NALAIA'S POV
"It is not good to starve yourself, Nalaia; you will lose strength and can't do your job well," he warned, and I laughed.
"Thank you."
The next morning, when I awoke, I promptly arranged myself. I can not be slow since we need to go into the Lapiro Pack now. While we waited outside the palace for the prince, Xas offered me some food for our trip. I smiled and expressed gratitude for what he had given me. When the prince emerged, I was surprised when he approached me. I looked at him, and my brow furrowed as I noticed his malevolent gaze at me.
"Why are you smiling?" he irritatedly asked me.
"N-Nothing, Prince Zixs," I bowed and answered.
He held out his hand, and I frowned. I gave him another look. "Give it to me," he said, which made me confused.
"The what?" I asked.
"It is in your pocket," he said firmly, and I quickly took the food Xas had given me and was forced to give it to him. "You don't have the right to have a packed lunch," he said before turning his back on me and getting into his carriage.
I looked at him angrily; then I put my hand out and cast a spell. At that time, I heard him scream, and I secretly laughed. He was furious with the soldier at the carriage's door, and I pretended I had no idea what had happened. He peeked and looked at me before throwing away the food he had brought to me.
I immediately noticed it and looked at him. "You didn't say it was just a sweet potato!" he said irritably.
"Excuse me. You didn't ask me first before you took it away from me," I said philosophically.
I raised my head when suddenly a soldier put his sword on my neck. "Do I have to ask that? Shouldn't you be telling me right away?" he said angrily.
"S-Sorry."
"Stop that… let's go," he said to the soldier, who was pointing his sword at me.
I breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the food Xas had given me. I simply smiled, put it back in my pocket, and we began walking. I do not get Prince Zixs's attitude. Most of the time, he is fine, but he is always so angry that you feel like he is the burden of the entire world. While walking, I took in my surroundings. Everyone we pass bows down, and they are all terrified of the prince.
"Why is it that he was born handsome but despises everyone?" I wondered to myself.
I stopped walking when a girl pulled my clothes, then I looked at her. My eyes widened as I saw the bruises and wounds on her arm and face. "H-Help me," she said and turned back to see a man with some power emerge.
"You are just there, you kid. Come here, and I will train you some more. We are not done yet!" I said, and then I moved the child behind me. "Hey, get out of there if you do not want to get hurt!" he yelled at me.
"You are not a good creature here in Valina! You must be punished!" I exclaimed, to which he grinned.
"Who are you to tell me such a thing?" he asked, as I swallowed my own saliva.
"Me? My name is Nalaia, and I am Prince Zixs' maid!" I dare to respond.
"Huh! You are just a lowly creature like us; you have no right to help. Give me that child to me!"
When I saw the big fire approaching, I immediately crossed my arms. I closed my eyes to what had happened and felt what was about to happen. At the time, I didn't feel any pain in my body. I didn't use power because I am unable to do so at the moment.
"You are also a lowly creature to hurt my maid," said the voice as I opened my eyes. My eyes widened when I saw Prince Zixs in front of me. His sword was drawn and pointed at the man who was about to hurt us. "No one can hurt my maid except me," he said, and I grimaced.
I don't know if that is an insult or a defense for me. But I do not care because I also need his help. He is the most powerful person here. I saw how the man bowed to him, and I hugged the girl. I do not want anything bad to happen to oppressed people. Another thing is that the people here are kind, except for the creatures who lived to be evil and enslave us. Prince Zixs signaled his soldiers, and they brought the man. Zixs looked at me before approaching me.
"Are you losing your mind?" he said angrily.
I bowed to him. "Forgive me, my dear prince, but I can't bear to think that anyone would hurt this kid who asked for my help," I answered.
"You don't always have to help those in need. Your life becomes a substitute for the safety of others!" he shouted at me.
"Isn't the purpose of a weak creature like me being like this? Because I don't have the same abilities and power as you. A low class like me shouldn't be wasting time, and that thing is something that you wanted from the beginning," I answered him, and silence fell between us.
The kid hugged me even tighter. I use my power to secretly heal and strengthen her. I can not fight with power because if the prince discovers that I have power, I may suddenly become a monster in the eyes of the people here.
"I am the only person who can do that fucking thing to you, Nalaia; I am the person who can kill you whenever I want," he said, turning to return to the carriage.
I looked up, then looked at the kid and smiled at her. "Are you alright?" I inquired, and she nodded.
She looked into my eyes before touching my face. "Your kind heart will save you from everything; your beauty will gradually return, and you will be recognized by the person who accepted you wholeheartedly," she said, making my brow furrow.
"When have I ever been beautiful?" I asked, then laughed. "Are you going with me or staying here?" I inquired.
She stood up and distanced herself from me. "I will just stay here. I will be a burden when I go with you. I will just look for my mother. Thank you for helping me," she said before bowing. She looked up and smiled. "Princess Quilaia," she added, which made me even more confused.
"Quilaia?"
She didn't look at me and only gave me a smile. I just thought I was imagining what she said, and we resumed walking. I felt pain in my leg while we were walking. It is still a long way to go, and I do not know what time we will arrive. I just sighed, looked at the soldiers, and secretly strengthened myself. I need to be strong, and I can not become weak as we walk.
"Why did you choose to be a slave even though you know yourself how strong you are?" I turned to the kid and frowned at her.
"I thought you wanted to be left behind?" I asked in surprise.
"I changed my mind," she replied.
"What do you mean by what you said earlier? Are you a fortune teller?"
"My power is to know the past of beings like you. I also know what and who you were in your previous life. I also know how strong you are, and I know that you are not just normal like the others," she answered, and then I winced.
I looked at her hand, which was holding mine, and only then did I realize she had a strange mark. I carefully observed it before returning my gaze to her.
"Where did you get your scar?" I wondered.
She looked at her hand, then held it. "It was marked by my mother," she replied. "But this mark is a curse."
Her expression quickly changed, and I could tell she was cursing that mark. I held her hand and smiled. "Are you hungry?" I asked. She nodded. "I still have food in my pocket that you can eat," I said, handing her the food.
We walked for a few more hours, and it was almost night. I am becoming weaker, and I can not give myself any more strength. I stopped and grabbed one of the soldiers, who immediately grabbed my arm. I tried to walk again, but I couldn't take it anymore and fell to the ground. I can't hear anything around me, and everything seems to be spinning.
~
I can't open my eyes. I heard a voice but could not tell where it came from or who it was. I felt like I was in a different place, and I actually felt like my hands and feet were tied.
"Why do you have to do this? Didn't you get what you wanted? You already won, Carmella!" said a voice. I think it was a woman.
"Not yet!" said the woman angrily. "Do you see what my problem is? She was accepted by an Alpha not because of who she is but because of her beauty. Do you think I can get over this? It is not someone like her who will ruin everything I want; she will not be happy even in the afterlife!"
~
I woke up to the smell of flowers, and when I opened my eyes, I saw the child's face. I held my head and looked around; we were not in the palace. I think we got to the pack, but why didn't the prince wake me up?
"It's a good thing that you're awake," the girl said, and I looked at her.
"What's the matter?" I ask.
"You lost consciousness, and when the prince saw that, he got angry—not because you lost consciousness but because you didn't even say that you weren't feeling well," she said, then I winced.
"He shouldn't help me anymore. After all, he also wants to see me suffer. He hates poor people like us," I said, and she laughed. "What's your name, by the way?"
"I'm Mirasha," she introduced herself to me.
"Your name is beautiful."
She smiled and then thanked me. We went out together to find the Prince. While outside, I could not believe what I was seeing, and to be honest, I had only just seen these creatures. Werewolves are not included with others who are strong or have a high level, except for the low class, who lack power. Except if they are hybrids or higher-level werewolves that have the ability to use their power and can manipulate themselves into becoming a werewolf.
"Nalaia."
I turned to the person who had called me and saw the face of the prince I despised. I attempted to smile at him before bowing. "Do you have any orders, Prince Zixs?" I asked and saw how serious his face was.
"It's good that you're awake. Can you catch us a deer?" he asked.
At this point, he spoke gently. It is not anger, and I no longer see his aura as black.
Is there any good reason that this creature is in such a good mood?
"O-Okay," I answered.
He turned away from me, and I looked at Mirasha, who was also staring at me. "I want to go with you," she said, and I shook my head at her.
"You're not coming. It's dangerous," I whispered.
She ignored what I said, and her expression became serious. I just bit my lip, and I didn't do anything but take her. We both walked to the forest, and when we got there, we hid to hunt deer. But it made me wonder why he let me catch what they wanted to eat when they were werewolves. I just sighed and then followed what the prince ordered. While hiding, I heard a rustling sound and thought that the one we were waiting for was here.