Try and Catch Me

Don't skip meals!

Lia was woken up by the loud banging on her door. Perfect. Just when she could finally get her long-awaited sleep. The worries she had from the mayor to Eldric's words kept her up all night.

But worrying would do her no good, and by the time she managed to get sleepy, it was already morning. And now someone was waking her up.

Annoyed, she almost flung the door open, not the least embarrassed with her panda eyes nor the glare she sent to the people on the opposite side. The one who was banging on the door was one of her guards at the cart last night, beside him a maid holding a tray.

"Your breakfast," the maid said as politely as possible, though she looked like she would be cursed just by looking at Lia.

Lia took the tray off her, 'accidentally' bumping the maid's hand, and snorted when she almost jumped when their skin touched. The guard clicked his tongue, and Lia stared at him and waited for the catting words. None came, and the two left. When the two turned to a corner, the maid looked back with an indecipherable look on her face.

The soldiers at her door returned to their position in front of the door. The look the maid had was baffling, but Lia no longer paid it mind. She returned to a chair and placed down the tray. Bacon, scrambled eggs, and toasted bread were in there. Something she would have liked to eat, but her stomach feels like it had been twisted upon itself, and there was no way for her to untangle it.

She returned to bed and stared at the food absentmindedly as her mind wandered somewhere. 'Are they okay? They aren't captured, are they?'

Though Lia said that they would meet, at the rate of things, she did not know if she could still meet them like this.

After an hour or so, Lia woke up from another knock on her door. This time, it was gentler. She opened it, and to her surprise, she found the maid again who seemed just as surprised that she answered the door.

"Yes?" The maid was not holding anything so Lia thought she was here for the tray. "I apologize. I haven't eaten yet. I'll just leave the tray outside the door once I'm done."

The maid did not answer as her eyes looked at Lia up and down as if she was looking at something or examining her body.

"I understand," she bowed politely and left.

Lia frowned as she closed the door. She was not a guest. Granted that they gave her this spacious room, the size was a combination of her and Robin's room back in their old house. The four-poster bed, the expensive-looking upholstery of the seats, everything seemed to be reserved to an important guest. Perhaps this was a way to soften her defenses? To her, this was a glorified prison, and she was a very important prisoner.

With nothing better to do than worry, she tried to distract herself with the board game she found on the tiny shelf on the wall. It seemed like the mayor prepared these for his guests to entertain themselves. But she was rather distracted, waiting for Eldric's decision. What if he refused? What if he offered something else?

Time passed by with Lia staring at space for the most part of the morning. It was almost lunchtime, when for the third time today, the maid checked up on her. She did not miss the questioning look from the maid.

"Miss, it would be bad for you if you skip your meals," the maid said.

Lia said, "I'm not in the mood to eat. I'll just eat it later when I get hungry." She met the maid's eyes directly.

The maid flinched at being caught looking around the room and looked down. "The mayor doesn't want his guest to starve,"

An irrepressible laugh bubbled from inside her. "I'm not even his guest so why..." that made Lia stop.

The maid excused herself, not waiting for Lia to finish what she was saying. Slowly, Lia walked towards the tray. These foods may have gone stale, but they were not the foods for a prisoner like her. That's right. She was not a guest. With the mayor's hatred with the witch, he would not forget that she was his prisoner. There was no need for the mayor to worry about her well-being...unless there was something else. Something he was waiting to happen.