Queen of lords, p.4
Queen of Lords, page 4
“Really?” Tenia spoke up in surprise.
The wives-to-be stared at her with unwavering gazes, as if she were lacking in intelligence. Tribel and Liones exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes filled with apprehension.
“Then what is going on?” Tribel asked.
I leaned over the edge of the boat, watching the waves crash gently against the side. I blinked, my eyes fixated on the water below when I caught sight of a fish swimming gracefully through. I gasped, my breath catching in my throat, and the boat rocked aggressively, as if it had been forcefully bumped into. Gasping for air, I hit the water with a jolt, feeling the icy coldness seep into my bones. As I sunk further, my arms flailed in a desperate attempt to stay afloat. With my eyes wide open, I took in the blurry underwater world below me, feeling the weight as I descended rapidly. In the distance of the blue underworld, I saw a massive creature emerging and heading in my direction. With a body resembling that of a snake, it effortlessly slithered through the water. The closer it got, the bigger it seemed.
CHAPTER 4
Just as I was about to take in the scene before me, a flurry of bubbles erupted, creating a wall that blocked my view and filled the air with the sound of someone plunging into the water. As soon as I reached the air, I gasped and coughed, holding tightly to—Liones?!
He chuckled as he held me. “Hold onto my back, Sentia!” He shifted, and I held my arms tightly around his neck as he swam over to the boat and the rope attached to it, climbing up with me on his back. Upon reaching the boat floor, he released his hold on me and swiftly turned, his hands firmly grasping my coughing face.
“You’re okay! You’re okay!” I soon realized that my breaths were coming in short, rapid gasps, almost on the verge of hyperventilation.
Ray forcefully pushed him out of the way, his expression serious as he whispered, “Sentia.” As if trying to demonstrate, he inhaled deeply. “Breathe,” he demanded.
Following his instructions, I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with fresh air. Ray, seeing that I had finally relaxed, set to work repairing my drenched attire and carefully brushing my hair away from my face.
“I saw something…” I whispered.
As Liones bent down, his presence loomed over me, nearly knocking Ray off balance. Ray gave him a sharp look, something that looked like… jealousy? No… no, Ray wouldn’t get jealous….
Or would he?
“What was that?” Liones looked puzzled, prompting me to repeat my previous statement.
I said it again, “I saw something big.”
With curiosity piqued, Tribel, Ruella, and Triaya walked over to the edge of the boat. Ruella frowned, looking out into the water. “There’s nothing. We would see it; this is a shallow area. I think you were just freaking out.”
Triaya chuckled. “Learn how to swim, darling.”
Behind her back, Tenia cast her an angry glare, but Kale intercepted by gripping her arm, silently signaling her to keep quiet.
It’s safe to say I’m the reason everyone got off the boat. Ray told the head of the village that we would stay a couple more days to monitor the situation. At the inn, I was instructed to change into proper attire before continuing with my duties. The look took me by surprise, with its vibrant colors and intricate details. Inside, everything was spotless and adorned in a pristine, royal white. The spacious house had multiple rooms, providing ample space for up to ten people. Each room was furnished with a spacious bed adorned with crisp, white sheets, and in the corner of the room, there stood a single dresser, its polished surface reflecting the soft glow of the room. Ray ushered me into his room, which was conveniently located right next to my supposed room as well as Ruella’s.
Ray rummaged through my clothes, pulling out one of my blue dresses that I carefully selected when packing. As I undressed, Ray’s silence made my stomach churn with nervous anticipation. He approached me as I stood there in only my undergarments, holding the dress open for me to step into.
“What is your relationship with him?”
“Who?” I asked.
“You know who I’m talking about.” He zipped my dress, still directly behind me. I was silent, almost angry that he would ask me that, as I turned around to face him. I knew he was trying to get a rise out of me, attempting to gauge my feelings towards him. Was it so shocking that someone could be nice to me other than him?
“Liones is kind.” Ray’s eyes searched mine as I said that. “Why?” I asked. “You think I’m gonna fall in love with him or something? Why would you care? You told me not to fall in love with you, anyway.” I don’t know why I said that, but I continued, “Maybe I should fall in love. I’m sure as my lover he would actually help me achieve my goals.”
His eyes crinkled in a mixture of irritation and anger as he rubbed his face and narrowed his eyes. “I’m getting tired of your tone.”
I backed away and folded my arms. “Really? Are you? Because lately I feel like you’re tired of more than my tone. I feel like you’ve abandoned me. Don’t you of all people hate that? Don’t you despise it when people abandon you? Like Ruella’s sister? Like the love of your life?” With a sudden, gentle grip around my throat, his hand conveyed a silent but menacing message. I stood my ground.
After a few seconds, he released his grip and scoffed, spouting, “You know what… since you want to keep this attitude of yours… you’ll stay here as we address the situation.”
“What!? No! But I want to learn—” I protested.
“Also… since you think I am so inclined to just abandon you after I keep telling you otherwise, ask your fucking boyfriend if he would help you take out my brothers in cold blood. After all, aren’t you used to that? Since you killed your whole village, too? Wonder how he would react knowing you—” I stormed past him, feeling a rush of adrenaline as I slammed the door shut with a loud bang. It was clear from his clenched fists and furrowed brow that my words had struck a nerve, and any chance of reconciliation slipped away. He’d retaliated against me, a response that I begrudgingly acknowledged, but it still ignited a fiery rage within me. In that particular moment, everything seemed to freeze. I wasn’t about to deal with this.
I stormed my way outside and down the hill.
“Hey! Hey!”
I quickly turned my head to catch sight of Liones happily playing with Tammy and her younger brother, Leo. After he finished messing around with them, he proceeded to make his way towards me.
“You all dry?”
As I nodded, his gaze traveled up and down my body, and a concerned expression crossed his face. “You look like you got into another fight.”
I blinked, knowing I would most likely end up crying if I were to speak. It seemed fitting for me to act like a crybaby. Inhaling deeply, I gathered my thoughts and prepared myself for what was to come. It seemed that Liones had picked up on my distress, as he reached out his hand to offer comfort. Without conscious thought, I reached out and grabbed it, allowing him to guide me to a different location. At last, at the base of a hill adjacent to the forest, there was a garden where an elderly woman was diligently tending to it.
“Alba!” Liones called out. She turned her head and smiled brightly. “Ah! Liones! Have you come to help?”
With great enthusiasm, he nodded his head. “I’ve brought a friend, too. She’s my co-captain!”
Alba laughed, “You are so silly! Come, captain and co-captain. I need help to plant these.” Back in Laos, I had seen the same bushes and vegetables that she was holding a couple of times. A vegetable known as the yakus caught my attention with its distinct carrot shape and vibrant yellow hue.
“Ah, is this your first time with yakus?” I asked, seeing that she was burying a shallow grave for it. With a nod of agreement, she handed it over to me and I carefully accepted it. Getting down on my knees, I carefully dug the hole even deeper. I inserted the vegetable deep into the ground, ensuring that only a small portion of the leaves were visible. “If you bury it like this, the roots grow stronger, and they end up connecting to other roots, releasing nutrients. It’s kind of like spores but made for underground. Too shallow gives it too light of a flavor.”
Alba and Liones looked at me in awe.
“You’re a farmer?” Alba asked.
I shook my head. “No, I just lived around them.”
For the next couple of hours, we buried the dozens of yakus she had. As the younger individuals, she allowed us to take on the task, and I felt a sense of contentment as I eagerly engaged in the work. With great hospitality, she graciously served us a delightful spread of tea and sandwiches, all made with the freshest ingredients. I had a fun time.
There were a few things I learned about Liones. As he yapped away, I learned that he had a close bond with his grandfather, who raised him after his parents passed away from an illness. After he’d passed, he found solace in the embrace of the villagers, who welcomed him into their homes and made sure he had a place to rest his head at night. They taught him many things, but it was the boat dockers who taught him the most about swimming and the sea. In contrast to my own home, it was evident that his adopted people genuinely loved and cherished him, and he reciprocated those feelings. Meeting him was a revelation—his singular personality radiated an aura of uniqueness that took me by surprise.
Once we had completed our task, Liones and I took a leisurely stroll through the village, where we happened upon a quaint barn. It was there that we decided to store Alba’s gardening tools so that they could be utilized by someone else in the future. I’d learned that the village was in the practice of sharing many of their possessions due to their inability to afford their own. As Liones walked inside, I remained standing at the doorway, observing her every move.
“Come on. You’re scared it’s going to lock you in?”
I forced myself to smile. “I don’t do well in spaces like this. So have you seen it?”
“Seen what?”
“The thief?”
Liones chuckled. “Not at all. Why? Do you want to meet him?”
I shrugged. “I mean, sure. He gives money back to the people and they love him for it. Or at least that’s what Alba said.” Alba had passionately spoke to me for an entire hour, discussing the vigilante and emphasizing the significant impact they were making in saving the town from its ongoing crisis. The belief held by her and many others was that the fish were disappearing due to the punishment inflicted upon them by Nortis, the god of the sea. Therefore, the thief was helping them until they were back in the god’s graces.
“You and him have something in common or something?”
“I think he’s righteous. Me, on the other hand, I am filled with sin. The gods would be quite disappointed in me.”
Liones took a moment to pause before he approached me, his tall figure looming over me. “Can I show you something?”
I nodded. In a gesture, he raised his hand and turned his palm to face upward. As I witnessed his playful expression, I couldn’t help but almost burst into laughter, so I decided to grab his hand. With a disdainful expression, I scoffed and rolled my eyes in response to his eyebrow-wiggling antics, before he proceeded to pull me along forcefully, leading us behind the barn and into the dense forest. This time I wasn’t scared. We continued our journey downwards, going beyond the waterfall until we came across a large statue. The figure, which had an ambiguous gender, was cold and bore a blue hue that resembled granite. The area was completely surrounded by thick, tangled vines.
I awed as I circled it. “What is it?”
He smiled, running a finger along the surface of the stone. “A shrine for Nortis. Some come here to pray to him. But he isn’t the one I wanted to show you. Come!” I followed him as he went further, towards a large, overarching cave. There, under the rock, stood a statue of a woman, her outstretched hand almost touching the top of the cave. Her body emitted a soft, ruby red glow that shimmered in the light.
“Wow! Who is this?”
“Nacrifa. The goddess of the earth and sun. Blessed with brown skin and eyes red like rubies. The weight of her and her power of life puts fear into even the other gods’ lives.”
I glided my hands down the smooth pavement and found it warm to the touch. I looked back in shock. “It’s warm!”
“No matter what, even in the winter… it’s warm.” He sat on a rock, and I followed his example. Hardly a moment later, without warning, a torrential downpour of rain soaked everything in sight. Thankfully, we were safely sheltered under the cave wall, untouched by the rain. I looked up and let out a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders.
“So what’s with you getting mad every few hours?”
“Hours?” I sighed. “More like seconds.”
With him inching closer, my curiosity grew, and I turned to look at him, wondering what he had to say. As he rocked against me, I could feel his gentle movements soothing my soul, coaxing a smile from my lips.
“Can I tell you a secret? It’s a secret only co-captains can know! But you have to promise to never-ever tell! Can you do that, co-captain?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“You sure?”
I nodded again but then he made a face. “I don’t believe you. Tell me a secret and I’ll tell you mine.”
“Uh…” I hesitated, “I don’t know, what do you want to know?”
He hummed thoughtfully. “Are you… in love with the prince? Did you perhaps lie to me that you were a maid of his?”
Frowning, I examined my hands, noticing the dirt engrained in the creases. I nervously twiddled my fingers and then looked up to Nacrifa, who was watching me intently. “I am… just a loyal maid.” After the still silence, Liones tapped my shoulder, and I looked up to face him. “Why do you want to know?”
His face loomed inches away from mine, filling my field of vision. “It’s the way he looks at you. It seems like he cares a bit more than for… just a maid.”
“I—see…” I spoke honestly. I’d never given much thought to it. Revenge consumed my every thought so thoroughly that I’d neglected to consider matters of the heart.
“I guess it’s a man’s intuition… but hey, if you say there is nothing going on, I believe you.”
My heart must have missed a beat, because it seemed to pause for a moment. As I stared into his amused hazel eyes, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth and comfort. As he leaned closer, I could feel an irresistible gravitational pull towards him. My chest rose and fell heavily, burdened by the weight of my heart. I fought the queasiness threatening to rise, determined not to retreat. His eyes locked onto mine, as if trying to decipher the emotions reflected in them.
“Liones…” I started.
“What?”
“Do you perhaps like me?” I asked.
His face contorted with shock and embarrassment, and in that moment, I knew he may have some feelings for me.
My eyes were fixed on his, filled with concern, still unsure about my own feelings towards him. Never before had I experienced anything like it except with Ray. What was it about me that pulled him in so? It wasn’t like I was Nacrifa. I wasn’t warm and fuzzy. The angry scowls that I held on my face were obvious. I had no talent for hiding my emotions. I was always upset. I was a crybaby. So what in the world was Liones seeing in me in a mere couple of days that I could not? What was lighting this spark?
Before I could even ask him these questions, the deafening roar of thunder echoed through the air, and bolts of lightning violently lit up the sky, startling us both from the intimate moment.
“We won’t be making it back anytime soon,” he sighed. “Guess it’s my turn to tell you a secret…”
As he leaned in close and winked, I could see a mischievous glint in his eye. “You asked me if I’ve ever seen the thief before?” I nodded. “Do you like the thief?”
“He gives back to the poor. What’s not to like?”
“Promise me first that you won’t ever tell anybody.” With an eager nod, I encouraged him to continue, and he let out a deep sigh before admitting, “I...” He stared into my eager eyes only to suddenly looked away. “I... am a hopeless romantic.” He began laughing, and I frowned with confusion. What did that have to do with the thief?
“What’s a hopeless romantic?”
He looked at me with wide eyes, clearly taken aback by my lack of knowledge, and let out a small chuckle. “It means… I fall too easily in love.”
“Fall… easy?” I looked to my feet. “How do you know you’re in love?”
He hummed, bemused. “Well, it’s not always love. Sometimes it’s infatuation. But to know you are in love is a little different. It’s almost like the world is not complete without that person by your side. You can’t breathe without them. You see them in every moment and seek their presence. That’s kind of what love is like. And love can take years, months... days and even more rarely… seconds.”
“What’s the difference between love and obsession?” I asked genuinely.
“Obsession is about control, not necessarily love. It’s not healthy… but it happens to people.”
Biting my lip, I mustered up the courage to ask him. “So… what makes me so special that you would treat me like this? I know you don’t love me... but considering you described yourself as a hopeless romantic, could it be that you are infatuated with me? We’ve barely known each other for even a couple of days. So… why?”
He hummed once more and reclined, mesmerized by the rhythmic sound of raindrops falling, reminiscent of a tranquil waterfall. I looked over at the rain as he spoke, “You are honest.” In confusion, I twisted my head around, trying to make sense of the situation. “You are genuine. Your face lights up when you are happy. You frown and pout when you are mad. You raise your eyebrows if you are confused. You shift your eyes and look away when you’re embarrassed. You’re just completely honest with your feelings. You live in the moment and don’t fake anything. I am interested in you because of… you.”
I blinked and stuttered, “I-I don’t understand. Doesn’t everybody have and show emotions?”
