NOVEL NEXT Grit your teeth
“Ha? Show? What show!?”
She replies to my words.
“Your show, of course. You are here to provide me entertainment, correct? The past few days have been thoroughly dull, you see.”
They all stared at me in shock. The thing quickly got its wits together as it replies.
“I am not your entertainment! Your selfishness ends now!”
“Good. You have jokes. Jokes are important for the mood after all.”
“I am not joking! You will not be laughing once you know that the prince is on our side!”
I fold my arms and put my hand under my chin.
“Oh? The prince is on your side, you say? Why would he ever do that?”
“You already know why! You are arrogant, selfish, cruel, and you think that everyone is below you! Well, that is not true! Be prepared to be destroyed!”
It excitedly points towards me. A pot calling the kettle black as some would say but I do not wish to steal her thunder. It would be too easy for me if I were to stop her so soon.
“My, you are so confident. But that is already normal, is it not? Everyone is already aware about that. So, why would the prince decide to speak against me now?”
As I said those words, I motioned myself to sit down. I felt excited at the prospect so I did it theatrically.
“Because you are the one who has bullied the prince’s commoner friend!”
ARGH! It hurts. Gah, it hurts. Why does is hurt? Why am I hurting right now. Wait, calm down. I need to find out why I am hurting.
“See!? She does not even deny it! Her silence is already admission!”
The thing speaks but I do not understand it. ARGH! WHY DOES MY BODY HURT!? Was I attacked? I try to move but ARGH!
“Do you see her expression? She is obviously worried! Worried that she has crossed a line that she should not have crossed!”
No, wait. Is this what I think it is? I forgot that my ribs have not fully healed yet. ARGH! I have been careful for the past few days. I got too careless. IT HURTS! Deep breathes. Control your breathing. Suppress the pain.
“See, prince! This is why you should not fear her! She is afraid of you, after all. Look at her expression. She is obviously scared of you! Do not hesitate now!”
Every breath sends a pulse of pain but I must do it. I cannot let them see. No, this is not the time for this. Control your expression. Do not give them any weakness. I try to raise my arm but the pain roots me. I grab on the handle of my seat with everything I have. I cannot fall. I cannot let them see this pain.
“Athena? Is it true that you are the one who has been bullying Lucina? I just want to know, okay? You have been doing whatever you want and I find some of your actions hard to understand but I do try to understand you. So, I just want to know if what she is saying is true.
I look at the prince. He apparently was saying words but the ringing in my ears have stopped me from understanding them. They are saying whatever the hell they want and I must reply. It would be dull if one side did not reply after all. So, I ARGH! I suppress the pain as it prevents me from speaking to them. Focus, just focus. I try to focus my gaze but the prince’s face does not do anything for me. So, I look down. I try to look behind me but ARGH! The pain prevents me from moving too much in my current state.
“Look at that prince! Did you see that expression!? That expression of forlorn, of pain, of suffering. She understands her place and she must know that she can do nothing about it. So, punish her! Make her understand how wrong she is!”
As I grit my teeth and grab the handles of the chair. I suddenly feel a warmth on top of my hands. On my left, I see Melanie holding on to my hand. I move my eyes as she kneels beside me and speaks. I do not understand her words but I could clearly see the worry on her expression. On my right, Blanche holds my hand. She does not kneel like Melanie but I could feel her emotions just from how she is gripping it. I try to speak but I knew that the moment I open my mouth, I would express the pain I am currently feeling. So, I stop myself.
“Huh? Punishment? Is that not going too far? She has not done anything too severe, right?”
I focus my mind to my hands. Suppress it. This pain is not important. It is inconsequential. It does not matter. You must move. Whatever they are saying, whatever they are thinking, whatever they are doing, you must act.
“Prince! Do you not understand!? This is the woman that destroyed your friend’s desk! This is the woman that destroyed your friend’s clothes. This is the woman that stole your friend’s important photo and put it somewhere else. And those are all just the things that you found out. Who knows what other evil acts she has committed that your friend has not told you? She must be held accountable to all these deeds.”
I may not understand what it is saying but its voice is truly grating. It is like scratches on a chalkboard. And then, it happened.
“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE!?”
A voice so piercing that it blew away the pain. A voice so beautiful that I could not help but to look. A voice that pierces through my very core. I look up and see her. Her vibrant auburn hair sways as she moves. Those golden eyes look at me as she moves in front me shocking everyone in the room.
“I said, what the fuck is going on here?”
Is she protecting me?