Journey Unveiled
I woke up slowly, and someone whispered into my ears, "Darling, do you want to wake up?" When I heard the endearing words, I shot up from my bed, . My heart raced so fast, scared that it might be Kyle. As I looked around, I saw Sylvia sitting on the bed, laughing. On the other side, I saw Ethan doing the same. Annoyed, I wanted to hit them so hard; my heart skipped a beat. I hit the person closest to me, and it was Ethan. I grabbed my pillow and hit him on the face multiple times, but he still lagged.
"Ethan, you're such an evil person. Did Silvia tell you to do this?" He continued lagging, same for Sylvia. When they finally stopped, Ethan looked at me, wiping tears of enjoyment. "Mia, you look so hilarious. We have to try it against Sylvia; you'll know so many pickup lines." I began to spoil them, revealing how terrified I was. They joined in the fun, and I didn't get mad because it was full of life and energy, not boring.
I washed my face and began to brush my hair. "So, Ethan, did you get any type of quest from the Guild or something to do? I would go to the shop today and work. So what will you do during this time, like six hours or more?" He put his hand on his chin, thinking seriously. I began suggesting different jobs he could do, considering his strong physical body. After our small talk, I looked at Sylvia to ensure she was okay.
She looked more puzzled than ever. "Sylvia, are you okay? Did you feel something wrong? Any type of pain?" The doctor had told us she wouldn't feel immediate pain because she was dizzy, and she wouldn't be comfortable everywhere due to her back hurting from her legs to her back.
As Sylvia appeared puzzled, she suddenly got up, legs trembling not from fear but pain. "First, where am I? Second, why does the knight call you by your name? Why didn't you punish him because he is rude? Why were we all so casual with each other? I am your maid, and you are a princess. And what about work? What do you mean you are going to work in the shop!?" I held her before she fell to the ground, and Ethan helped me put her on the bed.
I explained the whole situation, from the contract to what happened. She began looking at her hands, seemingly distressed. I held her hands and felt guilty because they were full of scars. Biting my lips, I remembered the scary night—the way I left everything behind. Holding back my emotions and tears, I spoke softly. "Sylvia, like what Ethan told you, everything he told you is real. From now on, I am not a princess; I'm just a commoner like you. I can't let you go because you and Ethan are my only family, and if I have to repeat it more than 100 times, I will. Sylvia, you don't know what you mean to me; you're like my best friend, same for Ethan. From now on, please don't open this conversation; it's enough." I hugged her softly, being careful as not all her scars had healed. Sylvia was touched by everything—how she got saved and how she was no longer under stress. I let her take a breath, and we looked at each other.
Ethan left the room first to find a job, and I wanted to check on all my jewelry because I needed to sell it. They could keep us in this protection for at least one or two weeks. I collected all my jewelry. Sylvia looked at me sadly, but I didn't have any choice. I hoped Sylvia wouldn't get mad. I had to leave for the city center to find a jewelry shop to sell them all. I packed them away, not wanting anyone else to know about them except Sylvia and Ethan, of course. I said goodbye, and when I left their room, it was a nice day. I began walking out of the restaurant, feeling like a trip was free. I didn't have to work in full manners; it just altered my taste of freedom. But when I stopped in the city center, it was so crowded, full of people. I began to go between them, just to find a jewelry shop. Sadly, most of them were for groceries and clothes, not for gold or diamond.
Undeterred, I went into a little bit of a dark alley. It was risky, but it was the only place I hadn't checked. After some steps, I found all the jewelry shops. I was happy, so I went straight to the first one. Strangely, it looked so beautiful, like I was in a palace. After all, it was a jewelry shop; it was what I had expected. I gave him all my jewelry, and he was fascinated. He loved every detail of it and pointed at my favorite necklace. It was a simple one with one diamond in a blue color, a gift from my mother. I didn't have a choice about selling it, but his reaction was different for this one. "This type of jewelry, this, o, n, e, in particular, I can't buy it from you. The blue diamond is more ancient than you think; most diamond collectors love this type. You can try another jewelry shop for higher prices, but if you don't want to, you can sell it to me. I'll give you a good price; don't worry." These details made me suspicious as he gave me the slightest amount of money. Those jewelry could be sold for more, or he just scammed me. His smirk never meant something good. "I will see the other jewelry shop, and if I find your price good enough, I will sell them to you." His face turned from display to anger, and I was pleased because no one would scam me here.
I went from shop to shop, and everyone gave me a different rate, each one lower than the previous. At this point, I began to regret making him angry. So I returned like a good girl, gave him the jewelry, and he gave me the money. But here, it turned to my blue necklace! "Girl, don't ever sell this necklace to anyone; it's a rare one. Good thing I am not a scam; I'm still angry with you, but for now, don't go and make any dumb mistakes and sell your blue necklace because they will not give you any good amount of money. I hope you understand; now flee from my shop." He was so rude. I knew people could make mistakes, but you don't have to be that mean. I took the necklace, apologized, and went out of the shop. I put the blue necklace around my neck, reminiscent of my younger age.
After I got out from the shop, I had a pocket full of money. I looked up at the sky, and it was beginning to get night. I ran fast to the restaurant where we got protection, and when I entered my room, Sylvia and Ethan were talking to each other. I was sweating from running so fast, and my legs began to hurt. I sat down to relax my legs, and they looked at me excitedly, wanting to know what I did in my day. But before Itell them anything, I asked Ethan if he found anything. He looked at his hands. "Mia, they put me on B-rank adventure. It's nice, but surprises are not the best in the quest part." I playfully hit his head, and he put his hand on mine. Sylvia was already lagging, thinking about how I was acting.
"Adventure Guild can give so much money; what they need is so much effort that can kill a person. Ethan, good job; you can take any type of quest that suits you. No one is forcing you." Sylvia began to comfort him, and he looked at us sadly. We came for him. "What happened?"
"I will take full-time adventure; some of their quests will be difficult, but I will try my best for all of you." I and Sylvia held his hand, smiling brightly. I then told them the plan about how I would sell all my jewelry. Sylvia was upset, but after a second, suddenly, Ethan and Sylvia began to sing the birthday song. I didn't know how to react; it was so unexpected. They went around me, and there was a little cupcake with a one-candle light up. After we finished singing, I blew out the candle, closed my eyes, and made a wish.
My wish was about Sylvia, my father, and Anna. I wished for all of them to have a good life and find freedom the way I found it, even better than me, wider without any sacrifices. After I opened my eyes, smiling brightly, we cut the cupcake into three pieces equally and ate it. I didn't care how much I ate; it was just the moment that made me feel pleased.
During my enjoyment, Ethan gave me a box. It wasn't fancy, just a normal box. I opened it and found a book full of paper but without any letters. They gave me a pen. "Mia, this book is for you to draw your journey from the bottom of your heart. You can do whatever you want; it is your story, so do whatever you want." I hugged them both, grateful for this type of friendship that I never dreamt of. I always thought it only existed in books and novels. I am so thankful to find people who can hold me in my highest place and be with me in my lowest.