II

Aria wondered what made Lila look so angry. It was probably the engagement stress, she thought to herself.

"Hey Lila," she said with a gentle smile on her face.

"Why are you here?" Lila asked, her face still looked angry.

"For your engagement" Ania answered, still unsure why her friend looked so upset.

"Why? I don't remember Inviting you" Lila told her.

"Uhm, Asher invited me"

Lila stood up and walked towards her. "Now, look here Things have changed, we are all adults here, previously we were a trio of naive children, now It's just a duo, I and Asher, that's all," she told Aria coldly.

"But Asher...."

"Asher is just trying to be nice, I think it's time you understood that there is a vast difference between I and Asher compared to you," Lila told her.

"A vast difference?" Aria asked.

"Yes, there is. We are highly educated, we have status in society and you are just a little poor dejected rat" Lila said, a proud smirk on her face.

"It's good to know that's what you have always thought of me. But the Asher I know would never think of me like that, and he was the one who invited me, so if you don't have anything better to say, I will go look for him" Aria said as she turned to leave the room.

"The Asher you know or the Asher you have a silly girl crush on?" Lila questioned.

Ania kept quiet and didn't reply to her.

Lila came around to step in front of her. "I told him about your crush and he laughed over it, why do you think the letters stopped coming?"

"you are lying," Ana said in a shaky voice.

"I am not, Asher laughed at your audacity, the fact that you dared to crush on him" Lila continued.

Aria wiped her tears away, they weren't worth it, she thought to herself.

"So I want you to leave now, I don't want you here and Asher doesn't either"

Lila grabbed the Invitation that Aria held. She was about to rip it but then Aria held on to it.

"I will see Asher and when he tells me to leave only then will I leave," she said fiercely.

"you little rat, leave immediately have some shame" Lila snarled.

They were dragging it when all of a sudden Lila fell hitting the side of her body on the edge of the table.

She started to scream while Aria looked at her confused.

Asher and two of the security rushed inside.

Asher immediately went to Lila and helped her sit up.

"What happened Lil?" he asked.

"I and Aria were having a conversation and then she started saying I stole you from her, before I knew it, she tried to attack me and then she pushed me," Lila said and then she started sobbing, hiding her face in Asher's chest.

The security immediately held Aria captive.

"Asher, you can't believe her, I would never do such a thing" Aria protested.

The commotion in the room had attracted the attention of others. Lila and Asher's parents entered the room.

"What's going on?" Asher's father asked.

The security told them what Lila had said.

"Take her away immediately," Lila's mother said.

"Yes, to the dungeons, I have never trusted the brat" her father supported his wife.

"Asher, believe me, I would never do such a thing" Lila pleaded with Asher.

Asher's eyes met her, his gaze seemed to soften and then Lila whispered something in his ear, his gaze hardened and then he looked away.

"Take her away," Lila's mother told the guards and so Aria was taken away.

As Aria was taken away she could hear whispers from the onlookers outside the room. But she wasn't bothered with any of them. She was in a daze and couldn't feel anything at the moment.

When she was finally put in the cell at the kingdom's prison, she snapped out of her daze. She cried, clutching herself as her heart broke, for the first time in her life, she realized she was all alone in the world. Her parents were gone, her aunt was gone and now Asher and Lila were gone too.

When night fell, a guard came to the cell and escorted her out.

"someone paid your bail," the guard told her in a gruff voice.

She came outside and saw Asher's mother sitting on the bench outside.

"Good evening ma'am," she said in a scared voice.

Asher's mom stood up and handed her the basket she was holding.

"I am doing this because of the respect, I had for your Aunt, What you did was utterly disgraceful and so out of character for you," She told Aria.

Aria kept quiet because what was the use of trying to defend herself, Asher her dearest friend hadn't believed her, why would his mother be inclined to believe her?

"There is money in that basket and some food, I think it would be better if you left the kingdom" Asher's mother continued.

Aria looked at her in surprise. "leave ma'am?" she questioned.

"yes, leave. Lila's parents are very vindictive people and they would make your life a living hell And To be frank with you, What do you still have here?" she asked.

Aria pondered on the question, Asher's mom was right, who did she have here? nobody, she had no one.

" you are right ma'am, I have nothing and no one here" she replied.

"I wish you luck in life child," Asher's mom said and then she patted Aria's shoulder and left.

Aria went back to her house, packed the little belongings she had, and left the kingdom that very night.

.....

Asher went to the prison and was informed that Aria had been bailed out already, he went to her house and knocked on her door severally. When he didn't get a response, he tried the door and to his surprise, it opened.

He entered the house and discovered that all her personal belongings were gone.

Aria was gone.