"Shhhhh!" Kiva pressed a finger on her mouth, the kitchen attendants looking at her weirdly.
An attendant ran to her side. "Lady Kiva, Princess Alyssa is at the door."
"Th-tha-thank you," Kiva pressed her back on the wall. "Ju-ju-sst don't let her know I'm here."
The attendant nodded and proceeded to go her way.
"KIVA!" Alyssa shouted.
Kiva stiffened upon hearing the Princess's voice.
"I know you're in there, you better go out of the palace if you don't want to pass by me." Alyssa said.
The hallway was suddenly silent.
Assuming that Alyssa finally went her way, Kiva braved herself to take a peek.
Alyssa was still there, talking to Duke Emil. Alyssa jerked her head to Kiva's direction, making Kiva to panic and suddenly hid from view.
Kiva pounded on her chest. Her heart would beat fast--- if she had one.
Kiva slid herself down on the floor, resting his back on the wall.
"You can go out now," Duke Emil announced. "The Princess already went her way."
Kiva, not wanting to be surprised again, peeked first to onto the door to make sure Alyssa was really gone.
The hallway was indeed empty, except for Duke Emil.
"I thought she will not give up." Kiva stood up and walked sluggishly towards the Duke, her shoulders slumped. "Thank you, you saved me…whatever you said to her, it worked."
"I did not convince her to leave." Duke Emil said matter-of-factly.
"Really?" Kiva placed a hand on her hips. "Then what did you say to her?"
"Kiva, I just gave her what everybody was hiding from her, something even her mother and her best friend refuses to give." Duke Emil placed a hand on her shoulder. "I gave her the truth."
***
Kiva was pacing back and forth in her room, contemplating weather avoiding Alyssa was a good plan.
Kiva was repeating on her mind the words Duke Emil said to her. The truth, it had always been the truth.
'The things I know…I wished I never knew them at all.' Kiva knew that to not know is a bliss, that was what she wanted to give to Alyssa--- the freedom of not knowing the darkness.
Kiva wanted to see her best friend smiling, without any worries in the world--- the innocent smile that Kiva herself already lost.
Kiva frowned and rubbed her stomach. "I used too much energy." her stomach churned. "Better fuel myself at dinner."
Kiva hurriedly changed to her sparkly sequenced black dress and proceeded to power walk towards dinner.
A royal and an empty stomach had always been a bad combination--- their control had its own limits too. That was why Kiva always made sure to fill herself up, she does not want to lose her control--- especially when she's always around Alyssa.
"Kiva!" Cliff waved at her, gesturing to her to seat at his side. "I hope we have our favorite tonight."
"If we're lucky," Kiva obliged her father and sat next to him. "so we can be fuller."
"You know I can get your favorite if you really want to." Cliff said in a low voice. "What you want is rare to come by… much rare than mine."
"What do you mean?" Kiva glared at her father. "How will you do that?" She was afraid that her father might do something bad for her.
"No, it's not what you're thinking. "Cliff waved a hand, dismissing the idea. "Forget what I said." He scanned the room. "Where is the Queen?" Cliff 's brows were furrowed. "Why do we always have to wait for her?" He said in a low voice that only Kiva heard.
Royals were staring to arrive with their night gowns and suits. The last one to arrive was the King and Queen--- their arrivals signaled the beginning of their feast.
'Maybe I will tell Alyssa everything I know���tomorrow.' Kiva thought to herself. 'Kiva, be brave.' She convinced herself.
Tomorrow became a week, a week became a month, a month became a year. Tomorrow, to Kiva, it had always been tomorrow.
The door opened, signaling the arrival of the servers, carrying their precious food.
The royal's mood heightened—including Kiva. Her head hovered to the servants, like a puppy waggling her tail for her meal, as they settled in line.
"It's here." Cliff licked his mouth. "Finally."
The royals were preparing to receive their food, others placed a napkin on their precious dress, to avoid any spill. Yes, the royals would eat a little more passionately, especially during the night.
A plate was placed in front of Kiva. She gulped to prevent herself from salivating.
"Yesss," Cliff opened the lid himself, too impatient to wait for the attendant. "Look Kiva! They served my favorite!" Inhaling to food in front of him.
Kiva looked at her father's plate--- a pale wrinkly human brain.
"Lucky you, dad." Kiva clapped.
"Ohh yesss, "Cliff said as he took the first bite of his meal. "Yes, I could hear her sing on my ear. Her name was… Elizabeth, she used to be an opera singer…. Her brain tastes sooo good!" He laughed. "What about you Kiva who you got?"
An attendant opened Kiva's plate, revealing her own human brain. "Nothing dad, just an ordinary man." Kiva observed.
This unusual conversation that one would never hear during the day was normal during the night as other royals would ask their neighbor how--- or rather, who--- their meal was.
A clang on the floor made Kiva to look behind her.
An attendant lost a grip on the plate cover.
The attendant was unusual, wearing a cap and a sunglass on a late night. Kiva squinted her eyes, thinking that the attendant looked somewhat familiar to her.
"I have enough of this!" Ison Vis stood on his chair as he marched towards the attendant. "This will not be left unpunished."
Ison Vis slapped her on the cheek hard, making her slide on the floor.
Kiva felt bad for the attendant, Ison Vis was having another one of his tantrums. Ison Vis has a bad reputation even amongst the royals. And Kiva knew that new attendants would always be the one to serve him, the regular ones already knew to avoid him.
The attendant stilled on the ground, her head low. But the attendant immediately lifted her head and gave Ison Vis a death stare.
Kiva's eyes widened, finally recognizing the attendant. "No, it can't be." She stood on her seat. "Alyssa." She breathed. "No," She shook her head, unbelieving.
Kiva's hand was shaking at her side, her hunger forgotten.
Kiva cannot hear the commotion in the room, she cannot hear what the Queen had announced.
But the royals were disappointed at they exited the room one by one, but the majority gulped their food down before leaving.
Alyssa glared at her, Kiva felt like cold water was poured on her body.
"No," Kiva sook her head.
"Kiva," Cliff said sternly, attempting to discipline his daughter. "Since when did you acquire this bad habit of yours, sit back down and finish…" He babbled on.
But Kiva's attention was on someone else.
"No," Kiva shook her head.
"Do you have any idea how hard to harvest these?" Cliff licked his fingers. "And there you are wasting them to rot."
"No," Kiva kneeled on the floor. "She knows."
"Kiva!" Cliff helped her to stand up. "I…you don't have to be so sulky" Taken aback by how sorry his daughter was. "I was just reminding you of your table manners."
"She knows."
Cliff patted his daughter's back, feeling guilty for scolding his daughter.
Alyssa was glaring at Kiva as she was escorted outside by the Queen herself.
The ugly side that Kiva has been hiding from Alyssa, the monster that she had become, the look that she did not want to see on Alyssa's face, the years that she endured to protect her best friend from the truth--- gone.
Alyssa was looking at Kiva accusingly, just as the look Kiva sees whenever she stands in a mirror.
***
"All of you, out!" Queen Kathy announced. "Dinner has ended."
There were murmurs on the room, the other royals confused, their stomachs still unsatisfied. "Out! Or there will be no dinner tomorrow."
That had gotten their attention, one by one the royals went their way.
Kathy had been too complacent. She had a good idea who did this to her--- Emil. Who would have thought the Emil had this in him, to betray her.
"Come, Love." She opened her arms to embrace Alyssa.
But Alyssa did not come to her. Instead, Alyssa took a step backwards.
'Emil, how dare he stand between me and my daughter.'
"My love, come to your mother."
"What is all of these?" Alyssa shook her head. "What is in your plate?"
Kathy pressed a hand on her forehead. "I can explain everything more privately."
Garrett stood next to Kathy.
"My dear," Kathy addressed Garrett. "Let me have a night alone with my daughter."
Garrett grunted and went on his way.
"Is this what you're hiding from me?!" Alyssa gritted her teeth. "Is this what you don't want me to find out?!"
"My love, calm down." Kathy said soothingly. "I know this is…" She gestured in the air. "…too much for you. But everything can be explained."
"No, you lied to me!" Alyssa backed away in the corner.
"I'm sorry you had to know it this way," Kathy inched slowly forward. "I would have told you everything at the right time."
"WHEN!" Alyssa was cornered in the wall. "All these years!" Her face, burning with anger. "Everything had been a lie!" Tears were forming in her eyes.
Kathy hates to see her daughter this way, it breaks her heart--- even though she does not have one anymore--- every time Alyssa cries.
"Nothing is a lie." Kathy moved closer and placed a hand on Alyssa's cheek. "Please, listen to your mother. Please, don't be angry with me."
"What explanation that would make me understand…" Alyssa sniffed. "That all of you…" She looked around the area. "eats human brains!"
There were only a few royals left in the room.
"My love please," Kathy hugged her daughter, comforting her. "It's not as bad as it looks." Kathy hates to see her daughter this way. "You are my heart, my life, my everything. You know, that right?"
"I know." Alyssa nodded on her mother's shoulder. "You always tell me that all the time." She broke the embrace, looking at her mother at arm's length.
"But how can you explain for me to understand." Alyssa sniffed. "That we're not royals…you're not a royal." Alyssa said, clenching her teeth. "You're a zombie."