Finding Love In Darkness

VENTURING INTO THE FORBIDDEN ROOM

The next day, Iris woke up early, completed her chores at home, and then left for the palace. She followed her usual routine there and decided to take a short break. Just as she was relaxing, she was summoned by the head maid. Iris quickly went to answer the call.

"Ma'am, you called for me?" Iris asked politely.

"Yes, I sent for you, but don't worry—the task has already been assigned to Jessica. You can go back now," Ma'am Prisca replied.

Iris murmured a thank you, but as she was about to turn to leave, she noticed a key hanging from Ma'am Prisca's waist. Her curiosity piqued, she decided to ask.

"Ma'am, what is that key hanging from your waist?"

"Well, it's the key to the forbidden room," Ma'am Prisca explained.

Iris thanked her and left, her mind already racing with thoughts of how she could steal the key without Ma'am Prisca noticing.

After the day’s work, Iris decided to stay behind secretly to figure out where Ma'am Prisca kept the keys. She followed her closely, careful not to be seen. There was a storeroom where the keys were normally kept. After Ma'am Prisca locked the storeroom, she handed the key to a guard and left for her own home. Iris quietly formulated a plan to get the key from the guard.

Twenty minutes later, Iris approached the palace guard and asked for the key. The guard gave her a suspicious look, but she held her ground, telling him that the palace head maid needed it. Reluctantly, the guard handed it over. Iris took the key and left, thankful for her luck.

She made her way to the upper part of the palace, the section where, according to Joy and her sister, the forbidden room was located. Iris had never been to this part of the palace before, and she marveled at its grandeur and beauty. But she remained focused on her task. She opened the door, and as she stepped inside, the thick dust in the air made her cough. She turned on the lights and began her search.

Her eyes quickly landed on something unusual on the wall: a black fabric covering something. She approached it, removed the fabric, and gasped. It was the portrait she had been seeking. As she stared at it, her knees weakened. The man in the portrait was the epitome of masculinity and handsomeness, with fiery red eyes that seemed to gaze directly at her. She felt an immediate, almost overwhelming connection.

For a moment, Iris considered keeping the portrait, thinking she could stare at it every day. But she quickly dismissed the idea, knowing that it wasn’t the right thing to do.

Carefully, she took the portrait down, re-covering it with the fabric. If anyone were to look, they would see nothing amiss. Iris silently congratulated herself on a job well done and then began to strategize how she would leave the palace without being detected while carrying the portrait.

First, she returned the key to the guard, making sure no one would suspect anything. The guard took it from her, still eyeing her with suspicion, but Iris didn't let it bother her. Having someone stare at her with lustful eyes was the least of her concerns.

The portrait was heavy, but Iris managed to carry it out of the palace unnoticed. Once home, she was exhausted, but the satisfaction of her success made the fatigue worth it. She prepared a bath for her father and cooked a meal for him, though she had little appetite herself. That night, she went to bed with a smile on her face, pleased with the outcome of her hard work.

The following day, she went to work as usual but asked for a few days off to care for her father, who had fallen ill. Ma'am Prisca, being a compassionate woman, understood the situation and granted her request. Iris's happiness knew no bounds.

As soon as she returned home that day, she eagerly shared everything with her father. Although he disapproved of her theft, worried that if anyone discovered the missing portrait, she might face execution, he understood her desperation. Iris knew she needed to treat her father's illness quickly, so they could move to another village before anyone found out what had happened. She had to sell the portrait, but she was careful. She knew she couldn't do it in their village—word spread quickly, and someone might recognize the man in the portrait and expose her crime.