FORTRESS 'kailisa'

o06

Joy was carefully wrapping the bandages around my thigh, Yerim had been across from us, sat on a metal table while turning the lamp on and off — It didn't disturb on how Joy was treating my leg since there was the light from the outside as it was still the middle of the day.

When she was done, she let out a sigh beneath her breath and smiled kindly up at me, to which I didn't return. "There you go, try not to run around this time." I don't look her in the eye.

And she left the room after whispering a few words into Yerim's ear, who only nodded silently in return and continued to be quiet even after Joy left us. My eyes didn't once leave the mattress I was sat on.

The room I was in was quite different from the one I had woken up in, not to mention, in a different building. This time, I was at the top of what seemed like a hill because from here I could see almost all of the area I was in.

"... It really wasn't our intention to kidnap you, Lady Lisa." I hear Yerim murmur with a seemingly tired sigh. "I really don't want you to get hurt, so please don't do anything too rash."

      "It wasn't your intention to kidnap me, but to kidnap someone else who was innocent." I stated harshly, finally turning to face her way. "Tell me, the fact that I never heard of this place or barely anything about you guys proves that we barely do anything to you — So, why are you going to attack Pure Seoul?"

      I see Yerim almost shrink into the chair, her hands go up to her dark locks and pull on them as if she's having a hard time.

      "I... Can't answer you that, Lady Lisa."

      Before I could have words burst out of anger for not having a proper answer, the door opens quickly and wide. Walking from the other side came the male whom I had encountered before — Kai — and he looks first at Yerim and then me.

     And when his eyes lay on me, I glared up at him and he did the same at me.

      "Yeri, Wendy and Irene want to see you." The girl looks up in surprise.

      "Irene?" She whispers and Kai nods. Yerim then looks down slightly before hesitantly standing up from the chair and facing me. "I'm sorry, Lady Lisa, as my presence is requested, I need to —"

     "Why are you speaking to her like that? If she's not in the grounds of Seoul, then she has no status or even a name here." Kai interrupts her. I narrow my eyes at him even more, he had been testing my patience, what a rude man he is.

       Yerim seemed to ignore what he said, and bowed her head before whispering something to Kai and leaving the room. Oh great, I was now left alone with him.

      But I tried my best for the first minutes to not pay any mind to him, I just lifted my legs to the mattress and turned to face the wall, I was going to sleep. My eyes were open for a while until they close.

      I start to think about Chaeyoung throughout the silence and the people who were in the in the supposed party, were they all okay? Did anything really happen to them? Was Chaeyoung safe?

      I only worried for Chaeyoung, she was the only precious person to me in the entire world, she was the only person who could make me smile naturally. I need to know if she was okay, but I couldn't bring myself to ask Kai.

      A silent sigh left from me beneath my breath, I shift on the bed before trying to finally sleep.

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      "Down by the river, I was drawn by your grace into tempest of oblivion and to the lovers-place..." I shift in my sleep when hearing... Music? My hand comes up to my eyes, and my head hurts a bit.

       "I was stuck in a puddle, full of tears and unwise —" My eyes open slowly, these letters somehow sounded so familiar...

      Above me, the ceiling was coloured a mixture of yellow, orange and dune colours. I look at it for sometime as I've never seen such a beautiful mixture of colours in my entire life, in my room not even the sunset would reflect on the tiled white floors.

      Bringing my hand down, it helped me sit up on the bed and I look around, and I saw Kai sat by the window, looking out and he sunset colours were reflecting on him, too. Beside him in the desk Yerim had been sat on earlier was a... I've never seen one of those before.

      Out of curiosity, I ask. "What's that?" My voice still slightly low from sleep.

      Kai's head snapped my way rather quickly and he had surprise showing as an expression, he then let out a huff and looked out again.

      "... So the Princess had never heard music before from these?" He asks rather quietly. I furrow my brows before having hands come up to my eyes to rub away the effects of sleep.

      "This is a so-called 'radio'." I look up again to the grey radio. What a weird name... Was it something they made? "Usually, you can have many other things to do on it but... In the present we don't have anymore of the radio channels." He inhales deeply before closing his eyes as he exhaled.

      "Luckily, some people managed to save a few cds, but Yerim only has bad ones." I saw a small smile tug the corner of his lips.

       I looked at the radio again and focused on hearing the music coming from it.

       "I felt like I can throw the falseness of our past and I know, it's been the hardest days for you..." I closed my eyes and brought one of my knees up. "Let's throw them out the window, that's what lovers do."

      I found myself understanding the letters despite them being in a different language that I've never heard before in my life, my eyes opened again and I furrowed my brows. This sounded so familiar... I can't put my finger on it, but yet, not only do I understand but it felt as if I've heard this before.

       Had Chaeyoung sung this before?

       Those thoughts evaporated from my mind when hearing the door open, Yerim came in with a smile and a silver tray with a plate of food.

       She bowed her head towards me and glanced Kai's way, but he was still looking out the window and the radio was playing. The girl then frowned.

       "How many times did I tell you before to not go through my stuff?"

       "I was bored to watch this girl sleep, can I go now?"