ℂhapter 4

The Boy With A Soft Smile

It's cold. So cold.

I open my eyes slightly to see the dark atmosphere the surrounds me. I lift myself up from this freezing cold hard floor & notice that i'm in a cell.

My head hurts like crazy & I have bruises all over my body like i've been thrown across the bushes or something. What even happened to me?...

My night gown is all shredded up & it's showing the cleavage that I don't want to be shown. I wish I could at least take a shower & wear a clean pair of clothes.

It smells like oil & I feel as if I heard a rat crawling around here somewhere.

Just as I face my head towards the ceiling, bits & pieces of what happened to me comes back. I still don't remember the events that took place before I woke up in that castle but I do remember a certain boy with purple hair.

He looked so familiar that I was astonished throughout the time. That may or may not have been his natural hair color but i'm certain i've seen it somewhere before...along with his golden eyes. His features are very rare.

I can only remember a glimpse of his face but I feel as though i've encountered his presence before. He set off an intimate aura. He had hatred in his eyes & that's all I can commemorate.

Perhaps I didn't know him personally...maybe all of this was just from an old novel I once read.

Thinking about it makes much more sense. I don't recall much but what I do remember is the book. He looks a lot like the main love interest in that book...if only I could remember what it was called. It's a very vague memory, almost like i'm having deja vu instead.

...

I observe my head from the side & sense a migraine coming on.

I immediately stop when I hear footsteps walking through the hard floor. It's coming right towards me, I can detect it.

It gets louder with each step as it advances near.

Could it be him? The boy with purple hair & golden eyes?

I'm already scared out of my mind. When I went to sleep, earlier, I thought the next day will hold something different. This isn't what I had imagined. I know for a fact that i'm not in that same mansion anymore, the ambience is too different.

I see a dark silhouette, walking in front of me, behind these bars as I take a moment to catch my breath. When the person walks up forward, I see his entire appearance.

He's wearing such normal attire, compared to what was worn in that realm.

He's wearing normal dark blue jeans with a brown belt shaped weapon in the loop of them. His grey flannel with white stripes is buttoned up perfectly under his ocean coloured light jacket & I notice that he's wearing an expensive looking chain around his neck.

I gaze up at his face & can already see that he's not the same guy from earlier. His peachy hair flows naturally over his head & above is neck in a scruffy sort of way which aligns beautifully with his face.

I feel as though I should be terrified by his presence but his warm smile that he is giving me right now somehow makes me feel safe.

He unlocks the cell with a key he retrieved from his pocket & instantly my apprehensiveness comes back. I take a proper good look at his face & notice that he looks so familiar as well, especially the smile & choice of clothes. How can I see two guys that look similar to the ones in the novel? is it maybe a coincidence?

"No need to be frightened" he advises, regarding the terror in my expression.

His voice is so settling, he doesn't seem the type to just come down here & cause more pain for me...but then again, I don't really know what he can be capable of. A smile shouldn't change my perspective on someone.

I look down at my dress & feel a little embarrassed that i'm not in proper garments. I should have went to sleep in that dress I was told to wear for dinner with Rias. It was a lot bigger & thicker.

He begins to dip the towel in the bucket full of water that he had bought with him. The water appears to be hot & he twists the cloth so it can become damp.

I attempt to slide back as he reaches out to put that on my face but a wall blocks my way.

"It's okay" he tells me. "I'm just cleaning off the dirt & unblemishing the injuries".

He thrusts his body slightly forward considering he's already so close to me. Now, he's just moderately under my nose as I try not to move or be embarrased, given the situation.

He begins to press the damped cloth all over my forehead & cheeks just as we lock eyes.

"Uhm..." he coughs, looking downward when he realized how awkward that was. "I bought you some food."

I point my eyes to the side & notice a plate filled with food that looks far better than prisoner food. It probably can't compare to Lucious' cooking but it doesn't look terrible at all.

"So how are you feeling?" the boy asks & I stare at him. "I don't know...how should I feel?"

I have a little attitude in my words but even i'm not sure how I should think about all of this. I'm in a dark, cold celler in ripped clothing & bruises all over my body when not too long ago, I was in a comfortable bed, under a nice roof, surrounded by people who worried for me.

"Let me rephrase that sentence" he chuckles under his breath. "Do you remember anything before waking up?...any last thing you might recall happening to you?"

"I...I remember I was..."

I look back up at him & gasp in shock. "I remember I was tasered by the boy with purple hair!" I scowl

He looks towards the floor with a frown in his eyes. "So you do remember".

I have no idea what i'm doing here. I don't even know who this guy truly is...or the guy who tasered me. My mind is just clouded with a bunch of thoughts & I can't even think anymore.

I look at him, strangely. "Who even are you guys?"

I want to know the reasoning behind all of this. Are the people back at the kingdom even alright? I reminisce indefinite voices of them yelling through my door & that's about it. I wasn't awake to hear the rest & it was all in murmurs, especially since the guy I was being carried by made sure to exit quickly & his face was the only view I could see from that point on.

He gives me one of his warm smiles again. "You don't have to be scared..."

It's kind of ironic that he's the one to be saying that. I think if the roles were reversed, he will be in my state of mind as well.

"Me being in a celler says otherwise" I reply to him. "Now answer the question...who are you guys?!".

He takes a deep breath before running his fingers through his hair.

"I'm Felix Severan...The tan one you will meet is Axel Damaris...and..." he sighs deeply again. "The leader of this organization is...Silas Wisteria".

My eyes widen. "Silas Wisteria was the one who..."

"Tasered you" he nods, finishing the sentence for me.

I pout into my knees, lifting them up to my face, remembering the horrid memory.

I don't know who Axel is but i've now had the "luxury" of meeting Silas & Felix.

I would be terrified if I was in a room alone with Silas. I probably wouldn't even survive, it feels somewhat different with someone as helpful & kind as Felix.

"Wait...you said that Silas is the leader of this organization..." I question. "Is there a reason he planned all of this?...what is his endgame?"

He shakes his head gently as if he doesn't want to answer the question, sitting in a position where he's bending down to his knees.

"It's not my place to talk about..."

He speaks with such an apologetically tone. "Silas should be the one to tell you that."

I would have to talk to Silas to know the truth?...Maybe I don't need to know after all. The atomosphere around him alone, gives me evil vibes...but then again, not knowing will just get me even more curious.

"But what I can say is that...Silas build this entire empire from the ground up...& i'm quite fond of his accomplishments" he finishes.

Felix seems to have been through a lot with Silas. I can tell all that just from his sudden manner. I don't know why Silas did what he did but i'm determined to find out... although, I will never think of him in a way that Felix does.

"He may not look nor act like it...but he does mean well" he tells me.

He sees the good in Silas that I don't think I ever will. He gave an excuse as to why I was bought here from Silas' orders. He tried to justify his actions & maybe there was a reason for that. I've only known him for a couple of seconds but Felix has probably known him his entire life.

"Yeah, totally...someone who means well kidnaps a person in their sleep & throws her in a celler covered in bruises." I roll my eyes.

He grabs the bucket of water & puts the towel back in as he gets up from his spot.

"I know how you feel, believe me...but Silas has his own motives for why he does things" he informs me & then stops for a moment before continuing to speak.

"I'll talk to Silas about letting you stay in one of our extra rooms."

"But I didn't-" I start but he interupts me. "You shouldn't be rotting away in this cold, torn up vault." He then proceeds to look at the food & says "And plus...it will also be such a hassle to bring you the essentials you need down here".

He passes the plate of food to me & right before he turns to walk away, he looks down at my ripped up dress. "I'll check...if I can find a fresh pair of clothes as well".

I heard a stutter in his voice...& maybe a hint of pink cheeks along with a grin, all in one facial expression.

I look back down at my dress & my cheeks turn bright red as I gasp silently. I looked like this our entire conversation & I don't know how to feel about it. This is humiliating. I try covering my chest area with my arms as if that will make a difference. My legs are also freezing because the dress only reaches the top of my thighs.

Maybe getting an extra room won't be so bad. I atleast want a proper warm shower & not have such horrific hair filled with tiny tree branches & grass at the moment.

I pick up the plate full of food & take my first bite & my eyes light up.

To my shock, it taste surprisingly good. Probably better than Mr. Lucius' cooking even. I hate to admit it but it's the truth.

I take a bunch of more bites, not knowing how hungry I actually was.

Silas' POV:

"I want everybody to be working harder than usual today!...I didn't hire slackers!"

"Silas, the Casteria board decided to take our agreement...they just need your signature".

I take the pen I kept over my ear to sign the contract. Everything is looking perfect this morning. I have all of my people working because I can not have an off day for this empire. I worked insanely hard for this company that I will not tolerate a person who cannot work at the same pace as me.

"Silas!" Felix calls out & I turn to face him. "What is it?...I have to sign paperwork for a few orders that just came in".

He begins to follow at my speed.

"It's about...Kireina".

I immediatley stop at my track. "You mean that brat I threw away in the celler?"

I sent him to give her food about 20 minutes ago, now that I think about it, he was down there for quite sometime when it should have been a 30 second job.

"I think you should let Kireina stay in one of our many rooms" he tells me & I laugh because i'm under the impression of it being a joke.

When I notice that he's serious, I don't know what to think. Did he charm her with his smile? Did she start trusting him when she should trust niether of us? Did he give her hope?

I can't even be mad at Felix for this. He's my ride or die & he's just too nice for his own good.

"Felix...you're my bestfriend..." I begin & he nods. "I will let you do as you please" I rest my hand on his shoulder. "But this is just something I cannot agree to".

I start to walk away but he catches up to me.

"Just hear me out for a sec!" he yells but I continue walking. "You better have been asking, not telling!" I shout back.

"She's down there in the cold!"

"So?" I remark.

"She's bruised!"

"She's beaten!"

"She's exhausted!"

"She's in a skimpy dress!"

"She developed anxiety!...I can see it in her eyes!"

"What does that got to do with anything?" I turn around quickly & he stops right in front of me.

"Just think about it..." he persists & I start listening.

"Would you rather have her die alone in a cold dark celler than have her up here where she's alive & well, right in front of your eyes!" he argues. "If she dies now...then all of this would have been for nothing!...everything you worked so hard towards."

I hate to admit it but he's got a point. If she dies in that cold dark room, that will be the last of the Solace bloodline & my closure would not be complete.

"You will never stop being the kind hearted bastard...will you?" I grin, patting him on the shoulder & he lets his frown form into a huge smile.

"She can take the room in the corner" I tell him.

"Thanks, man!" he responds & runs off while I go do the rest of my obligations.

I never planned to hurt that girl physically anyway...it was more mentally.

As long as she doesn't become a bother, i'll let her have that room but i'm only doing it for Felix...not her.

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