“Ara.”

The first time it happened, I was too naïve to have believed it. And I fell prey to the evilness, gullible that the world behaves this way. Later, when I knew it wasn’t, I was dumbstruck with so many questions as to why my life intertwines itself with so many misfortunes.

Am I not the child of the government? Why was I referred to as a despised one by the society? And worse of all, who allowed such misfortunes to land on someone like us, like me?

I grew accustomed to the happenings that were more or less bound to happen whenever I was hired to a new household. The beatings we received were a routine enjoyed by most of our rich masters. Everyone I know back at the hut where slaves lived has experienced all sorts of bad.

The often asked question I have to myself – if time were to rewind?

Nothing changes – comes the answer. I can go back to the same spot I once stood but never to change the moments I had encountered. The worst? My future marks the same happening and I could do nothing but wait for it. And that is how cruel my life has been. Everything repeats itself all over again just because I’m a slave.

“Ara.” Kihyun’s voice has never once stopped calling my name and every time he does, it just gets a lot gentler and softer.

Little does he know, it penetrates my mind like a sharp knife.

I want to ask him to stop but the words get stuck in my throat and my lips just part unknowingly. “You’re shivering.” He says and my blurred eyes captures his face I never knew was this beautiful. The sharpness of his gaze is gone and is taken over with a concerned frown.

Is this real?

I can’t say so for sure.

“I’m fine.” I answer as stable as I could sound. “I’m okay.” I added.

He knows I’m not but he keeps quiet which I’m grateful of. I have fault again, as a slave. And it is unexpected or rather, not required of him to care about me. It just makes me feel a little too uncomfortable with all these interests that he’s giving me, a slave.

I look at the ground and count the few drops of tears just near the tip of my feet. I didn’t realize I was crying and now that I see it, I’m ashamed. Kihyun stood close enough for me to hear his breathing and I watch his chest rise and fall peacefully.

“I’m sorry.” I apologized. It was wrong of me to behave so.

Neither of us speak and kihyun simply place his hand on the crown of my head. What is it supposed to mean? I raise to really take a good look at him but he turns just on time and left the room.

I stood with a sudden rush of emotion that I couldn’t really explain with all the words I know. It feels so weird to be cared for and I actually don’t hate one bit of it.

Perhaps this household is really the gem among all odds. Maia and I have been treated with fair judgement and were met with no beatings so far. But what if these were all pretense to gain our trust? I shook my head, I’m confusing myself with all the contradicting questions.

I’m all alone in his room and it’s huge enough to feel the emptiness. I look around and absorb in the things I have never noticed compared to how I first stepped in this morning.

There are numerous photos all framed up in old style frames that brings a new look of liking. Most of the pictures were of himself and Wonho and I figured they’re brothers because they do look alike somehow although character otherwise.

I moved in to have a closer look and smile at how a younger version of Kihyun and Wonho smiles gleefully back at me in most of the pictures during their younger days. They look exactly the same back then and now. The next few frames were however, rather unfriendly as the older version of Kihyun and Wonho stood next to each other with a stiff posture expressionlessly.

These must be their recent pictures.

I do also take note of how there were a few kids at their younger days that aren’t in the frames of now although they appeared in all of their younger days photos. Who would have thought Kihyun to be a person of reminisce and memories given the way he presents himself so detached and superior to others.

But then this sentence wouldn’t make sense if I were to compare it with the way he treated me earlier. I shut my eyes and allow a long moment of self-silence. My mind is racing towards the impossible whenever thoughts of such ran by and it wouldn’t do for a slave like me to do so.

Moving over to his writing desk, I spot a few maps with red crosses drawn all over the place. I’ve always had a passion to learn reading and writing, perhaps I couldn’t get the chance to learn so and that is why I would pester the elderly back at the village to teach me the basics and I savor any and every chances I have to learn what they could offer.

Trespass

His handwriting is surprisingly neat, I could make out the word trespass written over some of the red crosses. There are however, a few yellow stars – 5 to be precise – situated a big distance away from the patch of red crosses. Not understanding any indications the markings could have meant, I give an end to my adventure in his room.

I wonder what Maia is doing. It should be okay for me to go look for her although I have gotten no permission to do so. Ensuring there’s no redundant noise outside, I open the door to welcome short freedom.

“Hi!”

And I jumped the moment Maia’s squeaky voice caught me peeking from the gap of Kihyun’s door. “It’s okay.” She says, understanding my worry. “Wonho says it is okay for us to roam around. There’s no one around except for the butler anyway.”

“No one around?” I repeat. That can’t be it. Maia and I did saw some other maids when we were brought to our rooms. Maia nods and I have this urge to ask her to unfold whatever she knows about this household considering how she’s a curious cat. But I shall hold my tongue because it might encourage her to further investigate with her own ways in getting to know if anything is affiliated with the legends.

I know that look of hers that she’s giving me now. It is as though she could read my mind and I shrug her away as her eyebrow moves in annoyance. “What did Wonho tell you?” I ask.

She pauses longer than required. “What did Kihyun tell you?”

I sigh in all honesty before answering, “Nothing.”

And we stood along the hallway, all of our questions were washed down by an invisible force. We were curious but we were also careful enough to ensure that the impossible is not asked in a moment of recklessness and curiousness.

“You know…” Maia whispers. “Wonho isn’t all that bright at all.”

“So is Kihyun.”

“Yeah…” She stop her words and I’m thankful she did or else I would have left her alone in this hallway. I knew what she wanted to say, that we were probably deceived by the outer and neglected or rather, missed out what the inner has to say.

But this thought of mine, is mine. Which is why I couldn’t point it out to Maia in case she disagrees and I’m thankful the conversation is ended so abruptly.

“Are they brothers?” I nudge her and ask when I see how deep in thought she is.

She shrug. “Maybe, I think so…”

Maia seems to be hesitating, her lips in a constant state of wavering. “Along with a few others that are missing.” She continues unexpectedly.

“Yeah, I think so too.” I lie brazenly and she stares at me in all surprise.

“You do!?” She tries to suppress her excitement. “Don’t you find everything weird?”

I have no idea what exactly it is that she’s referring to but in order to get her to speak, I answer along to the conversation to show that I do understand her which isn’t all that difficult to do so. “Yeah. Missing brothers.” I answer without looking at her in fear she might catch that I’m deceitful at this moment.

“Wonho told me about his brothers and that they were missing.” Maia shook her head in regret. I nodded as though I knew this all along. “Those pictures on his desk are all that he have.”

My mind shot back to the picture frames in Kihyun’s room. It’s no wonder some of the kids I see during their younger days are no longer around in the pictures of their recent days.

“And the map with all the yellow stars?” Maia reveals and I watch the ground because I have no response to whatever she wants to say. I know nothing. “His brothers are locked in the kingdom’s dungeon.” She carry on.

Kingdom…?

My breath is taken away from me that instant and my mind fails to work properly. I can’t think but one thing for sure, I now comprehend what Maia meant by ‘weird’. It indeed is weird because…

We know that stories passed down by the elderly mentions that the kingdom’s dungeon is specially made only for the wolves… 

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