02| I want a Divorce
1119 Words
Elaia sat alone in her room, brooding on the bed as she looked around, not a corner of the room escaping her searching eyes. Truly, she still couldn't believe it. The light of the lamp helped her to realize that the situation as well as the condition of her room was exactly the same as before.
"Have I really gone back in time?" Her mind continued to spin in confusion. Her memories were still trapped in a tragedy that could not be called a nightmare.
Aaaaaargh! She kicked the air in frustration. It felt like she was going crazy thinking about all these strange things at once.
"I am already dead. I'm sure of it, but... what is this? And the dinner earlier... the atmosphere was just like that day. The day Rhystan and I got married..."
Her mind drifted, trying to digest the unimaginably strange events. She was back where it all started.
"So that really happened," Elaia muttered to herself. "I'm back in the past. My desperate hope was heard..."
She thought again, mixed feelings running through her. There was relief, but also fear.
"Calm down, Elaia... Calm down." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting the wondrous reality sink into her mind.
And then the abrupt opening of the door startled her. She was stunned, her eyes fixed on a woman with an angry expression as she approached.
"Mom?" Elaia muttered. Immediately, the bad memories of being beaten by her stepmother since childhood came back.
With a feeling of dread, Elaia got out of bed and stood with her head down, waiting for Queen Katarina to reach her.
I can't remember this ever happening before in my life. Mother never came to the room of an illegitimate child like me. Why did she suddenly...'
Plak!
A hard slap tore Elaia from her thoughts. It still hurt, she thought.
"Stupid child! What was that? Why did you scream like mad? You deliberately humiliated me and your father at the dinner table earlier, didn't you?" Queen Katarina snapped, her eyes bulging with anger and shame at Elaia's unexpected scream.
That was true. Elaia had just realized that the act of running from the dining room had changed the events of that night.
'I got beaten on the first day of my second life? Haha, damn it,' she complained, cursing herself.
"Do not be a fool in your husband's kingdom and make him invade ours because of your stupidity." The queen said with emphasis.
Elaia sighed, then laughed in pain, "Our kingdom? Since when am I part of this kingdom? Oh yes, since you sacrificed me with this marriage."
"Shut your mouth. I have no daughter, so you-"
"Even if you had a daughter, you wouldn't let her marry a king of the werewolf nation." Elaia's voice trembled as she said this, "You never know how hard my life has been-
She thought back to the hard days of her married life until she was killed in the throne room. Elaia was all alone in the kingdom of Bagaard. She was afraid, but she had nowhere to go.
Queen Katarina didn't care, you could see it in her face. "You have the nerve to speak against me, you insolent child!"
She raised her hand to slap her, but a knock on the door, which was already wide open, stopped her.
"Who the-- Oh? Alpha Rhystan, Your Majesty... My son-in-law, please come in." Queen Katarina said.
See, her voice and face quickly changed from wicked stepmother to savior angel. So disgusting.
"Thank God."
Elaia breathed a sigh of relief, Rhystan's appearance saving her from another painful slap. Even though she had received this kind of violence many times before, the pain still didn't make her get used to it. Compared to the physical pain, her emotions were hurt even more.
"I want to talk to my wife alone," Rhystan said, "Mother. He added.
Queen Katarian immediately smiled broadly at being called "mother" by a king with the greatest power and authority on the continent.
"Oh dear, forgive my insensitivity. You must be exhausted after a long wedding reception and welcoming the guests of honor. Then... I'll leave you, both of you," the queen turned to Elaia, "Be good to your husband. She said.
She talks like I'm a troublemaker when she's the one who always beats me for no reason. Elaia muttered to herself.
"Good night, my son-in-law." The queen said before she left.
Rhystan nodded, "Good night."
Queen Katarina left them alone and the door to the room was closed tightly. Now only the newlyweds were left, still uncomfortable with each other.
"Your Majesty..."
"You are not a sacrifice." Rhystan said, punching Elaia in the chest.
"Y-yes? D--Did you hear what I just said to my mother? Wait, I didn't mean it like that, I just... I just..."
"We werewolves don't eat humans. But if you're unlucky and meet a wild rogue or a criminal, you might be torn to pieces." Rhystan said lightly.
Elaia gaped at that, "You should have calmed me down so that I would willingly go with you. How insensitive you are," she said. "As always..." She mumbled.
Yes, in her second life Elaia would not hold back. She would say everything she wanted to say, whether Rhystan liked it or not.
Rhystan was silent and looked at Elaia intensely. "I'll take care of you."
Elaia was surprised. The words she had wanted to hear in her previous life had come. But it's too late.
No! Don't be swayed, don't fall for it, remember that you will die there. Just think of a way to escape this terrible end. Elaia said silently, warning herself not to fall in love just because he was handsome and never hurt her.
"That's all," Rhystan said.
Elaia nodded, "I'm going to bed. Are you going to sleep here... Or?"
Rhystan looked into Elaia's purple eyes, then shook his head. "I have to finish something."
Yes, Elaia already knew. They hadn't spent their first night together in their previous lives, but when they arrived in the kingdom of Bagaard, all the duties of a married couple happened without any conversation. Rhystan imposed his will, and it was a little painful for Elaia.
"Alright." Elaia said, staring at Rhystan's back as he moved out of sight.
"He begged Mark to let me live, but why? Why would you, who never cared about my existence, suddenly care enough to sacrifice your own life and then just let me die? You should fight to the end." Elaia muttered as she climbed onto the bed.
Elaia stared at the ceiling of her room, then said faintly, "I want a divorce."
- Writer
