In the afternoon before night on a very gloomy Sunday, Harin sighed heavily about living the rest of her life, which would be arranged by her stepmother, who has sold her body to a psychopath. The man suspected of being a criminal will take Harin out of her cramped room and into another hell that is more cruel than her stepmother. Harin can tell her father once a month if she is still alive.
Harin looked down, lamenting her bruised legs with drops of blood pouring down from her temples. She didn't know how long she had to endure the torture from her stepmother. Her father didn't care if she was still alive or had followed her dead mother.
Harin's mother was reported dead from the hospital; she had a heart attack while falling in the bathroom. But all this time, Harin knew more about her mother—her mother was healthy and unlikely to have a heart attack.
The last Harin sees time her mother was at the table where she wrote her last script. She looks healthy with her pretty face. However, her father also did not want to investigate her mother's death further.
Harin's vision was getting blurry, and her breathing was shortening because she had not been fed for five days in a prison that was only equipped with dim yellow lights and toilets. Until finally, she could close her eyes calmly, letting go of all the pain she was suffering. It seemed that she could feel her last breath blow and enter death.
Harin, who was also suffering from despair, was surprised when the water spurted, giving a slap that drenched her body instantly. Along with the throwing of a book left by her mother that hit her body, Harin quickly hugged the book before her stepmother take it back; it was Harin's favorite thing.
It was a book about the royal manuscript of Cadfael that her mother had not finished writing. Harin had read it dozens of times. The book accompanied Harin during her time spent in the underground wine cellar.
"Take a shower and get ready to leave," said her stepmother, Sabrina. Harin shivered as the water mixed with salt penetrated all her wounds, making her body feel very sore.
She also realized that there was a human presence coming with her mother when black pentopel shoes approached her. Harin looked up, it seems the man who will buy Harin is already here who would become a new world of suffering for her.
"You come with me tonight," he explained coldly. He took out a terrible at Harin's ears, who just nodded resignedly.
"Do you want to have dinner first while waiting for Harin to get ready?" Sabrina inquired.
"I'll go right away now; wait outside," he said. Harin also forced herself to get up because her new master did not want to wait for her to clean herself. Sabrina then left the two remaining humans in the room to talk for a while.
"Call me Nathan," he said, introducing himself. Of course, this surprised Harin because Nathan was the main character that her mother wrote about in the book in her arms. The story of a warlord of the Cadfael kingdom who competes with his two brothers to become the head of the family.
"Hmm?"
"Your name?" Nathan asked.
"Ahh, H—harin..." Furthermore, Nathan's name is not only in the script that her mother wrote. Why is Harin so surprised?
"Listen to me, I have an uncle who always wants everything my mine. Recently, I accidentally bumped into a woman wearing a royal dress. I don't know who she is; it's clear that she is beautiful, and I slept with her. Then, when I woke up, she had disappeared," Nathan explained.
Harin blinked innocently, with drops of water dripping from her clothes. It feels like this man is not the type of person who talks a lot, especially after her mother said that he was a psychopath.
"My uncle heard that I had a woman. He wants her; either becomes a slave, or maybe he kills you. I don't know. What is clear is that he wants a woman who wears the royal dress. He wants her."
"Then what her relationship with me?" Harin moaned weakly.
"You look like her. I found a picture of you at the brothel as a prospective escort who will be present next week. You have two options: if you agree, tell my uncle that you slept with me and go with him. If you don't want that, you might be sold in a brothel," he explained. Nathan stared intensely at Harin, who already knew the essence of what this man was talking about.
"I understand; whichever is up to you, I will follow." Nathan nodded his head, and Harin's grin immediately radiated clearly. How very surreal; her life doesn't mean anything right now. Just like a doll. Her eyes were teary as if the universe really didn't care about the pain.
"Don't you mind?"
"Do you think I have a choice?" Her moan. Nathan doesn't have time to pity people; he also has a hard time pitying himself. Harin's moans are not enough to make him melt in a short time or move his heart to help.
"Come on," he invited. Nathan grabbed Harin's arm, finger still hugging her mother's book, taking her out of suffering to enter the next hole of hell. Nathan's grip was so soft and warm that it made Harin unable to cry for her condition.
The two of them finally came out of the Harin family's basement, entering the car of a frozen food businessman. Harin fastened her seat belt while Nathan was still talking to her mother and handing over a suitcase of money.
Harin rolled her gaze to the driver, who suddenly smiled evilly when there were only the two of them in the vehicle.
"So, this is the woman who managed to attract Nathan's attention?" he muttered. Harin widened her eyes because the bodyguard lowered the car window next to her and pointed the muzzle of the gun at Nathan, until a quick shot that hit Nathan's heart immediately broke the atmosphere, causing Sabrina to scream.
A second later, the bullet penetrated her mother's head; this incident was so fast that Harin couldn't digest what was going on. Because now, the muzzle of the gun also pointed to her bruised temple. Harin hugged a book containing a story script that her mother had not finished until she died.
"Goodbye." Harin closed her eyes when the bullet pierced her head. The world felt quiet as peace ambushed it in a short time. It felt both fun and sad. Harin felt relieved that she didn't need to feel pain anymore.
However, her death too made her quite disappointed because Harin wanted to finish the script that her mother had created. Unfortunately, death picked her up faster, and she did not have the opportunity to live a decent life.
***
"Princess..." a woman's voice was heard calling her.
"Princess!" snapped the waiter. Harin was surprised; she got up, panting as the noise hit her ears. The cheers and the sound of drums and whistles made Harin's heart beat faster.
"Wake up, Princess, we are late for the festival."
"Festival?" Harin noticed the atmosphere of the strange room, which made her frown. She remembered that the last time, Harin had been shot by Nathan's enemy, who had disguised herself as a driver.
Harin lowered her head when she realize noticed that she was wearing a white robe and her long hair was swayed. This comfortable mattress with a classic modern feel was becoming more and more successful, making Harin even more confused.
"Come on, Princess, I will prepare the most beautiful dress for you in the festival."
"What festival?" asked Harin.
"The victory festival of the Cadfael kingdom, led by the General of the Virendra Fael family, Prince Nathan."
"Hah?!" Harin gaped; she didn't understand the situation that was happening right now, because as far as she remembered, the festival of war victory and the kingdom of Cadfael, along with the Virendra Fael family, only existed in the script that her mother wrote before she died.
"I—I... Who?" asked Harin.
"Of course, the sole heir of the Narendra Fael family. You forgot? It seems that the high fever you experienced last night made you dazed, Princess."
"What?! I'm a Princess?"
To Be Continued...