chapter 4
939 Words
Andres replied shortly and clearly. “Andres.”
Silitsia also said her name without hesitation. "Silitsia."
Rodrigo's eyes immediately lit up and he leaned back slightly with a surprised expression.
"Or are you..." he said excitedly, his voice echoing with an increasingly sarcastic tone. "Are you the wingless princess of the Erit Kingdom? Oh yes, it's you. How else would such beauty be possible?"
Andres suddenly took an angry step closer to Rodrigo. “What are you talking about?” he said, his voice harsh and threatening.
Rodrigo ignored Andres's anger and continued, shrugging. "Haven't you heard of it?" he asked mockingly.
"After his birth, everyone couldn't understand why he didn't have wings. He was like..."
Silitsia turned to Rodrigo in surprise, her eyes fixed on him. “As if what?” she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
Rodrigo lowered his voice a little, continuing to speak as if sharing a secret rather than a simple conversation. "She was like a cursed princess. That's why, over time, everyone started calling her the 'Wingless Princess.' But it doesn't matter to me," he added casually. "A customer is a customer, after all."
Silitsia's eyes suddenly filled with sadness and confusion, and these words had shaken her. Andres had been angered by Rodrigo's sarcastic tone, but Silitsia's state of mind was now the real issue. Andres turned to her and gently placed a supportive hand on Silitsia's shoulder.
Rodrigo continued talking as if he didn't care about anything that had happened.
"Now, let's find a place to stay. The forest can be very dangerous later in the day," he said, his voice more serious and careful this time. "Rest assured, safety is vital here at night."
Andres and Silitsia continued walking in silence, guided by Rodrigo. Silitsia's words echoed in her mind. The phrase "cursed princess" cut deeper than she had imagined.
Soon, Rodrigo led them to a safe cave deep in the forest. Moving silently, the group disappeared into the darkness of the surrounding night. Rodrigo set about gathering firewood, while Andres began scanning the area for potential danger. Silitsia, however, sat in a corner of the cave, her gaze lost in thought, as if she weren't even there.
After a while, Rodrigo placed the wood he had collected in front of Silitsia. Silitsia looked at him in surprise and asked, a slight reproach in her voice. "What do you want me to do?"
Rodrigo replied with a wry smile. “Come on… princess. You’re a descendant of the fire element. Starting fire shouldn’t be that difficult.”
After these words, Andres warned Rodrigo in a low voice, "He didn't get his talent tonight."
“What, he can’t even light a spark with his fingertip?” Rodrigo asked sarcastically, eyebrows raised in surprise.
Silitsia, enraged by these words, quickly rose from her seat, walked a short distance away, and turned her back to them. The anger welling up within her was further fueled by Rodrigo's indifference and her own powerlessness.
Andres turned to Rodrigo, his voice harsher this time.
"What's wrong with you? Can't you see the girl is upset?"
Rodrigo shrugged nonchalantly. “So, just because he didn’t get the fire ability, should I burn myself? And why couldn’t he?”
Andres stared at Silitsia, his eyes filled with unanswered questions, but there was nothing he could do for now.
"I don't know," he mumbled.
Rodrigo straightened the wood a little more and began to light the fire. After a few unsuccessful attempts, the sparks ignited the wood, and a warm flame appeared within the cave. Andres stared at the fire, his mind still on Silitsia. Rodrigo, ignoring the tension between them, sat by the fire and began to warm his hands.
Silence was the only thing that echoed inside the cave.
When Silitsia finally fell asleep, silence reigned in the cave. Andres was preparing to close his eyes when suddenly a crackling sound was heard. Andres opened his eyes quickly and exchanged a silent glance with Rodrigo. Both immediately armed themselves with their weapons and began to cautiously advance in the direction of the sound. Two large blue eyes peered at them from the darkness among the trees. Andres stood guard, alert, while Rodrigo stared at Andres, as if awaiting a command to attack. The silence became eerie.
At that very moment, Silitsia appeared silently from behind them and approached them, curiously asking, "What are you doing?" Rodrigo jumped in fear. At that moment, a massive, winged tiger leaped from the bushes and pounced directly on Silitsia. Andres was about to intervene when he realized the tiger hadn't harmed Silitsia. The tiger had begun licking her face!
"Felix!" Silitsia called out, both laughing and with tears in her eyes. It was as if she had found an old friend.
Andres took a deep breath, and the weapon in his hand vanished as if by magic. The danger was over. Rodrigo, shocked, came to his senses and straightened his clothes. "Excellent, just what we were missing," he said in a sarcastic tone. Then he fixed his gaze on Silitsia and added, "Haven't you ever heard of a cat, princess?"
Silitsia paid little attention to Rodrigo's words as she petted Felix. Felix, his massive body, circled Silitsia, as happy as if he had found his long-lost owner. The warmth of this moment brought a little light to the darkness of the forest.
Silitsia noticed a small bag hanging around Felix's neck. She petted him curiously and murmured affectionately, "What have you brought me, little pom-pom?"
Rodrigo rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Pom-pom? Really? You should get your eyes checked."
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