I Will Hold Your Hand Gently

Chapter 49: Lucia's Turmoil

Surrounded by flames, Lucia was getting dragged away by a younger version of Hunter. She struggled in his arm to run back to her mother who was pinned down by soldiers dressed in steel armor and armed with weapons.

"Mommy! Don't leave me!" Lucia screamed, reaching out to her mother.

Despite being pinned down with a sword against her throat, her mother urges her to run away with Hunter, "Run Lucia! Don't look back!"

"Nooo! Mommy!" Lucia sobbed as Hunter quickly covered her eyes to shield her from the scene.

"Lucia, we need to go!" Hunter shouted, his voice nearly drowned out by the crackling flames.

Lucia desperately pushed at his hand, crying, "Hunter! Mommy needs help!"

"We can't! We have to go!" Hunter's voice broke with urgency, pulling her away from the scene.

"No! I'm not leaving her! Mommy! Mommy!" Lucia screamed, her heart shattering.

In the last second, Lucia was able to pull away Hunter's hand and witness her mother's throat getting sliced by the soldier's sword. She screamed and cried out for her mother as Hunter took her away within the fiery flame of madness.

******

Lucia stumbled to the ground as the haunting memory of her mother's final moments consumed her. Overcome with grief, she pounded her fists against the cold concrete floor, each strike echoing her heartache. The image of the Mad Prince, waving the Spheral flag with pride, was seared into her mind, an image that would never fade. That day had marked the beginning of a new, painful chapter in her life, and in Hunter's, as well as countless others.

They were orphans now, left to scrape by in a world that had no place for them. Reduced to begging for scraps, they were treated lower than the street rats that scavenged for food. No mercy was shown to the children of the fallen. Lucia's hatred for the Spheral House grew every day, fueled by the knowledge that they had supported the Mad Prince. And her anger only deepened when the Royal Family failed to bring them to justice, leaving their crimes unchecked. Corruption, at every turn. Those with power were untouchable, and those without power, like her, had no voice, and no way to stop the injustice.

Lucia had never felt safe around strangers and only around her brother after she lost her family. So when the Duchess saved her from that man who accused her of stealing, Lucia was happy to find out that there were still kind people in this world. Not only that but there was also someone who understood her pain.

Lucia felt ashamed for feeling gratitude toward the very person who came from the family responsible for the destruction of her life. The Spheral House, the family that had murdered her mother, was tied to the Duchess. It disturbed her that the Duchess wasn't like the rest of her family. She was kind, and compassionate even, and that only made Lucia's turmoil worse. How could she accept kindness from someone whose bloodline had caused so much suffering?

Lucia felt numb when she heard from Hunter's mouth that the Duchess was a Spheral, and wanted to hate her. But to dismiss the kindness she had shown them made her feel that she was no different than those vile people. Despite the warmth the Duchess had shown her, Lucia couldn't ignore the painful reality: the Duchess was part of the very family that had torn her world apart. The same family that had robbed her of everything. And yet, she couldn't hate her. The Duchess had saved her, her brother, and Tanya.

She couldn't forget the cruelty of the Spheral House, but she couldn't bring herself to see the Duchess as evil, either. It left her in a place of confusion, torn between the bitterness of her past and the undeniable kindness that had been extended to her.