Lianne was standing at the upper deck of the boat when they reached the port of Olga. She was wearing a new dress; a peach-colored off-shoulder peasant dress provided by the captain, all thanks to his many exploits.
It was past six in the evening when they arrived and what greeted Lianne when she first laid eyes on the port town was a harrowing sight. There were many buildings that were destroyed. Houses were without roofs, a bridge toward the town square was collapsed, and many beggars were on the streets. It wasn’t what Lianne had expected it to be.
Nothing at all.
Cain came to stand beside her as she felt aghast by the sight.
“Lianne, welcome to the City of Olga,” he said plainly. There was no hint of sympathy in his voice like he was already accustomed to the unwelcoming sight. But of course, this was the place where his father died, and the mission that Garlow had given.
Father Oveido moved closer to her, his gait uneven without the aid of his staff. Lianne felt hopeless with what was now an imminent threat, but she knew she wasn’t powerless. She had to fight for her freedom, and fight she will.She kicked her feet hard when the priest stood a couple of inches from her. She was able to hit his left knee, instantly sending a jolt of pain all over his leg. He winced in the pain but he smiled briefly and said, “You think this would deter me from doing what I must do? Struggle as much as you want, princess.”“You stay away from me!” she threatened, gnashing her teeth in anger.“I don’t think that will happen, ” he answered and then went behind the sofa.This time, Lianne wasn’t able to anticipate or even see what he was about to do next, but it was certainly clearer when she noticed the blade of the dagger drawn close
“How is she, Your Majesty?”Lord Jared carefully asked when Ruen finally exited his private cabin. He looked distressed and exhausted, wrinkles and a hard frown marring his handsome face.It had been five hours since they left the port of Olga, sailing back to Regaleria on the royal ship in the middle of the night.Traveling back to Regaleria as soon as possible was the best thing to do for mainly two reasons. One was that it was safer for the princess to be as far away from the cave as possible while the blood moon was still high and second, for the King’s sake, so that he wouldn’t burn the entire city down because of his raging anger.“She’s still sleeping, ” Ruen answered plainly, but he had a tense look on his face.“Do you need anything, Your Majesty? Coffee perhaps?” Jared offered knowing the King would probably pu
It had been four days since they arrived back in the mansion.When Lady Faye first saw the state the princess was in, she immediately gave the King an exaggerated line of sermon, to which the latter heartily accepted.It truly caused the governess great concern, with Lianne’s wound and enervated state mainly, but seeing the princess in a much livelier spirit than in the past, she finally conceded.Lianne had to stay in her bed the first two days for the whole day to rest and replenish the energy she had lost as strictly urged by the governess. She even made the princess drink a variety of vegetable cocktails in order to raise up the volume of her blood, but this time it was from the royal doctor’s prescription.As much as Ruen wanted, he wasn’t able to be with her the first two days either for matters of the court immediately needed his attention. Two of these in particular were the
Lianne was still lying under the general when she heard a faint sound of a knock. She wanted to scream for help, but her attention came back to Cain when his hand cruised down to her legs and into her buttocks.She gasped in surprise when he adjusted her position, spreading her legs apart so that he could fondle her more.“Please don’t!” she shouted in distress, her eyes now wet with tears.If she could fight back, she would have, like the time when she hit him with the cigar ashtray, but her hands could not hold of anything solid this time. Surrounding them were only piles and piles of soft feather pillows, and the table beside her bed was barely a reach away where a figurine of an angel could have done the job.“You want me to stop but your body is responding to me, Lianne. Can’t you feel it?” Cain excitedly proclaimed as he felt the heat of her skin. Effortlessl
“Lianne, look at me! Please, look at me!”Ruen adjusted his hold, anchoring an arm around her head so that her face would lift up.Lianne’s vision was blurred but she could clearly see the pained expression on his face. She had never seen this kind of expression from him before. Never. It was breaking her heart.“Please don’t look at me like that, ” she mockingly requested, sounding slightly raspy. “You don’t fit that kind of expression at all.” She gave him an apologetic smile and then coughed up blood.“No, don’t speak anymore. Rest! The doctor will be here soon.” He placed constant pressure on the wound on her back with his free hand. This, he did so despite having a deep laceration on his left forearm too.“Ruen...” she uttered in a weak voice. She winced abruptly when she felt the stabb
“They both disappeared just like that.”Lady Faye uttered to herself while sitting on a cushioned seat near the fireplace of the study room. Her hands were clasping on her lap, her back was pressed against the backrest, and her head was bent low, staring at the blue flames on the hearth.Lord Jared was standing near the window sill, his eyes fixed on the sunrise beyond the stretch of the north field. “I can’t believe it. To think that the stone really does hold power. No wonder the late King did great lengths to acquire it, ” he stated.“No wonder he forbade the princess to go outside the mansion, ” Lady Faye countered. “The blood coursing through her veins is actually the key.”“Tsk... the key to his insanity that is, ” Jared icily commented, then a moment of silence enveloped the room once again.“General C
“I’m going to the library Jen, why don’t you come with me?” Lianne asked her best friend as she twirled the phone wire gently with her finger. She was leaning against the edge of the peninsula in her kitchen, wearing only a skimpy short and a tank top.“Nah, I don’t think so. You know very well I’m not into reading books, Lianne. But if you can spot me some cute guy in the library, then I might consider going with you next time,” Jen replied, humor coloring her tone.Lianne sighed and rolled her eyes.“Well, suit yourself. I am going to go now. I’ve got to return some books I borrowed there and maybe check out another, but don’t worry I might spot a cute guy for you.”She softly chuckled when she cut the call after hearing her friend shout a ‘Yes!’She ran upstairs into her bedroom a
Darkness crept in every corner as the midnight air surrounded Lianne’s bedroom. The silence was deafening, but it was suddenly broken by her frightening shout.“Nooo!”She sat on the bed, panting, beads of sweat ran all the way down her temple to her neck, and her eyes stared widely at the window.For almost a year now, she had finally dreamt it again.A man standing on top of a cliff as if waiting. His face covered by the shadow. The ocean waves were furiously splashing the cliff, but he was unaffected by the sight. His hair and coat were wet with the rain.Lianne was there, standing some distance behind him, but she was transparent. She didn’t have a solid body.When he turned to his back, it looked like he was looking at her, his eyes aglow, but it was dishearteningly sad. Then, his lips moved to shape a name - her name.&nbs