CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Tiffany was crying silently as she stared at Alyssa. It seemed that she had sat up at a point.
“What’s wrong?” Alyssa questioned urgently as she sat up and approached Tiffany’s bed.
Tiffany didn’t answer and just kept sobbing profusely.
“You are making me worried, Tiff. Tell me what happened. Is talking about your family bringing bad memories? I’m sorry, Tiff. I didn’t know it would affect you this much or I would have stopped you from reminiscing about it. Don’t cry anymore.” Alyssa said as she reached out to pat Tiffany’s back.
“You fool!” Tiffany suddenly cursed at Alyssa.
Alyssa was taken back.
“Ah! What did I do?” Alyssa asked confusedly.
Tiffany hiccupped and glared at Alyssa.
“How can you remain so calm? Your story is so sad! It far outweighs mine by a milestone. Even if my family dies, I barely remember it and I don’t really feel anything because I was young but you have had to endure twenty one years of constant abuse and that by your family. If I were the one, I would always be sad.” Tiffany blurted unable to understand how Alyssa turned out so fine.
Alyssa seemed to understand the situation and it made her chuckle.
She now thought of Tiffany as a mother hen who fussed over her chick and was always worried for her. She would cry and be sad at the slightest sign that her chick was hurt.
Well, Alyssa seemed to be the chick.
That made her touch her nose awkwardly.
“Why are you laughing at me?” Tiffany asked as she poured angrily at Alyssa.
She had calmed down a bit and her sobs had been refused to sniffles.
“Sorry Tiff! Its just that you are so cute right now. You are just like a mother with the way you’re fussing over me.” Alyssa joked
“Oh! A mother? Wait! Don’t try to change the subject! Why aren’t you sad? Is it that you have perhaps become numb to emotions? Have they broken you till you are now a cold and emotionless robot? Oh my heavens! Poor Alyssa. Don’t worry, I’ll make you alright again.” Tiffany said with teary eyes.
Alyssa knew that waterworks were on its way so she quickly spoke lest she had to calm Tiffany down all over again.From NôvelDrama.Org.
“Stop conjuring up weird theories, Tiff! I’m not an emotionless robot like you think and I sure as not do not need fixing because I’m not broken. The reason I’m not Hawking my eyes out is that I grew up in abuse. I had lost all hope for a loving family since I was six. So, to me, those people are not my family but nu abusers and tormentors. I have not conjured any sick fantasy of a happy ending with my tormentors. Since there is no hope, there will be no emotional pain. Also, I heal pretty fast so the pain doesn’t bother me much. The only thing that didn’t make me run earlier was the feeling of obligation I had to atone for what i thought was my mother’s sin. Now that in aware that she was the victim, I refused to be one as well so hightailed it out if there.” Alyssa explained.
What she said was partially the truth. She didn’t feel anything asides physical pain anymore. The only pain she felt was for her mother and that was why she cried sometimes. She wasn’t stupid to hope that those vile people would ever accept her.
That didn’t seem to pacify Tiffany but it seemed to make her already sad expression crumple even more.
“I’m sorry you had to face that and even at a young age.”
“Enough about our depressing pasts! Let’s talk about something else” Alyssa chided as she settled on Tiffany’s bed with her.
Through the night, they talked, laughed and cried. On this particular night, a friendship stronger than sisterhood was formed.
The next day, Alyssa and Tiffany went almost everywhere together. They chatted while they did different chores so they were never tired nor overwhelmed by the quantity of the work.
By noon, they had already finished their chores that pertained the inward parts of the palace. They went on to eat lunch before proceeding to the garden for their last task if the day which was to rake off leaves that had littered the garden floors.
They made small talk as they were doing their tasks and Alyssa thought to try and pry some information about the princes from Tiffany.
“Tiffany, what’s with the princes? I haven’t seen any of them since I’ve been here.” Alyssa inquired while raking up the leaves.
“That’s normal that you wouldn’t seeing as they are almost never around.” Tiffany replied.
“Oh! Why is that?”
“Well, for starters, their chambers are not near the servant quarters. Secondly, the younger prince has a knack for art and is always going to places to collect art pieces. Besides he is the definition of a through and through Playboy. Whenever he is around, he is either flirting around or banging women in his room. Uggh! So vile!” Tiffany explained face morphing to a look of disgust as she spoke of the younger prince.
She seemed to have a revulsion towards the prince. Alyssa knew that there was a story there but she knew not to ask lest Tiffany got too agitated and refused to give her more information about the princes.
“So, what about the other?” She asked after a while of watching Tiffany rake the leaves like that had done something vile towards her.
“Oh! Sorry. I got too wrapped up in my thoughts that I forgot I was explaining something to you. Where was i again?”
“Oh I remember now! The second prince is one who people don’t have the chance to get a glimpse of. It is said that due to him being mighty ugly, he hides away in his chambers. Servants have been forbidden from going in that direction as as it is off limits. Eve the head maid doesn’t dare go there. It is said he has an unusual personality and he would kill anyone who looks him in the face. As someone who hasn’t seen him for myself, I can’t say for true if the rumors are true so I can’t judge him. I am always cautious though because in every rumor, there is at least a semblance of truth.”
Alyssa nodded in affirmation at Tiffany’s last statement. She was a testament of it because although all the rumors about her weren’t true, some were.
She weighed her options and came to a decision to test the waters on the younger prince instead.
He seemed more likely to be the one with the map as he goes out unlike the elder Prince who is locked in his quarters all day. Besides, he can actually draw it if he had deciphered it.
She made a decision to approach him as soon as she saw him.
The problem she had now was that she wasn’t sure how to go about it.
According to Tiffany, he was never around and when he happened to be, was always surrounded by girls.
How was she to approach him without incurring the fury of a flurry of girls?
Besides, what if he didn’t give her the time of day and thought she was below him.