Without fear of the person behind the door, the maid opened it with even hands. Yuna stared ahead with a straight gaze.
The moment the entrance was turned open, a mountain of cold blew past their faces, evoking fear in Yuna, but achieved no reaction from the maid. It would seem she had been trained to withstand the pressure. The calm and confident Yuna was replaced with a trembling child with caution and a cold sweat. Still, she told her feet to move forward.
The first sight that she saw was a man with unkempt silver hair lying back on a fancy velvet couch. His white dress shirt had the top buttons undone, revealing a defined collarbone. A tie lay on the backrest behind him.
His god-like face was laced with a layer of permafrost[1] and twisted into an ugly expression. An empty beer bottle hung from his hand.
Yuna was not enamored[2] by this attractive man, but rather, the opposite.
He stared at her with no change in position. Gray eyes almost pierced through her. The more time passed, the lower the room temperature dropped, and the more flags were raised in Yuna's mind, screaming at her to escape.
Suddenly, the temperature returned to normal, and the man stood up while holding the bottle. He slowly swayed over to her.
Yuna closed her eyes to exhale the breath she subconsciously held and didn't see the object that came swinging down at her head.
Before she knew it, a heavy blow landed on the side of her head, knocking her to the floor with a shock.
All she could hear was a loud ringing and the clatters of glass shards hitting the floor.
Her head bled profusely, and her vision was doused in a layer of red. Yuna's mind pounded viciously as she tried to look up at the man who loomed over with every last bit of her. In his hand was a broken beer bottle.
Intense hatred was audible in his voice, "You took the life of my love; now you've taken my son's. How much more will you take until you're satisfied?"
'Huh?' Yuna's eyes widened in disbelief, 'His son—?'
But a sharp blow landed on her stomach before Yuna could finish her thought. She yelped in both surprise and pain. Dry tears swelled in her eyes, and blood spurted from her mouth. Yet with every last bit of her, she discarded the pain and focused on the man's words.
"Are you happy now?" he asked with a broken smile.
The man sneered, "I know you understand these words. Don't think I didn't know about my son's frequent visits. It's thanks to this and you contaminating him with your presence that he's dead!" The man continued with a persistent threat, "I hope you're damn satisfied, you death-bringing monster."
A broken beer bottle dropped on top of Yuna, which shattered into smaller bits and pieces... But it could never break more than her heart at this moment.
Another kick bashed into Yuna's stomach, sending more blood spurting from her mouth.
"If only I killed you back then... No, if only you were never born in the first place, then they would both still be alive," a scowl crawled over his face.
With such a confirmation, Yuna had no choice but to accept the truth. She couldn't deny it any longer, even though she wished it all to have been a lie.
Winston was dead.
Her pounding head and bleeding organs couldn't compare to the pain in her chest. Battered and bruised, she looked away with such eyes that made sight for a meaningless life.
Maybe she is cursed. If not, then why are all of the good things in her life always taken away?
"But the past is the past, and the dead cannot come back to life," he continued while extending his hand. The robotic maid who stood next to Yuna walked over to him and bowed at a ninety-degree angle. She placed a clean handkerchief in his palm, which he used to wipe both hands. The cloth returned to the maid, and she retreated to a sidewall.
The man looked back to the heaving Yuna who winced in unbearable pain.
Black leather boots and formal blue trousers filled her vision. The man squatted and spoke with a clear threat, "I thought you learned your lesson while in confinement, but it seems you haven't learned enough. Should I add a few more years to your life sentence?"
She looked down with mixed feelings.
He looked down to click his tongue in annoyance while muttered to himself, "and, thanks to you, that thing is all fuckin' screwed up now. People will go berserk if they found out that he..."
But Yuna caught his words, 'What thing is he talking about?'
He ran his fingers through his hair, "I don't want another woman, either..." suddenly, he flicked his fingers, "Aha, I've got it."
The man pulled Yuna up by her long, dirty hair to see her face. He contemplated for a while, then smiled, "How about this; you'll pretend to be my son. That way, every time you wear his skin, you will never forget that you're the one who killed him and will help me trick those old god-hailing geezers into thinking this world isn't doomed. Killing two birds with one stone, I must be a genius."
'Huh?' her eyes widened in surprise, 'What does he mean by...' but before she could think another thought, her head bashed into the cold, hard floor. Yuna gasped while being brought back up to face him.
Malice resounded through her ears, "Don't think you've escaped divine punishment, though." His eyes widened menacingly, "The worst has yet to come."
His mouth came closer to her ear and whispered, "I've said it before, haven't I?" He smiled, "I'll work you until you feel more dead than alive."
With silent terror, she stared at him without daring to make a sound.
The man stepped back and let go of Yuna, dropping her to the ground. He wiped his hands again with the handkerchief the maid provided him and turned around to pick up a half-full wine glass on his desk, relieved that he was such a genius to come up with a solution in such a short amount of time.
"Rejoice. Today is the last you'll ever get a chance to relax," the man went on, "After this... well, you might die. You might not. It's up to you and how well you take the role."
His hand swirled the glass around, "Stick to the schedule I've set up or lose your life," the man looked at her, "There is no compromise. It is the least you can do to repent for your sins."
He turned around completely to face the other way and said deeply, "Now go and begone. You've already wasted too much of my precious time by causing so much trouble. I'll gladly give you one if you desperately desire a beating."
This time, he turned to the maid, "You know what to do. I will send its schedule soon. My patience has been running thin lately, so hurry up before I tear your nails and gauge your eyeballs."
Yuna felt the maid grab her arm and drag her away with a strong pull.
Her head felt heavy as she stared at the broad and tyrannical back of the king. Such cold eyes pierced her.
Like that, she was taken out of the room, unknowing of what would come next.
Then, everything returned to dark.
[ Year 187 ]
...
[ 1 ] Permafrost is a thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year, occurring chiefly in polar regions.
[ 2 ] As in admiration. Stop thinking strange things ( ;｀ヘ´)...