Chapter 16 Frozen
Chapter 16: Scarlett
The drive to the training school was short. I was surprised when the vehicle stopped because it was barely thirty minutes before we left the castle. We couldn’t possibly have gotten there, right?
My eyes moved around wondering where exactly we were.
The tall trees and thick brown bushes that surrounded a very tall building at the center did not look like a school at all. It looked more like a penance building. It was old and rickety, no one could possibly study there.
My eyes then moved to Luciano as I began to wonder if I had to start considering what Bee had told me, but he seemed calm. Too calm.
He walked to the back of the car and began to take out the food. The driver and the four other guards who had followed us also helped him with the task.
“Let’s go, my lady. I am sure the children can’t wait!” Bee’s excited voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned to meet him with wide eyes.
“Bee, is this the training school?” I asked as I was unable to stop myself.
Bee’s brows furrowed and he turned to look around him as if I had pointed out something that he wasn’t aware of. Then he shrugged and met my gaze again.
“Yes, it is… Were you expecting something different?”
My cheeks flushed and I pushed my hair back, trying to hide my embarrassment and surprise. Rather than reply to him, I held his hand and began to walk towards the building instead.
As we got closer, I saw that it was even uglier than I thought. The entrance door was cracked and dangling off its hinges like a feral wolf had run into it.
The surrounding looked like it once had beautiful flowers growing around it but now there was only a ghost garden behind. Even the pathway was broken and disfigured.
I couldn’t help but wonder what could have happened here…
A thick muscular man suddenly appeared in front of the door and bowed. “My Queen,” he said. “It is a pleasure to have you here… The children have been restless ever since they heard about your visit.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I found it hard to come up with words.
In the end, I could only nod and offer a small polite smile.
“Please, come with me,” the man announced, showing us into the building.
He led us through the entrance door and up a set of flights that looked like they had seen better days. The interior was dark except for places that they must have set aside for us to pass— which were lit up by burning torches.
From the dancing lights, I could see the old paintings on the walls already chirping off.
The carpet on the floor had patches all around and I wondered how long this place had been like this. Because the damages could be dated years ago.
When we finally got to the sitting area, I gave up trying to understand. The entire place was falling apart. The chair the man offered me was on the verge of collapse. The entire room was screaming for a renovation…
“Our Luna here heard about the training center, and she decided to bring in food for the children…” Luciano trailed as his hands waved to the boxes of food the others were carrying.
“Oh! My Queen!” The man exclaimed, joining his hands to his chest as emotions overwhelmed him. “Thank you so much, my Queen… I don’t even know how to thank you. How do I begin?”
I shifted to the edge of my seat and took his hands. “You are doing such a great job with these kids, if I had known the situation was like this, I would have gotten more things for you…”
“Your presence here is already enough. Thank you very much!” He held his hands together and bowed his head several times.
I heard joyful screaming behind the man. I turned just as the children ran towards me, almost a hundred of them. Their physical conditions put a wrench in my heart.
They weren't malnourished, but they must have been put on a strict diet. Their skin was too pale, their bodies too frail. But the happiness in their eyes was true, it was the only thing that showed light as they ran towards me with flowers.
“The Queen Scarlett!” Overlapping calls of my name ran across their mouths.
“Hey! Stay back!” The guards yelled, holding the excited children away.
“Wait!” I waved my hands at the men with a smile. “Leave them.”
“But what if they cause the Queen harm?” The captain of the guards whispered as he reluctantly cleared the path for them.
“They are children.” Luciano snarled, glaring at the man.
A warm smile danced on my face as I watched Luciano handle the guards. As if to prove a point to Bee, I moved my eyes to him. Bee rolled his eyes but I could see the underlying smile.
Soon, the children reached me, and like a mass of warm feathered pillows, they enveloped me.
“Now, now, children behave!” The officials ordered.
I raised my finger to my lips, and slowly, they calmed down, and all eyes fell on me. I was nervous at first, but looking at their eyes, I felt spurred to continue.
My eyes traveled and I noticed the oldest amongst them couldn’t have been older than twelve. “Why don't we go to the chairs there and get to know ourselves?” I pointed to the chairs.
“We have gifts for you!” They suddenly exclaimed.
“Eh? What? Wait—” They surprised me when a large bouquet was brought to me, led by a particularly blue-eyed child who couldn’t be more than three years old.
“This is for you, your Highness.” He spoke with a toddler's lisp. He looked at me like his saviour and I couldn't resist it. I collected the flowers and lifted him into my arms.
“Hey there, Prince Charming. What's your name?” I smiled at him.
“E—then.”
“Ethan? What's your name? What a wonderful name!” I smiled and he nodded at me. “Wow, you got me roses?! I heard they are out of season! Thank you very much!” I took in the scent of the flowers and handed it to an aide.
“You are welcome!” They exclaimed.
I glanced at Bee and the maids, silently urging them to begin serving.
They understood and started dishing out plates to the seated children, and their innocent smiles grew even bigger as they received their meals.
I fed Ethan with my own hands. After the meal, we sang and played games with the children till it was time to leave. The hardest kid to part with was Ethan.
After a failed attempt to try to trick him so I could leave, he napped on my shoulder. I gently passed him to one of the matrons and bid my farewells to the rest of them.
“Look at them, they really love you… Amazing how kids fall in love at first sight,” Luciano said after I wore my seatbelt.
“Halfway, I chucked up my tears because I also didn't want to leave them.” I sighed before shrugging, “Well, there's always next time.”
Luciano nodded and the driver started the engine. My eyes moved aimlessly around when it suddenly struck me that Bee wasn’t with us.
“Where's Bee?”
Luciano sat back and suppressed his smile to a minimum. “They are in the other vehicles. They are going straight back. But we... we are going to have dinner.”
I looked down and rubbed my palms together. There was a patch of pink I tried desperately to hide. “You are so sneaky,” I mumbled. “Is it necessary, though?”
“Of course, it is. After all that stress and release of emotions, you need to relax,” he countered with a soft laughter.
I wanted to protest but I resigned to swallow my fears and waiting to see what he was up to. What was the worst that could happen?
Soon, we got to the building and Luciano led me to the rooftop overlooking the land below. We sat alone in the company of good music and food, but I couldn’t find it in me to relax.
Luciano lowered his glass of wine and leaned forward. “What's it? You don't like shrimp? Why are you so nervous?”
“No, I’m fine… it's just… strange for me to be out in the city. I used to be a maid here, remember?” I stuttered as I scanned the place shyly.
“I know but it's alright,” he replied with a shrug. “The people here don't know us, except the Master.”
His response only increased the tension I was already feeling.
Seeing my reaction, Luciano briskly got up. He gestured towards the centre where a few couples were dancing to the music. “Come on, I know what to do, let's dance.”
My heart banged. “What?! No, please no!” I declined nervously shaking my head.
“Come on,” Luciano persuaded me, and I found myself standing up against my will. “Come on, let's follow the rhythm of the slow music.”
Reluctantly, I agreed. Luciano took the lead and led us to the dance floor. He led hands to his shoulders and for the first time, I noticed that he was actually a few inches taller than I was.
He placed his hands on my waist politely and we started moving to the music.
Throughout the dance, I couldn't look up at Luciano because I was embarrassed, but I was slowly loosening up because of the crowd that had joined us.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Scarlett?” He asked.
“Yeah, I—” my words were stuck in my throat as his hot breath fanned my face.
He was so close I could smell his sweet cologne. A tingling sensation formed in my chest as his heat began to wrap itself around me like a warm blanket.
“Scarlett...” His voice was husky, barely a whisper.
I looked up, and his fingers gently trailed my jaw. My heart started a journey of its own, but I couldn't tell him to stop. My lips could barely move, and I watched him like a puppet.
“You are very beautiful…” Luciano whispered.
My heart froze.