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KYUU (九)
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The man clutched Alianna’s hair, yanking it back.
"Still won't make a noise, little lady?" He taunted, disappointed, before slapping her on the cheek.
" 'My lady', it's no fun if you won't make a single noise. It's like I'm torturing a doll." He grunted as he slapped the child repeatedly, for the past five minutes.
"...Why?"
"What do you mean ‘why’?"
"Why are you doing this? And how do you know Lily?"
He smirked as he tightened his grip on her hair, "Why do I need to tell this to someone who is about to die?"
"I'm about to die anyway, don't you want to bury it with me?" He glared at Alianna, "I don't take orders from just anyone, especially from a Duke's daughter whose sister was killed as a traitor of this land." He let go of Alianna’s hair, violently slamming her to the ground, beside the fallen soldier who Lily had killed, before stepping on the small sick child, who let out a painful grunt.
Lily..
"Now, little lady. Do you have a last wish?" She looked up at him with a glare, "A devil like you won't get away with this. I pledge under my name that I will kill you and your master!" She snapped while pulling out a dagger and stabbing it on his leg with all her strength, forcing him to fall back.
"Argh, you!" She gave him no chance to speak as she sat on his stomach and tried stabbing him on the chest once again, but miserably failed. He yanked the girl’s hair, stopping her, and stood up, her hair dangling in the air.
"You think you can kill me just like that? Btch!" He snarled while taking the dagger off of him and swinging it to stab her.
Lily, I'm sorry but I think I will follow you. She thought with a bitter smile, waiting for her end.
Slash!
She was already on the ground before she realized it. Alianna gazed at the man who was trying to murder her earlier alongside her, headless and carrying a few strands of her hair. She placed a hand on her hair, sensing that it had been harshly cut off together with the man’s head.
"My lady, Get up." An unfamiliar man with a beard stood in front of her. With a poker face, he looked down, "If you want to live, stand up now."
Lily...
"Lily, what about Lily?!" Alianna quaked, a hint of desperation in her voice, as she tried to stand up only to fall again, her knees shaking. He looked at Lily's direction with a distanced look.
Ugh, I forgot I'm still recovering...
She looked up at him to see his head shake in both directions. At that moment, Alianna felt like her whole world had collapsed.
"N-no, you gotta be kidding. Unnie is not dead, she promised me we would get out —alive!" She shouted at him, warm liquid falling down her cheeks.
After 8 years of existence, she is the only one I trusted.. I trusted her the most and she treated me like a sibling despite knowing my noble status... She is the only one I can consider my family.
"My lady, I apologize, but we need to move right now or they will find us." He explained, pulling out a flint and stone and rubbing them together, causing it to ignite on the fallen leaves. He allowed the fire to spread before lifting Alianna and fleeing out of the forest.
"Hey, old man! What about Lily's body! We can't leave her here!"
"I'm sorry, my lady, but your safety comes first." He responded, Alianna’s eyes widening as she began punching him on the chest. "No! Let me go, I need to say goodbye to Lily just this once! Please, just once!" She pleaded while crying her eyes out just to receive silence in return. She bit her lower lip in frustration.
We were just talking happily earlier, why now..
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It’s been a couple of days since the whole incident and Alianna discovered that the whole Palace servants she is staying in had been massacred and burned on the same day of the Prince's Birthday. Many rumours, both good and bad, circulated throughout the Capital, but there was no word on Lily or what the civilians refer to as Alianna’s body.
"Did you hear about the Crown Princess' death?"
"Aigoo, that poor child.."
"Poor child? She killed her whole Palace's servants! The Witch's blood does really run through her veins."
"Don't be rude! Those are just rumours, that didn't happen." Alianna heard some folks speak about the incident, as she and Alfredo––the person who had saved her––were shopping for fruits at the Market.
"... Milady." He called Alianna as she dripped apart from reality for a second. "I'm okay." She assured him while clenching the paper bag on her chest.
"Oi, did you hear that the Crown Princess' body was found already?" She paused when she heard a man talk to another. "Yeah, and they said it was burned so much that it's unidentified but the blonde hair!" They laughed humorlessly at each other, causing Alianna to turn around, gritting her teeth, but was stopped by Alfredo half way.
"Move, Alfredo." She ordered, glaring at him. "If you want to cause a ruckus then go, but if you want Lily's body to be buried with honor please stop." He mumbled as his eyes glistened, causing her eyes to feel teary again.
Alfredo and Lily were lovers. That's what he informed Alianna, at least, but the reason why they knew and helped her 'escape' that day is still unknown.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled, feeling ashamed of herself when she felt his hand ruffle the coat that was hiding her blonde locks. "This is what Lily wants, so I need to support her decision until her last breath." He insisted, making his way to the lads, asking a few questions, before going back to Alianna.
"Let's go, if you want to say goodbye to her for the last time." He smiled while leading their way to the front of the Castle.
Many people had already arrived, and all available spaces were already too full. To Alianna's surprise, Alfredo lifted her up and placed her on his shoulder, allowing her to see the other side of the crowd.
She saw the Emperor and Empress sitting on their thrones, while in the middle of them is her so-called Fiancé, no–– ex Fiancé, whose face she couldn’t see clearly due to the distance.
She never thought their first 'meeting' would become like this.
"Today will be the day we will bid farewell to our Crown Princess, Lady Alianna Aislinn Montagné, the only daughter of the Montagné Family and the Crown Prince's Fiancée." She heard the Emperor say loudly, with a magical stone assisting in making his voice being heard from a few meters away, "I would like to announce that we are now disrupting the two children's marriage and will not be taking any family misses until the Prince's 20th birthday for picking his betrothed to be." He added, causing people to talk about it in disbelief.
"How could they say that in front of the body of the Crown Princess."
"Shush, keep your mouth closed if you don't want to be kicked out of the Empire for saying disrespectful things."
"But I didn't say anything bad!" Alianna heard some middle aged women in front of her mumbling to each other.
" But isn't it weird? The first thing that was supposed to burn is her hair, but that's the last thing that was left— as if it was on purpose so people can identify her as the Princess…"
" Oh Giselle.. Stop rummaging like the lil' detective you are, you always suspect such little things. This is why Berto left you."
" Why you—"
As the Emperor finished his speech, a man with a cane and long hair entered the stage and began rummaging word by word.
"Is he blessing the Crown Princess' Soul?"
"Is that the rumoured wizard?"
"He is?! They said he was about 200 years old but why does he look like he's still in his 20s?!"
He started speaking in another language people could not understand. He looked at the coffin of Lily, before looking to Alianna’s way, causing the end of her hair to stand up aggressively.
'The book. The book will be the answer for all your questions' A voice in her head spoke, which Alianna assumed to be the Wizard’s doing.
"W-where?" She stammered, looking to his direction only to see him smiling while continuously speaking in another language she could not understand.
"Milady?" Alianna heard Alfredo call out but paid no mind to him as her eyes were fixated on the Wizard.
'The book doesn't exist as an object, it exists in your mind. If you call upon it, it will appear in front of you— and will open to what page you desire. Speak what your desire is and say your name aloud, my child. Alianna- no Choi Hye Yeon, may your journey and life this time be full of blessings and smiles.'
She heard his voice inside her head once more before feeling a force engulfing her surroundings and something warm inside, causing her heart to beat faster. After that, the man went to bury Lily.
Goodbye, Lily. May we meet in our next life once again.
The ceremony soon ended with the people slowly dispersing.
"Milady, are you okay?" Alfredo brought Alianna down and placed both his hands on her shoulder, "I, I'm alright..." She replied, looking up to feel him tense up.
"Milady, your eyes..."
"What?" She questioned.
"It's two different colors."
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Edited by:thelazykrazie
Date:Saturday,March 13 2021