Rain Drops

Chapter 24

It must have been her. She couldn't possibly be related to the royal family of Korea though, otherwise why would the king and queen have introduced the two of them? But, then again, what difference did it make if he was part of the royals? I knew I was not supposed to judge people by appearances. If you liked somebody, then maybe you should just like that person instead of wondering whether they were part of the royalty or not. And anyway, the girl next to the king looked very beautiful. She wore a large emerald necklace with many pearls, each with different coloured stones. On top of that, the girl wore a pair of expensive diamond earrings and matching ruby lipstick. She also sported a beautiful emerald green gown. I wondered whether those jewellery would clash with her pale skin, but I quickly decided not to think too much about it.

After hearing the King's last words, I immediately glanced back at the man beside him. His eyes were focused on me and I saw how he narrowed them slightly when he spotted me staring at him. Immediately after noticing this, I quickly turned my head in another direction. I didn't want to stare into those cold eyes, for I felt uncomfortable; I feared they would burn my soul and that I would never be able to get rid of them no matter how hard I fought against them.

I was beginning to notice the people walking along the road with us. They weren't as numerous as when we left the village, but I still caught sight of a few dozen of them. Many people, who had been chatting away nonstop, fell silent. Their heads dropped low, and their expressions were filled with fear. Suddenly a large, powerful hand grabbed me firmly by my shoulder. I looked up, startled, as soon as the hand touched my back. I saw Mom glaring angrily at me, with her fists clenched, and looking furious and impatient. She opened her mouth and started yelling at me.

"What do you want? Why are you looking at me with that silly, stupid grin on your face? How can you laugh? Who knows who these people are. They could be enemies. We can never trust anyone here. Do you understand, Mia? Don't look so stupid. Come, let's go!"

Mom took my hand and dragged me away toward the house. I struggled furiously to free myself from her grip. I didn't care anymore whether she was mad at me or not, but I refused to follow her orders unconditionally. I was the youngest and most precious member of the family. Of course, I had a right to be treated in the same manner as any other child of ours, but Mom didn't know about this. She simply assumed we were still children that had lost our way. She wouldn't realize the truth. I could see that she was thinking about things, and she probably thought that the best thing to do in the situation was to keep a close eye on me, just to be sure I wasn't doing anything foolish like running out alone to find help. So far nothing bad had happened.

We entered the entrance hall and I could hear the loud voices echoing through the house, and I noticed that Grandfather, Grandma, and Grandpa were talking. They seemed quite upset. Mom sat on the couch and I walked toward Grandpa. He was sitting there, leaning against his chair, holding tightly onto his cane, a deep frown on his forehead. Grandma was standing next to him, and the two girls were seated on the sofa opposite Mom. Granddad was telling them something, and it was evident that he was really angry.

"That bastard has taken her life away from her! He took away her life!" yelled Grandpa furiously at the two girls, pointing his cane accusingly at me. "He has brought ruin onto her!"

The twins jumped up suddenly as if startled and ran over to me. One of them lifted me up with ease, while the other wrapped her arm around my waist. Mom glared at them in silence, as if she hated to see me being touched. However, it didn't appear to bother the girls one bit.

"Oh, Mia," cried the girl hugging me. "Don't worry. We will protect you!"

"You won't be protected if you don't keep a tight hold on your sister," snapped Mom.

I could feel the rage rising in her as she stared at the girl hugging me. The girl pulled back her arms, as if offended. Then I saw Mom turn around and leave the room. The little girl who hadn't said a word the whole time hugged me even tighter, whispering apologies.

"Grandma, why are you sad?" asked the little girl softly.

Grandma shook her head and wiped tears off her cheeks, before sitting down on the floor across from the sisters. After taking a deep breath, she explained in a gentle tone:

"Do you remember, Mia dear, how I told you that it is normal to cry sometimes because you've lost your mother? Sometimes grief is the easiest path to recovery."

I nodded sadly, remembering that conversation. In my opinion, I had learned a lot during that time. My parents loved me dearly and I loved them equally, but we both shared the same feeling towards Mom.

I could sense that the twins were starting to become upset by the silence. They both started pulling on Grandma's skirt anxiously.

"Can we hug Mia again, Grandma?" the little girl whimpered.

Before grandma could answer, a sharp yell resounded inside the castle.

"Let them in!" ordered the King, sounding extremely angry.

Soon enough, the doors leading to the living area were pushed open violently and four soldiers marched into the entrance hall with torches held high.

"Who goes there? Let my men escort you to the throne room!" exclaimed the old man in front of them.

The guards came to a halt in front of the two women and the boy, bowed politely and respectfully, and said:

"Your Majesty! We have brought the young lord here and he has requested to speak with you immediately, sir. Please follow us!"

Immediately afterward, the old woman hurriedly got up from the ground, followed by her daughters, and headed to the throne room. Meanwhile, Grandma took me by the hand and led me slowly behind her, keeping her gaze fixed on me. I looked back, and I noticed the guards following closely behind us until we reached the throne room. After entering the door, I could see everything clearly in the vast and dimly-lit room. I could see the large white marble walls and the long wooden stairs that wound up the center of the room. Everything looked very fancy. The ceiling was so high that the light shining in through the huge windows almost disappeared completely. The chairs were made of the finest dark wood, and the table that served as a centerpiece was covered in a thick black cloth. Even the carpet surrounding the throne was dyed in a deep, crimson colour. It reminded me of blood.

Once Grandmother, the three other ladies, and I were inside, Grandma stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around and glanced over her shoulder at me.