An Excursion In An Awful Setting

Hah! So this was what Ms. Heart meant when she bragged about how immersive this game was.

Inside this cramped and somber place where the chains on my feet made restrictions to my movements, a chilly air brushed my skin, which made my hair stand up.

Even if I could only see my roommate’s back, those silky yet curly silver hair was one of her assets. If I could not recognize my target from afar and even in the dark, what kind of player am I?

“I didn’t know that your father has a habit of caging pretty ladies. Did he mistake us for dolls?”

The girl with a heart of gold crawled as if she was a six-month-old baby — slowly but surely. With trembling rough hands, she held mine.

A beam of moonlight coming from the window with grills shone on her, enabling me to confirm my hunch. Those apologetic eyes were a gateway to her complex inner world.

“Do not blame yourself, my dear, especially with the fact that the deranged guy was the root of these miseries.”

“If I avoided you, maybe you were still lying on the bed of roses.”

I shook my head in disbelief, seeing how apologetic she was even though it was not her fault.

“Sleeping on the bed of nails was not a bad idea, this was an excursion in an awful setting.”

She didn’t utter a single word, so I hoped that she would stop invalidating herself because that made little sense. Tears welled up in her eyes then, she turned 180 degrees. A sniffing sound echoed in the room, which showed terrible she was in concealment of her sentiments. But I prefer it than making me her emotional punchbag.

I didn’t understand why we talked about a trashy person when we could have discussed an escape plan instead.

“It is not the end of the world, we could set ourselves free.”

Like a person who’s interested in the complete detail of a certain F******k post, she asked, “How?”

She sat next to me, so I proceeded with discussing the most efficient solution that we could implement using the Filipino sign language. The novel said that she learned sign language for her deaf friend, and if I would be a reminder of that person, then she would put her trust in me.

“You are amazing, Bethany! Where did you learn about it?”

Before I answered her question, a despicable man came, so Miuerella linked her arms to mine while hearing the clicking of the dungeon’s lock.

“What a beautiful sight! Seeing the precious Marquess daughter in her miserable state gave me immense happiness.”

“Father, I beg you, set her free. She is an outsider who has nothing to do with our family affairs.”

The Count swiftly swung his hands, yet it didn’t land on Miuerella’s face as a result of the encapsulation of a magical ball of electricity.

Whoa! Should I prepare gifts for him after this incident?

“Guards, what were you doing? Make an all-out attack!”

The guards could not get closer, mystical energy made their efforts into waste.

“What a destructive matter. But I like it.”

She pointed at the powerful protective force in front of us.

“Do not fret, my friend. Look at the road to survival.”

She clapped her hands after hearing my explanation.

Watching his defeated troops lying on the floor, the Count’s eyes widened. He pulled his own hair, bumped his head on the wall twice, and mumbled:

“Fuck! The Ugly Duckling made the dickhead Duke fall for her charms!”

What nonsense was he blabbering?

A lustrous thing slashed the Count’s body in half. Blood splattered on his slayer’s armor.

“Look who is dickhead now, even your blood stinks.”

The shield disappeared after the Count’s death. I stared at the murderer. There was no sign of remorse on his face, it was rather a manifestation of pride. Not that I sympathize with the Count, he deserves it duh! However, I can’t help but ponder if that was really easy for him to take someone’s life.

My body automatically leaned towards the dead end as he walked closer to us. When there was no space left to move, my corrupted mind was busy envisioning catastrophes under the Duke’s hand.

I turned to Miuerella because she shuddered and hid behind my back. She covered her face with my long chestnut brown hair as if it was a drape.

“I did not regret giving that to you.”

From that single sentence, I asked myself, why do I have to act this way? I have infinite lives now!

My sight fixated on his hand that was unclasping the chain on our feet using the key.

“Excuse me, Your Grace. After the commotion that I started, you treated me as a worm. Was I wrong?”

The Duke winced as a first response. It took seconds before words formed from his mouth.

“I stumbled upon an extraordinary toy. I have to make sure that  no one will take it away from me.”

My eyes narrowed with his statement. If it weren’t for Miuerella, he would taste spicy words from me.

“Fa… Father.”

“Lady Bethany, my knight would lead you to a sanctuary,” Duke Frederick said.

“Give me a second, Your Grace.”

He nodded, so I proceeded with the negotiation.

“Let’s go home, my friend.”

“Ho… Home? I have my own.”

“I did not know that Lady Miuerella is a family-oriented person.”

She looked down and fidgeted with her fingers. She was mumbling something which we could not understand. It was horribly inaudible that I had to put my right hand on my right ear and leaned closed to her. Yeah, she was mourning, but we would be next in line if we pissed the Duke off.

“Grimaldis are hospitable. Imagine, we could spend time together. I’ll take you to the capital at the Spring Festival, we will play games and eat food from every stall.”

How dare I suggest those things when I’m actually a cave dweller?

Miuerella’s sudden hug made me as limp as a tree stump. I don’t hug strangers. Fine, she’s not a stranger, she’s my best friend however, we have spent little time together. In situations like this, what should be the best course of action?

a.Hug her back

b.Pat her back

c.Stop crying my little cinnamon roll. The shark would gobble us up.

d.Who are you?

“Do you have a beautiful garden?”

My confidence boosted with a job well done.

We started walking together when the Duke of Athenesy commented how amusing our friendship was. Should I reconsider giving gifts?

“Lady Bethany, I meant it. If I would go back in time, I’ll still take the same course.”

This person has a talent for making my heart beat faster than usual. I should consult a doctor, I have to ask if someone’s words could cause arrhythmias.