Cain noticed her apparent distress and made a comment in a rather blunt manner, “You know I mean you no harm. Why do you look so stiff, Lianne?”
Lianne shifted an inch away from him as he sat down on the bed beside her. He tried to hold her right hand, but she immediately pulled it out of his reach. He noticed she had come to be more averse with his touch ever since he had expressed his feelings to her and this didn’t sit on him well.
“Cain, I might have misjudged you, but I truly don’t understand you. You have changed so much,” Lianne expressed, her heart feeling like it was being pulled apart. She remembered the innocent friendship they had together when they were younger. Those were precious memories in her heart, but right now, those memories were almost fading away.
“I haven’t changed one bit, Lianne. I just showed you the real me. This is the truth,” Cain replied, his eyes still fixed on hers.
“Truth?!” she broke out heavily. “Like how you kept the truth away from me about my family’s murderer?” She stood, stomping her feet in the process, then turned and gave him a look of disdain.
The general closed his eyes slowly. He bent slightly forward, rested his elbows on his lap, and clasped both of his hands together. He took a deep breath and for a moment, he seemed to look like he was in deep thought.
Lianne felt irritated by his silence, but when he glanced back at her again after a few seconds, the look in his smoldering eyes made her feel vulnerable.
He stood up and with that strong, self-assured gait, came to stand close to her.
“I long for you, you know that Lianne, and I would do everything in my power; even to lie, even to… kill in order to keep you,” he simply stated without any reservation.
Definitely, the word ‘kill’ didn’t escape Lianne’s attention. She felt a cold chill down her spine at the thought of it.
“You can’t do that to me, Cain,” Lianne countered finally, confident of it herself.
“I can and I will,” he said sternly. His arm then slipped about her slender waist as if to draw her toward him. “Having you here with me in this boat is already proof of it,” he added, then tilted his face slightly to capture her lips.
Lianne immediately noticed his bold move. She pushed his chest away and twisted out of his embrace. “No Cain!” she cried.
A one-sided grin shaped his lips as he watched her cover her mouth, but he didn’t miss the brief blush in her cheeks. “Don’t worry, I will not touch you,” he promised. “Not just yet anyway.” He turned to open the door with the intent to leave, but Lianne abruptly halted him with a question.
“Tell me!” she voiced out. “Tell me why you’re bringing me to Olga!”
For a moment, Cain only stared at her, then he pulled out a certain familiar object in his pants pocket.
“This is the heirloom of the Vhillana family right?” Cain asked as he held out the necklace up in the air. Lianne showed a stunned reaction.
“So you’re the one who took my necklace! Why do you want it?”
“Want it?” he echoed. “No. I’m simply keeping it for the time being until we reach Olga.”
“Then tell me why are you bringing me there? What does this have to do with the necklace?!” she desperately asked, her voice raised and commanding.
“You will know when you get there, Lianne, but for the time being, I will tell you this,” the general’s stare darkened. “There has been a century-old prophecy about the Vhillana heirloom. Your parents might not have told you about this since you were still young, but this is the very reason why Garlow attacked your kingdom.”
“What are you trying to say?” she stated, her voice now weak with anticipation.
“The stone in this pendant has the power to grant everything the bearer wishes,” Cain announced in a pure accurate tone. He scrutinized the appearance of the necklace and the pendant hanging at the palm of his hand. Such a delicate stone. He had contemplated countless of times if he now has the necklace at the palm of his hands, why not just wish it for her to be his straight away? Why does he have to bother teaming up with a twisted and ruthless man just in order for that to be a reality?
He grinned at the thought of it.
No.
Definitely, he wouldn’t want it to be that easy. He wanted to witness something.
A father and son reunion.
And the look on Ruen’s face when he takes the princess away from him.
He knew ever since then the crown prince had harbored feelings for her. He noticed it quite clearly but was confident that the princess wouldn’t fall for him. She hated the man from the start. But after seeing both of them in the town last night; the way his hands rested on Lianne’s waist rather casually; his insight changed.
It was jealousy for sure. And a feeling of threat.
Lianne couldn’t believe what she had just learned. ‘The pendant?’ her thoughts raised wildly as she remembered memories in her mind. She remembered her mother, the Queen, putting the necklace on her neck. There was a look of agony in her eyes. A look of pure misery. Lianne wasn’t able to grasp everything back then, but now she fully understood her mother’s pain.
“All that just because of greed,” she whispered bitterly, then tears started to fill her eyes. “And why Olga?” she hoarsely spoke.
Cain noticed her wet eyes. He remembered her cry in the same manner on his shoulders back then. It always pained him to see her like that. He always consoled her then. But right now, he was unable to do that.
“To fulfill the prophecy,” he simply answered, then opened the door, leaving her alone in the room without any consolation.
***
En route to the same destination, the Esclava was mightily lifting its sails up high. The waves were tall, clashing madly against the hull of the ship. It was enough to indicate how fast the vessel was sailing, and it made the captain feel anxious, but it was the King’s adamant order to be at Olga as fast as they could.
Ruen was standing beside the railing at the stern of his ship. He was uneasy, staring into the deep blue ocean as he felt a helpless impatience creeping slowly into his nerves. He wasn’t even moved by the sight of the heavy waves behind them nor the splashing of the water into the deck. He didn’t care at all. The only thing that was in his mind was the welfare of the woman who haunts him endlessly.
The violent splashing of the waves was comparable to the turmoil of his emotions. Maybe if he had confined her inside the mansion, just like what Garlow had done, maybe this problem wouldn’t have happened. But, he was unlike the man. He was never like him. However, if it meant her safety above anything else, he would do so without a second thought.
“Your Majesty.” Lord Jared approached him carefully and then stood beside him.
Ruen didn’t so much as turn his head. He continued to blankly stare at the ocean like there was nobody around him.
“Your Majesty,” the majordomo once again spoke. “I beg of you. Please rest for a while. You have been awake since last night.” There was a hint of worry in the old man’s voice. He was aware of the disorder inside the King’s heart, but it was his responsibility also to preserve the King’s health.
“Do you think it wise for me to rest, Jared?” Ruen inquired, his voice sounding bitter.
“Your Majesty, my answer to that would be yes,” Jared boldly answered. He lowered his head down the floor, not wanting to look at the boreal eyes of the King. He was so sure that he will be declined then.
If His Majesty was thoroughly vexed by his suggestion, then he would have responded with a callous statement, but with great surprise, Lord Jared lifted his head when he noticed the King stepping backward.
“Make sure the speed is steadily fast, Jared.” The command was firm. Ruen then strode down the stairs to the lower deck, leaving Lord Jared to answer a quick ‘Yes’.
Exhaustion and the endless worry of Lianne’s safety overcame him. He knew he had to arrive at Olga quickly before the worst could happen, but as of the moment, he has to make sure to regain his strength. He was certain he would need it once they arrive.
***
Since morning, Lianne has been staring at the unchanged scenery outside the small window of her cabin. She was sitting on a stool situated opposite her bunk bed. The only available wall clock in the room recently passed the third hour of the afternoon, but it gave no comfort for her. The blue and green shade of the water had been mocking her loneliness for hours on end, and its waves hitting the glass window added to her anxiety.
At eight in the morning, a crew member of the galley, a young boy barely in his teens, gave her an omelet and cheese breakfast. She didn’t touch the plate nor ate its contents. At noon, the young boy once again delivered her meal. When he noticed that the food in her breakfast plate was untouched, he looked skeptically at her.
“Aren’t you going to eat it, Milady?” the boy gently asked, his voice soft and earnest. He placed the lunch meal at the bedside table, then proceeded to take the breakfast tray out of the bed.
Lianne turned to look at him. She was planning not to talk to anyone, to make a silent protest as clear and unbending as possible, but when she met the boy’s stare, she immediately was reminded of the boy that Ruen was in the picture frame. This boy’s stare was rather different. Fragile, with a hint of fear, but have a strong will behind it.
“No.” Lianne scarcely replied.
“Are you sure, Milady?” the boy asked once again, this time in a needy way.
Lianne examined the boy as he stood at the center of the open door. He was wearing a ragged, slightly dirty gray T-shirt and red pants just below his knee. The length of the pants was enough to show the scratch marks and bruises the boy had. It was clear that he had a frail body. He was skinny, with sun-tanned skin color. His nails were unclipped. His hair was unkempt.
“Yes, I’m sure. You can eat it if you want,” Lianne offered.
Immediately, she saw the boy’s eyes light with excitement. Without hesitation, he sat down on the floor and then gobbled up the omelet.
Lianne was astonished by what she saw. She definitely didn’t expect him to behave as such, but observing him more, she realized that he looked seriously famished than her.
“What’s your name?” Lianne stood up and then approached the bedside table where there was a pitcher of water available. She poured a glass and then handed it to him, smiling at him at the same time.
“Lloyd,” the boy answered after filling his mouth with the slice of cheese. He took the glass of water from her and then smiled back. “Thank you, Milady. You’re so kind.”
Lianne was taken aback by his comment.
“You’re welcome,” she replied sweetly. She would have wanted to ask about his circumstance being in a ship like this, surrounded by burly men, and having an enormous amount of bruises all over his limbs, but she didn’t pursue asking. Instead, she continued to offer the lunch meal for him to consume.
“Why don’t you eat those also? I would be happy to give it to you too.”
The boy suddenly stopped chewing and then gave her a puzzled look.
“I’m sorry Milady, but I can’t,” Lloyd replied in a polite way. “I would be punished if the captain hears that you’re not eating. He said I would make sure that you are to eat, sleep, and groom properly. If not, he would scold me real good.”
Lianne was stunned by his revelation. The boy was innocent enough to tell her everything. She realized how futile her efforts of silent protest was, and if she were to keep it up, this innocent, naive young boy would be in trouble.
“Thank you, Lloyd.” Lianne squatted down beside him and reached for the tray of lunch on the bedside table.
“For what, Milady?” Lloyd queried ignorantly.
The princess once again gave him a soft smile and said, “For showing me hope.” She then took the spoon and fork and started to eat beside the young boy on the floor.