02
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LeiLani folded her hand together, her gaze filled with concern as she watched AdeLint pace in front of her, her mind still trying to process what she had heard AdeLint say just now. "You are kidding right?" She questioned, her voice soft yet filled with disbelief. "Come on Lin, you have only just seen his face and you want to marry him. Tell me it's a joke." She pleaded, yet AdeLint said nothing, instead she traced her hand around her collarbone– a sign that she was serious. "Lin! Out of the thousands of young ladies in the capital who are in love with the warlord, what makes you think he would come for you?"
"He doesn't need to, I will make him my husband at all cost."
Leilani shook her head, standing on her feet– she had on a stern look, the distant voice of ladies discussing what had just happened could still be heard downstairs. "Are you fucking shittting me? You have not even gotten that old scrawny mongrel out of your way and now you are thinking of getting married to the most sought out man in SiLia. Are you out of mind?"
"You don't understand, he has everything I want in a man, if I don't deserve him then who does? It's easy to get my aunt to agree, it's the warlord we are speaking of afterall– no one can resist wanting to be associated with him." As if she had just been filled with inspiration, her eyes suddenly brightened. "I get it!" She exclaimed. "I have to go Lei. I love you so much, thank you." Before LeiLani could speak more convincing words, AdeLint had dashed out of the building.
She ran straight through the crowd, back to the sunflower field, straight back to the courtyard, her room was located at the smallest and farthered room in the mansion, she quickly took off her veil and sat on her bed, her mind filled with how she would convince her aunt to let her go out more so she could meet with the warlord– just the thought of his deep, electrifying voice alone sent shivers down her spine– "I will do anything– anything to make him my husband." She whispered silently, gaze filled on the dull wall of her room.
Not only was the room small, it also had a rusty smell, she had been living in the rook for three years yet she couldn't guess what the smell was from– all she knew was that the room was once used to store some goods and it was cleared out for her, her bed was a smaller bed placed at the side of the room, the small wardrobe where her clothes were kept was old enough to give birth to her, the room was always cold, no matter how much she covered herself with her worn out quilt, it never helped. And the surrounding was always quiet and eerie.
"I can't keep living like this." She muttered, tracing her hand on hwr collarbone. She was never allowed to have dinner with the mother daughter trio but at least they didn't have her working, even her room was cared for by one of the servant but that was because her aunt, that money gruber didn't want AdeLint to keep anything of her own. Sighing, AdeLint stood up and made her way to wardrobe so she could change, her bare feet padded the floor softly– However, loud footsteps descended down the hallway.
Thinking it was the maid who always served her, AdeLint decided to let the maid take off her cloth for her, however, when the door was pushed open, the chubby face of her aunt revealed itself– her two heavily maked up daughters walked behind her. AdeLint had no idea what had happened but her aunt's face was extremely livid. "Aunt MayBelle, what brings you here?" She questioned with a soft smile.
Instead of replying, her aunt's face twisted and she stormed over to AdeLint, raised her calloused hand and delivered a slap to her cheek. "You whore!" MayBelle yelled. "I warned you never to leave this hour, how dare you sneak out of the house and try to seduce the Warlord when your marriage is already set?!" She screamed. Glaring fircely at AdeLint who stil had a smile on her face as if the slap had no happened.
Eyes twitching, AdeLint smiled wider. "Oh, you have heard! I guess news travels fast. What? I only went out for a few minutes, do you also believe that I could have left an impression in front of the Warlord? It doesn't matter because he is my future husband." AdeLint adjusted her jacket, looked her angry aunt up and down and smiled wilder. "It will be a good thing to have a nephew in-law like him wouldn't it?"
"You are just a poor girl who has lost her parents,You don't deserve the war Lord. All you have is that stupid face with no brain." AliCana snickered from behind, her yellow jacket and black gown fluttering with as she walked further, she casted a glance at AdeLint, eyes filled with unhidden jealousy– Despite being a beauty herself, her slightly chubby body and round face couldn't match up with AdeLint's love shaped face and seductive, fox eyes and red lips.
"And what makes you think you are deserving of him either? Not only are you not as beautiful as MaRiah, you also do not have the brain." AdeLint replied, still smiling. "Aunt, you know as well as I do that it is wrong to enter a maidens room and harrass her, what will you do if words gets out that you are maltreating your neice? Wouldn't it be a stain on your so called clean reputation?"
"AdeLint!" AliBella suddenly spoke. "You have grown quite bold, just because you met with the warlord doesn't mean he would look at you, you are nothing but an ant beneath his feet, not worth looking at." She had on a white jacket and a pink gown, her face looked gentle yet she had the darkest heart. "Mother, since my cousin refuses to corporate with us, then she should be grounded until the wedding."
"Yes, Let's do that Mother." AliCana chimed in.
MayBelle face was filled with gloating as she spoke. "You will marry Mr XanDare in a month weather you like it or not, until then, you are to never leave your room." She commanded, then glared at her. "If you disobey me, you will be whipped fpurthy time, that shouldn't kill you." Then she headed out of the room, AliBella walked closer to AdeLint, doe eyes filled with disgust.
"Know your place orphan, or else I will make your life way worse than it is now." AdeLint fisted her hand in a ball, resisting the urge to slap the bitch, instead she smiled.
"You should also know your place cousin, no matter what you do or say, ClinTon will Always come for me even if he marries you, you can never keep him." Then she chuckled and gently brushed her hair behind her ear, lowering her voice as she continued. "He would rather remain celibate than be with you, what a shame." She clicked her tongue.
"You!" AliCana screamed from behind her sister, rushing for AdeLint. "Servants!" She screamed after striking AdeLint's cheek, a servant in a worn out dress rushed in. "Bring me my whip." She commanded and the servant immediately ran out of the room and returned a few minutes later with a whip. AdeLint was grabbed and thrown to the floor, she didn't struggle as the whip landed on her back over and over again, each hit stronger than the other– yet AdeLint endured it, as long as she endured... It would hurt less.
It hurt yet she refused to cry out, refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her pain– AliBella stood aside, watching them as if watching something interesting. The sound of the whip meeting flesh echoed in the room with AdeLint's soft moans and AliCana's laboured breath. She only stopped after exhausting herself. Then she huffed and left the room– AdeLint laid on the floor, eyes closed in discomfort, beads of sweat rolled her forehead. It was then MaRiah was allowed in.
"Oh my God." She cried, and ran over to help her to the bed. They both stumbled more than once before she manged to get AdeLint to the bed, MaRiah laid her on her side, then she ran out to get a towel and some medicine to clean up the wound with. AdeLint curled up on the bed, her eyes closed as she groaned softly– MaRiah couldn't keep her tears at bay as she tore off AdeLints cloth, whips scars both old an new were glaringly obvious on her snow white skin. Each touch of the medicine on her back made AdeLint groan from the stinging pain.
MaRiah's sniffs filled the room. "You shouldn't have argued with them." She chided in tears. "Everytime you argue, they hurt you, why do you still insist on insulting them." She cried.
AdeLint chuckled, her breath heavy as she struggled to speak. "I… I can't let them get away with insulting me can I?" She paused, moaning softly. "Besides… I am worth every single thing they." She groaned. "They are not and… and I have everything they don't." MaRiah cried harder but AdeLint didn't have a single tear in her eyes. Three years was a long time enough to get used to it, MaRiah was the one who never got used to seeing her hurt.
After cleaning up the wound and changing out of her body dress, AdeLint laid on the bed, a smile tugging at her lips as she thought of WickFord. His sharp jawline and his deep eyes. He was everything she wanted in a man and what had just happened was another reason why she had to marry him and why she believed she deserved him– she must marry him at all cost, at all cost. No matter what she had to give for it, no matter what she had to loose for it.
For the next two weeks, AdeLint couldn't get out of bed, she had to spend the two weeks nursing her back and devising a plan on how to get the warlord to notice her. Despite the many women who were In love with him in Silia, no one could marry the war Lord because the priest had announced that he was cursed, two years ago, some women refused to listen and still insisted on chasing him but they all died one after the other, even the sixth daughter of the king had died chasing the warlord.
Young maidens could only scream after him and like him from afar, no one dared to get too close– but AdeLint didn't care– it was either she married the warlord or marry that old thing– and this time, it was for real. So she bidded her time and waited for her aunt to let down her guard, she had already planned her escape, already sent MaRiah– despite her protest to go in search of LeiLani , she laid on her bed, mind filled with thoughts, her plan was to leave at night after everyone falls asleep.
Her whole body was on high alert as she listened in for any noise, she could hear soft footsteps, unhurried one and hushed voices, it sounded like a man and woman discussing right in front of her room– her brows furrowed yet she didn't go and check. A few minutes later, her room sorry creaked open and her heart beat quickened. What was going on? She could feel a gaze on her and a man's harsh breathing. Footsteps grew closer and closer towards her, the lights in the room was off so she couldn't see who it was– however, the person suddenly touched her on the cheek.
She heard the man breath sharply, then the hand trailed down her collarbone, down her chest, and slowly made its way down her dress, AdeLint's breath quickened, and resisted the urge to slap the man but knew she needed to bid her time, there was no way the man could have snuck Into the house, and her cousins couldn't have done this without her aunt's permission– despite not being too surprised, her heart felt like it was being pressed down by a heavy tool. Anger blazed through her heart and she suddenly rose when the man gripped her skin. She pushed the man down and hit him with the bag she held in her hand.
The bag was filled with the gold she had intended to leave for her aunt in exchange for living In her house but she no longer planned to leave the money anymore, screw her and her stupid house!, the man let out a yelp as he held his head, AdeLint took this as her cue– without looking back, she ran out of the mansion, straight out the door– the keys she had gotten opened each door for her, she could hear panicked voices as the servants lightened up the house– this made her quicken her pace, Knowing that If she couldn't escape that night, she would never have the chance ever again.
Her breath turned harsh and heavy as she made her way through the familiar path and jumped over the fence, the voices grew more and more distant as she ran through the sunflower field, the Moonlight illuminating her path, birds chirped from a distance, the trees swayed, and the eerie night made every shadow an opponent, AdeLint ran faster and faster, her heart filled with an undescribable feeling of freedom, as long as she could get to the shop, she could be free.
The market route was right in front of her, her eyes brightened and she already had a smile of her face, the gold filled bag still held in her hand when she suddenly stumbled, an arrow
flew past her head and she let out a startled gasp.
~P-Lia~