Back Where It all Started

'19?' Caio thought. He remembered the girl with the disheveled hair and the worried eyes, the girl who ignored the strict palace etiquette and ran along the hallway to tell him that 20 was missing. "Take her to the imperial prison," he instructed.

"Yes, General," the soldiers saluted and turned to leave.

"Wait," Caio called them back as an afterthought. "Make sure you escort her properly and she won't be hurt."

Both soldiers looked at him with puzzled expressions. Weren't they supposed to arrest a prime suspect for a crime? Why did they need to escort her? After a few moments, one of them finally answered him, "Understood, General."

"And put her in a holding cell," Caio added. A holding cell, not a torture cell. Because even though the evidence found was glaringly obvious, he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to it than meets the eye. Therefore, he didn't want to jump into a hasty conclusion and hurt Concubine Number 19 until he was sure – absolutely sure – that she was the one responsible for 20's poisoning.

19 stood frozen at a corner of the main hall. After 20 had collapsed and was carried away by the emperor, the archduke had ordered the soldiers to keep all the guests in the room, no exceptions. The musicians had resumed playing their instruments in an endeavor to keep the panic and anxiety at bay, and it seemed to be somewhat helping a lot of people to calm down.

Some had even flocked together in small groups, talking among themselves almost as if they were still at the ball instead of being quarantined. But no amount of music could keep 19 from being wrought with worry. 'What the hell happened?' she wanted to know. One minute 20 was dancing with the emperor – the next she had fallen unconscious and the emperor was trying futilely to revive her.

She expelled a sigh. She had never seen someone more prone to trouble than her friend. From her first day at Luxentfort, it seemed like 20 had attracted attention anywhere she went – whether it was pleasantly surprising, like with the archduke and the emperor, or threateningly fatal, like with her assailants. And just about an hour ago she had collapsed. 19 couldn't help but wonder if maybe someone really wanted to harm 20 – that those incidents were not random but carefully thought out. Which then led to a curious question: who would pay such particular attention to a scullery maid?

She was brought out of her musings when two soldiers approached her. "You have to come with us," one of them said.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"To the imperial prison," he answered. 19 gasped. He couldn't possibly mean – "You're suspected of poisoning Concubine Number 20."

She caught her breath, finding it hard to breath. "20 was poisoned?" she said, tears immediately pooling in her eyes. "Is she going to be all right?"

"We don't know yet," the other soldier replied, clearing his throat uncomfortably. What was it with this girl? Didn't she understand that she was being arrested? Instead she was crying over someone else while she herself could be executed anytime.

"You need to come with us now," he repeated. "The General wants to talk to you."

The General. 19 recalled how the archduke looked that evening in his navy blue suit. Cool, dashing, and elegant, just like he always did. After telling him that 20 was missing the day she was assaulted, 19 hadn't gotten the chance to speak privately with him again – until now. What horrible luck that this time she was the one in the limelight for being a suspect. He most likely thought of her so badly, assuming she had just put up an act and pretended to be 20's friend all the while.

"Hold on," 19 paused when she realized that one soldier was leading the way and the other soldier was following behind her at a close distance. "Are you escorting me?" She had never heard of a suspect being escorted to prison instead of rightfully arrested.

"Yes," one of the soldiers confirmed. "That's what the General ordered."

19 fought to hide her smile as she continued to walk out of the main hall. Perhaps she had not completely ruined her impression with the archduke, after all.

*****

The last thing I remembered was closing my eyes to ward off the pain. I had never experienced so much pain before in my life. It hurt so badly it was as though my body was being torn from the inside out. Thankfully, after a while the pain eased, but then I discovered that I had trouble breathing. Every breath I drew required effort, each one more difficult than the last, until it just became easier not to breathe at all.

I heard 1 calling out my name repeatedly, and I tried to answer him but I couldn't form a sound – not even in my head. Gradually his voice faded and I was left in complete darkness. I didn't know how long I had stayed like that, seemingly caught in a black hole. I finally dared to open my eyes and saw that there was a speck of light. It grew bigger and bigger until I was completely immersed in it.

And then I heard a voice. "Oh, you're still here?" My eyes adjusted to the light and I saw one of the other executive assistants by the door, looking at me curiously.  "I thought you needed to leave early. No?"

"I just got off the phone," I replied, catching a glimpse of my mobile phone in my hand. I tried to sound normal even though I didn't have the faintest clue what on earth was going on. Wasn't I just at Luxentfort a few minutes ago? Why was I suddenly talking to a colleague?

"Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening," she smiled as she closed the door.

I looked around the small room furnished with colorful chairs and tables. The countertop had the usual kitchen appliances – oven toaster, microwave, and coffee maker. That's when it hit me: I was back in my office pantry in Seoul.