It wasn't

    Accused. 

She accused me of something she told me to do. 

“I…” 

My words left hanging on the edge of my lips as a hand slapped me across my right cheek. The stinging on my cheek stayed as if it was welcome to continue to linger in my skin. I let out a soft sigh. 

How foolish of me to believe her genuine words back then. That was foolish of me to not learn from the past situations. I should have been an expert to situations like this since it has happened so many times in the shelter. Blood slaves gettin accused of things that they didn’t do, ending with them getting imprisoned, killed or exiled from the kingdom. I should have known better. I knew better! 

I was suspecting the turn of events but I let it slip my mind! How foolish! 

“How dare you do this to me after all the goodness I have showed to you?!” she yelled at me. 

I heard footsteps rushing from outside my door and caught a glimpse of Gerber being stopped by Atlas. I secretly shook my head at them, lifting my gaze towards Lady Catherine who was fuming in anger.

“I don’t steal, Lady Catherine — Especially— not from you—”

Another slap landed on my other cheek. I thought the sting would go away after she hit me. But I was wrong when I realized that her hand stayed in my head, curling her fingers on my short hair as she forced me to look up to her. 

“Lady Catherine…”

“You peasant!” 

I flew to the corner of my bed when I she pushed me on the floor. Gerber tried to step in but Atlas stopped her once agan. I witnessed how Atlas looked away, avoiding to watch the violent scene in front of her, her fists curled and her jaw tightened like she was ready to jump at Lady Catherine any moments from now. 

I couldn’t speak or say anything as I hugged my knees. My fear got me first. I am a coward indeed. I can’t speak up for myself and neither can they. 

“I said, search her and this room!” Lady Catherine yelled violently again and the servants, with their sorrowful eyes began searching the room. 

Atlas volunteered to approach me. Tears pooled in her eyes but she managed to keep it in secret as she began searching my body for the jewel. I stopped her hand, and guided it towards my pocket. Her eyes widened as she took the jewel out. 

“S-She told me…to keep it…” I croaked, defenseless. 

Her lips shivered. I smiled weakly at her, “It’s okay…” 

She shook her head. I knew what she was going to do. She was going to keep the jewel and not letting Lady Catherine find out about it but that will only going to make everything worse! I can’t risk any of them for something I have done. 

“No…” 

I shook my head, surrendering the last drop of hope in me. I pulled the jewel as Atlas held it in her hand. It was enough for Lady Catherine to see a glint of the jewel. In a sudden, she marched towards both of us, pushed Atlas away and took the jewel from my hand. 

“You…thief!” 

She was shivering in anger that I was left paralyzed in my own place, unable to move. It gotten even worse when a hand grabbed my hair and dragged me out of the room. The other servants gasped, some of them cried silently. Gerber tried to run to me but one of the servants stopped her from advancing. They followed us until Lady Catherine managed to drag me to the stairs. 

“Please, let go!” I cried, trying to break away from her dragging me down the stairs. 

“You thief! You peasant, how dare you?! People like you should be doomed in hell!”

She pushed me off the last steps of the stairs. I stumbled down, my back aching so bad as blood flowed out of my skin , lacerated by her sharp nails. I cried, trying to crawl away from her. 

“Lady Catherine, please stop!” Gerber yelled. 

She turned around to glare at her, “You better shut your mouth, human!” 

“No! She didn’t steal anything from you! How dare you accuse her?!” 

“You dare to challenge my authority?! Shut your mouth before I command my men to kill your whole kin!” 

Gerber shivered, shook her head as Atlas pulled her behind her, eyes teary. 

“Stop it, Lady Catherine. This is too much,” Atlas gulped. 

“Really, Atlas? I told you to kill her this morning. Why is she still alive then? You have been killing most of the blood slaves for me. What changed your mind?” 

My eyes widened. I…

Atlas shook her head, “I’m sorry, Sol. I had no other choice. But when the poison showed itself to you, my conscience stopped me from doing anything further. But Lady Catherine, don’t you have any conscience with you?” 

“Why would I feel pity towards people like you?” she scoffed arrogantly. 

I was about to move a little further but Lady Catherine grabbed my hair again and forced me to look at them. Atlas shook her head while watching the Countess pushed her fingers in my neck, preparing to kill me with one strike.  

“Very well. To settle everything for tonight, I want you to kill yourself Atlas.” 

“Lady Catherine…” Gerber tried to interrupt but she was silenced with a glare. 

“Kill yourself or I will kill the blood slave and tell Minirvus that you killed all of his them!”

I cried, weak and have nothing to protect myself with. Now, I got people into trouble resulting for them to be put in harm. 

I can’t just cry in here and watch how all of them will get hurt in my place. It was my fault for being foolished. It was my fault for letting my guard down just because I felt more comfortable than before! 

Atlas took out a knife. The scene before me slowed down as I heard how violently Lady Catherine screamed and pushed her to do it. 

“I’m sorry…” 

I shook my head, “No!” 

A huge wave of energy travelled around us, throwing everyone around me away from their current positions. The glasses, windows and the stained ones, exploded. Everything around me became a total disaster in just a matter of a few seconds. 

I breathed in, and out slowly that I can almost hear my own self. Lifting my gaze to the servants to make sure that they were okay before averting them back to Lady Catherine who was panicking. 

“What happened? Who did it?! Who did it? It was you.It was you!”

She attacked me but was stopped midway by a somekind of creature that I haven’t seen before. It was moving in the air, floating. It has no face except for two black eyes, a skeleton like body but without the hands and feet. It almost looked smokey, ghastly. 

“Enough.” 

One commanding word from a familiar voice and everyone stopped, hitching their breaths. I turned to the door that slowly opened, and a familiar image of a man entered, his shadow stretched on the marble tile. His eyes landed on me, full of rage but affection. 

I croaked, “Master…”