Judgement against Alyssa has been made, but not to the satisfaction of Ison Vis. When Ziloh reappeared on Alyssa's side, Queen Kathy arrived to rescue her daughter.
As Queen her mother might be, Alyssa was not able to go unpunished. Alyssa, after all, violated the law, the law the Queen herself co-authored. But still, Alyssa managed to have the lightest punishment possible. Three nights of known violation of curfew, therefore, three days of lockdown.
"Everything will be alright." Queen Kathy assured her daughter before they parted ways. "Your mother is the queen. Everything goes according to my plan."
No flogging has been made---or spanking--- but rather, Alyssa was forced to return to her room with two guards on both of her side, making sure she won't try to escape anywhere.
"This is so wrong!" Kiva protested as she walked beside Alyssa, giving the two guards her best death glare. "They cannot treat the princess this way!"
"Calm down, Kiv." Alyssa assured her best friend. "I did break the law."
"But, but." Kiva pouted. "They should not lock you up!"
The princess chamber was already in sight.
"Noooo, don't go in there!" Kiva ran as fast as she can to the door, raising her arms sideways, blocking the door for Alyssa.
"Kiva," Alyssa stopped at her door and pressed a hand on Kiva's cheek. "It's okay." she pressed Kiva's arm down and walked inside her room.
As soon as Alyssa closed the door behind her, she could hear the chains being placed at her door, locking her up in her own chamber.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Kiva shouted outside.
"Ugh." One of the guards shouted, probably from being kicked.
"I'm okay, Kiva." Alyssa smiled despite the situation, imagining what was happening beyond the door. "Have mercy on them."
"Ali," Kiva's voice was stern, determined. "hang in there, I'll let you out as soon as I can." she scurried away from the princes' door. "They will pay for this!" she declared as her voice went farther and farther away.
Alyssa did not hear Kiva's declaration. Her attention was on someone else. She saw him as soon as she turned around, someone was inside the room with her--- Ziloh.
"Is this fun for you?" Alyssa crossed her hand on her chest. "Get out of here."
"I can't" Ziloh shrugged. "it's locked."
"I know you can." Alyssa said.
Ziloh shrugged. "Still interested with the spanking?" his brow was lifted.
Alyssa sat down at the round table. "Stop making everything as a joke."
Ziloh sat beside her, bringing her chair closer to him. "Was it fun going out last night?" he smiled innocently, the kind of smile Alyssa knew she should be afraid of.
"It was fun," Alyssa answered. "and I don't regret it."
Ziloh's smile was gone, replaced with a blank face. "You had fun with that thug?"
Alyssa pondered for a moment, wondering what he meant. "You mean Eli? How did you know?"
Ziloh did not answer and just stared at her.
"Of course, it was fun, what else am I supposed to feel. I've never seen the moon that close before."
Ziloh ran a hand on his hair. "It's my fault." he turned his head sideways. "He's dangerous."
"I know." Alyssa confirmed.
"No," Ziloh glanced sideways at Alyssa. "he's dangerous."
"What? Is stargazing with my attendant a life and death matter now?" Alyssa asked sarcastically.
"No, if he was looking at the sky." Ziloh said under his breath.
"What?" Alyssa did not manage to catch what he said.
"Just be careful around him." Ziloh warned. "Don't let him see what I see."
"And that is?" Alyssa was not following the conversation, her eyes burrowed in confusion.
Ziloh looked into the depths of Alyssa's emerald eyes. "Your soul."
***
On her way to her father's chamber to ask his help about Alyssa, Kiva saw a commotion around Duchess Zenalda's wing.
Kiva heard the duchess wailing as two attendants walked out of her room, each carrying a bucket of warm water.
Kiva stopped the two attendants. "Is the duchess sick?" even Kiva was felt incredulous her asking---it was impossible for a royal to get sick after all. Even though the duchess was on the older side and on the overweight side, she was still one of the royals. "Did she take it to heart? That's she was rejected." Another ironic question for the duchess' heart stopped beating years ago.
"No, Lady Kiva." The attendants bowed curtly. "One of her children," seeing the confusion of Kiva's face, the attendant changed her term. "One of her dogs is in critical condition."
"A sick dog?"
"Yes, my lady." The attendant nodded. "Beat is sick, and no one in the kingdom knows how to cure him."
"I see, thank you." Kiva dismissed them and proceeded to go to her father.
Kiva passed by the wailing duchess. "My baby," she heard the duchess wail. "My poor baby, I will not give you up."
***
"Father!" Kiva barged into her father's chamber without even bothering to knock.
Right after the heated meeting, the council decided to have a break. Duke Cliff proceeded to his chamber to eat his favorite snack.
"Kiva, good timing." Cliff wiped his mouth. "Seat." he stood up to get something from his personal pantry. "I have something for you."
Kiva sat as instructed. "Father, I don't have time for this, Alyssa's imprisoned," she looked around the room. "Where is Ziloh?"
"I observed that you've lost your appetite lately," Cliff continued." You always fill your plate like a mountain, but now you rarely do so. That is why I prepared you this, your favorite." he revealed a plate of raw brain meat--- human meat.
Kiva cannot help but marvel at the plump and fresh meat in front of her. "Where did you get this." she whispered. "It's… fresh." meaning, a day have not passed yet since this one well, died.
"I have my ways." Cliff beamed to his daughter, sitting right next to her. "It was not hard to outbid them, the supply is abundant, thank your brother for that."
"What?"
"I don't have to bore you about the details," Cliff shook his head. "just eat." he encouraged his daughter.
Kiva stared lovingly at the fresh meat but tapped both of her cheeks to remind herself the reason why she came here. Alyssa was suffocating in her own room, and unlike her, do not have food to eat.
"This is not the time." Kiva slid the plate away from her. "We have to save Alyssa first."
"I knew you would say that," Cliff conjured a box under the table. "which is why I prepared this." Cliff gave a yellow box to Kiva.
Kiva peeked inside the box and saw a half dozen egg tart.
One of the proteins Alyssa would eat. "But how can I get this to her, she's locked."
"I doubt they will let the princess starve to death." Cliff waved a hand. "Of course, they will open the door to deliver some food."
"Okay, let me give these to her first." Kiva stood up.
Cliff grabbed her daughter's writs. "Oh, no, you have to eat with me in here." he pointed to the box of egg tart. "That can be delivered by anybody."
"But…" Kiva pouted.
"Let me," Cliff took the box from Kiva and went outside the hallway. He saw two guards patrolling the area. "You, there!"
The guards saw the duke and came running to him.
"Make sure to deliver this to the princess." Cliff gave the box to the guards to handle.
The two guards saluted and went on their way.
Cliff returned to his chamber. "Now that the matter is out of the way," Cliff returned to his seat. "Let us enjoy our meal."
"I guess," Kiva pressed her lips together. "I have to eat this while still fresh." she took a bite of the premium meat.
"How was it?" Cliff inquired.
"Delicious," Kiva jumped to her seat. "Thank you, father."
Yes, the taste of a man, her favorite.
The father and daughter enjoyed each of their meal together.
When royal eats a human brain, it would oftentimes give flashbacks of that brain's previous life--- and this meal was not an exemption.
Snippets of memory from the man before came rushing into Kiva.
He came from a humble home, born from a farmer's family. Growing up, his life had been fine, his parent's livelihood was enough to feed him and his younger brother. Life was simple, the family was satisfied that they were able to eat three times a day. That is, until he dreamed of bigger things. He dreamed of having a bigger house and more meat on the table. More Rigs, he wanted more Rigs. And so, he achieved them. He became a prison guard. But his desire did not end, his dream became bigger and bigger---until it all went blank.
Others would think that the easiest to remember was the human's last moments being alive. But in truth, it was rare to see those moments, because as death comes near, what a person remembers the most are not their last moments, but their happy childhood, and sometimes maybe their first love. It is true that on you last moments, your life could come flashing in front of you.
And Kiva's meal was no exception.
His name was…
"Chimp." Kiva said out loud.
***
The two guards who were tasked to bring the box of egg tart to the princess saw two attendants walking in the hallway. So as two responsible guards, they passed the mundane task to them.
The two young attendants obliged willingly; in fact, they were excited to do the task. They brought the food to the princess as instructed. "We are here to deliver food to the princess." They announced to the two guards posted outside of the room.
The guards did not protest and immediately opened the door, as soon as they opened it, a gust of wind passed by, causing the two young attendants to close their eyes—thankfully they managed to hold onto the box of food tightly.
"Princess," they entered the room and curtsied. "Duke Cliff tasked us to bring this to you." They offered the box to the princess.
"Thank you." Alyssa gladly took it.
One of the reasons why the two young attendants were enthusiastic was because it was their first time to see the princess' room. They took in everything they saw. Their wander in their eyes were obvious to the princess as the attendants gawked at the room.
"Is there anything else?" Alyssa said get their attention back.
"Uhm no, princess." They walked backwards onto the door. "That is all."
Alyssa followed them as she pressed her ears on the room to listen, and just as she expected, the chains were back again.
Three days, she can do three days, she encouraged herself.
She was about to return to her seat to eat when she heard the two attendants whispering loudly.
"It's so beautiful inside."
"Of course, it's the princess room." One replied.
"Imagine how much her items are. Did you saw that? Even her pin is made of gold."
"Yes, I wish I were adapted by a royal too. I would be happy to have just one of her things."
"I heard there's a special offer tonight, and it's rumored to be one of the princess's items!"
"No way!"
"Should we bid too?"
"No way! I bet even our combined monthly salary would not be enough."
The two young attendants giggled as their voice began to fade farther and farther.