Chapter 6.
Andria.
Present day…
My eyes open in shock as I stare at Shaye. Only this isn’t the beautiful Shaye, who once gave me juice and cookies, in this same castle, years ago.
This Shaye's frail and thin. She kinda looked 18 years, when I met her, eleven years ago. But now, she looks really aged. Her pale skin, paper thin. And her veins, clearly visible beneath her skin; all green and gangly.
“Shaye…” I call quietly, as I stand across from her, watching her.
She raises sharp eyes to me. Eyes filled with a hollowness that grips me. She averts my gaze and goes over to a nearby side table, placing a tray of piping hot food. Sliced breads and warm soup. My stomach rumbles, but I ignore it.
I shift closer to her, looking at her, and I see marks on her neck and wrists. Bite marks. Her shirt and slacks, sizes too big.
“What has happened to you, Shaye?” I mutter, quietly.
My fingers brush her wrist and she flinches.
“Am your personal servant. Lord Bran has ordered I look out for your every need. He has asked dinner be brought in for you.” She weakly mutters.
Her tone, detached. I reach for her fingers again, they’re as cold as ice.
“You’re cold, Shaye. What happened? Isn’t Lord Bran paying you well? Is he starving you?” I ask her, deeply concerned.
Her eyes give away an emotion as I say those words. Panic. She shakes her head.
“No, no, no…Lord Bran is the best. He is a good master. He…” Her eyes dart about, as if she is searching for something. “He’s cared for us all.”
I’ve forgotten my own pathetic situation for a few seconds and is absorbed with this woman, who stands before me. She pastes a weak smile, which doesn’t reach her eyes, dark circles under her eyes.
My mind poorly tries to process her words.
As she walks away, I rush to her.
“Wait, Shaye. Please…I don’t know…someone locked me in here. I don’t know who…Please, help me tell the count to ask them to release me…” I desperately plead.
She looks at me with that empty look again and my heart cracks at the expression on her face. There’s no emotion there.
Tears slip down my eyes, as I watch her. She holds my gaze for a few seconds.
“Lord Bran is good. A good master. He knows what he’s doing.” Tears slip down her eyes, contrary to the words she just declared.
I pull my hands from her, watching her as she repeats those dull words.
She leaves the room. The door locks behind her, with a loud clank, jolting me from my daze. I rush to the door and begin knocking.
“Open the door! Shaye! Shaye! Open, Lord Bran! Lord Bran!”
I continue to knock, but no one answers. I sink to the floor, crying in despair. I don’t touch the food. I lay on the floor, crying.
I look around and it feels the entire walls are closing in on me. I wonder how I was brought here. Am abandoned with no explanation.
I claw my hands on the ground, as I cry.
I feel dismayed as I think of my late parents. I have no one to look for me, if anything happens to me. I’ve been hearing of girls going missing in Bran. I’ve heard stories of their distraught families, who search for them, only for them to turn up dead. I’m terrified.
“Help…” I cry weakly, as weak sobs crawl out of my throat.
The smell of the food reaches my nose, reminding me that I haven’t eaten in hours. But I don’t eat. I don’t want to eat. I need to get out of here. I need someone to help me. But no one comes. No one hears me. Am alone.
Adrian.
It’s almost 4am and I’ve got my computer screen highlighted on the documents I need to treat, but am too distracted.
My company head quartered in Sibiu, deals on state of the art furniture and decorative items. Items produced in Transylvania and sort out in the entire world. I have other businesses; my farm, jewelry businesses, other miscellaneous businesses.
My mind continues to drift to no other than the beauty upstairs. Her skin flawless, when I touched it. Her dark, silky hair, luxurious, when I raked it. And her scent as I sniffed it, when I carried her to the bed, enthralling.
When I lay her in bed, she had this beautiful glow, under the moonlight. A glow that evoked a sensational feeling through my body, warming me from within. I didn’t want to leave her alone; I didn’t want to stop looking at her. I wanted to just sit there and enjoy her presence. I desired her. I wanted to claim her for myself.
But I had to leave her, so she could rest. I had to leave her, so she wouldn’t be scared when she wakes up.
A knock on the door jolts me and I look up from the computer.
“Come in.”
Cassius comes inside, holding a few papers.
“I’ve got these documents from the bank that need your immediate attention.” Cassius brings them forward.
I look at the documents and keep them aside, nodding.
“I will attend to them, later.” I inform him. He nods, hesitating a bit. “Anything else?” I ask.
“We’ve successfully placed the body as you instructed and we have Denis watched.”
I process the information and nod. “Alright, keep me updated. We need to get rid of Denis from Bran, once and for all,” I curtly say.
He nods in understanding and leaves.
When he leaves, I sigh, rising to a chest sitting on the floor at a corner. I haven’t looked at the chest in years.
I open the large chest, my eyes come in contact with a venetian mask and dress. Items that belonged to one so dear, once upon a time.