The Monster and the Witch

⚜︎ Ep 50: The Angel of Samaraya ⚜︎

Her annoyance stuck with her that day. The fire inside her refused to be snuffed out. In fact, Lady Kalinda's question still gnawed at her. What do I not understand?

Then she recalled how Darius had looked at her while calling her 'Mother'. And how the people of Malakai treated her.

Her chest felt like being filled with so much fire and water at the same time. The fire was burning but also drowning her, so she had to remind herself to breathe. One thought came to mind. And no matter how much she tried to erase that thought, it always came back louder.

The thought had spread its roots in the hollow soil inside her. It established itself and cracked the concrete walls of her heart. 

That thought was; maybe staying here isn't so bad.

Carmine shook her head. No. No. She should hate that thought.

Yet, she could not hate it. That was what was upsetting for her.

She was so upset that she changed her clothes to a shirt and pants. Then she looked for Baltaz to vent her anger. The sound of wood meeting wood echoed on the west wing training ground as they sparred. Just like before, Carmine attacked and Baltaz kept on avoiding her strikes. The man let her vent her frustration.

"It's not even a month from the last time you vented," Baltaz said.

Carmine swung her sword without stopping. She did not answer him, instead, she focused on swinging her sword.

"I know you're just venting your anger," Baltaz said, "but at least use an ounce of technique, Duchess. Don't forget to move your weight when you move."

She followed his instructions, and her swing became much sharper. They continued their sword dance until the sun set on the horizon. Despite Carmine panting out of breath, the fire within still hadn't gone away.

Not knowing what else she could do, she dashed back into her room and washed her whole body. Hoping the water would bring that thought out of her and into the drain.

Yet again that thought repeated in her head. The roots of that thought were getting stronger inside her.

Maybe it's not so bad to stay, after all.

***

An old man threw a vase of flowers towards the wall with annoyance. The vase made of antique ceramics was broken into small pieces. Soils were strewn all over the carpeted floor. It was the third vase the man had broken.

"Fucking Malakai whore!" shouted the old man. He opened and closed his fist, fuming with hatred and anger.

"Calm down, Marquis," said a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. She sat on a chair in the living room of the Tasikh's residence gracefully, sipping tea as if nothing bothered her at all.

"Calm down?" the Marquis said, "Calm down, you say? You and the Crown Prince of Samaraya assured me that sending your half-sister would make the Duke into a joke. But look! It's me who's considered a joke now!"  

The woman flinched a little. One corner of her eye twitched. 

Anita was upset too when she heard only wonderful news about Carmine from Malakai when she expected bad news. She thought that cold place would crush her sister's spirit or turn her sister into something even more despicable than she already was. Obviously, Anita thought so little of her sister, Carmine.

So when the rumors about Carmine's beauty, about the Duchess of Malakai who solved Lord Don's scandal with Madam Jina, about the Duchess of Malakai who cured Darius Sangkajaya's insomnia reached her ears ... Anita became confused. How could Carmine do all that?