CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Alyssa wandered around the palace for a while, until it was dusk. The question that had erupted from Liam made her mood turn sour in a split second and all she needed was to stay alone.
A part of her heart wandered if he was going to be okay, especially when his heart was already occupied with suicidal thoughts. But then, she shoved it aside to take a good look at her own life. Her life was messed up and she had no idea of how and when things would become normal.
Her eyes were brimming with tears as several thoughts swirled around her head. And as she sat down at a hidden corner of the palace, she wished that she could live a life free from all the pain and trauma she had experienced.
She didn’t leave that spot until it was already dark. Her heart had been so overwhelmed that she lost track of time.
The moment she got into the room, Tiffany jerked up and hurried towards her. Apparently, she had been in worry all through the day.
“Where have you been? I was beginning to worry that something bad had happened to you!” Tiffany blurted out in exasperation as she pulled Alyssa into a tight hug.
Alyssa smiled sadly and pulled out of the hug.
“I’m fine. I only went out for some air since I was done with my chores”, Alyssa replied and started walking towards her bed to avoid more questions coming from Tiffany.
“You’ve been out since morning. I mean, I was beginning to think that something bad had happened to you!” Tiffany said, with sincere worry written all over her face.
Alyssa smiled calmly and took in a deep breath. She was indeed the luckiest to have a friend as Tiffany. It was as though nature was beginning to smile at her and pay her for her unending patience in her home. Tiffany showed up at the very moment when she needed someone to talk to, and she haven’t changed a bit since then.
“I’m so sorry Tiffany. I mean, I had no idea that my absence would get you worried”, Alyssa replied as she took off her clothes to wear something more comfortable.
The night was a long one for Alyssa and Tiffany. Alyssa kept tossing on the bed restlessly, while Tiffany stayed wide awake to monitor her.
After what seemed like ages, Tiffany left her bed and walked over to that of Alyssa.
She curled herself into the bed and tapped her lightly. Alyssa opened her eyes abruptly and they were still brightly lit and active; an indication that she haven’t slept a bit.
“You’re still awake and restless. Is everything okay?” Tiffany asked with a voice filled with concern.
Alyssa sighed deeply and forced out a smile that didn’t get to her eyes. She was not fine, but she wasn’t ready to bother Tiffany with the reasons behind her mood.
Tiffany caressed her back lovingly, comforting and assuring her that everything was going to be okay. She had thought that Alyssa’s mood was as a result of the abuse she faced earlier in life.
And without uttering any more words, they both went to sleep, in the comfort of each other’s arms.
***
The next morning started and each maid was assigned their chore for the day. Alyssa was in charge of cleaning the library. She was excited about that, especially because of how much she loved reading ancient and historical books.
Her heart bubbled when she thought of the golden artifact. Perhaps, details of it are imbedded in a book of some sort at the library. With this thought, she made her way to the library, not just to clean, but to search for information.
Alyssa walked into the library and stopped to look around. The broad daylight didn’t reach the room, instead the hanging lights above them did the job of illuminating the big hall.
It was extremely quiet and Alyssa wasn’t surprised. In royal stories, the library should be the best place for the princes who would do all it takes to sharpen their brain with several historical information that would help them in ruling the kingdom. It was an exception in this palace and Alyssa didn’t seem to be a little bit surprised.
The princes had their different lives and from what she heard about them, they weren’t responsible enough to hang around the library in search of books that would sharpen their knowledge.
A small smile spread across her face. It was an advantage to her, especially because she was at the verge of ransacking the room in search of a book with solid information.
Just as she thought, each tall shelf of the library spoke of ancient volume. It had books on war and artifacts which the kingdom had acquired. Alyssa flipped through the pages of each book she picked, but nothing about the golden artifact laid there.© NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.
She was about to proceed to the next when she heard someone clearing his throat just beside her.
The book fell from her hands and she sprang up in fear. A huge sigh of relief fell from her lips the moment her eyes rested on Liam who had a smirk on his face.
“Are you that scared?” He scoffed while she rolled her eyes at him and picked up the book.
The library was in total mess. The books on each shelf she ransacked laid on the ground, but she wasn’t bothered.
“Are you looking for something?” Liam asked with curiosity dancing in his eyes. He wanted to understand why the library was in such mess, rather than getting cleaned up.
“Well…”, Alyssa started as she thought of a quick lie to tell.
“I thought that cleaning each shelf won’t be bad. I mean, like a thorough clean up”, she said and chuckled lightly to conceal the tension in the air.
Liam nodded his head in satisfaction. She was a maid who could go far in ensuring she did the best while carrying out her duties.
“Sorry about yesterday”, Liam apologized, peering piercingly into her warm eyes.
“You don’t have to be sorry. You did no wrong”, she said and waved her hands, indicating that they should get done with the conversation.
“I was beginning to feel that I got you pissed”, Liam chimed out while Alyssa chucked.
“Not at all! I had to leave because I remembered that I had a chore to take care of”, Alyssa lied and lowered her eyes to the ground. She felt guilty each time she lied, but there was need to save herself.
“So, we’re good?” Liam asked, with his eyes gleaming in excitement.
Alyssa nodded and chuckled again. For the next minutes, they stared at each other silently, different thoughts raging through their soul.
Liam was glad that they were cool. He wouldn’t have forgiven himself if his actions caused a rift in their relationship.
“I should be on my way then…”, Liam announced and Alyssa nodded her head immediately.
She needed to clean up the mess in the library before someone else shows up and thinks that she is up to something.
Liam smiled at her as he took few steps backwards. Alyssa couldn’t help but gape at him as though he were a god. His body was worth dying for and in her silent heart, she thought of how it would feel to touch his bare skin.
Just then, she caught sight of something on his wrist and bicep; gold. The position of the gold on Liam’s wrist only meant one thing; royalty.