"My lady, is everything okay in there?" Jui's voice pierces through the walls of Celeste's bedroom and stuns Deyha, who is hovering over her like a madman. Both their eyes widened at the confused voice of the maid, Celeste's from the hope that someone finally came to aid her out of this hell hole.
And Deyha's from the horror of knowing that if he moves the hand that he pressed down onto Celeste's mouth, she will scream. If he hadn't thought of the possibility before, he does now, she can see it from the way he stiffens.
"I will move my hand now for you to let her know that you are perfectly fine in here. Do you understand?" Why in the hell would Celeste say she is fine when she's nowhere near being fine?
"If you say or do otherwise you know what I'm capable of doing, little slut—" His unimpressive rant was cut off by the knock on the door. Deyha's eyes narrow at Celeste when he feels her lips stretch into a smirk under his palm.
Deyha, truly, and utterly looks troubled and Celeste can almost hear him thinking of a way out of there without causing any dilemma. She pushes his hand from her face, the way his eyes flash red in warning has her smirk go wider as she cocks an eyebrow at him.
"It's your call, my dear old prick," Celeste says. He hisses at her, fingernails digging into the flesh of her forearm. "Get off of me before I scream."
Unlike she thought, his hand didn't fall on her cheeks in a harsh slap nor did he hisses at her, again. He simply does as she says.
"You, don't say a word about anything that happened inside these four walls of your chamber. If you do, the consequences will be more than what you can endure. Keep that in mind, my sweet little Cele. And, yeah, I will see you soon, and let me tell you that when I say I will take you the next moment I step in here, it's a promise. A promise that I think you enjoy."
All the banging and voices outside turn into a blur as Celeste watches Deyha who had walked to the window, now crouching on the window sill. A maniacal smile draws lines on his wrinkly cheeks. Deyha's eyes twinkle red and then with a sway of his cloak, just like that, he's gone, disappearing into the darkness of the night— where he belongs, where we all belong— in a swoosh.
Celeste blinks her eyes. Her brain processes again as she hears Jui's strained voice from the door.
"My lady, are you in there? Please say something, are you okay?"
Celeste walks towards the door and opens it wide. Jui's eyes go wide and a shaky sigh of relief escapes her pink lips. "I'm fine, Jui. No need for you to worry. I was in the bath, and from there, I couldn't hear you, so I apologize for my inconvenience."
"Oh, please don't." She bows down so low that Celeste's afraid she will touch the floor. "Are you hungry now, my lady?"
"I'm not hungry, Jui. I don't think I will be tonight." She offers the maid a tight-lipped smile. She looks anxious hearing Celeste's answer as her teeth sink into her bottom lip.
"What is it?" Celeste asks.
"His Highness has returned from the village. He asked about you, and expect you to accompany him to the dinner." Jui looks as if she said something she wasn't supposed to say or was caught doing something hideous.
"Let him know that I don't feel like eating and to not come to my chamber. I want to be alone, tonight."
"I will, My lady." Before she can bow down again Celeste's hands find her shoulders preventing her from doing that.
Her eyes are wide when they lift to Celeste's. She's not sure if it is because she did something generous or from seeing the blood staining the white fabric on the sleeve of her nightgown. When Jui's eyes go back to Celeste's sleeves and her hands carefully rise to take Celeste's wrist in hers, she gets it.
"Oh my, what is this, my lady? Did you hurt yourself by accident?" Jui's eyes cut to Celeste's again and now there is panic swimming in her hazel orbs. "Or— do… Did you do it on purpose?"
"I would have but at some point, I realize it doesn't worth it and I believe I know better than that, Jui. Would you believe me if I say it was a demon that slid into my room to haunt me?" A laugh pushes past the walls of Celeste's mouth when the grip Jui has on her wrist loosens as Jui looks her in the eyes with a frown keeping her lips down.
"I haven't gone crazy but I'm sure you'd go crazy if you stay with me here any longer," Celeste says and a chuckle gladly follows.
Flinging one last confused look at Celeste's way she walks down the hallway. Swirling from time to time to look at Celeste as if making sure of something.
Maybe, somehow, somewhere in the deepest corner of her head, a voice must have murmured she won't be seeing Celeste again in this life.
Celeste gives Jui her last smile as she watches her fade into the corner.