Cesar's lips parted a small slit.
“Uh… uhu…”
A painful groan escaped. I don't understand why, I have to take a few steps back. The crippled steps are heavier than usual and slow.
His moans gradually became rough, to the point where I could hardly distinguish whether they were human or animal sounds. It was like the sound of wind whistling in a cave.
An extremely bad omen crept into my mind. It feels like something unusual is about to happen. Coldness spread down my spine.
I have to hide. But where to hide? Looking around, in this large room, I have nowhere to hide...
While trying to push my sluggish legs, I used my instincts to move.
The destination is in the closet. Hastily slipped in and closed the door.
The cold feeling of fabric touching my cheeks, the smell of damp, insect-proof grass filling my nose. Hugging my knees, I tried to hold my breath, forcing my rapid breathing down with my hand. My heart felt like it wanted to jump out of my chest, aching.
Through the horizontal opening of the cabinet, I saw Cesar moving faintly.
He had just been lying down, now standing hunched over in the middle of the room, panting.
Then there was a loud crashing sound. I gritted my teeth, held my breath, trying not to make a sound.
Debris everywhere, furniture scattered. He growled, making sounds like a wild animal, seemingly wanting to destroy everything in the room.
“Ugh…”
Cesar frowned and placed his hand on his forehead as if he had a headache. Then his anger arose and he knocked over the candlestick.
The silver candlestick fell and rattled, the candle went out. The already dark room suddenly became even dimmer.
Candle wax rolled on the floor, round like an arc. The extinguished candle touched his feet. He bent down and smelled. Then soon, he turned away as if he had lost interest.
At that moment, a flash of silver light flashed through the window. It had been raining for a while, and now there were signs of lightning.
“Ah, uhu…”
Cesar suddenly collapsed to the floor, covering his ears. Thunder echoed everywhere, glass windows shook.
“Aaaa!”
He not only clutched his ears but also writhed, scratching the carpet with his hands and feet.
The thunder and lightning passed, and there was a long silence. The sound of rain pouring outside the door became more distinct.
He crawled to the window. The movement was strange, not like a human but like the four legs of an animal. A creepy feeling crept into me.
Soon, the sound of broken glass rang out and the curtain fabric was torn to shreds. I was scared, clamping my mouth tightly with both hands. A strong wind rushed in, blowing out the remaining lights.
Complete darkness covers.
In the silence, the sound of rain seemed to resonate in my soul. I held my breath, trying to hide my ragged breathing.
At that moment, a cold feeling spread from the middle of my thighs.
'This is Giovineta's wedding gift...'
It was the dagger given to me by my half-brother, Giovineta.
‘If it were me, I would rather kill myself than be trampled by this monster.’
The dagger is decorated with precious stones, looking like a jewelry item. But when pulled out, a sharp blade appeared. No one noticed me carrying weapons in the Prince's room.
‘Even if I die…’
'This illegitimate daughter of the Flores family?'
‘Will this be the fifth person?’
The whispers of wedding guests, covering their mouths with fans.
I know, it was Giovineta who gave me the choice: kill myself or be torn apart by this monster. That's just different.
I trembled and reached out to search. Fingers touched the cold handle of the knife. Hold on tight, it's your only lifeline.
My heart pounded between my ribs, like a fish beating in mud. It struggled so much that it felt like it wanted to pop out.
This discomfort. The silence was oppressive. Hot breath passed through my lungs.
And then, Cesar's figure that had just peeked through the gap disappeared. My heart felt like it was falling into the abyss.
‘Where has he gone?’
A loud bang rang out, and the scene before my eyes suddenly opened.
“Eh… eh?”
The wardrobe was destroyed. The wooden cabinet that seemed sturdy was now shattered. How could someone destroy it so quickly?
I stepped back, then burst out laughing, half crazy, half scared.
So stupid, Irenea. Locked himself in the closet, a hiding place had just been discovered, there was no way back.
His back touched the hard wood, the escape route was blocked. I froze like prey before a predator.
The words of her biological mother, Annalisa, echoed in her head:
‘Must live. The one who survives is the strong one.'
I always try to survive, cling to that. Same now. The dagger in Giovineta's hand will not be directed at me.
I held the knife with both hands, stretched it straight forward, my voice trembling and hoarse:
“G-go away!”
The knife shook, as if about to fall. In the crushed wooden cabinet, my hand could only hold a tiny knife. How pathetic.
I wanted to scream… maybe already did.
But Cesar just stood and watched. In the darkness, his face was blurred, only his red eyes were visible.
“F-get out… go away?”
His voice was calm, far different from my panic. He blinked slowly. Long eyelashes fluttered, bright red eyes turned towards me.
Lightning. Then blink again.
I had to hold my breath. There's something unusual.
“Y-you, if you come close….”
I don't understand what I'm saying either.
“D-close?”
“Yeah, if you get close…”
Want to scream: I will stab you! But the words didn't move through my throat.
But it seemed that Cesar didn't understand the warning, he approached me again. He leaned over and sniffed the blade in my hand. His nose moved, sniffing.
A numb feeling ran up my fingers. I tried to avoid his eyes. Someone once said, when meeting wild animals, don't look straight in the eyes.
I followed suit, glancing down.
Another flash of silver light illuminated the darkness in the room.
“Uh… uhh…”
He frowned, closed his eyes tightly, and covered his ears.
The thunder boomed loudly, shaking the ground and shaking my soul.
“Uaaa!”
He curled up and curled up. Next were several consecutive rounds of lightning. His back moved up and down, shaking with the sound of thunder.
My instincts told me he was scared. He trembled and crawled under the bed like a baby animal.
Seeing that, I felt sorry again. Strangely, I felt sorry for this "monster."
Because I saw him tremble before the thunder and lightning, my fear suddenly disappeared.
I gently opened my cramped feet and stepped out step by step towards him.
Cesar was still moaning, huddled in the corner.
I'm patient, try calling:
“…H-hey.”
“Uu… ah…”
He cringed even more. Perhaps sensitive to sound. I stopped walking and kept my distance.
The silence lasted, then I spoke again:
“…Afraid of thunder?”
“…”
I also don't know why I said that. Like a five year old. I didn't expect to tell the groom on his wedding day.
But I tried to hoarse my voice and continued:
“It's okay.”
“…”
He did not reply. I kept repeating “it's okay.” Perhaps, those words are also to comfort myself.