Satiah entered the room where the family were gathered for dinner, together with Herneith beside her. The chief priest and his wife were seated on a mat and the dishes were on a long short table before them. A young man was seated opposite them but she wasn't able to see his face as he back faced her.
Without a word, she walked in and sat down beside the young man who turned out to be Aaru. Aaru glanced at her and went back to eating his food quietly. The chief priest stared at her with a stern face while Semat was worried but she tried to hide it which made Satiah wonder what happened. Or could it be Aaru snitched on her?
She leaned closer to him. "Did you snitched on me? Why are these old people staring at me this way?" she asked in a low whisper. Aaru gave no reply and continue eating.
"Satiah, you should greet your father." Semat said nervously in a low voice.
Satiah breathed out a sigh of relief knowing it was because of that not because Aaru snitched on her.
"Good evening people." she said and looked at the leafy food in front of her. Not knowing what it was but seeing how Aaru ate, she digged in following the way he did.
The chief priest clenched his fist and stood up. He glared at his wife and left the room followed by his wife who went after him hurriedly.
Aaru looked at Satiah who wasn't bothered about what happened and sighed loudly. He slammed his hand on the table and left the room.
Satiah stopped eating and looked at the door. It was just her in the room. It has always being her. She always eat alone and now in the past, she is all alone again. Not the past, not the future is better for her. She smiled and continued eating. Her life was bad doesn't mean she will have to skip dinner.
Semat knelt beside her husband with her head down. The chief priest was fuming in anger and she was afraid he might do something to their daughter.
She put her hand on his thigh and looked at him, "I am sorry my lord, please forgive me. Satiah just woke up and am sure it's the effect of the poison. She don't know what she's said." she pleaded but the chief priest pushed her away.
"It was because of the way you spoil her that made her think she can get what she want. She took poison because somethings were not going her way. All because of you." he yelled at her.
Semat rubbed her hands together as tears fell down her eyes, "It's all my fault, punish me instead and forgive her. She just woke up after so many days, please have mercy on our daughter."
The chief priest glared at his wife and left the room. He told her not to spoil Satiah when she was still young but his wife did, she made her think she could do anything she want to and now she want him to forgive that brat? He angrily left the courtyard.
Semat fell on the floor as she cried out loud. Her husband is being way too hard on their daughter, which bothers her a lot. When Satiah almost died, she hated her husband, blaming him for what happened to their daughter. Seeing her daughter struggling to live, had made her thought of killing the man who called himself her father.
After ten years of marriage, she finally conceived. They were so happy that they were going to have a child. But when she gave birth to her, the gods choose her to be the next queen. Her husband behavior towards her changed, he became hard on his daughter. He became so strict on her.
All she wants was her daughter's happiness, but she haven't been able to make her happy. She taught her how to smile even in pain, and now, she is so used to hiding her pain and hurting herself alone.
"Why were you born to live this way?" she asked in tears.
....
Aaru hurriedly stood in and stand in the way of Satiah as she made her way to her room. Satiah who wast expecting his sudden appearance in front of her, moved back a bit.
"Are you that anxious to take me there? Let's go, I am ready and am sure those old people are asleep now." she said.
"I wasn't going to believe you, what you said was so untrue. But my friend wouldn't do what you did during dinner. She wasn't so disrespectful. Now I want to know more on this and if you truly are not my friend, you will have to pay for hurting her." he said. Satiah sensed the anger in his voice that he was trying to hide but she wasn't moved by it. It was fortunate that he accepted to take her to the cave sorcerer anyway.
"Then let's go now so we will know the truth real quick and I can go back to my normal life." she said and went to her room.