CHAPTER 5

　　DACIANA'S POV

　　General Conri departed, and shortly after, a soldier entered bearing an abundance of food and fruits. I started to drool as soon as I saw the food.

　　“Thank you.” As the soldier set down the food basket, I spoke to him.

　　“I'm here to help you. I will be available to assist in any way I can if you need it.” The soldier said, a little bowing.

　　I gave a small nod, focusing mostly on the food in front of me. The soldier exited the room after a brief period.

　　I carefully took the food out of the food basket and opened the plate to see what was waiting for me.

　　“Oh my!” I squealed with delight when I saw the dish in front of me. It was spicy and scorching as hell.

　　A spicy lamb soup served with baguette bread, a peppery hot sauce and well-cooked long grains. There were also Apples and bananas in the basket.

　　“How much I longed to eat good food!” To no one, in particular, I muttered.

　　I broke the baguette bread gently in half, put it into the lamb soup, and pointed it directly at my lips.

　　“Uhmm.” I groaned a little as I chewed on the relish. I've never tasted lamb soup like this one before. Likewise, I removed a fork from the basket and submerged it in the lamb soup to extract the meat. I took a tiny piece and tasted it after gently placing it on a spotless plate.

　　The lamb was soft and cooked to perfection. As I took another bite to eat, the entire savory flavour melted in my mouth.

　　I continued to stuff my mouth with lamb and bread until I realised that I had been starving and ravenous since I had left the dungeon.

　　What would happen if General Conri's men didn't find me?

　　I could have probably died of starvation. Even worse, being devoured by a rogue animal.

　　I felt my wolf regaining her vigour as well. Felt as though we had given up on one another. I genuinely believed that the dungeon would be the end of my world.

　　Grabbing the bowl of water beside me, I gulped its content in satisfaction and turned to the long-grain brown rice and sauce. This was a meal my mother loved preparing. Ever since her death, I haven't eaten them.

　　Heaving a sad sigh, I scooped the brown rice into my mouth and chewed it.

　　It tasted nothing like my mother's, but it was still rather good.

　　I eventually finished all the dishes and exhaled a satisfied sigh. I was so full that it was really hard for me to stand.

　　Slowly staggering to my feet, I surveyed my surroundings. Oddly, I haven't noticed this room's distinctiveness.

　　The interior designs were unusual yet exquisite. Each sculpture was expertly painted after being carved from wood. The bed was large, and the floor was terrazzo.

　　Was this the room of the General?

　　If I had to stay here, where would he sleep?

　　Probably, I had my room, and he just brought me here to Treat my wounds and feed me.

　　I slowly walked to a locker and sat on the stool in front of it. I was tempted to open it but was scared.

　　What if he suddenly appears? Then, get angry for meddling with his belongings, then he might hand me over to those heartless people.

　　As these thoughts drifted to my mind, I hurriedly stood up and went to the bed. I sat slowly, wincing a bit due to the injury I had in my thigh.

　　Suddenly, a knock could be heard, and I couldn't help but wonder who it was. I didn't think I had any form of privacy, so why were they knocking on the door?

　　“Come in?” Not sure of what to really say, I spoke audibly to the person.

　　The door opened Soon enough to reveal General Conri. I sighed softly in relief as he became visible.

　　“Were you scared?” I heard him ask, and I looked up at him.

　　“Uhmm. Not really. I didn't know you were the one.” I replied softly.

　　General Conri chuckled a bit as he strolled casually to my side.

　　“You don't have to feel scared. I wouldn't harm you. If I wanted to harm you, I could have killed you the instant you were brought to me.” he muttered slowly.

　　“Oh.” I simply said, still feeling a bit anxious.

　　“Are you filled? Should I order more food?” He asked dotingly.

　　“I appreciate your kind gestures towards me. I am so filled right now; it would be a waste if I consume more.” I answered sheepishly.

　　“You need to eat a lot. You're skinny. And you need a lot of rest and energy because you're going to be training.”

　　I looked at General Conri, who was casually talking, and I couldn't help but smile.

　　He has been nice to me since my arrival. The fact that he wanted to seek revenge on my behalf was something I was grateful for.

　　“Your first training starts tomorrow; there's not enough time to waste. The more we lie lazily, the more things get difficult to tackle. I want you to have enough sleep and rest before we start. I already assigned one of my men to you. Summon him anytime you need him.” General Corni stated as he put his hands in his pocket.

　　“Thank you.” I blurted out.

　　“Huh?" He asked, looking a bit confused.

　　“Thank you for everything. I'm deeply grateful. I really don't know how to repay you. I'll be indebted to you for a long time.” I said slowly, bowing a little.

　　“You shouldn't thank me. We are both benefiting from all these. I have my mission there, and so have you. We are taking this revenge together, and we will conquer.” General Conri stated seriously.

　　I nodded in affirmation as my fingers fidgeted due to the silence that engulfed the room.

　　“Well-”

　　“How-”

　　We both said together, and I couldn't help but smile a bit.

　　“You go first. Ladies first.” General Conri stated.

　　“Oh. Ok. Well, I just wanted to ask who prepared the food I ate earlier.” I asked, a bit timid.

　　General Corni chuckled at my expression and folded his arms on his broad chest.

　　“It may seem as though you enjoyed the meal.” He commented.

　　“Well, I did. The meal was delicious. Coincidentally, the long-grain brown rice was my best food.” I smiled lightly.

　　“Was?” He creased a brow.

　　“Well, though it was my best food, I stopped eating them the day my Mother passed away. She was the only person who prepared them for me. So when she passed away, I didn't want to eat it again.” I said sadly.

　　“I'm sincerely sorry about your mother.” He muttered slowly.

　　“It's fine. I believe she's in a happy place with the moon goddess.” I smiled slightly.

　　General Conri nodded, too, as he looked away.

　　After that, another phase of silence toyed the room.

　　How I hate silence so much! Not wanting to make things more awkward as it is now, I decided to speak out.

　　“You also wanted to say something,” I spoke out.

　　“Oh. Yeah. Hmm, never mind.” He smiled dryly.

　　That was odd! Thought he also had what to say a while ago.

　　“You said you also wanted to seek revenge, right?” I asked immediately, not wanting the conversation to end.

　　“Yeah.” He stated simply.

　　“What have they done to you?” I asked curiously.

　　“I don't think it's the right time for you to know. You would eventually come to know about it. Just be patient." Conri stated.

　　“Okay.” I affirmed.

　　“I would rather take my leave. I have some time-sensitive matters to settle.” He said as he headed to the door. “You should rest. You need it.” He concluded as he took one glance at me before exiting the room.

　　I looked down a bit, starting to drift into my thoughts.

　　What could make General Conri this vengeful? What happened to him in the past? Why was he bent on getting revenge?

　　And I immediately hoped my clan wasn't involved in any way because that would mean doom.