The Red

Chapter-19

Stella's P.o.v.

I fell in love with him because he showed the kindness that no one did. Because he was gentle, I could not resist him. But what if everything is an illusion? What if everything I thought of him was nothing but a big fat lie?

"Princess..?" She looked at my face as she put down her cup. Her pinky finger was solely standing in the air and marking her elegance. The problem wasn't her elegance.

I just couldn't stand to be at the same place as she was. She had this weird talent of making people feel uncomfortable. Even her maids and servers looked terrified everytime she entered the room.

"Yes, my lady?" I answered without hesitating a second. If I could, I would have already left that little tea party of hers. But my beloved fiance had demanded me to join her to cure her boredom.

"Really, I am totally shocked. I didn't know anybody could join the royalty in water kingdom." She smiled, unpleasantly.

"Eh?" I responded with an unknown face.

"I mean, look at you princess. I thought every royalty would maintain their bloodline, doesn't seem like it happens in your kingdom," she smirked, making my face cringe.

I was out of word, didn't know if I should take it was her audacity or arrogance. One thing for sure, I clenched my fingers around the cup. I was so ready to pour the tea over her beautiful yet evil face.

"What do you mean?" I gritted my teeth, trying to hold back myself.

"Tch.."She flicked her tongue and acted as if it was funny.

"Look at you! Your red hair is the symbol of the filthiest blood, worse than the commoners," she responded.

Her forceful smile finally shrunk and her big blue eyes were devouring me with an ugly glare. There was not a thing she had left to make me feel angry. Either threatening with a knife or with words, her only motive was to make me feel small. It was amusing how I already knew about my existence.

"Then, aren't you guys the same? Taking me as Erwin's wife..," I was talking when she interrupted in the middle.

"Uh-uh, princess, you know what is common with you and every other girl? " She choked, "You weave the dream but never work for it?"

I looked at her face, wondering what was she even trying to convey. Did I ever do that? I wondered.
"You don't deserve him," she added.

I knew where I stood better than her.
Therefore, it didn't break my heart, or anything like that sort happened. But she did annoy me enough to respond harshly.

"Why don't you mind your own business? If that is too much for you, you can just stay away from me and his majesty's affair," I bawled as I stood up.

"See, you can't handle the truth. You haven't even heard a pinch," she chuckled, "I have so much more to say."

I glared and tried to get out there. My hands were busy on picking up my long dress while my eyes were trying to figure out the way. My head? It was about to burst out of anger. If I think about it, I had learned to get angry at people. Especially her, the mighty so-called distant cousin of his majesty Erwin. Before, I was nonchalant to anybody's business.

"Those books-" she spoke loudly as I was at the exit, "I bet you read them well. They were all about you filthy blood lines. Wondered why every book was related to red hair?", she gave me a long pause. No wonder, it was able to make me curious.

"It's because Erwin had been searching for you and it may have been ten years now," she smirked

I got paused, my feet were getting pulled by the gravity. I stood there shaking, wondering what she said. She made no sense, she never had. But I felt like I had to listen to her, just for today.

"I remember when I was eight years old," she open her mouth, her eyes looked as if they were travelling through a deep memory.

"Everybody bashed Erwin. Though her mother was a royal bloodline, everyone hated her because she was said to be associated with black magic. People believed she used the black magic to seduce the king, despite he had a beautiful wife and a lovely son. The queen was loved whereas the second wife of the king, that is Erwin's mother, was mistreated even by her own maids," she suddenly looked at my side, as if she just woke up from her deep thoughts.

"Anyway, why the hell am I telling you these stuff?" She choked and stood up. She start to fix her dress, and got ready to left. While I stood there, getting even more and more curious. I was being greedy to know everything about Erwin. But deep down, I had a feeling that the truth would send chill on my spine. Still, I insisted, "You point was to make me curious on some nonsense."

I provoked her and it worked. Her silent eyes suddenly redden out of anger and she stomped toward me with her gritting teeth. Before I could do a thing, she grabbed my hair. My head was being pulled back. Too bad, I was far more stronger than her. While she hid on shade and maintained her elegance, I walked in the field and maintain my shoulder with other soldiers.

I freed myself in no time and at the same time, twisted her hand.

I don't know if it was the physical pain I was giving her or it was the pain that was engraved into her soul. But she made a loud cry, "You think his life is a joke. Who are you to say its nonsense? What do you know of him?"
Her enegry dropped as she screamed and she became quiet, tried to catch her breathe.

"He made himself. His attitude, his power, position, respect, followers, everything. EVERYTHING, he made it with his hands. You don't deserve him," she squealed painfully.

While she was losing herself, I figured something. She wasn't looking at me when she talked with me. She looked as if she had lost her mind, looking here and there.
May be its because she isn't composed.  I thought. But my curiousity ran ahead of me. I threw my pouch on other direction and made stay quiet. Weird as it is, she turned toward the direction and looked at the direction as if she saw me there.

Oh lord, she is blind. I figure.
Somehow, I felt bad for her. Or maybe, I reflected my image in her. She was livinv with a defect just like me. So, I just gave up on my curiousity. I wanted to go easy on her.

"I never said that. I am tired, I am leaving." I spoke with straight face. I didn't want to sound as if I pity her. But I guess, she figured that I knew her secret.

She stayed quiet, completely shocked. I didn't want to be part of these awkward moment. So, I just walked away. Six steps further, a sudden laugh burst.

"Wow," she sighed, finally stopping her strange laughter.

"Whatever you think, it doesn't matter. You have always been a play thing for his majesty," Her words pierced through my ears, and shot my heart. Really, my heart sting. No matter how much I tried to stay calm, she had to act mean.

I turned around and opened my mouth. But I preferred not to respond. So I just looked at her stiff face.

"Believe me, you are a toy for the power. He sought you everywher until you knocked his door by yourself," we both took a long pause.

Finally, I dared to speak.

"Feed me something I will believe. Not like, I am some pure blood like you. And even if it was true, why are you getting uneasy?" I slammed her with my words and left the place.

The uneasiness, however, remained. I knew I was nothing. Still, it seemed as if her words had some truth in it. The books were the proof.

From the beginning, unexpected things happened to me one by one and I could not get a chance to think if this home that I created inside the bubble was really a home. Really, now I started to doubt if his affection was genuine.