Retrieve the Kingdom

Mixed Up

The flat face that the archduke is showing to them makes Phoebe more nervous. Also, the fact that he raised his voice indicates that he was angry. “I… I don’t know, sir Bermin… I felt like I need to, I—” She was cut by Bermin, “You felt like it? You felt like dying!? Phoebe, what have I told you? Say everything to me and I’ll handle it myself. But, you didn’t listen, you go to that mansion and raided it yourself. Note that I used raided, because you literally made everyone fight and riot. Phoebe, what if you died there? What if you were caught by them? What if you never came back? What will happen to us, Phoebe? Everyone will be devastated, me, Laila, your friends, and especially your family. This is for your safety! I get that you want to help in the nation but what if they overpowered you? What if one of their blades had the chance to pierce just a part of you or even inflict damage when they swing it? A single wound can drastically make you weak and if that happens, they had the chance to take you down. Just like another useless peasant that they need to slay, whether it’s on purpose or just plain old games to them. Squeezed like an ant beneath their arrogant big feet.”

“Bermin, calm yourself down, please.” Finally, Laila intervenes in the conversation and stopped Bermin from being angrier. “Just be thankful that Phoebe is here with us. Please, we don’t need any more negativity here in this home. Be thankful that she was successful in this mission of hers. Just be happy that everything you said didn’t happen. Bermin, don’t add more weight to your heart. Take it all out because Phoebe is here, safe with us once more.” She caresses his back to calm him down. He sighs as he looks at Phoebe who was already tearing up and almost curling up in fear. He looks at Laila as she stands and walks away, approaching the door. He opens it as he sighs again to calm himself down. He opens it and left them in this living room. Naia didn’t stop him as she looks at Phoebe who was being comforted by Anna, her new friend, and the one she rescued from the mansion. The lady approaches her as she crouches down and touches her arm, rubbing it to calm her down. “Phoebe, shhh… Calm down. I am sorry Bermin acted like that. He was just so worried when he realizes that you aren’t going home yet to the evening. There he started to get nervous where are you and even start worrying. He knows you won’t be with Andrei since you aren’t allowed in the castle, you spend the night there would be so ridiculous. He thought of Bella as he was about to take a search party of you in the middle of the night, but I stopped him. I said to take it in the morning.”

Phoebe looks at her, “I-I am sorry… I can’t just help myself. Because I felt justice can’t wait for Dara’s father. He might be out of this world before sir Bermin can get him out of Mister Desmond’s hands. I am sorry that I doubted him. I don’t what pushed me to do this, I just did and I just found myself behind the tree in the mansion. There’s no going back from there, so I decided to do everything from what I initially planned. I was just gonna bring evidence to sir Bermin so he will not be having a hard time investigating all of this. So that he will not need to interrogate them and raise their guards around him to further continue their work. That was, until then, this girl…” She looks at Anna who looked down a bit as Naia holds her hand. “The councilor was gonna punish her, it will be the most traumatic event of her life. I can’t stand just hearing her screams and call of help coming from the councilor’s bedroom. I can’t, Miss Laila. I can’t.” She puts her hands on her eyes, covering them as she started to cry for real this time. Bursting everything she is holding inside her.

Naia’s hand approached her back as she caresses and rubs it to comfort her. “Shhh… It’s okay, Phoebe. I understand, but please, don’t do anything of this again. Don’t step into a dangerous situation that will threaten your life. The guards that these evil people have right now are heartless and hollow inside. They are that bloodlust that they can just pierce your stomach whenever they had the chance. They will not spare you my dear, and your death will be the most devastating thing that we will endure for the rest of our life. I and Bermin already treat you as our daughter. We love you like you are our very own daughter, Phoebe. We cherish you as you came from us as we conceive you in this world. Also, think of your family, they love you, maybe more than we love and care for you. Just think how many liters of tears they will shed when you perish, they are the ones who watched you grow as this beautiful and brave young lady. Do us a favor, please, don’t engage in activities like this again. Please, I am begging you. Do this for anyone you care about, everyone you care about. Please.”

Naia looks at her teary eyes as she caresses her cheek and wipes every tear that flows on her cheek. Phoebe hugged her as the lady responded by wrapping her arms around her, embracing her warmly. She releases as she looks at her, with her hand cupping her left cheek, she kisses her forehead with motherly warmth and love she has in her heart. She stands as she looks at Anna who is looking away, just staring at the window which gives her a beautiful view of the city of Enoch. As she sensed that someone was looking at her, she turns her head and looks at the towering lady in front of her. “Oh… Uhm…” She muttered as the lady giggled, “What’s your name, little girl?” She asked as Anna smiles, “I am Anna of Hillard, miss…?” She said as she waits for the lady to continue it, “Miss Naia, I am Lady Naia of Gumpel. As you have observed, I am the wife of the archduke. It’s nice meeting you Anna, I supposed you are the one Phoebe rescued?”

Anna nods, “Yes, I am the one she rescued, Miss Naia. I am thankful to her that she saved me from that perverted councilor and saved me from experiencing that for the next two years. She also saved the others that were serving the councilor in the mansion… Partially, I guess. We don’t really know what happened next when we left. And… The attempted escape through water prolonged our arrival, really prolonged it. We should have been arriving on that day that Phoebe left this mansion. But, jumping in the river was really a bad idea. With went unconscious when we landed on the river because you know, rocks. But, we were glad that someone was nice enough to help us and was not caught by the guards that were finding us. Phoebe was unconscious for two days but I don’t blame her. She can’t force herself to wake up when she’s really knocked out.”

Phoebe smiles a bit as she remembers the lady that helped them, “Miss Jean was a charming and nice lady. It was nice meeting her, you know? She gave a warm attitude in her home. I want to pay her back so bad, but I guess she doesn’t need that for now. I might not find her again since I already forgot where her house was.” She giggles as she looks at the lady that was a bit frozen, “Lady Naia, is there something wrong?” She asks as the lady snapped back to reality, “Oh… I-… I am sorry. I was just thinking and pardon, can you say what’s the name of the woman who helped you again?” She said as Phoebe smiles, “Miss Jean, her name is Miss Jean. Well, her name is really Jean but her friends said that she was called by that name. Who are we to call her Jean so we call her Miss Jean.” She said as the lady nods, “That’s nice of her… I wish prosperity and blessing from the god Alvi for her generosity and kindness.” She smiles at them as the two girls smiled back.

“Oh, how rude of me. Follow me, I will offer you some food, I know you guys have been through a rough time.” She smiled as she left the room as the two followed her to the kitchen where the servants were doing their own business. “Is there any food left from breakfast here?” She asked as the head servant approaches her, “No, lady Laila, but we already have prepared the lunch. The cook cannot prepare it since he was sick. Take a seat please at the table. and we will serve you your food.” He smiled as he came back to the countertop to do what he was doing earlier. They exit the kitchen and went to the dining table just outside of it. Naia looks at the two, “Take your seats please, anywhere would do.” She smiled as she took her favorite seat at the dining table. The two take a seat together. They waited for a bit like a warm soup and some meat was served to them. “Go on, eat up, young ladies.” She offered as Anna shyly nods as she looks at the delicacies presented upon her. The lady giggled, “Come on, Anna. Enjoy and feel at home here. Eat all you want, feel free please.”

Anna gulps as she looks at the spoons on the table, she was confused by the number of spoons and forks she was offered to eat her food with. There’s even a small knife. She hasn’t set a table before in five years serving the mansion and has not eaten like this. “You can take the tablespoon and dinner fork if you are confused. It takes time to practice and learning of the usage of each utensil, but you will get it soon enough.” She smiled as points at the two she just mentioned which Anna holds and starts eating with it. She was a bit shy to get some meat to her plate but she did anyway. She was eating timidly and was shy to act like how she eats before in their own household. “Don’t be nervous about fancy manners, Anna. As I said, feel free. Don’t make yourself feel like you are imprisoned by standards. Eat freely, sweetie.” Naia smiles as Anna swallows her food as she sighs and starts getting every delicacy on the table but still being careful with it. “Thank you… Miss Naia.”

The lady smiles as they continue eating and finished as so. “I will call sir Bermin to eat his dinner, Miss Naia if you will.” As soon as the lady nods, Phoebe immediately starts finding the archduke. Trying to talk to him and talk about what she has done and how she was regretful for disobeying them. She found him in the garden, looking at the flowers that his wife dearly love. “Sir… Bermin.” She called him as the archduke turns around. “Oh, Phoebe. What are you doing here?” He said as Phoebe holds on to her arms and looks at the ground. “I am sorry, Sir Bermin. I didn’t mean to disobey you, it was never in my plan. But, the situation calls that I need to help Anna. It was so chaotic, Sir Bermin, but I have no choice. I am sorry—” Phoebe looks at the archduke and her vision seems dim, “I know, you don’t Phoebe. I was just—Phoebe? Phoebe!”