pure heart. Do you want to push her to her death?"
Vivian sobbed in his arms. "It's not sister's fault It's all my fault. I owe her"
Zane held her tighter, his eyes burning with anger at me. "Apologize to Miss Vivian."
I scoffed. "And who are you to command me?"
Zane's lips tightened, but before he could speak, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.
Vivian shrieked, "Sister, how dare you hit him!"
My voice was ice. "I thought you were the expert on rules and etiquette, sister. Why can't you control your own dog? A mere bodyguard, speaking out of turn to the eldest daughter of the house?"
A flicker of rage crossed Zane's eyes, but my colder gaze froze him in place.
Kael, drawn by the commotion, arrived just in time to see it. He looked at me as if I were a stranger.
I had no desire to waste any more time on these three. I pushed them out of my room and slammed the door.
The next day, I was packing for a business trip, eager to escape the suffocating drama of this house. I had just finished dressing when my door was slammed open.
Zane burst in, his eyes bloodshot and frantic. He grabbed my wrist. "What did you do to Miss Vivian? She ran out last night and never came back!"
My face hardened. I twisted out of his grip, using his own momentum against him and kicking his knee, breaking his hold. "You are Vivian's bodyguard. Her disappearance is your failure! Don't come here taking your incompetence out on me."
"This is your fault!" Zane's eyes were red with a desperate fury. "If you hadn't provoked her yesterday, she wouldn't have run off!"
"Before our father finds out, you're coming with me to find her and apologize!"
The door was kicked open again. Kael rushed in. "Zane, the kidnappers just called. They have Miss Vivian."
Zane's eyes narrowed, pinning me with a vicious glare. "The kidnappers want a daughter of the Smith family. You caused this mess. You will be the one to take her place."
"You're insane!" I snarled, slapping him again. "Useless waste of space. You can't even protect your own master, and you dare to lay a hand on me!"
Zane spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes dark with malice as he grabbed my wrist again, his grip like iron. "Forgive me, Miss Aria. Miss Vivian's life is at stake. I have no choice."
He twisted my arms behind my back. "Kael, help me!"
Kael hesitated for a split second before moving to assist.

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