章節 51: Back to work

Maya was welcomed by an empty field upon her return. The flogging was already done, having no entertainment to see, the crowd had dispersed to enjoy their remaining free time. The flogging was already done, having no entertainment to see, and the crowd had already dispersed to enjoy their remaining free time.

Maya walked towards the vacant pole, she looked up and saw that the rope was cut. Maya knew that the guards did not help in untying Elion from the pole, she was thankful to whomever helped Elion be freed from his punishment.

Elion's uniform was left on the ground, the one that was stripped from him.

Maya took the shirt, and upon close inspection, she saw little splutters of blood on it--- Elion's blood.

Maya wanted to ask Brian, their leader, if this mission was worth risking their lives. 'This better be worth it.' To Maya, losing Jake was hard enough, surely no one has to die again from the royal's hands.

Instead of going back into her own room, Maya marched towards Elion's. Instead of going back into her own room, Maya marched towards Elion's room.

Elion's door was wide open upon Maya's arrival, she went inside uninvited and saw three female attendants sitting on Elion's bed.

It was Tina and her two best friends.

Elion was sitting on his bed with his back on the door, his exposed back was filled with inflamed red lines, some were even fleshly bleeding.

There was a basin of bloodied water on Tina's lap, she was dabbing Elion's back with a damp cloth.

Maya exhaled. "What are you doing?" Of course, someone took notice of Elion.

The three girls looked her way.

Elion turned on his seat to face her. "Maya." he was relieved to see his comrade safe.

But the girls interpreted it the wrong way. "Are the rumors true then?" Tina tossed the damp cloth on the basin. "You two are…" she pointed to Maya then to Elion. "Together?"

"What if we are?" Maya shifted her weight to the side. "What if we are?" she did not care about the rumors.

"That is not allowed." One of Tina's best friend said.

Maya just shrugged.

"They belong to the princess," Tina held the basin and stood up from the bed, her best friend followed suit. "they can do anything." She walked towards Maya. "I wish I belong to the princess too, look at my arms." and legs." She looked down at her arms. filled with small scars. "Duchess Zenalda's dogs would scratch and bite me all the time." She smiled and passed the basin to Maya. "Look after him, it's time for Beat's medicine anyway."

"Let's go girls. Let's give them privacy." Tina and her best friends exited the room, closing the door behind them.

"We don't belong to the princess." Maya put down the basin on Elion's nightstand, causing the water to splutter on the floor. "or to anyone." She glared at Elion.

Elion followed every Maya's movement. "Glad you're safe."

"Lucky you're in one piece." Maya did not inspect Elion's injury deliberately. "Time to work." she tossed the uniform to Elion. "Get up."

Elion complied and grabbed his uniform as he sat at the edge of his bed. "Okay." He began buttoning his shirt up, as if nothing had happened, as if his back did not hurt at all.

"You've been in the middle of their war." The royal's war. Maya leaned back on the wall. "Just like Jake."

"Part of the job." Elion flattened his shirt as much as he can, he winced as the cloth touched his back. "It's no big deal."

Maya snickered. "No big deal." she said sarcastically. "Until one of us dies."

"The princess will not get us killed." Elion stood up. "She is not the kind."

"Elion," Maya said with a warning in her voice. "A royal is a royal." She reminded him.

"The princess is not like them." Elion defended the princess. "Is she were, she would have me killed the day I told her everything."

"A job is a job." Maya reminded him. "We'll finish our mission and be done with the princess."

"Right." Elion, seeing the state of his uniform, removed it again and took a fresh one from the cabinet.

"Go serve the princess while I save us both from being killed."

Elion tossed the dirty uniform on the laundry basket and buttoned the fresh one. Elion tossed the dirty uniform on the laundry basket and wore the buttoned the fresh one.

"Maya." Elion stopped at the door. "I know full well the mission, and I intent to accomplish it no matter what." Elion smiled to Maya, assuring her. "You don't have to worry." He patted Maya's head before he left the room. "I'll do anything for our home."

Maya inhaled. "For our home." She exited the room and walked the opposite way of Elion.

***

Maya returned to her work in the kitchen, chatting with everybody to ask for tonight's market.

Maya was assigned to clean up the dished today.

Maya looked side to side before she whispered to her co-worker, Lisa. "So, what's in the shop tonight?" It was their code as what was being sold in the black market.

"You know the usual," Lisa replied in a whisper too. "Perfumes, makeups, forbidden books." She winked. "But rumors are spreading that there's something about one of the royal's item." Lisa leaned in to whisper as they washed a pile of plates. "They said it's the princess' item." Lisa shook her head. "The one who sole it from her must have been very brave. Maybe it was one of the princess' jewelries, or maybe her dress." Lisa passed the soapy plate to Maya for rinsing. "But who knows, we will see later for sure." Lisa looked sideways at Maya. "You've never been interested on the store before."

Maya smiled. "Maybe something's interesting tonight."

"There's always something interesting, you'll see."

They continued to wash the unending pile of dishes in front of them.

***

"I'm the princess' attendant," Elion informed two of the guards on either side of the princess' room. "let me in."

"We cannot do that." The guard said. "Her needs are already taken care of, you're not needed."

"Eli, is that you?" The princess voice said from inside her room. "Perfect timing, let him in."

"But…"

"Eli, go to my mother and tell her…"

The guards, exhaled, tired of whose instructions to follow. "You can go in." The guards opened the door for Elion in surrender.

"Eli!" Alyssa rushed towards the door and stopped abruptly in front of Eli. "You look fine." She encircled Eli, looking for any injury.

"I'm fine."

"I see." Alyssa stopped in front of Eli, glaring at him. "Consider it as a warning," she pivoted around and walked towards her seat. "You will face greater consequences, if you ever betray me." She crossed her hand on her chest. "Yours and Maya's secret, I can expose it at any moment."

Eli stood at the door. "Understood."

"What are you waiting for?" Alyssa tapped on the floor. "It's not shiny enough."

Elion walked towards the corner and grabbed a mop; he began wiping the floor. Elion was not on his best physical condition, causing him to sweat profusely from the mundane task. He could feel drops of sweat running down his back, the saline liquid touching his fresh injuries.

Alyssa was listening to her cassette tape, observing Eli quietly.

Elion winced as his uniform touched his back, forming a line of blood on his back.

Alyssa saw the stain as soon as Eli turned his back on Alyssa.

She knew Eli must be disciplined, to let him know that she is not someone that they can manipulate, even though she agreed to work with them for the mean time.

Alyssa bit the inside of her cheeks, feeling guilty, conflicted.

Pain, it has always been inflicted, and it has always been towards Alyssa. But pain apparently, she can also inflict to others.

And more on guilt, Alyssa was realizing that she needed to take responsibility of her actions.

She never really needed to take care of someone. Rather, she had always been the one taken care of.

Eli, as it turns out, was her responsibility. And her actions directly affected her personal attendant.

Alyssa stopped the cassette and walked towards Eli. "Are you okay?" she tapped Eli's back. "Maya expressed her concern earlier."

"I'm fine." Elion winced when the princess touched his back.

Alyssa looked at him in the eye, searching for any pain. She tapped his back again, making Eli wince in pain.

"Remove your shirt." Alyssa demanded.

Elion did not move and just blinked to the princess.

"Remove your shirt." Alyssa repeated herself. "Or do you want me to remove it for you?"

Elion need not to be asked no more, he began unbuttoning his uniform and removed his shirt.

Alyssa circled him, observing any wound and stopped on her tracks when she reached his back.

There was no room on his skin that was left unmarked.

Alyssa suddenly felt bad for her attendant.

Alyssa left Elion alone shirtless as she went to her dressing room to look for her first-aid kit. She placed the kit at the round table at sat. "Come here." she instructed Eli.

Eli obliged.

"Turn your back."

Eli obliged.

Suddenly something cold touched his back, making him jerk from the touch.

"Keep still." Alyssa was cleaning Eli's wound and was wiping disinfectant on his back. "This will take a while."

Elion would oftentimes wince when the princess would touch the bleeding areas of his back.

"I'm sorry." The princess said.

"No, it doesn't hurt." Eli assured her.

"No," Alyssa stopped cleaning his back. "I'm sorry, this might have been too much as punishment. You do not deserve this…you just followed me."

"It comes with the job."

"What?"

"The pain."