What She Did

Chapter Nine

Lukas' frame was significantly leaning. The next thing she was sure he would do was to grab her legs like people always did. Sheila was daunted. Those feelings were ever familiar. She had been keeping her cool but she felt like she was bordering her limits. Was someone chopping onions? The memories of their past friendship kept flooding her thoughts back and forth.

She was doing this to a friend. And she was going to do things to her friend. And use him.

"Shae, you are appalling." she affirmed. She felt it again. The caustic feeling up her throat; the revolting elements of her tactics-

She raised her head, refusing to meet his earnest look. The shadow was cast and what Lukas could see of her face was her lips and chin.

What was with his expression? Something was telling her he thought of her way more than a friend.

Oh no.

Were things going too well? The corner of her lips began to tremble. She could feel a threatening bead of sweat sliding down her back, chilling her spine.

She wouldn't give up now. The moment she started this she'd thrown away her morals.

"My name is Sheila. Not Sadie." She verbalized clearly. "Now if you'd excuse me."

Sheila would have sworn she felt the back of his hand reaching for her leg as she opened the door, which she had a constant phobia for.

The light shone into her eyes. Looking down, she blinked a couple of times. Then she looked up, her glance falling on a familiar person. 

Her dark, straight hair was ironed straight. Her blue eyes were numbing to look at. Her mouth was in a scowl, as if in a bad mood. She raised an eyebrow at Sheila.

Sheila laughed bitterly to herself. She was looking at her twin right now. She had no idea she would be meeting her so fast.

She awaited her questions.

"Who are you not to greet me? Do you know who I am?" Coleka demanded. 

Certainly out of Sheila's expectations. She had no idea where she got the high-and-mighty-princess attitude from, even though she was a princess. 

She kept her silence. It was an opportunity to use her next tactic. She could feel Coleka raise her hand, about to slap her.

"Hey-" She heard Lukas' voice from the back.

"Its called the Damsel in distress." Sheila allowed a little smile of triumph to herself, watching Coleka place her arm back to her side.

"Don't be rude to her, concubine Shae." Lukas stared at her condemningly. "For all you know she may be the next Queen."

Sheila flinched at hearing her own name. She allowed herself another smile, this time weakly. Coleka would definitely pressure him to achieve his words. 

Then Lukas grabbed her by the hand forcefully.

"You're the crown prince?" Sheila tried to imbue an element of surprise. "And let go, you're hurting me!"

He wouldn't listen. Dragging her up the stairs, they faced someone who was apparently the King Chryso, who was sitting on his throne and all. She found the king strikingly alike King Xeno.

"Not surprising." Sheila thought to herself, a surge of hatred erupting.

"Declare the end of the ball, my King. I've already found who I want." Lukas uttered.

Sheila could feel the looks of the Chryso King and Queen boring into her. 

"I didn't choose her by her looks. She didn't even want to let me see her face." Lukas persuaded. 

Well, of course they would doubt this random girl their son brought to see them. She wasn't of any striking background that they knew of.

She took a side-glance at Lukas. She didn't really anticipate it. She didn't know why he was marrying her for. Certainly he didn't love her; more like he was near giving up when he found someone similar to who he loved and was desperately clinging onto that last piece of hope.

"Well, I did say you could choose.." the King looked at his Queen. "So.. go ahead."

Sheila could almost imagine the Chryso king wailing internally about a son who was nearly perfect but was just short of being unable to manage romance. 

Lukas gave Sheila a dazzling smile. For one moment, he looked a little crazy. Taking her hand once again, he brought her down the stairs, declaring that he had found his person and that the ball had come to the end.

Sheila looked around, her glance sweeping the entire ballroom. Many heads were turning into their direction.

A flash of light, ash blond hair.

It was even worse than earlier. Her eyes were starting to hurt bad.

Those grey eyes were looking her up and down skeptically.

Her mouth quivered. She longed to scream his name. She wanted to be on the floor this time round, at his feet and begging for his forgiveness. 

The many times, in the past two years, she had been burdened by the thoughts of Skiel. Many times had she pictured him standing in his own room, picking up the letters from the floor and panicking in horror over the broken window, thinking what-the-heck had he done to make her jump off the window. 

Sheila was glad she had her mask on. Her make up was probably ruined.

Or even how those letters about her own interests could have bothered or crept her out enough to take the plunge.

And then he'd be inconsolable, until he got news that she had returned to her own country.

And inconsolable once again when "Shae" got married to Lukas as a concubine when it was actually Coleka.

The grey eyes were now staring at Lukas in hatred.

Probably because he didn't love "Shae" and only gave her status of a concubine and now getting another girl to be the future Queen.

Her face was warm and wet. 

She would only meet him once. Because she owed him an explanation.

The moment they finished walking towards the end of the stairs, Sheila gave him a fierce, fiery stare that would probably mean an expletive. Looking back, she gave another, warning him not to follow her.

Her legs knew where to go. They would carry her to Skiel. They would. They would know the way. It was a familiar feeling as her pace got faster and faster; leading her out of the palace, into the chilly air, to the back garden.

There he was, perhaps finding solace in the garden roses. 

He was wearing a lost, thoughtful expression that made Sheila apprehensive to approach him. 

Then a leaf crackled under one of her advancing footsteps.

His eyes opened wide as he scanned his surroundings warily. His glance fell on Sheila.

"Go away, scum." he persecuted.

It hurt even though Sheila knew it wasn't really directed at her.

She knew that Skiel would understand; he would comfort her like he always did in his letters.. 

She tripped over a stone, falling at his feet. She was being really careless, but she didn't mind at all. Rather, she wanted it this way. She looked up into his face.

Raising a badly trembling arm to her face, she removed her mask, still maintaining eye contact. She rubbed away her all her make-up onto her forearm.

"I'm sorry." 

Her voice rang clear. 

"I have a long story to tell you."

"I don't need to hear it." 

With that, he enveloped her into a hug.