CHAPTER 20: The Garderobe

 Aella decided that it was the hunger that was overtaking her brain at this point and the scariest part was, she didn't seem to mind even a little bit!!

She was quite sceptical about whether she should eat the food the demon's slave boy offered her at first.

She had no idea what he might have put in there but her thoughts were quickly consumed as soon as she took a morsel from the herbal rice pudding.

Immediately the savoury taste touched her tongue, Aella nearly moaned out in appreciation but barely suppressed herself due to the man who was still in the room.

One spoon became two and two became several. She kept on stuffing herself with the food because she can hardly have enough of it.

It has been so long since she had a warm and delectable meal while in clean clothes and on a piece of furniture. It was all too strange and surreal to her.

She didn't know if it was because she was severely starved from having not eaten for several days now or if the food was actually as delicious as it seemed! 

Either way, she couldn't stop eating and she found it even weird that no matter how much she ate, the food didn't seem to lessen as much.

It was like something was filling the plate back up as soon as she was done.

She would occasionally peek at the man who was seated across her silently and her heart would jolt when his golden orbs stared right into her without concealing his intent gaze.

She couldn't quite understand him.

He was so devoid of emotions that she could hardly guess his facial expressions, and his words were blunt and straight to the core but she couldn't help but feel that there was something else to him.

Something mysterious yet not quite malevolent at all.

The thought that he might be the demon she was sent to slay crossed her mind numerously but she always ticked it off instantly.

There was no way he could be the mystical creature she was asked to kill. He looked all too…humanly for that, even though he was short of being humane.

And if he really was the demon, she saw no reason why he would keep her alive and even feed her after nursing her fever when humans were what he devoured.

Aella remained tentative on the issue so she dropped her gaze to her food. She was about to take another spoon when she felt a slight prick in her stomach.

She frowned.

'No, this wasn't happening,'

She shook her head slightly to convince herself otherwise and tried to take another morsel into her mouth but the pain in her stomach didn't let her do so.

Aella's back was straightened up unwillingly as she tried to find a way for the discomfort in her belly to ward off. It was futile. Nothing seemed to be helping.

Why was this happening? Right now, at this moment?! She knew she shouldn't have eaten too much and now, she had to find a way to relieve herself but where?

She didn't see any door which looked like a bathroom from where she sat and there was no way she would ask this insufferable lad for something as shameful as that.

She had little dignity left in his presence and she intended on keeping it intact.

"Have you had enough?" his question made her perk up gently.

He was regarding her with those alluring golden orbs of his which made her stomach clench painfully due to the nerves shooting up in her.

'Oh, dear Lord, what am I to do now?!'

Aella felt like crying out once again.

Beads of sweat blossomed on her forehead as her stomach ache intensified. Her buttocks felt too hard to sit on comfortably now.

"Can't you speak?" he bristled.

Aella wet her lips before she opened her mouth to say something.

"Um, I am having a little discomfort," she coughed awkwardly, not knowing how to put in words that she wanted to take a dump.

A tiny air flew out from her buttocks uncontrollably and when she got a whiff of it, her insides churned with disgust.

She hoped he couldn't perceive this, if not, she would be scarred for life.

What a mortifying situation!!

"Discomfort? Is your body boiling up again?" a frown was etched in between his eyebrows.

He was about to get up from the chair when Aella yelled out in protest immediately.

"Halt!!" she placed her hands in the air.

He must not step any closer, if not, he would be able to smell the fart that escaped her system.

"Halt immediately!! Make not a move. My temperature is neutral, you need not come closer," she blurted out.

He furrowed his eyebrows as though he was suspecting something but sat back with his eyes still on her.

"Then what discomfort are you having?" he asked calmly.

"My stomach is feeling upset," she put in the vaguest words possible.

"Upset? What is wrong?" he inquired and Aella felt like hitting his head with a pillow.

What more does he need from her?!!

"Nothing, I just need to…" she trailed off uncertainly.

How to put the language? Dung was too direct. Relief herself seemed much better but too shameful to say. Taking a dump would be too horrendous.

"To?" he pressed.

"To powder my nose," Aella muttered the idiom widely used for such excuses. She just hoped he was not that dense not to get it.

"Powder your nose? I don't see how that helps," He tilted his head with furrowed eyebrows.

Aella clenched her fists as her left eye twitched even further.

Was he being serious?! He couldn't even get an idiomatic expression?! How old was he anyway?

"I didn't mean an actual powder, it was-" she gritted her teeth as another wave of pain came up.

If she doesn't go anytime soon, she might actually do it on the bed here!

"A fictional powder? I do not quite get what you mean,"

"Garderobe!!" Aella blasted out when she was unable to bear it any longer.

"I need to go to the garderobe!! Now!! At once!!! Where is it?!" 

"Why so much jargon when you could have just said that from the start?" he clicked his tongue with what could seem as the miniature of a smile.

Sly bastard!! He knew all along what she wanted to say but only waited for her to spell it out.

"Where is it?!!" She belted out in desperate need.

"The door by your right," he motioned to a door she hadn't realized was in the room.

Aella hopped out of the bed without wasting time but used the duvet to cover her decency as she scurried into the bathroom hurriedly.