Chapter 15
1760 Words
Next morning, it had already been 9am but Maria still hadn't waken up. Gerald sit beside her bed, saw her eyes being bandaged with worry.
"Buddy.. If you don't eat anything you will be sick... At least take this."
Jacques came in hospitality with a pack of chocolate biscuits for Gerald. He was just done taking breakfast at the restaurant and then immediately came to see Gerald and Maria.
"Uhm.. thanks." Gerald didn't want to eat, but he still swallowed it anyway to not make Jacques feel sad.
"Lady Beauvallet hasn't woken up?"
"Not yet..."
"Really... I swear I'll tear that bastard apart into pieces..."
"I think many things happened to her yesterday that she was tired. Don't worry buddy."
During their conversation, suddenly Gerald felt Maria's hand that he was holding moved. They couldn't believe that Maria's eyes slowly opened too.
"Uhm.. Gerald.. Jacques...?"
"Yes Maria! Thank god you have awaken!"
But when Gerald's hand nearly touched on Maria's hair. Suddenly he got pushed back by her, she then screamed in fear.
"WHA!!! WHAT IS IT?!"
"My Lady, are you okay??" Jacques also wanted to hug Maria to chill her down but he got fought back as well "Don't worry, Gerald and I are here. The danger has already passed and you're now safe with us."
But what they both had got was just the intense refuse of hers. Then, few seconds later, Maria slowly got calmed down. Gerald and Jacques witnessed the event that they couldn't believe by themselves: Maria was staring at them, correctly at their eyes.
"Gerald? Jacques? Is that you two?"
Unbelievable! Maria could see them?!
"Maria..." Gerald trembled. His heart kept beating so strong that Maria's sensitive ears could even hear it "...you can see us...?"
"I'm not sure.." Maria answered, her hand then slowly touched on Gerald's cheek "But now my eyes... I can see two images... are they from you guys?"
"No doubt! Lady Beauvallet can see us!!"
But because it was the first time getting vision, Maria hadn't adapted with her eyes yet so both Jacques and Gerald slowly discussed with her to support her.
"Here Maria." Gerald showed his fingers in front of Maria's eyes "Can you see how many fingers am I showing you?"
"Uhm... One finger?"
Jacques and Gerald felt strange. Because he showed her two fingers if exactly...
"...and you guys look so creepy." Maria said when being cautious.
"Huh?" They were surprised and looked at each other. Aren't they bad looking as Maria said? Gerald then gently asked her "Maria, how do we look in your eyes?"
"You guys are like the white ghosts in the middle of the shadow.." Maria described her current vision, while her hand touched on Gerald "You guys have same body shape, no eye, no mouth..."
Hearing that, a theory then popped in Jacques's mind. He then asked Maria to confirm again.
"Wait a minute, Maria! I'll try to cast a magic spell, then can you describe how I look??"
"Sure Jacques."
"Lumen!"
With a simple magical spell, there was a sphere of light shining on Jacques's hand. Suddenly, Maria sparkled her eyes. Because her vision allowed her to see Jacques's imagine being clearer and spreading a mysterious mist. Maria really loves seeing Jacques right now, his body was like shining bright among the surrounding scary darkness.
After hearing Maria's description, Jacques could feel that his theory was right.
"Ahh I understand!" Jacques said "Lady Beauvallet, you cannot see us normally. Instead, you're seeing our aura!"
"What does 'aura' mean?" Gerald asked.
"I think I know it." Maria answered with excitement "Aura is the inner magical energy within our body. The more aura you have, the stronger magic spell you can cast."
"Exactly!" Jacques thumbed-up "Buddy, you skipped the class Introduction of Magic so it's ok if you don't know."
"Oh my god.. I really can't imagine how many lessons have I missed during my hospitality.."
However everyone then wondered: Maria could get back the vision thanks to the bizarre liquid dropped on her eyes? If that, that mysterious woman was trying to help her, not killing her as they were thinking?
"So we misunderstood her." Jacques wondered "I just know she is a witch as Noreau said, but there are so many questions. Why did she help lady Beauvallet? And how does she know she is blind to help her?"
"Unless the witch already knew Maria somewhere before?" Gerald asked. However, Jacques and Maria agreed that it was the most possible assumption.
"If we can see her again, we can ask her as well." Maria said "She helped me getting back my vision, at least I want to thank her."
"Sure Maria/My Lady. We'll support you." Gerald and Jacques answered.
Suddenly, the door of the hospitality opened. Maria could see so many of other white ghosts coming near her. But she wasn't scared anymore, because she could recognize who they were just by hearing their voices.
"Your highness, my mother wants to gift you and Richard some cupcakes. Anyway, she has a message to you too, that the performance tonight will be canceled so you take your time to rest."
"Oh, thank you Martin!"
"No it's ok! Please let the performance be opened tonight. I can learn singing very fast."
"The plan has been set by the Marquess so please don't worry about that. Instead, the show can be opened at next weekend."
"Then it's so good..."
Jacques's eyes sparkled when seeing his favorite sweet inside Marquess De Laconte's basket. Then, he stared at Martin because he understood how craving William was toward sweets.
"Did you tell professor anything about those sweets? I'm surprised when you could bring those to the academy without noticed by him."
"Your highness, the entire of today... We don't see the prince William anywhere in the academy."
"Huh? So where is he currently?"
At the very right timing, one of Jacques's servants rushed inside the hospitality and shouted.
"YOUR HIGHNESS! WE HAVE A BAD NEWS!! THE PRINCE WILLIAM WILL BE GUILLOTINED AT THIS SUNSET!"
"WHAT??!!"
***
Meanwhile at the Eurydia Palace, at the prison for special dangerous criminals which located at the deepest floor of the palace's basement.
William currently was sitting on the floor covered by a layer of crappy and old straws. The chaotic voices of the prisoners echoed everywhere through this basement's floor but he didn't have any interest to notice them. He was currently one of them, looked around the scenery inside the prison and felt bored when having nothing to do at this place. But thinking back, William smirked with irony, he was the eldest prince, a formed Crown Prince and a professor of the honorable Eurydia Academy. Now he was being treated as the kingdom's traitor and the death sentence would just be a matter of time.
William regretted that he was so careless last night. He should have been more cautious at looking after his father. He remembered thing happened at that moment...
"Well well.. What is my filthy child doing at my precious office room?"
"Ah... fa... father?"
William was surprised by the king's ambush at the royal office room. He wondered since when the king had already waited for him??t
"Get him." A cold commanding voice, with the group of royal soldiers rapidly entered the room and surrounded the prince. William never expected that the ones used to serve him, now they were pointing back their swords to him. However, he couldn't blame them, because he could see the desperate eyesight of theirs. They were just obeyed the king's order, despite they didn't want to hurt the prince.
William then prepared his defensive posture with his royal sword, should he fight back or not?
"Useless to fight back." The king then ordered more of the soldiers to go with him "Surrender and admit your crime to steal the royal document now."
"Father, I have a reason to do that." William took his last hope to convince the king "I'm having a case for the investigation, there is someone who is disguising one of our family members."
"Huh? Am I your father?"
"...what?"
"You aren't my son anymore since the moment you gave up your title Crown Prince. I just have some mercy for you to stay at the academy as the wish of the low lives."
After hearing that, William went speechless.
"Bring him to the basement." As the king's order, the soldiers captured William while he didn't try to fight back.
And it was how William was in the prison overnight even until this morning. The more he kept thinking his father's speak last night, the more disappointed he felt. The king even didn't want to admit his son anymore, so who could be his family now...?
William wanted to sleep to forget the hunger torturing his stomach. Suddenly, he heard someone was coming to the basement.
"Big brother, thanks god I've found you!"
It was Emily - his precious little sister, with her servants as well. She greeted William with relief.
"Emily..." He hold the jail's bars. Why did Emily come to see him? She was supposed to be taken care of at her palace due to her illness? "This place is very dangerous, why do you come here?"
"I just want to tell you one thing, big brother." Emily answered "I heard a servant of mine saying that you will be executed this noon."
"What...?" William was shocked. He couldn't believe that his father would like to kill his own son as well...
"That's why I'm here big brother... to help you."
Emily kept coughing, while she gave William a key through the jail's bars.
"Please use it and get out from this kingdom as far as possible, before the sunset, brother..."
"Emily, I cannot do that." William answered with eventual glance "If I escape, you will be the one guillotined to replace me. I really appreciate that you want to help me but this is my responsibility, I won't let you involve."
"Big brother..."
Emily couldn't control her motion. Both her hands touched William's cheeks and cried.
"Big brother... how can I live without you..? I'm very scared, you will leave brother Jacques and me like how mother did?"
William hugged Emily and didn't say anything. He knew well once he was committed crime with the brutal king, t here would be no way to escape the death sentence.
"Don't cry Emily." William wiped the tears rolling on her face "Before I die, can you promise me to do my last wish?"
- Writer
