Chapter 1 - Broken Wings
Life is meaningless-- seemingly beautiful yet so fragile. I lost that fragile life of mine when I was just twenty-three.
That day was unforgettable. Qing Lin's head buzzed frantically when she heard that news- making her lose her only hope. That day her mom and dad left her at home with my younger sister. She ran as fast as I could that day, but she knew her broken wings would never sprout. That day when she fell into darkness with her younger sister shouting futile protests, she could feel the pain. But it didn't matter.
Because that day was the day I died.
People say that we won't ever realize how time flies by. But to me, time passed like an eternity. Because nothing piqued my interest. It was just fourteen years ago that I met her, but now it seems so far away as if it is a mere childhood memory. My world was meant to be meaningless. The heavens arranged such a fate for me, that I had to cope with.
"My Lady" Esperanza could hear Stellina's raspy voice but she disregarded it while looking out of the window. The lake of her garden glittered under the sun. But what her empty eyes were focused on were the birds above in the sky who spread their wings freely. She once wanted to be like them.
"My Lady..." Stellina sobbed. "Why don't you listen to me even once?"
Esperanza didn't hear her, until Stellina finally stumbled upon an antique, crashing it into bits. Esperanza turned her head and looked at the little blonde-haired girl who stuck out her tongue in a clumsy manner to Callidus, the duchy butler. Callidus sighed and shook his head.
"You brat." He said to Stellina, helping her stand up. "Is it necessary for you to break an antique everyday? We will loose all our precious treasures because of a certain rascal." Then next, he flicked her forehead.
"It doesn't matter," Stellina responded with her arms crossed. "At least by breaking it my lady finally gives me some attention, doesn't she? Anyway," She turned to Esperanza. "My Lady, did you hear what I said?"
"No," Esperanza responded indifferently.
"My Lady!" Stellina wailed. "I've been repeating this ever since morning! The duke is coming back from the war!"
"Is that so?" Esperanza let out a soft chuckle and gazed out of the window once again. "What a pity, he isn't dead."
"My Lady!" Stellina wailed again. "That doesn't matter, he is coming back three days later! We have so many preparations to do! The workers expect my lady to guide them!"
"Three days, right? I'll do it the day after tomorrow. No more discussions, everyone is dismissed." Esperanza said and eyed Callidus. "Of course, Callidus has to stay back."
Stellina bowed her head respectively and left. Esperanza stared at the Duchy Butler who was smiling amiably but held a glint of madness in his eyes. The madness to kill.
"It seems that the other party has made their movement, hum?" She asked him.
"Yes, Your Highness." Callidus addressed her by the excessive formal title again. Esperanza simply hummed while looking outside. The duke- her father, the brother of the current emperor had created an organization for his majesty the emperor. The organization has simple words, to track down rebellions and eliminate traitors beside his majesty. The people of the organization often addressed the duke as his highness, since he was their leader. And she, his daughter, was addressed as her highness by one of her father's disciples- Callidus.
"Go ahead, kill them," Esperanza commanded half-heartedly. Ever since her father the duke entered the war, the organization entrusted itself to her when she turned seven.
"As you wish, your highness." With that, Callidus disappeared in a flash. This man held the madness to kill anyone who came in his way. His affection for the duchy on the surface was nothing more than a façade. Nobody could control his loyalty - except for the duke and her.
Esperanza shut her eyes tight and opened them once again. Her hands reached out of the window and she was tempted to jump in the glittering lake. But a silver mark appeared on her arm. If one would take a closer look, it would seem a reflection of thin, sophisticated crystal chains. Seeing them, Esperanza laughed and laughed as she slump back into her chair.
I am already a bird with broken wings. But now, I'm so pathetic to the point I've been caged. Freedom, what is that? I have already lost it.
YOU ARE READING
Oblivion Of The Heart
Historical Fiction[Ongoing] "Why is being myself harder than anything?" Qing Lin closed her eyes. A girl whose smile gave off the effulgence which seemed to light the diminished world around her. A girl who held such purity in a world surrounded by happiness. A girl...
