16 Chapter 16

She jolted forcefully as she woke up by the impact. Sleeping under the cold temperature of the magic weather stone, her whole body heating with warm sweat, her face flushed and her whole gown sticking to his back body because of the excessive sweat she was producing.

She groaned loudly, the sound reverberating inside the large room of hers. Her eyes lazily fluttered before she rubbed her eyes with both of her hands. Her eyes being crushed and swept away according to her hands harshly echoed inside her skull probably could be heard within a millimeter radius.

Her eyes resulting from getting red by her hands' force. She fluttered her eyes again to adjust the vision back to normal. She laid there for half an hour. Doing nothing but to stare at the ceiling. It's dark inside, it doesn't mean it darks outside. The day has begun, yet she was still on the bed in a nightgown and just walked up with a nightmare. Not once, but twice in a single night. What a night, huh?

What was terrifying was the dream was so vivid to her eyes, carved inside her brain like a harmful virus that spread through her whole body, spreading the unwanted disease. As if her insomnia problem wasn't enough. Great. Just great. Big applaud for her misery. Yay! Just give everything will ya? She scoffed.

Compensate me with money damn it. I need to survive too. This lady needed money to bolt for responsibility. This lady also happened in need of a secluded location to hide from the world as well. Give me the pain, give me the money as well. Balanced things out, damn it.

She kicked the blanket in frustration, her hands flapping on the bed, and accidentally ring the bell above her head. In a split second, Emily and the maids knocked on the bedroom door and excused herself to enter the room to get her ready.

"My Lady. Good afternoon." Emily greeted warmly, pressed her hands on her stomach, giving respect to her as usual.

Elizabeth covered her action by staying still in the bed and blinking happily to Emily. "Good afternoon, Emily." She greeted, laying still.

"What are you going to do today, My Lady?" Emily strode and helped Elizebeth get up from her bed. She smiled beautifully at Elizebeth and if she saw a dark circle hanging below Elizebeth's eyes, making her look more haggard, she didn't say anything at all.

"I would like to visit brother Indulf. Where is he?" Elizebeth sat at the edge of the bed and waited for the soft slipped slide under her feet before her feet made contact with a cold floor.

"He is still at the academy, My Lady." Emily made sure there's no obstacle in front before giving away to her lady to walk to the bathroom.

Elizebeth tried to remember something. "Yesterday, father told everyone to return early?"

"Yes, My Lady," Emily admitted. "But young master Indulf had to stay a little longer for his lesson inside the castle to assist the prince."

To assist the prince? Brother Indulf was still a 10-year-old. She knew her brother was a talented swordsman but this was too much to ask for it. What did the royal knight do if her brother took over their job? She needed to have a word with the king. Blackmail is a must if he dared to not accept her offer.

Elizebeth's clear face clouded with dark expression in seconds before it returned to normal. "Please tell me when he has returned."

"Yes, My Lady." She bowed and followed behind Elizebeth inside the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, she was thinking while the maids were busy with their assigned work. Emily just slid shut her mouth as she understood Elizebeth entirely. In her mind, she was thinking about the dream from last night. The same dream in two different settings. Both of her brothers either met a tragic ending or went missing without news. And the Elizebeth inside the dream.

The Elizebeth!

Damn girl. The Elizebeth inside her dream was so weak. The only thing she did was weeping around, asking to be saved without lifting even one of her fingers. What a baby. She couldn't ever do that in her entire life. No wonder she got caught. There's no fighting spirit inside her at all. A flipping loser. What a joke.

If she were the Elizebeth inside there, she would think about how to escape with Kyle to have a proper funeral for her dear brother. A tear sure, but her body would move like a tornado instead of crying loudly in some crazy dude's hand.

What the freak is wrong with her anyway? What is her deal? Princess much? Get up for the love of God. Fight for your freedom. She could tell the Elizebeth inside the dream knew all the secret passages within the castle. She should use it to her advantage.

Loser. What a freaking loser.

"Where is my brother?" She asked when she realized she had finished dressing up and stood there like a statue in front of the mirror while the maids behind her just bowed their heads without saying anything.

"Young master Kyle is inside the library. Duke had given him a job." Emily answered sincerely, she knew precisely who Elizebeth was talking about.

"Oh." She thought deeply. "Let's meet him."

Emily bowed and trailed behind her back obediently. The walk was short, the same as before. The only difference was Emily didn't raise any issue along the journey while Elizebeth was basking under a hot sun that penetrated inside the window. It was indeed afternoon. It was so hot even when she was inside the cold mansion.

"Brother?" She called Kyle without knocking at the library door. Her small and fragile voice resonating inside the large library.

"Young master Kyle is at the map's desk with his mentor, My Lady." Told Emily when she returned after Elizebeth's voice didn't reach anyone inside.

"Okay. Thank you, Emily. You can be at ease now. I'll be with my brother from now on." She immediately dismissed Emily with a straight face.

Emily looked up to retort the order, she was so worried about Elizebeth that had no breakfast yet the serious face of her lady made her take a step back. "I understand, My Lady."

She trudged inside the library unannounced alone and went straight to her brother which was in the middle of the lesson with his teacher.

"Brother?" She hangs in between the bookshelves.

There he was with Sir Ikrar. Sir Ikrar was in a drained expression. The same expression he showed when she asked an endless question unrelated to her family background nor the family territory. The man had a rough time but she had compiled numerous pieces of information inside her notebook thanks to him. She promised him to reward him accordingly inside her heart. She would tell her father to increase the wage of his, in secret.

"Lize!" Kyle perked at his sister in shock.

"Kiki!" She ran towards him and buried herself in her brother's warm hug in soft giggling.

"What are you doing here, baby?" Kyle smiled easily. Kissing the top of her head while in the middle of the lesson.

"Searching for Kiki." Elizebeth looked up at him, gripped his arms strongly.

Kiki.

It was a special name Elizebeth made for him. As he was aware of the special nickname for his father and older brother and he wanted the same as well so he asked Elizebeth. Unexpectedly his sister easily agreed and made his special name on the spot. It became the permanent nickname ever since.

What do you want, baby?" Kyle hugged her and put her onto his lap easily. Patted her head afterward.

"Oh, sir Ikrar." She immediately greeted Sir Ikrar as soon as the attention was on him. The pale male for some reason jolted yet she didn't care. "Good afternoon, sir Ikrar."

"Go- good afternoon, My Lady." Ikrar greeted her as well, in a pounding heart. He felt like his heart was in the middle of the race with a horse. It was faster than normal.

"Why are you looking for me, Lize?"

She beamed when she heard the question. Her attention was back to her beloved brother. In silence, she watched her brother feature; his eyes, his hair, his nose, his eyebrow, his red lips. He was breathing. He was okay. He's not dead yet. If those dreams would be her tragic future, she promised herself to change her fate.

Her brother's brow moved as he asked without a word. Elizebeth just smiled, bitterly. She pushed herself up to connect her warm lips to her brother's cheek.

"Lize…" Kyle said in shock through the warm feeling spreading inside his heart like a summer. The breath was so calming.

"Meet me tonight under the stars." She said in code as she trailed down to sit at the same spot once again.

Kyle's eyes trembled by the code that they both shared since they were small. It was meant for him and Elizebeth only. It was a code for her to ask a very confidential question and only Kyle could answer her truthfully.

"Very well, My Lady." Kyle quickly masked the shock by smiling innocently. "Do you want to have lunch with me, then?"

Elizebeth nodded in the same manner. Innocent. Her mission was accomplished.

Ikrar knew better than against the idea. He just stepped back and let the siblings do whatever they wanted. Bowed his head at both of them in hoping the young lady didn't have any funny questions to ask him. Letting the siblings go hand in hand.

"Ah, Sir Ikrar." Called as if she just remembered something.

"Ye- yes." The goosebumps crawling under the skin hearing the sinister cute voice of hers. He grinned forcefully.

"Work hard." She winked and walked away after that without seeing his ever-changing expression.

Ikrar fell on the floor, his legs gave up the strength. The lady was terrifying. Way too terrifying. She was the leader of this devil resident.