Chapter 5-Impossible Stranger
“You don’t deserve to be trapped in this hell when you can be a queen in Nayak,” she said, dragging me through the secret passages again. All the guards my husband stationed in front of my door were sleeping, and I knew Eria must have had something to do with it.
“Annalise left the inn a while ago, but you will surely catch up to her before you reach the Fluer River. I sent a message to her already,” she said while opening the backdoor again. She placed my hood on my head properly, draping it over my torn clothing to keep me modest.
“But I’m still married to my husband,” I said, but she shushed me by placing a finger on my lips.
“All you should focus on right now is getting out of Ruqgu before the day breaks. I already prepared a double for you, and as of tomorrow, you will be dead. You committed suicide because you couldn’t take the abuse from your husband anymore,” she said, and I stared at her with my mouth open in shock. What the hell?
“I will do anything for your freedom, Lina,” she said softly, stroking my cheeks as tears flowed freely. What could I have done without Eria in my life? She has become more than a sister to me, the only person who ever shows me kindness.
“You have to go now, Lina. I packed some food for you,” she said, pushing the duffel bag back into my hands before shoving me forward.
“Eria…”
“Go now. I love you,” she shooed me off and locked the door immediately. I stood there for a while before dashing down the street. The weather was really cold, and I didn’t have any source of light other than the moon. With my memories of wandering around Ruqgu when I was little, I gathered my strength, bidding my last goodbye to the Gattar household.
I ran as far as my legs could take me and headed towards the outskirts of the town. The day broke slowly, and I stopped running since my body couldn’t take it anymore. Instead, I walked very fast. If my memory served me right, then I wasn’t far from the Fluer River, which meant I was getting out of Ruqgu and was near one of the three small villages I would cross before reaching the border of Nayak. Nayak was much bigger than Ruqgu in many senses: riches, population, and land size.
It was a kingdom, unlike Ruqgu, which was just a small city governed by the seven Lords of the powerful houses-Rusé and Gattar among them, along with five other houses. I never missed my family since I didn’t have a good connection with them. The spotlight was always on my younger brother, born from the second wife my father married after my mother’s death. After my marriage, it was very easy to disown a daughter who failed to give her husband an heir. I tore a part of my skirt to allow for free movement since I wouldn’t need many layers of clothing when I eventually reached Nayak. I took a break beside the riverbank of Fluer River.
I opened the duffel bag and went through everything Eria packed for me. It was mostly rare gems, clothes, jewelry, and more than a hundred gold coins that would make my journey easier. She also packed dried foods and some delicious fresh pastries that I gobbled down immediately since I was starving and hadn’t tasted anything the previous day. Digging deeper, I found medicinal salves for my wounds and dried herbs to help me cope with my pain. Eria was such a mystery; I wondered when she had the time to plan all this for me. Three days later, I had already passed two villages, with only one remaining and no sight of Annalise.
I had never been to Nayak, but I was familiar with the villages between Nayak and Ruqgu. I would stay at inns at night before continuing my journey during the day until I reached the third village. Miraculously, nothing had blocked my path or caused me harm since the start of my journey up until this moment.
I knew bandits wandered in the woods, and wild animals killed people on a daily basis, but somehow, I was lucky enough to have avoided them all. As soon as I reached the third village, it was already night, and my entire body was screaming out in pain from walking for so long that I started looking for an inn immediately. Since it was the village closest to Nayak, it was bustling with people, so most of the inns were filled up, except for one that had only one room left.
I paid for it instantly, happy to relax my body after so much stress, but oh, how wrong was I? The owner gave me a key and directed me to the small room I would be staying in for the night. I left the noisy part of the inn and entered a small, well-lit passage area, lit with candlelight to provide easy navigation-such a nice touch from the owners. Since my limbs were too weak already, I struggled to carry my duffel bag and maintaining my balance was a challenge, so I wiggled around like a fan in a dancer’s hands and crashed straight into the floor-or so I thought. Pain shot through my body, and I shut my eyes tightly, but when I opened them, I was not on the floor at all.
I was lying on the most handsome man
I had ever laid my eyes on, sprawled on the floor instead of me. Oh my goodness, no words could define how embarrassed I was as I stared into his cold-looking eyes that were shooting daggers at me under the well-lit candlelight. I twisted my body uncomfortably and hoisted myself up instantly. My ears and neck were red already as I offered my hand to help him up, but he slapped it away instantly.
“I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry,” I muttered, but he only glared at me in return as he stood up by himself. Well, that went absolutely fine and peachy. I shrugged and grabbed my bag, dragging it this time instead of carrying it as I had tried to do earlier. I started walking toward the room the owner had described to me, but a voice stopped me in my tracks.
He had the most melodious voice I had ever heard, a voice fitting his face, though both features contrasted greatly with his character. An angelic face with the demeanor of the devil himself. But damn! He was a big man, big enough to snap me in two if he wanted. But how could a muscle-packed big man like him get knocked down by a little pin like me? Must be my trunk. That stuff is damn heavy.
“Stop right there!”
“Do you think you can just walk off like that after staining my expensive robes?” he said, taking a step toward me. Yes, his robes looked expensive, but I didn’t see any stains on them. Besides, I had already apologized. Who did I ever offend to encounter such an impossible stranger on my innocent journey to Nayak?
“I’m sorry, but I think I already apologized. And if there are any stains on your not-so-expensive robes, show me and I’ll get them washed for you.”
He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.
“You find this amusing, don’t you?”
I shook my head hastily.
“No, really, I don’t. I just want to get to my room.”