Her hands slowly slipped off my body.
"I think you should give me time to think about all of this. I still can't tell if I am going to be killed or not. If his majesty keeps me alive till tomorrow morning, then I'll give you an answer," I said and she helped me out of the bath.
She smiled warmly at me. "You can call me Olivia," she whispered wrapping the towel around me.
"He said you can have the room tonight," she added, walking me back into the room.
"He really said I could have the room?" I asked.
She nodded. "I still do not know why you are denying the fact that he has his eyes on you," she said. This time, she was drying my hair while I sat in front of the mirror. "I am sure he couldn't do anything to you the other time because he was worried that the both of you might get loud. You are so beautiful that he got scared of losing control," she said, teasingly and yes, I blushed a little.
"Like I said before madam Olivia, let's see what tomorrow says," I concluded.
She teased me the whole night while she helped me get dressed into comfortable clothes for bed.
Finally, the old woman left, reminding me one more time to marry the devil. I laid on the bed, worried.
It was trying an opportunity for me, wasn't it?
If the devil truly loved me, then I would finally have the chance to avenge my mother's death. Remembering her death, my heart stung.
Everything happened so fast. In just one day, my whole life changed. If I lived, I knew I was definitely going to do all that it took to make the devil want me and if I didn't, I would apologize to my mother in the after life.
But a part of me still feared the devil. Would I be able to live with him?
*****
I woke up feeling a warm breath on my skin. The person's breathe hit my neck and collar a couple of times and the moment I remembered that I was no longer at my father's palace, I froze.
What if it's the devil?
I kept my eyes tight shut and my breathing got heavy. I became both curious and scared.
Why would he be so close to me?
What was he looking at?
Maybe he was looking for the perfect place to start tearing me apart.
"Pl…please have mercy on me," I stammered.
"Why should I have mercy on you?"
"Ahh!" I screamed, hearing an old woman's voice. I was startled and I jumped out of the bed, only to find Madam Olivia standing with her hands kept behind her.
"Why were you telling me to have mercy on you? I should be the one begging you to at least spare me a little. You're so beautiful.. I can't take my eyes off you. Now I understand what his highness must be going through," madam Olivia teased, laughing.
"You scared me."
"You have nothing to worry about since you're going to get married to Francis anyways," she said and I swallowed. "I…. I'll marry him," I said.
Not because I believed in whatever story she made up about Francis and I being destined to be together, but because I wanted to see Queen Venessa feel pain…worse than the one she caused me.
She smiled. "I am old and I might have a wrong taste in dressing, so I will have younger maids dress you up for me. My Francis' bride must be prepared. And beautiful," she teased.
"Come in!"
Two maids walked into the room with their heads down. Madam Olivia leaned towards me. "Make him obsessed," she whispered to me before leaving.
*****
I had my bath and they had me sitting on the chair in front of the mirror.
"Miss. Mala," one of them called.
"Hmm?"
"I heard you used to be princess Aurora from silver village. Did your father truly disown you because you killed your mother?" The maid with the blonde asked and I choked on my own saliva.
I felt a lump in my throat and a knot in my stomach.
"I don't want to talk about it," I managed to say as I tried to hold my tears.
"Why, miss. Mala? Is it because his majesty saved you and you're afraid that you might die?" She proceeded.
I was silent. "please do not utter anymore word," I said and my eyes were already laced with tears.
I didn't have the right to raise my voice and them or even scold them. I wasn't any better than them. My father already declared me as nothing but a mere servant.
"I am sorry, miss Mala. Do not mind Ria's ignorance. We only feel sorry for you the same way his highness did. He must have felt so sorry that he killed Nathan and Smith on your behalf. We are just bothered that you might as well suffer the same fate sooner or later," the other one said and I snatched my hair from her grip.
I clenched my fists, trying to hold myself back.
"Miss Mala, is everything okay? But….but don't you think it's wrong that you're trying to seduce his highness just so he can keep you alive? He might kill you if things go wrong," Ria added.
"My name is not Mala!" I screamed and the next minute, the other girl was floating in the air.
It looked like there was a force strangling her.
My eyes widened and I stepped back, shaking my head.
Ria slowly turned and she looked at me. "Let go of her," she said. Her voice was firm and her eyes were beaming with a mix of hatred and fear.
I shook my head. I felt chills down my spine.
"That …that wasn't me."
"Let go of her, you witch!" Ria yelled.
"That wasn't me!" I yelled back at her and before I knew it, the same thing happened to Ria.
I stood on the spot, startled. I couldn't move a nerve. That wasn't me …. I knew it couldn't be me.
Both of them fell to the ground and I watched them groaning…in pain. "S…set us free," Ria begged.