Chapter 18

Anelisa

I'm lost. That's all I can say as I feel like I'm walking in circles after getting out of the room.

My hands kept adjusting the gown or shirt on me as I took this walk to become a tour around this magnificent castle.

But I was swift enough to avoid guards on patrol, the maids, and anything abnormal in sight.

My mind was void of thoughts until it snapped on me that I lost a finger to a tiny dragon.

With a frown, I paused and raised my fingers high up to see the bruise but... I'm healed up.

My finger has grown back.

How? Hastily, I touched my lower abdomen and realized there wasn't a cut there either.

That stranger must have worked some magic and I didn't even get a chance to thank him.

A sad smile lingers on my lips as his eyes were the only thing that stayed on repeat in my head.

He appears nicer than the others. Anyways, soon, I'd be summoned to the palace to see the king whom the rumors have been talking about.

"Hey, you!" A voice calls from behind me, and I spin sharply to see who it is.

The court lady. I heard she's the one in charge of slaves who are incorporated in the palace.

To be sincere, I don't know what function I'd perform here yet. The younger-looking blonde would soon come after me for killing his emotional support pet.

She marched towards me, holding a scroll, and when she was close, she opened the scroll, stared at it, and then at me.

It's like she's studying me along with the scroll in her hand.

"You shall accompany the king to the hunting ground in an hour, get ready"

Her voice was commanding like she was a soldier reading out a report to me.

I point at myself, to be sure it's truly me. How can I accompany a king whom I haven't seen?

Oh no, maybe the rude blonde reported to his father, the king, just so I'd be used as a prey on the hunting ground.

I needed to come up with a plan to escape this death trap again.

Without hesitation, I threw my arms around my stomach and crouched, faking a painful act.

"I don't think I'd be able to make it... I'm sick and infected"

She raised an eye at me, as though confirming the authenticity of my words.

"Fine, I'd find someone else," she snapped as though she didn't want me on the field either, which is astonishing.

"Do wash up, you have his fragrance and it's too perfect to be on your skin"

I scoffed unbelievably, standing upright, but realized I was still putting on a show, so I yanked my body to the wall close by, faking a painful stare.

What's special about that mask man? His fragrance? It smells like, well, it's bad!

"Wait, is that his shirt on you? The very one he used to slay Tiyan?!" She exclaims, a smile forming on her lips.

Oh, I see, he is a fighter, the commander in chief, with girls falling harder with everything that belongs to him.

This lady wasn't looking as cold as earlier, but there's a sign of delight, and I am baffled by how her mood changes quickly.

She looks hungry, creepy and it's obvious she wants to tear off my shirt from me.

"Do you want it?" I asked, grabbing the shoulders and adjusting them on me.

She nodded happily, and with those mauve eyes of hers, I knew she was a werewolf.

How did she make it this far to becoming the head of maids?

"Okay?" I responded, wanting to take off his shirt as quickly as possible. She led me to her room just so she could give me something else to wear.

Her room was like a basement but preferable compared to the slave lodge.

We exchanged outfits and I felt more comfortable in the gown she gave me.

She also wore the shirt, with giggles like she was in love.

This court lady moves to the mirror with the shirt on her, while I sit on her bed, leaning into the bed frame, its cheap wood digs into my spine.

"You're a werewolf!" I began excited to see my kind and she nodded freely while sizing the shirt on her.

"It's my last day here, and I'd be going home," she affirms, turning to face me, while asking how she looks in the dress.

"Good," I said in a dull tone, as there's really nothing interesting about that shirt.

I guess she'd keep it as a souvenir. Maybe the dragon people aren't really bad.

Maybe, they act heartlessly for other kinds to dread them, but if we understand them, they could be really lovely people, right?

To my surprise, she was bringing out precious gifts for me and stuffing them in a bag; beside, it's her last day.

I wish I had met her earlier than now, and I guess she's more comfortable seeing her kind.

"I'm Ziala by the way"

"Anelisa," I introduced, offering a faint smile because there's no reason to feel relaxed in a strange land.

"So how did you become a court maid?" I questioned, and a flicker of amusement crossed her face.

"Well, it's simple, just pretend you have a special power, tame a dragon, and act as fearless as they"

What? She calls that simple? I'd literally die trying to do that. However, I can't stay here.

"I'm planning to escape," I confessed, suddenly confining her like a friend I'd make, but unfortunately, she's leaving.

She flicks her nails, then moves to her closet to keep the shirt before returning to sit beside me.

Falling into the bed, she faces the ceiling and says;

"It's useless, you should aim to become a court lady, you'd have all the freedom you want," she narrates, using a finger to fondle my hair, and I heaved a sigh.

It's not useless, I can't stay here for long because...

"Well, I see your stomach is all healed up." Her voice eludes my thoughts, definitely lighting up the mood.

I grunt as she bursts into laughter.

"It's okay, I'd bring up a believable story, not even I can face the king," she whispers, cringing at the title of the name.

I nodded, trying to believe her, and I rose from the bed, appreciating her gifts and waving goodbye to her.

She was warm and really sweet, so I wish to meet another like her.

I left her room with a happy face on as she had happened to give me hope that a werewolf can actually become something here.

Coming outside the place to head for my lodge with the other slave girls, I suddenly felt unease.

I was on the ground floor now, yanking the bag in my hand closely to my chest like an embrace.

Some servants on the ground floor were suddenly looking up, at something to the extent that I wasn't noticed, which was a good sign, or they'd be lashing at me.

Raising my head high up, I suddenly found her, Zalia, terrified and breathing fast as tears streamed down her face.

The height at which she stands was horrifying as no one might survive such a fall.

What's going on?

"It's her last day indeed," a crooked voice yaps from behind me as there are murmurs.

However, I feign ignorance of their words as my focus was just on her.

Squeezing myself through the servants, I found myself at the front, bemused by what was happening.

Is she committing suicide? We just talked a few minutes ago.

I intended to step forward as she climbed the rail of the balcony, crying more and shivering.

Right before my eyes, I witness her falling from the balcony and crashing to the hard ground.

Her body smashed into pieces and the bag in my hands dropped.

The air in my lungs faded, and tears clouded my eyes in shock.

My eyes danced in my sockets as I slowly lifted my head again, to the balcony, only to find the masked man at the exact spot Ziala fell.

It's all a lie, home means death.