The Crazy Tyrant Wants To Kill Me(EDITING)

14 - Lucas' Family

The streets was flooded with busy merchants, window-shopping ladies, nobles wandering around, royal carriages and perhaps people like me. Confused and... lost. I squeezed past a crowd of people, panting as I pulled out the slip of paper from my pocket.

"Hmmm." I tilted my head, staring at the address on the piece of paper. Questions swarmed in my head. What street am I on? And where's house number 201? Suddenly I felt so stupid as people pushed past me.

I felt suffocated. I stumbled back as someone shoved past me. "Ah!" I reached out but grasped nothing. Suddenly, I felt someone catch me from behind. I spun around, stumbling backwards.

"Jessica?!" There she stood, her silver hair braided and glinting in the sunlight. She chuckled at me.

"Jessica, what are you doing here?"

"Window-shopping," she replied. I suddenly opened my mouth to tell her about how I was forcefully taken to the palace, and how I had escaped and needed her help-

Wait, no. Just in time, I stopped myself. I couldn't entirely trust Jessica yet. Sure, she saved me from the emperor once, but I still can't trust her entir-

"I'm guessing your headed somewhere?" Jessica asked, interrupting my chain of thoughts.

"Y-yes! Maple street, house 201. I'm not really sure where Maple street is though."

"What? Seriously?" Jessica's lips were tugging upwards, as if she was trying to hold back her laughter.

"What?" I glared at her.

"This is Maple Street."

I blushed.

"You look like a tomato," Jessica teased.

"Stop!" I said, my cheeks flushed. 

"House number 201 is a few buildings away," Jessica told me with another giggle. "Anyways, I'll see you around. Bye, Manda!" Jessica flashed me a smile and vanished into the crowd of people.

When Jessica disappeared, I finally grew serious. I couldn't waste any more time. At this point, Joe and Logan would have already noticed my disappearance and sent out a search party for me.

Moments later, I arrived at house number 201. It was a white-bricked house with a porch and a huge backyard.

This was it! Lucas' house! 

I took a deep breath and stepped onto his porch. I rang the doorbell, sweaty.  The only thing that responded was utter silence.

"Hello?" I knocked on the door and pressed the doorbell a few more times. "Anyone home?"

Soon I was pounding on the door, my breathing speeding up. Was no one home? No, this couldn't be happening! I had to speak to Lucas, this was urgent! I knocked, sweat rolling off of my forehead.

Finally, the door swung open. A woman in her thirties stood in the doorway, her dark brown hair pulled back into a bun. "Hello, how may I help you?" Her gaze scanned me from head to toe and once she spotted my flushed cheeks, she instantly knew.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry. Our doorbell's broken and I couldn't hear you knocking until a few minutes later. Please, come in."

"T-thank you." I stepped inside the house, embarrassed for knocking so fiercely but glad that someone was home. "Is Lucas home?" Was this woman Lucas' wife, sister, or...?

The woman closed the door after me and gave me a warm smile. "My husband is home. He's in the living room. This way." 

"Thank you, Madame."

When I slipped off my shoes, the woman began to lead me down the hallway. "You can call me Beth," Beth told me as she escorted me towards the living room. "Oh, has anyone told you that you look a lot like the dead Empress?"

I grew a uncomfortable. "Um... yeah," I replied nervously. "What about it..."

 "Oh, honey, I almost forgot to ask, what is your name?"

"Ariel Winston," I blurted out, my mind blank. Better to hide my real identity.

"Beautiful name," Beth said, flashing me another warm smile. "This way." I followed Beth around the house. Beth's house gave off cozy vibes. The scent of honey and waffles flooded the air. I felt warm inside out. Almost in every room there were rugs, fireplaces, and tasty food and drinks. I could hear soft music playing in the distance... 

"Mommy, mommy, who is this pretty lady?" a little girl suddenly appeared, clutching a teddy bear. She shared the same features as her mother - the same honey nut eyes, sharp nose and-

Overall, she just looked so adorable. "Aww," I mumbled, struggling to hold back the urge to rub he head.

"Oh, hello Emily," Beth said lovingly, kneeling down to rub her cheek against Emily's kneeled down. Then she brushed herself up, standing back up to face me. "Ariel, this is my daughter, Emily. Emily, is Ariel Winston."

Suddenly, another little girl appeared from behind a wall. She blinked her deep brown eyes at me.

What? 

I blinked back at her.

"This is Lizzie, my other daughter. She's very shy." Beth kneeled down again and picked Lizzie up into her arms. "The two girls are twin sisters." With Lizzie still in Beth's arms, Beth continued to lead me to the living room. At last, we stopped in front of a door. 

Beth pushed the door open, calling Lucas' name as we stepped inside.

There were bean bags spread around the room. A rug in the middle of the marble floor, a coffee table and a fireplace. A man with turquoise hair and pale skin was seated on a bean bag, holding a cup coffee in his hands.

"Lucas! There you are. This young lady, Ariel, was looking for you." Beth then shoved me forward. She gestured towards me.

"Hello, Ariel." Lucas glanced up at me. A flash of shock crossed his face as he took in my features and bright pink hair. Probably thought of Julia... I fiddled with my fingers, suddenly nervous. He used to work for Cedric, so what if he sent me back? 

"You two talk. Call for me if you guys need any drinks or food." Beth then left with Lizzie and Emily. I slowly sat down on a beanbag beside him.

"How may I help you, Ariel?"

"I, uh..." I cleared my throat, my hands sweating. "I've heard that five years ago, when Emperor Cedric first met Julia, you were with him."