Choosing peace

"Do you think he'll like me?" A young pretty lady asked her maid innocently. She sat in front of a mirror while her make brushed through her soft long red hair.

Her wedding was in three days and her soon to be husband has never invited her out for a walk nor even tried to seek her audience despite them been under the same roof.

The maid was surprised that her princess suddenly got that thought. She quickly replied, "of course. No one can ever escape your charm, Princess Sabrina."

"I don't think he likes me," Princess Sabrina said sadly.

"Why do you say so milady?" Her maid, Victoria, asked worriedly.

"He hasn't visited since he arrived nor did he ask for me out tea, that only means he does not fancy me." It was very rare to see Sabrina in such a foul mood. She was always with a smile, but now she had nothing but sadness on her beautiful face.

Victoria was pretty worried. She didn't know how to convince her princess that she was thinking wrongly when indeed she knew she was right.

"You know how it is with men and the court. I'm sure he must be busy dealing with important matters that he can't make time to see you. I'm sure he'll fall in love with you the moment he lays eyes on your beautiful face." Victoria convinced softly.

"You think?" Sabrina's delicate voice was laced with uncertainty.

"Mm-hmm" Victoria nodded her head in affirmation and resumed combing through her soft hair.

"I'm nervous about tea later with mama and lady Elena," Sabrina fidgeted with her hands. Her marriage was in three days and every little thing had her heart pounding at an unusual rate.

"Calm down milady, it's just tea," Victoria sighed. Were all brides as nervous as this?

"You're right. It's just tea," Sabrina's little talk with Victoria helped calm her nerves down a bit.

***

"So you have blond hair," Aziel mused. Lily didn't want to give him the benefit of confirmation, so she stayed silent.

"Come with me," Aziel ordered and led the way.

"To where?" Lily asked, but Aziel had gone a certain distance away from her, so she concluded that he didn't hear her or chose to ignore her. Regardless of what it was, she found herself following him to wherever he was taking her.

They got to a wooden bungalow with a thatched roof. The bungalow had soldiers swarming all around with their rifles strapped on their shoulders with ropes lined diagonally.

When the guards saw Aziel, all activities they had been doing paused, and bowed deeply in unison.

Lily cautiously looked at Aziel's back as she prepared herself to flee. He must have brought her to the soldiers' camp to have her jailed again, she thought.

Aziel noticed Lily's wariness and a wicked grin settled on his face. "How is he?" He asked one of the soldiers in charge.

"He gained consciousness a few hours ago," The guard answered with his head facing downwards. He dared not look into Aziel's eye.

Lily looked at Aziel and the soldier and wondered who they were speaking about.

"Alright," Aziel said and walked into the bungalow. Lily didn't want to be left amid unfamiliar scary soldiers, so she scurried into the building, following closely behind Aziel.

When they entered, Lily scrunched her face in pain as they walked past each room. Different rooms had different wounded soldiers being nursed back to health. Their wounds were mostly deep and open. The sight of their bloody wounds was very unpleasing to the eyes.

This place reminded her of Aziel's underground dungeon. Was he inviting her to go watch him eat again?

"Are you looking for another meal?" Lily spoke with disgust.

"Depending on how you act, maybe," Aziel spoke with ease.

"You disgust me," Lily muttered under her breath but Aziel heard her.

"Not for long," he remarked and fastened his pace.

They got to a secluded room at the end of the corridor.

"Simon!" Lily exclaimed when she got to the room. She ran to his bed and hugged him tightly.

"I can't breathe," Simon managed to say.

"Oh, sorry," Lily quickly released him from the hug, but her hand still caressed his hair.

"Tell me. What did that monster do to you?!" Lily said not minding Aziel was standing by the door.

Simon cast a glance at Aziel before he replied, "Nothing. I've just been recovering."

Lily didn't believe him. What was he recovering from? She was sure Aziel did something to him.

She was right though. Simon had incurred some injuries when Aziel released him from the chokehold back at the forest. Aziel had lifted him so high and the impact from the fall left him with a broken skull, a fractured leg, and a few bruises.

His wounds were wrapped in a white cloth and you could see his blood that stained the cloth.

Lily saw Simon's injuries and courageously walked to stand in Aziel's front glaring hard at him, "What did you do to Simon?"

"Nothing," Aziel said innocently with a shrug.

"And you think I would believe anything you say? Only a fool will believe a monster like you?" Lily breathed roughly as her chest heaved up and down.

Due to how skinny she was, her rib cage was visible every time her chest heaved up and down.

Aziel noticed this and frowned slightly, "You're too skinny..." He left his words hanging as his eyes roamed her body.

"It's none of your...Wait," Lily said suddenly said when she realized something. "How do you know?" She questioned suspiciously.

Simon too, who was sitting on the bed, looked at Aziel waiting for a response.

"I can see you," Aziel threw out the words nonchalantly like he was never blind.

"What?" Lily couldn't believe what he was saying. One minute he was blind and the next minute he wasn't.

"Can you really see me?" She asked with uncertainty.

"No," Aziel replied with a quirky smile.

Lily ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "Are you trying to play me?" She scoffed angrily.

She glared at him before walking back to Simon's bed. Helping him stand up, she said, "Let's get out of here."

"What? No?" Simon immediately refused.

"Simon..." Lily looked at him like he was speaking some foreign language.

"I mean, we'll get killed if we try to leave," Simon tried to reason with her. He looked at Aziel but what was he expecting? Aziel could not see. He sighed and tried to deal with Lily by himself.

"And so? Staying here one minute is the same as getting one minute closer to our death," Lily convinced.

"I might be blind but not deaf," Aziel quietly reminded her that he was still here.

Lily was angry at Aziel's sudden interruption. She hated his guts to no end and if given a chance, she would gladly end his cursed misery and put him to death once and for all.

Yes she wanted to do all that, but I'm a second thought...

Lily calmed down and walked to Aziel. Ever since she chose revenge, her life hadn't been at peace, and she even dragged Simon into this after his mother had asked her to take care of him. Seeing Simon in the state he was in made her feel so guilty.

She didn't know how she would've faced Simon's mother even in the afterlife. She wouldn't even forgive herself if anything happened to him.

So she finally decided to put it all to an end. She decided to choose peace. Even if she didn't get her revenge now, she will get it later but without dragging her loved ones into it.

"I promise we will never show up in front of you again. You won't even see my shadow, just please let us leave. Please," Lily pleaded sincerely.

"And who said I had any intention of letting you go, Lily?" Aziel said with a menacing grin.