Chapitre 21: Melodies of the past

The day finally arrived for Kiva and Alyssa to pick-up their order from Luppy.

Princess Alyssa personally asked permission from her Queen mother to visit the flea market, and the Queen agreed---under one condition.

Alyssa and Kiva was not hiding from the guard this time. Instead, the two walked straight to the gate as the guard saluted in recognition. But the guard tensed and stiffened at the looming presence behind the Princess. King Garrett was following the pair with only a meter between them.

Princess Alyssa and Kiva were aware of King Garett's presence, making them glance awkwardly to each other.

Kiva shook her head slightly so that only Princess Alyssa could see.

Alyssa glanced nervously at her best friend.

They might have walked freely away from the palace, but the atmosphere felt otherwise. They were in the worst situation than being stuck inside the palace.

Kiva pressed her lips to conceal her annoyance.

Alyssa sighted in agreement. She should not have asked for permission after all.

The goal was clear, get the item and go back immediately to the palace. It was clear that they will not be able to roam around the flea market freely. Queen Kathy told Alyssa to have fun upon her approval, but it was apparent that it was impossible.

To make the matter worse, the crowd would nervously glance behind Alyssa for the intimidating presence of the new King.

"Let's get this over with." Kiva said with her arms crossed.

"As soon as possible." Alyssa replied in agreement.

They were walking at the busy road of the flea market where Alyssa would often be bumped on the shoulder. But this time was different, the crowd would naturally split into two to make way for them--- all thanks to the King behind them.

"Where is Luppy." Alyssa surveyed the crowd, looking for a blonde hair. "How can we find him?"

"I think," Kiva was looking around the area the same. "we just need to walk around and wait for him."

The two walked effortlessly and without any accidents along the way. Alyssa could hear the crowd's loud whispers. The crowd's focus was not on the girls, all they could see was King Garrett. They were talking out of curiosity and fear from the presence of King Garrett.

"In here!" Someone in the crowd called. "Duchess, in here!"

Alyssa and Kiva jerked their head to the voice. They saw a hand raised in the air, waiving to get their attention.

"Is that you, Moppy?" Kiva squinted to the crowd.

"It's Luppy." Alyssa corrected.

Luppy squeezed his way from the crowd to reach them. "Hey," Luppy beamed.

"Luppy," Kiva noted to herself to remember the name. "Any good news?"

"Did your brother find one?" Alyssa looked at hand of Luppy fisted on the side.

Luppy grinned. "Of course! My brother's the best scavenge hunter in the Kingdom!"

"So where is it?" Kiva placed her hand on her hips.

Luppy offered his hand. He opened his palm to reveal a crumpled paper.

Kiva took it hastily and opened it with hurried hands. Inside the crumpled paper were two double A batteries. She fished an old battery in her pocket and compared it to the delivered item. "Well…" Kiva lifted the batteries in the air to have a better view. "they look the same to me."

Alyssa nodded as she examined the battery in Kiva's hands. "Yes, that's it." Alyssa smiled at Luppy. "Thank you. And thank your brother for me too."

Luppy smiled smugly and patted his nose. "You're welcome."

Alyssa took a bag of Rigs from her side and gave it to Luppy. "That's our remaining balance. Please check if it is the correct amount, a hundred and fifty Rigs."

"I trust you guys. I won't count it anymore, but…" Luppy tossed it in the air. "If you need more of that battery or anything, really, just find me in here and I'll get it for you."

Alyssa nodded. "Okay."

Luppy beamed as he earned a loyal client.

"See you on our next deal!" Luppy walked backwards to the crowd. He was smiling but the looming man behind the pair did not escape his attention.

"Com'on, let's go home." Kiva locked her arms with Alyssa as they turned around to go back in the palace. But they were stopped abruptly on their track as the overwhelming wall called King Garrett loomed in front of them.

Garrett took a step back to let them walk in front of him.

"Fast." Kiva tightened her hold on Alyssa as they traveled back into the palace--- with a set of eyes at their backs.

***

"Argh," Kiva rested her feet at the round table. "that was torture. I always liked going out of the palace. But I hated going out today."

They were at the room of Alyssa after taking a quick detour to Kiva's chamber to smuggle the cassette player.

The cassette player, the earphone, and the new batteries are sprawled on the table.

"I know," Alyssa went to her vanity table and opened the third drawer to reveal her secret compartment. "I'm sorry." She took the three cassette tapes from her collection and sat back at the round table.

"Your mother does not need to know everything about you." Kiva crossed her hand behind her head. "You don't need her permission all the time."

Alyssa opened the plastic case and held the cassette tape on her hand. "But she told me I was free to come and go outside the palace." She poked a finger at the hole of the cassette tape. "I would never have guessed that she will let King Garrett shadow us."

Kiva shook her head from the memory. "Never again."

"Never again." Alyssa turned her finger to the clockwise and saw the film move from the inside.

"Easier to sneak from a guard than King Garrett." Kiva got curious and took one of the tapes on the table---mimicking what Alyssa was doing.

Done with their examination, Kiva and Alyssa shifted their focus on the player in front of them. Kiva let go of the tape and placed the batteries on the player. She randomly pressed the buttons and one of them made the two-pointed thing inside rolling. "Whoa, the battery worked."

"Should we put this inside?" Alyssa waved the tape in her hand.

"Let's do this." Kiva grinned and took the tape from Alyssa. Kiva's brows furrowed, she struggled to close the player for the tape was put in the wrong way. But she eventually discovered the right way to put the tape inside---it closed with a click.

Kiva pressed play. Kiva and Alyssa blinked into silence expecting for any noise, but nothing happened. That was when Alyssa noticed the earphone on the table and inserted it on the player. That was when the magic happened.

A music blared from the earphone.

Kiva and Alyssa beamed as they pressed an earbud to their ears.

A music was playing midway the song.

Alyssa was smiling as she closed her eyes to listen--- she was hearing from the life before, a life she never experienced. A life that she wondered, a life where her real mother--- her biological mother lived.

The casing bared no indication of the title of the music, nor of its artist, but the thrill was still the same.

Alyssa heard a recorded music for the first time, there used to be live musicians on the parties at the palace. But as ironic as it sounds, Alyssa liked this music better. It felt more intimate in her ear, as if it were sung only for her.

An hour passed by and they ended up lying on the bed side by side, listening to the three random cassette tape Alyssa bought at the flea market before.

"That was fun." Alyssa opened her eyes as the last song ended. "Wish we could have more."

Kiva turned to the side and faced her best friend. "Oh, we could have more." Kiva grinned.

Alyssa whispered. "Should we sneak out of the palace?" Alyssa was already thinking to buy more tapes, or maybe to have Luppy's service again.

Kiva snickered. "No, silly." Kiva's eyes widened with the idea. "We can find more tapes within the palace."

***

Twelve years ago.

Princess Alyssa was six years old.

Princess Alyssa would always stick to her Queen mother on every opportunity. She was in her Queen Mother's chamber, enjoying her chocolate cake. She would swing her leg back and forth under the table--- her feet not able to touch the floor. She would sometimes pause and look at her mother. Queen Kathy would smile eat a small bite of the cake in reply. Satisfied with her mother's reaction, Alyssa would continue on eating her cake.

One of the gifts of children is that they have no filter. They would say what they want to say, they would ask what they want to ask. Princess Alyssa was on that age full of curiosity and discovery. She was on that age where children are fully aware of their surroundings.

Princess Alyssa knew something was wrong with her, it was at this age that she became fully aware that she was different from others.

"Where's my mother?" Alyssa asked randomly, swinging her feet.

"I'm here, love." Queen Kathy took another bite of the cake.

"Nooooo." Alyssa shook he head fervently. "My real mother, where is she?"

Queen Kathy's face darkened. "Where did you hear that?"

Alyssa's feet stopped swinging. "From everybody."

Queen Kathy exhaled out of habit. It was bound to happen; it was an inevitable topic to discuss. "She's up there, love." Queen Kathy pointed above.

Alyssa's head jerked above. She blinked, staring at the ceiling. "What is she doing up there?"

"She's dead, Alyssa." Queen Kathy let go of her spoon.

Alyssa looked back at her Queen mother. "Dead? When will she rise?" Alyssa tilted her head, not understanding.

"Never." Queen Kathy caressed both of Alyssa's cheeks. "Never, never my love."

"I don't have a mother then?" Alyssa's eyes watered.

"I'm your mother!" Queen Kathy wiped the tears from Alyssa's eyes. "I'm your mother, and nobody would say otherwise."

Maybe Queen Kathy could forbid people to talk about Alyssa's origin and the punishment would be death.

"But they say you're not my mother." Alyssa whispered.

"I'm your mother." Queen Kathy smiled bitterly. "But another woman did bear you."

"Who?"

"It was Ana, my best friend. She was beautiful and intelligent just like you." Queen Kathy clasped her hand together on the table. "Do you really want to know the her?"

Alyssa nodded.

Queen Kathy looked at the distance, reminiscing the past. "Ana was a renowned chemist. She was young, we were both young. And we shared a dream bigger than ourselves. As we were formulating the universal vaccine, she found out she was pregnant to you." Queen Kathy smiled at the memory. "All of us were happy with the news, but unfortunately, she died on labor. She died before she could see the fruit of our labor, she died leaving you to me." Queen Kathy tapped the tip of Alyssa's nose. "That's how you became my daughter."

"How about my father?" Alyssa asked in hope.

"Dead too." Queen Kathy replied abruptly. "But isn't it great, love?" Queen Kathy smiled. "You have a mother above, an angel guarding you. And you have me here beside you. You have two mothers, isn't that great?"

Alyssa smiled hesitantly and nodded.

"Let me tell you a secret about Ana," Queen Kathy reminisced. "between the two of us, she's the real old-fashioned." Queen Kathy laughed. "She used to carry this cassette player, a Walkman in the lab. And she used to do mix tapes for us," Queen Kathy shook he head. "I have to admit, I never listened to them. She had this huge collection of cassette tapes that she bought in the lab." Queen Kathy rested her chin on her hand. "Her collection is probably buried at our store house." Queen Kathy shook her head. "I never understood why she liked them. She was very particular with what she liked. Music, clothes, men." Queen Kathy returned to the present and smiled to her daughter. "I'll always be thankful to her, for giving to me the greatest gift. You're my greatest achievement. You. Do you understand? No one can love you more than I do."

"I know, mother." Alyssa hugged her mother.

Alyssa did not finish her cake; it was unusual for her not to. She bid her mother goodbye and thanked her for the story.

Alyssa ran hurriedly to her room, locked the door, and jumped straight to her bed and wept. She did not really understand the story that her Queen mother told. But one thing stuck to her mind, her real mother died because she was born--- she was the one who killed her mother. "I'm sorry, mom." She cried her eyes out." I'm sorry, mom." She turned around and faced the ceiling, imagining her biological mother was listening.

"I'm sorry I was born." Tears were pooling down her pillow. "I'm sorry I was you daughter." Alyssa coughed. "I'm sorry I took your life."

Young Alyssa asked herself why she wanted to live so badly as a baby that she had to take her mother's life. No wonder everybody hated her, she hated herself more now that she knows.

Alyssa cried because she was guilty, she loved her Queen mother so much. Was that so bad? Was it wrong to love her Queen mother, knowing that her real mom was gone because of her?

Alyssa's young mind could not comprehend correctly, it was a crisis of her life.

Alyssa fell asleep with swollen eyes---questioning her own existence.

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