Chapter 32: The Bargain
The darkness, my heavy footsteps, the clanking of the chains tied around my hand, and the combination of different sounds of pain and sadness, as I took more steps inside the house of pleasure, made me remember that story from Lily. Thinking back on the days, and all those hardships we had together from the first war against the law of vampires and werewolves, to the war against Deesedayah and now with this impending war against Veda and Atlas, I couldn't help but think how everything was so possible while my family was together.
In every step I took, my brothers stood before me, and a sister was always there to hold my hand. But this time—on this cold floor, filled with darkness and the anguish of ill-fated creatures—I felt, for the first time, the weight of walking alone.
Ganito ba ang siyang nararamdaman ni Lily noon nang sandaling naglalakad siya patungo sa kulungan? She was a prisoner and now I was a slave, but despite the risks of this path, I knew that we were feeling the same— anger. That even if we came from a powerful family and we had the reigning king of this world behind our backs, we couldn't change this— the real definition of reality that we had to live with— divisions of wealth and poverty.
I took a deep breath and continued my steps.
My visions of Lily and the way she narrated her experience lingered in my mind, even with the pain and difficulty in her expression, I could still sense the pride and satisfaction in her, because during that very day, when she was accused of being a traitor, dragged like a slave with chains and sentinels around her, the admired, favored and well-loved princess, for the first time, received hundreds of insults in her face.
I closed my eyes, vividly remembering how Lily told us that scene that made my brothers look extremely proud of her. Even if it had been years since she shared her story, I couldn't help but have goosebumps. Lily didn't cower. Even with her ruined dress, bruised body, and rusty chains in her hands, she stood proudly as the princess of Sartorias in the middle of the prison, her eyes ablaze—emitting her power above them all. The prisoners, even with the prison bars and the chains tied on the princess that could protect them from her, knelt before her in fear—so much so that even the guards took a step back away from her.
Hindi ko makakalimutan ang reaksyon ng mga kapatid ko nang ikuwento iyon ni Lily. Caleb and Finn exchanged the expected claps, both grinning as Lily purposely swayed her long hair in front of them. Evan shook his head in disbelief, Casper nonchalantly sipped his tea, Zen for the first time smiled wider than Caleb, since he loved Lily being as savage as him, while King Dastan tried to suppress his smile while flipping some of his pages in his book.
They were always proud of Lily no matter how risky her actions and decisions—sa sandaling malaman nila ang kabuuan ng misyon kong ito. Ano kaya ang magiging reaksyon ng mga kapatid ko? Would it be the same as Lily?
I knew that I shouldn't think about Lily and how she'd deal with this situation if she were in my position or my beloved brothers' reactions to my situation, but I couldn't help thinking about them in this journey.
The long walk inside the house of pleasure made me lost in my thoughts, but when the headmistress stopped in front of an old wooden door with a thick metal that held it as its lock, she turned and looked at me.
She snatched the thin mask that hid half of my face. At first, I was hesitant for she might recognize me, but Luna and Delilah reminded me before we entered this place that creatures gathered around here were busy making a living rather than focusing on some news from the castle.
Kung may makakakilala man sa akin, ibig sabihin noon ay nakaabot sa kanya ang balita na ako'y kasalukuyang nakakulong sa gintong silid kasama ang hari.
