Chapter 32: The Bargain

The darkness, my heavy footsteps, the clanking of the chains tied around my hand, and the combination of different sounds of pain and sadness, as I took more steps inside the house of pleasure, made me remember that story from Lily. Thinking back on the days, and all those hardships we had together from the first war against the law of vampires and werewolves, to the war against Deesedayah and now with this impending war against Veda and Atlas, I couldn't help but think how everything was so possible while my family was together.

In every step I took, my brothers stood before me, and a sister was always there to hold my hand. But this time—on this cold floor, filled with darkness and the anguish of ill-fated creatures—I felt, for the first time, the weight of walking alone.

Ganito ba ang siyang nararamdaman ni Lily noon nang sandaling naglalakad siya patungo sa kulungan? She was a prisoner and now I was a slave, but despite the risks of this path, I knew that we were feeling the same— anger. That even if we came from a powerful family and we had the reigning king of this world behind our backs, we couldn't change this— the real definition of reality that we had to live with— divisions of wealth and poverty.

I took a deep breath and continued my steps.

My visions of Lily and the way she narrated her experience lingered in my mind, even with the pain and difficulty in her expression, I could still sense the pride and satisfaction in her, because during that very day, when she was accused of being a traitor, dragged like a slave with chains and sentinels around her, the admired, favored and well-loved princess, for the first time, received hundreds of insults in her face.

I closed my eyes, vividly remembering how Lily told us that scene that made my brothers look extremely proud of her. Even if it had been years since she shared her story, I couldn't help but have goosebumps. Lily didn't cower. Even with her ruined dress, bruised body, and rusty chains in her hands, she stood proudly as the princess of Sartorias in the middle of the prison, her eyes ablaze—emitting her power above them all. The prisoners, even with the prison bars and the chains tied on the princess that could protect them from her, knelt before her in fear—so much so that even the guards took a step back away from her.

Hindi ko makakalimutan ang reaksyon ng mga kapatid ko nang ikuwento iyon ni Lily. Caleb and Finn exchanged the expected claps, both grinning as Lily purposely swayed her long hair in front of them. Evan shook his head in disbelief, Casper nonchalantly sipped his tea, Zen for the first time smiled wider than Caleb, since he loved Lily being as savage as him, while King Dastan tried to suppress his smile while flipping some of his pages in his book.

They were always proud of Lily no matter how risky her actions and decisions—sa sandaling malaman nila ang kabuuan ng misyon kong ito. Ano kaya ang magiging reaksyon ng mga kapatid ko? Would it be the same as Lily?

I knew that I shouldn't think about Lily and how she'd deal with this situation if she were in my position or my beloved brothers' reactions to my situation, but I couldn't help thinking about them in this journey.

The long walk inside the house of pleasure made me lost in my thoughts, but when the headmistress stopped in front of an old wooden door with a thick metal that held it as its lock, she turned and looked at me.

She snatched the thin mask that hid half of my face. At first, I was hesitant for she might recognize me, but Luna and Delilah reminded me before we entered this place that creatures gathered around here were busy making a living rather than focusing on some news from the castle.

Kung may makakakilala man sa akin, ibig sabihin noon ay nakaabot sa kanya ang balita na ako'y kasalukuyang nakakulong sa gintong silid kasama ang hari.

I felt how the tip of her sharp fingernails grazed my cheeks, it stung, but I tried to ignore it. Her eyes roamed from my head to toe.

"No wonder why that nobleman—" she shook her head and smirked as if she couldn't just accept her own words.

Jealousy. I could feel it. If I were in a different situation, I could tear her throat apart, break her limbs, pierce her chest, and probably pull her beating heart in front of her eyes. I'd whisper her lullaby of nightmares and force her to live in minutes for her to witness how the blood and pieces of her heart stain my right hand.

"D-Darling love... your thoughts are overflowing. I just left and you're already up for murder." Nagulat ako nang biglang nabuksan ang koneksyon namin ni Kreios.

I ignored him. Forced him out of my mind and calmed myself down. He was right, I shouldn't think of murder yet.

This woman in front of me wore a linen dress, somewhat resembling Dastan's traditional clothing, except it had two colors, embroidery, and cheap stones. Her thick makeup and styled-up hair were adorned with huge pins like butterflies and stick pins, completing the usual look of the house of pleasure mistresses.

"What is your name?"

"Har— Arah."

Agad umangat ang isang kilay niya nang mabilis siyang nakatanggap ng sagot. And I might have answered her with confidence in my voice. I should at least look nervous... I forgot my cover.

Mariin akong napapikit.

Yumuko na ako. "A-Arah, My Lady."

Hindi na nagsalita pa ang babae at binuksan niya na ang pinto. Doon ay sinalubong kami ng walong babae na kasalukuyan nang nagbibihis. Some were dressed like the usual servers while others were dressed fancily. It was easy to know their roles.

"Mira! Ibigay ang kasuotan ng bagong babae! At pakibihisan! Mamaya ay dadagsa na ang ating mga panauhin." The headmistress even harshly cupped my face, tilting it to see the little wound she gave me.

"Cover her filthy scratch!"

A woman from the corner, with her red dress that exposed almost half of her breast, immediately came near me with a set of dresses, accessories, and a pair of cheap shoes. I could sense fear with the sound of her heartbeat.

"Ikaw na ang bahala sa kanya. Kailangan niyang kumita nang marami sa gabing ito." The headmistress said authoritatively.

Mira lowered her head.

"Y-Yes, Mistress."

When the mistress was around, the other women in the room tried to ignore us, as if there was no new woman and no mistress present, as if they were fully engrossed in dressing themselves. I even felt like they were enchanted, if not for the sound of their heartbeats, which allowed me to sense their emotions. Unlike Kreios and Livius, who knew of my ability and could easily mask their emotions, these women could use the thickest mask, but I could still sense their true feelings.

They seemed unable to sense anything around them except the command to make themselves presentable. But when I heard the sound of the closing door and the click of the lock, the women around me stopped, and their gazes were on me.

"A new one..."

"She's still young."

"What noble family did she come from?"

"She looked like a noble."

"Maybe she came from a fallen family?"

Sunod-sunod ang mga katanungan nila sa isa't isa na tila wala ako sa harapan nila at hindi ko naririnig ang mga pinag-uusapan nila. Hinayaan kong manatili ang dalawang kamay ko sa likuran ko at sa isang pitik ng mga daliri ko'y nagawa kong balutan ng kapangyarihan ang silid na iyon upang walang makarinig ng magiging ingay roon sa susunod na mga oras.

Looking at these women and how they chose their fate... brought back so many memories and stories. I was aware of how Claret, Rosh, Blair, and Seth once freed a lot of slave women, and how the young version of the princes of the prophecy lifted a curse on all the missing children from Trafadore— this could be the same, but I knew that these women were sane, and they chose this path— this is poverty.

If this was Claret's way, she'd befriend all these women for them to cooperate with her, but as a princess and now a queen out of her cage, I could have my own ways, or I were one of the princes of the prophecy I'd do the same and bribe these women with money, but I think I could give a better bargain.

Lumapit na sa akin si Mira at handa na sana niya akong hahawakan nang umiwas ako. Napasinghap ang ilan sa kanila ngunit wala akong pinansin, nagpatuloy ako sa paglalakad habang nakasunod ang mga mata nila sa akin.

When I saw a table in the center, even with the dresses on it and a few accessories, I sat on it, crossing my legs, pressing my palms on both sides, while looking around— meeting their eyes one by one.

"I'll get this straight. I am not a slave. I came here to find a place that maybe you're familiar with."

Natawa ang ilan sa kanila, may napailing, natulala, at ang karamihan ay tila may awa sa mga mata na inaakala siguro'y hindi na kinaya ng aking pag-iisip ang ang sitwasyon. Isa sa kanila ay pinagkrus din ang mga braso at mabagal na naglalakad papalapit sa akin.

"Bago ka lang dito'y ganyan na ang ugali—" I cut her off.

With a few movements of my lips, the sound wave which only my eyes could see touched her, preventing her from movement and speech.

Nagsinghapan ang lahat, napaatras, napatingin sa pinto at ang karamihan ay ngayon ay nababalot ng takot. Hindi na nakatiis ang isa sa kanila at tatakbo na sana sa pinto nang muli kong ibinuka ang labi ko hanggang sa marinig nila ang saglit na awitin ko na tanging ang mga nilalang lang sa silid na iyon ang nakaririnig.

The eight women were now like a statue, unable to move and unable to speak. Nanatili akong nakaupo sa lamesa at pinagmamasdan ang kuko ko.

"I am not here to harm you. I just want all of you to follow my commands while I stay here. I have the power of voice— I can steal your voice. I can command you with my voice. I can do everything with my voice."

It was easy to make these women roam around and do all the jobs, but I couldn't just hypnotize them forever while I stayed here. Isa pa, natatandaan ko ang sinabi sa akin ni Luna. The Entertainment District has this strange item that can sense spells or vampire gifts.

"Don't worry, you will still move freely inside this place, still with your mind intact. I will free you, but the moment your voice chooses to betray me, I will steal it. Do you want to live with the rest of your life voiceless?"

Tumalon na ako mula sa lamesa at unti-unti akong lumapit sa kanila. I ran my fingers through their cheeks, hair, jaws, and shoulders as I whispered my bargain.

"Pero mas maganda na rin siguro kung may nalalaman na ang isa sa inyo. Can anyone tell me any information about a certain water inside the Entertainment District?"

I flicked my fingers, allowing everyone to speak. "Anyone?"

Gumala ang mga mata ko sa kanila. "May nakakaalam ba? Don't make me use my power. Ayoko ng mga sinungaling."

Nagkakatinginan na sila sa isa't isa habang naghihintay ako. Ngunit hindi mahaba ang pasensiya ko para doon. With another flick of my fingers, I forced everyone of them to tell me an information, but even with my power I couldn't find any from them.

I sighed. "Alright. Since every one of us will serve the customers, you have to ask them about it."

Sabay-sabay silang tumango sa akin. Pansin ko na may isa sa kanila na nais magsalita kaya pinagbigyan ko siya. "Yes?"

"W-Who are you? Why are you looking for a what? Water inside the Entertainment District?"

"I am the Queen of this empire."

Dahil gusto kong marinig ang reaksyon nila, nasundan ang mga salita ko ng tawanan mula. Well, I couldn't blame them.

"Let's have an agreement then. I know everyone wants money... gold. I don't have it right now, and I can't return to the castle for you, but I can offer you a better bargain." I looked around. "You see... I can hear everyone's heartbeat, and do you know what's the strongest thing in your hearts? Hatred. I can kill for you. Just tell me who has wronged you."

All of them looked doubtful, but with my power and their situation, they didn't have much choice but to agree. Kahit nagkakatinginan sila sa isa't isa ay tumango na lang sila sa akin. 

"Sa sandaling hindi mo magawa ang sinasabi mo, pababayaan mo na ba kami?"

"Of course. But the moment I fulfilled my words, your loyalty is mine. You will serve your queen because I earned it, not because it was bestowed upon me."