Damsel In Distress (Arcana Famiglia FF)

Chapter 18: Slavery;Prostitution

Guys, for the next few chaps, Angelica's voice will have her monologues throughout the flashback. Bold letters will indicate her monologues. ^^

This adds some drama to this~

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Angelica sighs, "That's how I met Bernardo. Then everything else followed. He took me, and brought me to the mansion." She says.

"Didn't anything happen between you two on the way?" Asks Felicita with a puzzled look.

"Nothing. But we did trade information about each other." Angelica replies calmly. "Surprisingly, we did developed feelings for each other." She adds with a pained face.

"How did that happen?" Asked Luca with his arms crossed.

The woman shrugs, "Love works in mysterious ways. Ways that even you cannot comprehend." The others muttered among themselves until Angelica interrupts their thoughts with a sigh, "But in my opinion. . . love could be. . . a pain."

Her friends were immediately wide-eyed at her words. After her kidnappoing, her attitude and outlook at things had drastically changed. The trauma must have taken a toll on her. They couldn't believe the words that have been spoken out of her mouth. Did her kidnappers do something to the gypsy whose smile had never faded before? Had they said something that changed her outlook in things?

But what about her earlier rescue? She had saved Felicita and her unit with no problem. It was almost as if she had complete control over her emotions. Angelica had grown cold and pessimistic, but her words of wisdom were still there. And strangely, she actually kept distance from them after the rescue. What had happened?

"H-How could you say that??" Felicita bursts in disbelief. "Y-You can't mean those words!"

"And what if I did?"

"Angelica. . ." Thought Pace.

Jolly frowns, "Something definitely triggered her change of character." He thought, "What is in her head?"

"Angelica, why-"

"You will know once you hear the rest of my confession." The woman interrupts Felicita.
The others stay silent as they stared into Angelica's cold dark violet eyes. The warmth seemed to have faded a little. But enough to be noticeable. Her smile had faded from her face. Debito stared intently at Angelica, his forehead crumpled into a scowl. He himself was shocked. Debito realized that his efforts to make her fall for him weren't enough. Not enough at all.

Mondo clears his throat, interrupting everyone's thoughts, "Could you please continue?" He asks.

She takes a deep breath before explaining anything else. Sumire saw the pressure Angelica was in, she sympathized the girl knowing that she herself was a product of prostitution. A child of a prostitute. Sumire realized that Angelica has been hiding her true feelings ever since they had met. She was never ready to reveal her secrets.

"As I have mentioned before we got. . Interested in getting to know wach other, so we exchanged information. . ."

****Flashback****

Night falls as the first stars appeared on the dark sky. The owl's hoot echoed through the forest. Leaves rustled as the wind passed by. Pounding hooves sounded as his horse sauntered through the forest under the moonlight. It neigh at the sight of a bat, but her rider quickly calmed her.

"We'll be staying at an inn." Bernardo tells the girl as he steered his horse to avoid a tree branch.

"I understand." Angelica replied in a monotony voice.