Living in a Fairytale (Completed)

chapter 17

Through the dim glass, I looked around. The world was in a strange marmalade hue. I was anxious in getting caught but Kaisen told me that it would be unlikely. 'Unlikely' wasn't reassuring, but I'd settle for it. When we passed through the passage, we were greeted with a 'limousine'. Some kind of elongated carriage that had small rubber wheels. I was silent the whole ride, consciously taking in the new environment.

I fell into a deeper silence as I stared at the castle that stood with all its grandeur. Humans built it high, with its peek reaching up to the sky and enormous walls that I couldn't see it from end to end. I didn't ask Kaisen if we should meet the king or what we were doing here. It wouldn't be wise for we are off to kill another monarch. Thankfully, sneaking into their castle is no work since it is densely populated. They take much effort in propagating.

Humans flocked its enormous halls, with satchels made of leather, wool, and some made with a clear pale material. Some humans were covered with fur and leather, some barely bothered to cover their nakedness at all. The floor was made of gilded marble that shined so much that I could see my reflection in its surface. The stairs were moving by themselves, some kind of magic or perhaps a trick in the eye. No torches were burning but the entire place was lit up by peculiar domes of light, small and luminous.  

I looked around, hoping to find Kaisen in the sea of mortals. To my dismay, I found no sign of him. I worried that he might have been captured and tortured, gruesome scenes evaded my peace of mind. I shifted on my seat and waited. The shiny elongated chair was uncomfortable, made of metal and had small holes on its surface. The air is cold and a queer scent hung in the moist, pleasant to the nose. I wanted to find Kaisen but he specifically told me to stay still. I would have defied him if I wasn't so afraid of getting lost.

I didn't have much choice when the queen told me that I would be going into the mortal world with her son. Aside from the fact that I haven't been on human soil all of my life, I decided to finally give myself a chance. The walls that I have built stands cold and dark, but I realized that I have been restraining myself in fear of grief if a day of doom should come. But with what the queen said, I realized how heavy the burden is. How sagged my shoulders have become, how the bags under my eyes have darkened, how tired I was. Besides, the more I try to bury whatever this is, the more painful it is for me and I know that it would only worsen.

Betrothals assume attachments. And in my chase for vengeance, I fear that if I attain too much of it, I might give up with my mind filled with hesitations. No matter how powerful I am, a fatal wound would kill me all the same. The country takes no exception in death, even with her own children. When my family died, a part of me died along with them. I have suffered a wound that will never heal, no matter how much time has passed. And if I may fall, I do not want to leave scars to those I have formed attachments to. I don't want to die having regrets of chasing vengeance because some spark of will to live have emerged in the depths of my black soiled heart.

A child suddenly sat right by my side, her small elbow grazing on my skin. Her sandy hair is tied and a pink leather is clasped on her curls. Her face is small, with little freckles on her cheeks. Without word, I moved away from her.

I am wearing a small fitted clothing —that seemed to have been in short of cloth— in the color of red, its sleeves tied round my neck in a ribbon finish, a plaited black skirt that rested inches above my knees, and a leather under the knee boots, slim and light and black. Niña told me that this was how humans normally dress and now I am itching to finish this journey and go back in hopes of straggling Niña to her death. I should've listened to Kaisen when he tried to talk me out of Niña's idea.

"Hola hermosa dama (Hello pretty lady)" I threw a glance at the child when I realized that she was taking to me. I contemplated on throwing a dagger in between her eyes or responding. I chose the less tedious one.