The Bastard Princess

47.

-HER-

I heard the hammering sounds echo throughout the woods even before I reached the house. A look of torture climbed on my face as the distance between me and the house lessened. I first washed my face, hands and feet before entering the house.

My eyes didn't find him when I entered the house. I instantly realized that he was working upstairs. I hesitated before I finally climbed upstairs. I instantly spotted his shirtless body. He was fixing the room with his back facing me.

He instantly stopped working when he felt my presence. Next, he glanced at me from over his shoulder before commenting, "You're back," I walked to the corner, where my belongings sat, to put away the fruits that I had gotten from the temple that day.

"Yes," I mumbled after some moments, waiting for him to taunt me again.

"I need your help again," He said fully turning to me. I instantly looked away to avoid looking at his exposed body directly.

"I cannot help you anymore," I muttered as I settled in the corner, just near my makeshift bed. He cocked an eyebrow at me before he turned to the roof again. Meanwhile, my hands searched for the knife below my bed. Panic bubbled inside me when I didn't find the sharp object but I remained clam visibly.

I remained alert as long as he was there, working on the roof. I was only guessing that he had taken my knife away. I should have kept it with me.

I pretended to eat my fruits as he worked. Every once in awhile, he'd glance at me from above his shoulder. I'd look away then. After he was done, he gave me a warily look before he headed downstairs. I let my breath go which I hadn't noticed that I was holding.

I continued to eat my fruits. My eyes lingered on the bag that had been sitting with my belongings since yesterday. It was my curiosity that made me reach for it. It was a jute bag. I opened it gently to find my reflecting staring at me. There was a mirror in it.

I took it out and examined it closely. It was carved out of wood. Next, I found a comb made out of the same material and then followed the hairpins. My eyes traced the beautiful patterns carved on the pins before I found a shawl in the bag and a small box of sweets.

The shawl was made of soft fabric, suitable to keep one warm in the winters. I stared at all the stuff for several moments, not understanding what to do with them. I ended up eating some of the sweets before I climbed downstairs to put the rest of the sweets away for him.

He wasn't home then. He had gone out for what I didn't know. He only came back when I had gone to sleep.

"Arsinoe," I heard him call out my name from downstairs but I was already claimed by deep sleep due to the exhaustion. I was woken up the next morning by the noises he created while working. After a couple of rounds of taunting, I finally set out for work with a hothead. I came back from work only to be annoyed by him again.

This became a routine as a couple of weeks passed by. So far, he didn't pose a threat to me. He only honed his skill of pressing my buttons with his actions and words.

One evening when I was returning from the temple, an uneasiness washed over me. It was raining that evening and fairly windy but I couldn't stop sweating. My body continued to grow hot. He hadn't come back from work when I reached home.

I decided to take a bath before he could come back. Just when I stopped by the lake, a piercing pain stabbed at my abdomen. I dropped my fruit basket and wrapped my arms around my stomach. I instantly fell to my knees and felt hotter as the pain elevated. I grunted as I reached for the water but its coldness wasn't enough to take away the heat.

The pain worsened every passing minute as it travelled to the rest of my body. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I winced and groaned. When it got too much, I let out a painful cry which echoed in the woods.

What was happening to me? Was I going to die?

I looked around but no one was around. Ares wasn't home yet and even if I managed to scream at the top of the lungs, I doubted that my voice would be heard outside the woods. I felt more and more vulnerable as the pain took over me completely.

I was sobbing by the lake while the pain squeezed out all the energy from my body. Was I being punished for all of my sins? I wouldn't be surprised if it was the case.

My heart was palpitating in my chest and I was drenched in my own sweat. Each cell in my body seemed to be on fire. When the black dots finally started to appear in my vision, I couldn't help but panic. My cries became louder. The woods stood silent and listened to my cries. It watched me suffer as if it made them feel better.

I soon realized that I was going to die... die alone. After all the vile things I had done, I knew that I deserved this but it didn't have to be this slow and torturous.

Suddenly, I was impatient. I couldn't exactly decide the reason behind it. Whether I was impatient to die or was I impatient for Ares to come back. My fingers were digging in my abdomen and my jaw was clenched as I tried to concentrate on something other than pain.

As another wave of pain washed over me, I let out a helpless cry. I knew no one could hear it but I couldn't stop panicking about it. When my senses finally started to dilute, my body relaxed despite the excruciating pain.

By then, the black dots had completely taken over my vision and my ears were ringing. I was losing touch with my surroundings, with reality. Maybe, I was close to death. I shed my last tear before closing my eyes.

When my consciousness had started to abandon me, I felt my body lighten. As I whimpered for the last time, his name unexpectedly slipped past my lips, "Ares,"

It was a whisper in the rainy night.

...

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