Like the tea left to run cold on the table, the two stood in desolate silence. Eyes shining like a billion stars with delight upon the other. Hera was indifferent to this gesture.
This child would help him? If you ask him, you may as well have told him to teach a cow to do acrobats. Inaya stiffened at the silence, staring at him as grey eyes squinted the longer Hera held that pause.
"I can basically hear your thoughts, you know," Inaya impassively said, voice breaking the dead silence only for her to receive a mocking scoff as the royal pain in the ass crossed his arms. "Then you would have already known of my answer. I'll do better on my own,"
What? That's it? If he couldn't have any luck from the start how was he going to win Jayus over by only repeating what he has been doing for a year now. Did he think Jayus would have simply start to fall in love with him by using a 'I am making no difference with the way I act and have not shown any signs of romantic intentions' method? If so, then he's delusional!
I could rip my hair off because of this fool! Inaya- just as she had thought- began grabbing her hair out in frustration.
"Even so-" Hera began, hand unconsciously rubbing his bottom lip as he lost himself in his thoughts, eyes drifting off from afar. This action had not gone pass Inaya, after all, having read God's Thread multiple times, she already knew the next words Hera would speak were his real feelings.
"-I wouldn't mind if His Grace never learned of my intentions. The thought of him looking my way has never crossed my mind after all,"
Words easily came and left with the wind that blew over his hair. Inaya couldn't see his expression from where she stands, and perhaps she never will. Having never liked anyone as desperately and as whole as Hera had, Inaya had nothing left to say. Hera was one of her favorite characters in the book, even if it didn't seem like they got along when they first met, but faced with the situation now, if you were to ask her, she would have done anything to make Hera happy.
Back when Inaya was still reading God's Thread, the book described in excruciating detail of every single suffering Hera went through.
Hidden deep within the Eckleis Empire stashed a room left unmanaged and untouched. No one dared to go near that room for fear of the Empress' rage. Why the Empress would be angry in the first place? That's because of what she doesn't want people to see. All because that room served the purpose of punishing the second Prince. Suddenly, Inaya remembered a passage in the book. Words written clearly in one chapter, etched deeply in her mind.
A deafening scream,
Burning wrists, the tight hold of sharp ropes.
The second prince bellowed a cry for the pain to stop, however, regardless whether someone had come or not, he knew perfectly well nothing could undo his mother's magic, Encante. A magic spell for punishment, used to hurt the person until they could scream no more, until they tire themself thin. Until their head splits open in agony. A tormenting spell. The spell itself originated from an old harmless spell of nightmares, done to give nightmares to people targeted by the spell. Back then this type of magic was only used for little harmless pranks. Who knew the Empress had been perfecting it to become such a terrifying spell? Much worse, no one could have suspected it to be used first against the second Prince.
"Hera, this would not have happened if you would just listen to me. You understand why I have to put you through this, don't you?" Her voice which should have brought comfort from mother to child only felt like an additional set of sharp nails ran against the metal-like box which encased Hera's head that sat on his shoulders. It hurts. There was nothing Hera could do to stop the flashing images in his head, nor the migraine that came with it.
It hurt... So much.
A loud clank resonated within the cell, repeatedly, as Hera hit the magic box with the floor. His mother scorned, yet he couldn't see her expression, much less where she was.
"That's not how a lady should act, Hera. I did not raise you to be like this," A lady. That's what his mother always wanted him to be, a lady. After giving birth to three sons, she had given up trying to birth a daughter after the previous Emperor ran away to be with an affair partner, the first prince did not hesitate to go with him. If given the chance, Hera would have went with them in a heartbeat, but his heartbeat remained with his baby brother instead. It clawed in his mind everyday. Suna. If he left, what would happen to Suna? His little brother who didn't know anything. If it so happened that his mother would treat Suna the way she had with the rest of them, then Hera would never be able to live with himself. So he stayed.
If he had left like his father and brother, instead of him, would Suna be the one in this situation right now? Forced to disguise himself and be raised as a lady to fool a Goddess into blessing the empire with divine magic. It was known for multiple generations that bearing a daughter within the Eckleis bloodline, the Goddess would bless her with divine magic that rivaled any power in the world.
Only daughters.
And the Empress has the intention to fool a god.
"That's enough," the metal box disintegrated into dust. Behind it revealed a defeated prince, eyes red from tears and face bruised.
"The things I do is to not forsake the empire, Heracles. Don't forsake it too," Was the last thing she said before leaving him battered in that room.
After that, the punishment would repeat itself whenever Hera had done anything that the Empress disapproved off. It came to the point that the prince developed Claustrophobia.
No! My favorite character! Inaya cried deep inside. Hera didn't deserve to go through all that, that was just unfair! Stupid empress, stupid emperor for leaving him behind. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
But that wasn't the point right now, because right now, Inaya was going to make sure Hera gets a happy ending. The story can't just end hanging like that, and Inaya knew just what to do.
In a fit of little rage, she slapped his back. Hard. Flinching like a fish out of see, tears evidently stained those blue eyes as they glared dangerously at Inaya. "Why you-!" His words were cut short before he could even begin them as Inaya interrupted. "I can help you be his grace date for his birthday coming in a month!" She declared, rather than offer, leaving the man to stare at her like she had declared she was god who descended on to Earth. Hera felt bad for Rosia, her daughter must be sick. He only sighed. This was taking up years off his life, dealing with this kid. Just out of curiosity, or to diminish what little hope he had, he asked "And how would you do that?"
"Just trust me," Inaya replied, unconvincingly so. Eyes glittering with a million stars of mischief. Before he could ask any further like why he would even trust someone he just met, Inaya was quick to run, already leaving out of sight to leave Hera in her dust. If she was going to make this happen she needed to move quickly.
Slamming the door behind her, she quickly rummaged through the drawers, searching for a pen and paper. Luckily, she found a few stashed away and immediately started writing. I don't have a good memory, so it's best to write down the things that will happen before I completely forget the order. So she did. In just a month from now would be the grand party for the Duke's birthday. Until then, Inaya could slowly get Hera and Jayus together until they become literally inseparable. She's such a genius. She mentally gave herself a pat in the back.
But hm, after that would be the appearance of the Sanctifier. Ice cold blood ran through her veins, as rivers of sweat cascaded her skin. The Sanctifier. Inaya remembers him very well. He was one of the few characters that would not slip off from her memory no matter what she did. She needed to stay clear away from him. But that's alright, in this world, she no more than a daughter of a servant. Not playing any major role, she'll be fine so long she doesn't cross paths with that guy.
"Ah Inaya, you're here! Come help me carry these brooms, we'll be sweeping every corridor from left to right," An elder maid cheerfully called for Inaya. Sun had risen on top of the sky as Inaya began to continue the work that was left for her by her mother- or at least Rosia did. Still, she picked up the broom and followed the elder lady to sweep the wide floors of this estate. Shocking for her, no one seemed to suspect that she was not Rosia's child at all. They don't even know the name of Rosia's daughter. If they had all been close to Rosia, then why did they not suspect from the very beginning that she had no relations to their sick friend. Worry rose from Inaya's chest as she continued to wonder where and what happened to Rosia's real daughter instead. But so long as she can stay here and find shelter, she can do nothing but just wait for the arrival of that girl. She casted away her thoughts, shaking them off as she heard the elder maid say something to her.
"I hope it's not too difficult of a work for you. If you ever need a break, just tell me," the maid sigh, hand on her cheek as she frowned before turning to Inaya, leaving no trace of her previous worries as she smiled down at her with a hand on the shorter girl's head "You can call me Miss Leris,"
Warm, the hand that rested on her head was warm. A feeling nothing compared to the brash cold of the ocean that engulfed her before she arrived. For some reason, that warmth soared through her chest. She didn't not like it one bit. "I'm going to sweep these floors until there's not a single dust alive!" With that, better than the strength of a thousand armies, she swept the floors as fast and efficient as she could. Miss Leris couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as Inaya sped away, broom sweeping left and right in her wake, soon enough, she disappeared into a corner, sound of the broom against the floor echoed through the halls. That just made Miss Leris work easier.
Sweeping was easy, easier than doing her practical research back in highschool, specially now that she got her good-back back again, she didn't have to worry about back pains anymore. Recalling her past life, she remembered the pain of being hunched Infront of the computer all day trying to finish a work that was due midnight that day. The phone calls, her parents yelling, the family feud, and that day.... A blur of motions passed through her mind as she froze. Inaya slowly placed a hand on her head. What had happened on that day again? She shook her head. Oh well, no more of that life now, she was going to start a new and she was going to make it worth it!
"Oh?" She stopped sweeping for a moment as a shiny object on the floor caught her eye. Her eyes gleamed as she picked up the object. "Candy! And a fancy one at that," she inspected the candy in her hand, it was still wrapped in it's little fancy wrapper. It must have dropped from the tray on its way to His Grace room!
....
"His Grace won't notice a missing piece," just like that, she pocketed the candy. As soon as she tucked away the candy safely in her pocket, her eye spotted another falled candy not far from where she saw the first one. Inaya couldn't believe herself today, how lucky! She laughed to herself as she began to pocket the next candy.
Ho ho! And another one,
And another!
Oh my god, someone is getting fired today and it wasn't going to be her.
She reached for what seemed to be the tenth candy in a row until she stopped as a dark shadow casted upon her.
"So you're that kid hanging around Hera lately," A voice spoke from above. How did she not realize it on her way here. Her eyes wavered up to the man who stood Infront of her. His dark complexion and indifferent, bright ruby eyes that looked down on her at the floor made it easy for her to recognize who this man was.
"Your Grace...!" Inaya hesitated, eyes staring up at Jayus from where she crouched on the floor. She paused for a second before snatching the candy from the floor, stuffing it in her pocket and standing up straight, broom in hand as if she was a soldier greeting the captain. In her complete defense, it felt exactly like it.
It's a trap! Inaya wished she'd notice it sooner. Who could drop ten candies in a row other than it being laid out purposely for someone to pick it up. In that moment alone, she felt dumb.