As she looked around, Leah turned toward the front of the hall and the throne. Blain was seated there, wearing a crown, and Cerdina stood beside him with a slight smile.
Slowly, Leah closed her eyes and opened them again. She knew the future that awaited her. Locked in a dollhouse, living a life worse than death. They would play with her like a toy until she bored them, and then they would throw her away.
But Leah had tasted freedom, and found it sweet. Carefully, she grasped the dagger at her waist. She was a very useful hostage, now that she had become the bride of the King of Kurkan. But she would never let them use her that way. In her last moments, she would make her own decisions. Her hand tightened on the dagger as she whispered the words in her mind.
I'm sorry, Ishakan. I'm sorry, I love you.
Pulling the dagger from its sheath, she aimed it for her heart without hesitation. But an instant before it found its mark, Blain rose from the throne and shoved her back.
"Ahhh!" Leah groaned in pain, dropping the dagger. Blain kicked it away, sending it flying into a corner. His fiery blue eyes glared.
Leah immediately sank her teeth into her tongue. She could hear the sound of her own flesh tearing as she bit with all her might, tasting blood. But she did not die. Before she could try again, Blain was thrusting his fingers into her mouth.
"You really are a fucking bitch...!" He screamed as she tried to spit his fingers out.
Cerdina only smiled at his fury. Slowly, she approached, lowering her eyes to Leah.
"Did you have fun in the desert? The spell has faded quite a bit." She pulled out a small glass bottle. "But you have to stay home now, Leah."
Blaise snatched the bottle from Cerdina's hand, bending over Leah. She fought like a madwoman. She bit the fingers in her mouth, shoving as his knees pinned her thighs down, jerking convulsively away from him. Cerdina frowned at the inelegant display.
"Don't move. You can't resist."
Leah's body instantly froze. She could do nothing but blink. Though she tried desperately to make her limbs obey, she lay as motionless as a broken doll.
Chuckling, Blain removed the lid from the bottle. Leah looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. Her lips trembled as she pleaded in her mind. Please. Please don't do this. Just kill me. Just kill me...
"......"
Blain's eyes twitched for an instant, but only for an instant. He poured the black liquid into her mouth, and the blood and potion mingled together as they flowed down her throat.
She remembered the golden desert. The precious memories she had made flowed like sand through her fingers.
When he had held her as she cried.
Stay with me in the desert.
When he had accepted the peony from her.
We should have a wedding. Invite everyone in the desert and make it really festive...
When she had first called him husband.
I love you, Leah...
Those memories of their time together were lost to an abyss. Like sand, they flowed away, buried somewhere deep and dark, locked behind an iron door. It could not be moved. It was wrapped in chains and locked with a lock that had no key.
She could not remember the name of her beloved.
Where those memories had been, new ones were created. They rose randomly at first, but soon clicked seamlessly together, occupying Leah's mind. She had been sobbing, but suddenly Leah blinked, bewildered.
Why was I crying?
Lifting a hand to her cheek, she found it damp. Her head tilted in confusion, and blue eyes suddenly appeared before her. Blain's face lowered to hers.
"Smile," he ordered.
Tears dripped from her chin. She still didn't understand why she had been crying, but she smiled obediently. Blain's eyes sparkled.
"Leah, do you love me?" He asked.
There was a stabbing pain deep in her heart and Leah grimaced. Suddenly she was so dizzy, her stomach lurched. Sick. Her heart thumped faster and she felt so nauseous, but she still knew the correct answer, and spoke it naturally.
"...Yes."
Blain smiled affectionately.
"I love you," he whispered.