The world looked like it was spinning all of a sudden. I turned and looked at the possible culprit with my eyes playing the role of the dagger I did not have with me.
"Did you . . . did you give me alcohol?" I asked the bastard who was smiling down at me with his hand supporting my body that almost swayed to the floor.
"You drank alcohol. You must have been too nervous to notice," he told me jokingly like I was not about to lose my mind.
Well, I guess that was my problem since he did not mind me drinking alcohol and I was the only one who had to worry about the fact that I was not allowed to drink alcohol as a son of my father as well as a minor.
"You still have low alcohol tolerance. I thought a decade in the prison world must have thought you have to hold your alcohol. Be a man, the banquet has just begun and you would not want to be absent since you have to congratulate the king and thank him for being merciful enough to let you return."
I groaned angrily. I wanted to dig the claws I did not have into that white skin of his neck I could barely see with the tie he wore properly.
I was hating him but since my legs could not support my body anymore, I was forced to lean on his taller broader frame. I could imagine how pathetic I looked.
I was too stubborn to continue depending on his body for support and I tried to move repeatedly but I was forced to give up after four failed attempts.
"It will subside after ten minutes of a short nap," the man told as he began to pull me towards a place my eyes could not focus enough to see.
"Where . . .?" I asked as the word slid out of my lips like the slimy feeling you get from chewing on ladyfingers.
"A place you could rest," came the reply I heard that sounded so distant that I could swear was not from the man holding me up.
I swung my hands for anything to hold to prevent myself from getting kidnapped. I hated this feeling of being unable to control what was happening to me.
"Relax, I will not harm you," I heard that distant voice assuring me which sounded just as good as a serial killer assuring you that they were only going to eat dinner with you even when you are aware of who they are.
I tasted something salty and I did not need a mirror to show me that I was crying. I wanted so badly to escape, to escape his hands, to escape this crazy banquet, and escape this world as a whole.
I was falling and I bounced when I landed. The softness of the surface had been forgetting all the dark feeling and had me curdling into the warmth it gave me.
A pair of hands came to my neck and despite the slowness and confusion of my brain, I froze. "Wh . . . what . . .?" I slurred again.
No words replied to my question but actions did and you know what they say, 'Actions speak louder than words. I am so dead. HELP!
*****
I regain consciousness on a black leather sofa and my jacket was not on me worn with the rules of buttoning which I obeyed strictly.
My jacket was not the only thing gone from my earlier well-dressed body. My cufflinks were gone as well as my tie, shoes, watch and belt.
I sat up horror running through my veins. I could not even come up with a reason why my things would be gone as I stood up.
I put a stop to those thoughts when I saw my things on the marble table close to the sofa. I began wearing my things one after the other as fast as I could.
I sighed when I acknowledged the fact that was still alive and he was not a serial killer after the pleasure of watching me die. As soon as I buttoned the middle button of my jacket, I headed toward the door.
It is not surprising that I prayed for the door to be open, right? Well, anyone would. Thoughts like what if the door is locked, what if you were brought here to get punished by the king for stealing his fiancée.
Arghh!!! Those were not my crimes, okay?
But . . . that was not an excuse I could use, right? Whatever.
Door, please be open. I ran to the door as walking was not in any way satisfying my curiosity or easing my tension.
The moment my hand touched the glittering doorknob that appeared more prominent than it would have been on a normal day, was the moment I should freeze, inhale and pray for luck before turning the doorknob, right?
Well, I did none of that as I turned the doorknob and pulled open the door. I walked out of the room into a long corridor.
And like a bed set free, I threw my legs to the farthest point they could get as I ran down the corridor.
I continued running endlessly until I stopped and realized that I had lost my way. No, I guess that is not the right way to describe it because I did not even have a way from the beginning.
I had no idea of what they use for communication in this world which made it unable for me to send a distress call for help.
I stopped and rested my back on the wall before sliding down to the clean floor so that I could see my reflection. My hair was rough but that was the least of my concerns.
"You are smart," I reminded myself.
You know what? Self-encourage works like magic on someone's mental health and I was soon up on my feet, although dragging it tiredly but I was trying to find an escape route which I believed my smart brain will lead me to.
When I got to the elevator, I could not completely praise my brain because I knew I was lucky. That place was like a maze. I pressed the ground floor among the other seven buttons I saw, the elevator disobeyed my order and began taking me up.
I pressed the button I pressed earlier over and over again but it was not taking commands as it should. This time, I could swear that my brain abandoned me.