บท 489: Flashback From the Future XXV

Cecil could not explain what he was feeling right now, he did not know what to say, he could not make sense of what he had just heard his daughter say.

"What do you mean you don't want to be free princess?" he asked in anguish as there was a pained expression plastered all over his face.

He could not understand what Lia meant by this? Just what was she trying to say? That she would rather be locked up for the rest of her life instead of taking this her one chance at freedom? This was preposterous.

"It's as simple as that daddy, I don't want to be free." Lia replied again with her straight, cold, emotionless face. She looked as if she was made of steel, she showed not one emotion.

No sadness, no happiness, no despair, nothing. She spoke as if she was not being held in custody right now, as if they were back home discussing in their living room as they used to.

Cecil wanted to be patient with his daughter, he really wanted to, but this was senseless, she was being senseless in the moment, why wouldn't she want to be free.

"Princess are you out of your mind??!" he asked, finding it hard to remain calm, how could he remain calm when his only daughter, the only child he had in this world was being insensible??

"You're not thinking straight right now princess, you're still sad, I'm sure as soon as you start to feel better you will see how serious what you are saying is." said Cecil as he calmed down and spoke gently to his daughter.

She was his daughter, his only child, he loved her so much and he could understand that right now she couldn't care less about what was going to happen to her, but he cared, and he was worried, he didn't want her to end up in jail.

He was prepared to do anything and everything to get his precious princess out of here, the only person stopping him was Lia herself.

Lia chuckled emotionlessly, it wasn't a chuckle of laughter but one of mocking, one that said simply "You don't seem to get it do you?"

"I know what I am saying daddy, and I know how serious it is, the only person who doesn't seem to is you." said Lia as Cecil was speechless, he did not know what to respond with.

"So what are you saying? Are you saying that you would rather stay here locked up for life?!" asked Cecil.

"Yes." responded Lia calmly.

"Are you crazy princess?? Just what do you think you are saying, this is no joking matter!" responded Cecil.

"Who said that I was joking?" asked Lia as serious as ever as Cecil was speechless.

"Princess why?? Why are you not taking this seriously?" he asked in a tone of desperation as Lia stared blankly at the wall.

"What good will being free bring me?" she began.

"Even if I am free, the only man I love doesn't love me back, if anything he hates me, all my friends hate me, all the family friends hate me, every single person who knows me hates me." she said.

"If I was free, I would never be able to show my face in public, I will be the subject of scorn, what's the point being free? There is nothing for me to live for, no one for me to live for, I would rather stay in here, where no one can hate me, where no one can harm, where no one can remind me of all my failures." said Lia.

"But sweetie, you can do all that at home, you will never have to go out, I will make sure you get you everything you need." coaxed Cecil as Lia scoffed once more.

"You know daddy, they are right, I actually did kill Natasha, I actually did do all those bad things that they are accusing me of." said Lia as she smiled and Cecil felt a chill run down his spine, he would have been an idiot not to accept that his princess had truly committed all those heinous crimes, but it didn't matter at all, she was still his little princess and he would do anything to get her out of here.

"And you know... I don't feel any remorse at all, everything I did, I did because I wanted to, I did because it was necessary." said Lia as she had been squeezing her hands so much that her knuckles turned white.

"Princess don't say that, you never know who might be listening." said Cecil as he looked around, he didn't want her to be any more implicated than she already was.

"Is that all you can think about daddy?" asked Lia as she laughed.

"So what if you did all those things princess? It still doesn't matter, I will do everything and anything to get you out of here, so please princess, cooperate with us, I beg you." said Cecil as he spluttered, the mocking tone of his daughter's laugh catching him off guard.

"I'm not going to, I know what I want, and I want to stay here." she responded as Cecil gagged.

"But what about me? What about what I want? You can't just think of yourself alone, I need you princess, I need you, you're the only one I have left." said Cecil, all the distress in his tone showing.

"I didn't want to have to tell you this princess, but your mother left... she left me as soon as she heard the news and she hasn't come back, I'm all alone princess, don't leave me alone just like your mother did." pleaded Cecil.

Lia just stood there motionless, now it made sense why her mother had not come once to see her, she had guessed that something had happened, but she did not know that it was as bad as a separation, but she didn't care, she was sure that her mother wanted nothing to do with her now that she had heard what she had done.

"I want to stay here." she said in a tone with defiance as Cecil sighed.

"Cecilia, please, my daughter, my love, I am begging you, don't ruin your life like this, there is still so much that you can do, that you can accomplish, I beg you my darling, please don't leave me all alone in this world, I beg you." said Cecil as he did not know when tears started to fall from his eyes.

Perhaps it was when he realized just how serious Lia was about going to prison, he could not bear the thought that his beloved daughter would be a convicted criminal. But he was already pleading as if all hope was lost, and he knew deep within himself that all hope truly was lost.

"You can beg me all you want, but I will not do anything you want me to do." said Lia.

"My dear, you know I love you, and it is because I love you that I want the best for you." said Cecil.

"If you truly loved me, you would leave me alone." declared Lia coldly, with no emotions, or the love and respect of a father in her eyes.

"If you truly loved me you would listen to me."

"If you truly loved me you would respect my wishes instead of trying to be selfish because you are afraid that you will be all alone." spat Lia insensitively.

"If you truly loved me... you would let me be." she said as last as in the midst of all her words Cecil reached some sort of mental clarity.

He wiped his tears and ceased crying, what else could he do to save a child who did not want to be saved? He had tried his best, and as much as it pained him to have to leave her to face the consequences of her actions, he was forced to do nothing else but that.

"You're right sweetie, I will respect your wishes and I will leave you be." said Cecil as he sniffed and looked at his daughter and he stood up.

"But you're also wrong Cecilia, I do love you, with my whole heart, and it truly pains me to see you locked up." said Cecil.

"But since you have made your choice already, there is nothing more that I can do to try to change your mind." said Cecil.

"Never forget that I love you, and I respect your decisions, and I know that you are speaking out of your depression, out of your hate, and maybe you're right, some time alone to reflect will do you some good, some people need more time than others." said Cecil.

"And I know that you are not as terrible as everyone thinks, you're just hurt and broken, and you should have reached out to me or someone else before things ended up like this." he said as he decided to leave her with those lingering words.

Lia watched the retreating figure of her father as he walked out of the interrogation room and she continued looking in that direction until the guards came back to return her to her holding cell.