Immortal Witch: Eldest Daughter of a Duke

Lilibeth's Memory part 3

It's been a week since I saw the little girl. I wanted to meet the little lady so I asked the sisters but they didn't know about the girl 'Rene'. 

I'm being careful too everyday so that Elliz cannot find me. Even in teaching class, I excuse myself to the sister saying that 'My dream is to become a gardener'. I know it sounds silly but the sisters buy it in exchange for watering the flowers, cleaning the yard and they also gave me books for reading so that I could catch up to the lessons. I have an assumption that the sisters also knew that I was being isolated. 

I knew that I cannot hide from Elliz forever. But I still don't want to face her at all. Like n..ow 

"Hey!!" There is an arrogant face talking in front of me. Behind me is a tree, on the left side two girls are cornering me with a mocking smile, same on the right side, although the right side has only one person, the girl is fat so it can be counted as two. And in the front is the leader, Elliz. 

Elliz walked forward in front of me, I wanted to move backward and distance myself to her. Sadly I am cornered. "How's the life of being a turtle? Huh?!" Elliz touched my chin and forced me to look at her. 

"Do you think you can hide from me forever? You coward." I got scared and closed my eyes.  'Elliz is definitely crazy.'

Elliz signaled one of her lackeys and soon the two girls walked forward and harshly tugged my hair. "Lilibeth you've got beautiful dark hair." One of the girls said. "Isn't your hair too wasteful for you?" She added. 

Elliz irritatedly stared at them and said, "Faster." 

The two girls began pulling my hair, moving my body. "It's ..hurt" I cried. 

"So it hurts? Then stop struggling and follow us.." Elliz paused, "Let them pull your hair and you just need to follow,... HURRY!!" Elliz said that while smacking my back.  

Why can't I be strong? I cried silently. I followed them, when we entered inside the orphanage the two girls stop pulling my hair and they centered me, the girl at my left side is the one of the girls who pulled my hair, at my right side is Elliz smiling while walking, behind my back is the big girl and the other one is in the right side of Elliz. From the way we're walking, we look like we are only hanging out. 

I lowered my head, my long hair was in a way so I couldn't see what's in front of me. I just follow them.  

"Lilibeth?" 

The voice of the familiar voice shocked me. Not just me, the four people around me flinched too. I can't move up my head because the person in front of me will know that I cry. 

"Hello sister, Lilibeth and I just hung out with our friends. We planned to make a bracelet," Elliz said while smiling.  

"Y-yeah. We miss Lilibeth because she's not coming to class." The big girl added. 

".. Ohh.. so that's it...  But Lilibeth already promised me that she will accompany me in watering the plants."  

Before the sister finished her sentence, Ellize pinch my waist causing me to utter a small cry. While my head was down, I answered the sister, "Sister... I..  I'm sorry, I miss.. them too so.." I pursed my lips. "I can't accompany you." 

"But..."  

"Sister doesn't need to worry, Lilibeth here with us." Elliz cut the sentence of sister.," Or do you not believe us?" She continued and looked at the sister as if she was accusing them for doing bad.

"Sister Adrianne." Another voice comes from behind the sister.  

"Father called you, there's a visitor and wanted to talk to you." Sister Adrianne looked behind to see another sister. 

"Okay wait a minute." Sister Adrianne turned to look back only to see that Elliz and others are now gone. 

In the orphanage comfort room, Lilibeth is crouching, both her arms are protecting her head, the big girl is kicking her, while the other two begin hitting her head. The leader, Elliz, is enjoying the scene while sneering, "Hah!! That Adrianne sure noticed something." She picked a sharp thing and started walking at Lilibeth. She put her left hand at her left knee, bending her body while waving the sharp thing in her right hand at Lilibeth's face. 

"Do you think she can save you?" The cold glint in Elliz 'eyes caused the other three to shiver.  

"Elliz... I've never done anything bad to you."  Lilibeth silently said. 

"HAHAHA Not done anything at all?" Elliz is laughing like a crazy person. "You know what? Oh..  You didn't know?? Let me tell you.." Elliz eyed her lackeys, The big girl forced Lilibeth to make her lay down facing the ground and the other two stretched Lilibeth's right and left hand sideward, and formed a 'T' from her body.

Elliz is satisfied with the work of her lackeys. She began talking, "I heard that when I first came to this orphanage, the sisters planned to gave me a name 'Elizabeth' but you came following me, because of that...they split the name between 'Elliz' and 'Lilibeth' just because we came at the same day and same age. You stole what belongs to me." When Elliz said that she began to cut the back of the hand of Lilibeth, causing the latter to whimper. The big girl uses a cloth to shut her up.  

"Do you remember the play? The princess role should also belong to me but you acted like you're a kind girl, giving the role to me like I'm not the real princess causing me humiliation to the class."  

"Even before the play, you keep acting like you're the center of the class, you even flaunt in front of the boys to side you. You.. you slut..." Elliz harshly turned Lilibeth and jumped on her body.

Slap Slap Slap 

Lilibeth's face is swollen because of the continuous slap and Elliz is happily panting. "Why are your father and mother a soldier and why is mine just a farmer? Huh? Huh?"  

Lilibeth looked at the crazed Elliz with her swollen face. "Elliz.. you are wrong.. that name.. I didn't want it... the play... I just.. want.. you.. to become... happy... I.." Tears began to fall in Lilibeth’s face. 'I'm innocent, all the things that she said I didn't mean to have it..'  

"Ha ha ha.. So all the things you don't want are the one I want?? HAHAHA are you saying your trash is my treasure?" Elliz keeps laughing but that laugh is full of sorrow. "You need to die... You and I.. cannot exist in this world. And I will become Ellizabeth." Saying that she pointed the sharp thing in the neck of Lilibeth, 

"Elliz!! " 

" Don't! It's not what we talk about."

"No.. noo.. "  

The three soon begin to tremble and the big girl stops Elliz. The big girl jumped on Elliz, Elliz got angry and pushed her back. "DON'T TOUCH ME" Elliz struggled and pointed the sharp thing to the big girl. "IF YOU TOUCH ME, IM GONNA KILL YOU" The big girl cowered and began to back down.  

The three soon began to cry.  

Lilibeth' face now is white. She forced herself to stand up. She wished she could use the necklace magic, but every time she tried... it didn't give her the power to protect herself.  

She planned to run but Elliz caught her hair. "Lilibeth I'm gonna ki-" 

"STOOOOP" A little voice shouted in the door of a comfort room. "SISTER ADRIANNE, DADDY THEY'RE HERE.." The little voice keeps yelling as if she is announcing to the world that she found something unforgivable.

Elliz stopped moving. Her face became pale, the sharp thing in her hand fell, she ran in the doorway to flee. She pushed the little child in the way causing the latter to bounce on the ground 

"Ouch". 

"Rene" The masculine voice of a man called outside. Helping the child, "Rene, are you okay?" The man's voice is full of doting.

"Daddy I'm okay. The scary sister runs on that way!! Daddy, tell sister Adrianne to follow her. She's bad." Rene pouted her cherry lips while pointing at the way that Elliz ran. 

Lilibeth heard the ruckus outside the comfort room, she began to relax. Even if she can't see the face of the little child, she knows who she is. 'The little girl is here', 'Is she alright? Is she hurt? I hear the thump sound... did she fall down?'. 

The comfort room is so noisy because of the three children crying in the ground. They said that Elliz tried to kill Lilibeth, they explained what happened in the office of the orphanage. It caused the sisters and father of the church began to gasp and terror soon reaches their heart. Lilibeth because of wounded body recuperate in few weeks. After a few days of recuperating, she went to the office because the father called her. 

"The truth is.. I notice the bullying." Sister Adrianne exclaimed. "I always lectured Elliz and talked to her about the importance of life and friends. I thought she would understand it.. but it looks like it has the opposite effect. I'm sorry Lilibeth." Sister Adrianne said, her eyes are moist and red.  

"I have faults too, Sister Adrianne talked to me about it. I ignored it because you guys are only eight years old. It happened in the past too but they all become a friend when they are grown up. I thought you guys will be like that too because you're young and when you grow up you will learn about your mistakes. This.. happening is really an eye-opener..." The father vows to Lilibeth, he feels guilty.  

"We just watched you while you were suffering." The other sisters too apologized. They knew about the bullying but it happened because they caused a ruckus after Lilibeth fell from the stairs and it backfired to her. 

As they saw the bruise in the body and the swollen face of Lilibeth, the eyes of the sisters all moistened, some even began to cry, they apologized and promised that it would never happen in the orphanage again. 

The orphanage punished the three little kids that accompanied Elliz, but Elliz had gone missing and they couldn't see even the shadow of her.

"Lilibeth the daughter of the Duke of Pin gave you a letter." The father picked up a letter and gave it to Lilibeth. 

Lilibeth is shocked! The Duke of Pin? Isn't that the master of Orion Palace?  

Sister Adrianne explained, "The name 'Rene' that you asked me is the daughter of Duke Pin. We just know it in the orphanage when the Duke of Pin introduces her." 

Lilibeth now understood, so that cute little girl has a shocking background but she still saved me.. an orphan. Her eyes began to redden as she opened the letter. She saw the messy words that are written and chuckled. 

{ I, Liberaine Silvearica, eldest daughter of Duke Pin, want to invite you to my Orion Mansion to serve me. If you can't protect yourself I will protect you. Let me become your shield in exchange for your wings. Vow your loyalty to me and I will give you the happiness of life. Would you accept it? } 

'Is this really her sentence?' Lilibeth chuckled. 'I bet Duke Pin helped her to create this sentence.'

"Don't worry lady, from the point that you save me, I vowed to protect you... of course, I accept." That is the start of my life as a servant of the eldest daughter of Duke Pin, Liberaine Silvearica.