Heraiah

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 22

Nori and I met when we were both 13. She was the girl who scared away boys and I was the girl who attracted them. I wasn’t really much of social type of girl although I was quite popular. Both me and Nori were popular and well-known for the families we came from. And with that, boys were always on our way.

This might sound cliché, well, because it is. But then again, it is true. It was easy to pull boys and even girls when you had the riches, looks, and intelligence. But Nori hated attention, especially from boys. She hated how she was always receiving love letters, confessions, drama. She is known for loving drama, but that is only if she isn’t included. She’d rather watch people’s troubles than be part of it.

So, as she got older. She made sure to get away with all of that. But she didn’t ran away, she made them run away. After all of that, of course it backfired towards her a lot. Many people called her a snob and a b***h. She was called mean in many ways. and it was all because she rejected those boys. It did upset her but she’d rather want that then be swarm by boys.

I met her in middle school. Everybody was against her. The special thing about how we met was because it was always been destined. It was summer, both of our families wanted to have the same vacation together for them to officially become business partners. Both of my little siblings were enthusiastic but I however, didn’t want anything from the vacation.

I was only dragged to be there to force a smile and act lady like to satisfy my parents business partners. Because I couldn’t say no, I did what they told me. That’s where I met her. She was laughing and having fun annoying her parents by being stubborn and being herself. But her parents didn’t got mad at all.

That moment how I wished I could be like her. She showed me many ways to have fun with her, she opened sides of me without me realizing. It felt so safe to be with her, it felt nice to me once in a while. And she enhanced what was already within me and she accepted me wholeheartedly.

I felt guilty not telling her about me being an Airen but I did it for her and me. I know it is selfish, but I thought it was just easy to pack and leave.

We sat in the living room. I gazed at her, endearingly. She as become a woman. Her eyes were still bright and eye catching as ever but she has grown so much and the fact that I didn’t witness any of it pains me deeply. Oh, how much I wanted to tell her everything. But I have to differentiate personal matters from my mission.

“Me and the prince are engaged, there’s nothing really much to it,” a maid dropped by where we were sitting and put two glasses of tea and basket of biscuits. I smiled to the maid, she knew me but kept her eyes away from me.

She sighs, “There is a lot to it, you don’t have to hide anything from me, Hera,”

My eyes narrowed, “what did you mean when you said you knew about my whereabouts?” I curiously asked.

She smiled, “There are a lot of things that was kept as a secret from you but now that you are heavily involved, I guess there will be a time you’ll know,”

I fixed my sight to her, “What?” she was being so serious all of the sudden.

“Every family have their secrets, soon you’ll know mine,” she sips from her tea and immediately changed her approach to me.

“So, I won’t ask you too much today, it wouldn’t be fair,” she chuckles then continues to trail off, “How are you?”

My lips pursed, confused. But I had to answer something, “stressful,” my eyes was distracted by the people walking around busily in and out of the mansion, “What’s going on?”

Her jaw dropped, eyes widened, I got nervous seeing her reaction. Did I forget something?

“It’s my birthday, stupid!” she yelled.

It then dropped to me like a bomb, it’s her birthday 2 days from now, “Oh, right! You’re turning 25!” I unbelievably shouted out of nowhere.

She laughed at my reaction, “How could you forget?”

“Been occupied these days,” Really occupied.

She wiggles her eyebrows. I groaned knowing what she was about to say, “With the Prince?”

“Please, it’s just for our convenience, Nori,” I rolled my eyes.

“Sure, it is,” she teases.

I eyed her, “Why does it seem like you know so much about us already?”

“Well, for one, I already know you so well and I’m quite close acquaintance with the prince,”

I frowned, “Just because you us well individually, doesn’t determine that us being together would be how you expect it to be,” I pause to think for a second, “like he could be some cheater after all,” I cringed saying that and shrugged, “we don’t know at all,”

“Are you worried about that? You’re going to be okay, he’s going to take care of you,”

I hesitate, “No! I’m not worried he would have some secret mistress, I’m worried of how much it might affect our convenient marriage,”

“or your feelings?”

“No! please- let’s just stop with this,” I defensively hesitate and groaned, feeling hopelessly annoyed.

“You’re so defensive,” she teased putting down the tea.

I dropped my shoes on the floor and put my feet on the coach, it was normal how I acted here in Nori’s home. It was a safe place for me to act the way I wanted to. I slowly caressed my legs as I was talking with Nori.

Her eyes examined my body, she then noticed the bruises on both of wrist. Her forehead creased and her face frowned. She came closer and held my bruised wrist, “Jeez, were you that wild with him?”

My jaw dropped, I pulled away my hands from her, “No! do you really think I would do it with him?” I felt disgusted and wanted to gagged.

“Who else would you do it then?” she innocently shrugged.

I rolled my eyes, slamming my back on the couch and crossing my hands over my chest, “I just got drunk last night and hurt my hands,”

“You drunk?” she asked unbelievably.

“Yeah…?”

She laughed, hysterically, “Never thought the strictest person I know would get carelessly drunk,”

“Well, she did,” I pursed my lips as she continued to laugh.

I felt defeated when she continued to laugh. But she composed herself to listen to me. I felt it was the time to ask her about Natalia Solar’s whereabouts.

“Remember Natalia Solar?” I asked.

She looked at me and nodded, “Yeah, she recently got dismissed I heard. It’s sad actually,”

“What happened?” I was genuinely worried what happened. I may not be fond of her, but I believe in her skills and her in general. Her getting fired isn’t something that would just naturally happen. There must’ve been something behind this.

Nori also put both of her feet on the couch as she trailed off, “We recently talked, but she didn’t mention why, she was just fired,”

“Do you know where she is?” I asked again.

“She was right when she said you would ask about her,” she chuckled.

I scoffed, “Of course she did,”

Nori laughed then spoke, “You know she never says anything about here whereabouts,”

I was disappointed. Where else am I going to find that girl? She is so difficult to find.

“But…” Nori chirped, standing up and walking towards a near cabinet. She opened it and took a paper scroll in the inside. It was red with a golden silk wrapped around it, “she’s going to my birthday, come too and you might see her,” she handed me the paper scroll.

I curiously accepted it and opened the scroll. It was an invitation to Nori’s birthday. I raised my gaze, “But this would be my first public re appearance,”

“So? You could bring the prince if everybody gets too intimidating for you,” she smirked as she teases.

“I never get intimidated, you know that, even more, people get intimidated by me, it’d be an extra baggage to bring him and besides, we haven’t gone public yet,”

She pouted, “Then let this be your first public appearance as a couple,” she grinned widely, excited with the thought.

“No, not yet,” I’m not ready for the stares and gossip. Although, I’ve been in this wretched society ever since I was young. I felt so hesitant about people again being nosy about my life.

For almost 5 years of my life, I got to experience escaping all of this. And it was amazing. Getting back wasn’t really part of my plan but I’m here now. And I have to suck it up.

She frowning, disappointed since she expected so much from me, “He’ll come, but we won’t go together,”

She sighs in defeat, “I’ll take what I can get,”

I laughed looking at her reaction of disappointment. The next few hours we talked and talked. I never realized how much I missed talking nasty things about the environment me and Nori have been living in. Sure, I had a few friends in the legions. But I never got to talk them like this. They were mostly reserved but also fun to be with. They weren’t just comfortable opening up to me.

I get since I was new and highly suspected by them. But I couldn’t help but still felt different from the rest of them. Where do I truly belong?

After talking so much. We had lunch together. We talked about our teenage years and how much we’ve grown.

“Remember Callahan?” I suddenly asked.

As expected, Nori’s face turned in dismay. She frowned, “That i***t?”

“The one you were obsessed with?” I asked back.

She groaned, feeling embarrassed. She stuck out her tongue, “Not fair, you get to have a hot prince as a fiancée and I get nothing!”

I snorted, “why are you so obsessive about my relationship anyway?”

“Because!” she shouted before she continued talking, “The only girl I have ever treated as my sister is now getting taken care of with a caring person,”

My face softened. I pouted on the words, ‘the only girl I have ever treated as my sister,’. We treated each other like sisters, nothing lesser than that. We hang out everyday and talked almost every day. We did crazy things together that either ended being a secret from our parents or us getting in trouble. But either away, it was worth it because it was with her.