Oblivion Of The Heart

Chapter 33- The Game (1)

Chapter 33- The Game (1)

"I feel so honored that the princess would be sacrificing the precious six months of your academic life for a person like me." Esperanza smiled. "But... Why would the princess be willing to go this far? Does the princess want something from me? Everybody helps for benefits, don't they?" The princess appeared flabbergasted and was silent, eyes wide open. She pressed her lips and forced a confident smile on her face.

"If I tell you, I want something from you, would you give it to me?" The princess asked. Esperanza giggled.

"I owe the princess a huge debt, so as long as the thing is possible to get, I will," Esperanza said as she flashed a mischievous smile. 

"But, isn't it me who owes  you the debt of saving my life?" The princess asked.

"But you repaid it but taking care of me the whole six months. And look, your debt is canceled out while now I'm in your debt. Soon, you'll be in my debt if I manage to get the thing you want. What an intriguing cycle it is, isn't it?"

The princess stared at Esperanza for a few seconds before she looked away and stood up. She approached Esperanza.

"Mark your words, my lady. When the time comes, I'll tell you what I want. By that time..." She hesitated but continued. "You cannot refuse it." She passed Esperanza a small emerald. "This is the evidence." 

"Don't worry, I will never refuse, I promise," Esperanza said confidently. The princess turned around and walked away as she shut the door behind her. On the way out of the hallway, she looked up at the sky and saw a brown eagle with sharp ember eyes soaring upwards in the sky. She bit her lips as she continued to stare at it slowly descending towards her. She had gripped her hand too hard that blood had stained her dress. She looked back at the room which was far away and closed. She remembered Esperanza's words and laughed bitterly.

Foolish, are you even aware of what I might ask of you?

...

A girl with white hair and emerald eyes stared at her reflection in the mirror as she stroked her face. Her skin was delicate and smooth like milk. There was a ring with a ruby fixated on her ring finger. She looked at the ring and smiled as she remembered its purpose. The mirror she was looking into dissolved and its surface turned to water. On the water was the reflection of a woman, probably in her twenties, with a mask of silver that had a single lavender streak across it. The mask covered only the upper part of her face, leaving out her rosy and seductive lips. The woman sat on her chair, which rather looked like a massive and extravagant throne, her elbow on the arm of the chair while her head was on her palm. The woman had long, lustrous black hair which seemed to be made of darkness. The woman smiled as she looked at the girl's startled reaction. The girl hastily bowed ninety degrees.

"Forgive me, my lady! I'm not in the proper clothes to be in your sight!" The girl apologized. Presently, she was in her pajamas, basically a night dress. The woman casually waved her hand.

"I don't have time to nag about these things right now." The woman said with a voice that could charm anybody. "Margarita, stop being stuck on useless matters. The game has just officially begun. The chessboard is ready along with its player. I can't believe...." The woman started laughing. "The other party I'm playing is just one of my knights. My knight seems to have gone so out of control that she created her pawn. It is the basic rule of the game; only the king can have his pawns..... Not someone as lowly as a knight." The woman said with a smirk, but her smirk soon morphed into a troubled face.

"But this knight has become so clever! Using my weakness as her pawn..... Does she think I won't attack?" The woman laughed again and twirled her dark hair. "But no matter how clever she turns, she's going to be defeated by me once again." The woman clenched her fist. "But, Margarita, you are my advisor, you are my most trustworthy general. How am I supposed to win when my general is distracted?" The woman asked. Margarita still had her head low.

"My Lady, I am not your general. I am just repaying the debt I owe you." Margarita replied.

"Still so stubborn, I see. How cute." The woman chuckled. She stretched her arms. "Alright, if you succeed in this simple task I gave you, I'll set you free." The woman smiled as Margarita looked up with the excitement on her face that the woman expected. Margarita bowed again.

"I shall faithfully complete my task, my lady." 

...

A blonde girl stared aimlessly into the clear pond below. Her hair was neatly combed to her right side. Into the clear pond was her reflection- it reflected her beauty which was alluring enough to enchant any man. A stone fell into the pond, and the girl broke out of her trance and turned around. She noticed a young boy hiding himself behind a tree, holding back his giggles. The moment she stood up and walked forward, her step was halted by a voice.

"Good evening, beautiful miss." A hooded woman said as the girl turned around. "Would you mind helping me?" The girl raised an eyebrow and observed the woman for a moment. The woman was short in height, and half of her face was covered by the hood. The girl's expression softened when she noticed the wrinkles on her face and her rough hands with burn marks.

"What can I help you with?" She asked with a gentle tone, forgetting about the young boy from earlier. The woman smiled and removed something from her pocket. She handed it over to the girl.

"Miss, I have no descendants left to secure my precious heirloom given to me by my family. I am old, and I shall die soon. I've been wandering around for the past three months to find someone who can secure this. Miss, I don't have much time left. Please_" The woman coughed violently. The girl patted her back to soothe her. The woman continued. "Please miss, I treasure this so much that I can't bear to see it being destroyed. Please miss, please." The woman pleaded as she joined her hands. The girl silently nodded her head, and the woman's face lit up as she thanked her repeatedly and left.

The girl opened her palm to look at the heirloom of the old woman. It may look like a simple jade pendant, but it was exquisitely made from the finest of all jades. Fine and pure jades were rare in this era, and only somebody extremely powerful could have the capability to possess them. But, she refused to think further, because now she promised the old lady to take care of it faithfully.

Suddenly, the girl could hear the rustling of the bushes, though the wind wasn't blowing. A young man emerged from the bushes, with the same blonde hair and emerald eyes. For a moment, they glared at each other. The young man crossed his arms.

"Primavera." He said with a tone filled with annoyance. The girl simply ignored him and walked forward. The man clicked his tongue, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her back. Primavera took back her hand and glared at him. He merely smirked. 

"What a bad temper you've raised, Primavera." He snickered. 

"Glad it is not less as compared to yours, though." She said as she massaged her swollen wrist.

"A crown princess should be tame, gentle, and docile." The man continued. "You have put an amazing façade in front of society, indeed, just like your mother."

"Sieger, if it wasn't for the fact that we shared the same father, I'd have sliced your tongue off," Primavera said coldly. "Don't reach my limit, you're going to regret it," Sieger smirked.

"I'd love to see where your limit reaches, dear little sister."