CHAPTER 188

CHAPTER 188


Reika's POV

“So you're saying that he thinks you dyed your hair to impress him?” Archer asked, disbelieving.

“Yes,” I answered. “Then he told me that it won't work because I no longer have him wrapped around my fingers.”

At first, he scoffed… then it turned into a full-blown laughter that echoed through the room.

At first, I couldn't understand why he was laughing, but when I remembered that I also found it funny earlier, a small smile tugged at the corners of my lips and I was barely holding back from laughing hard.

“I'm sorry—I shouldn't be laughing right now… but this is just too funny,” he stammered, trying so hard to muffle his laughter. “I can't believe that the almighty Ileus is just that gullible. He actually thinks that something as small as a hair dye is your grand and best plan of getting away from him.”

“Me too.” I finally laughed now.

We both laughed again, harder this time, and for a moment, the tension, fear, and sadness between us washed away. It almost felt like the old days back in the cave. It was as cold as this dungeon, yet we were fully and truly happy.

Then slowly… our laughter died down.

“But thanks to that, we still have our heads.”

“I know, right.” Then my brows furrowed. “But do you think Ileus would have punished us at all if he had discovered my identity? Especially since he felt regretful about my death.”

“Hmmm…. I don't know. But what do you think, Reika? Do you think he would have let us off the hook and maybe celebrated that we were alive and welcomed you into his arms?”

“Honestly, I don't know. He truly regrets everything… but that doesn't change the fact that I'm working with his worst enemy now. I know how much he hates Kael… and earlier, it felt like he was more pained about the fact that I deceived him more than anything else. He thought all the love, care, and support I showed him were fake.”

“Well, as for me, I still think he cares even without knowing your real identity.”

“Why do you say that?” I asked, confused.

“Okay… let's look at it from this angle. He knew he wanted to kill me but still, he never confronted you immediately. He knew you were not sick but still, he did not try to barge into the room those times I told him to leave. Instead, he cared, and I don't think he was faking that; it looked real.”

“So what do you mean exactly?”

“I mean, despite knowing everything, it felt like he was still giving you the chance to come clean yourself. If it wasn't for the letter from Kael, he might have kept acting clueless. And now that he knows you are working for Kael, he still kept you alive. I don't think he would have done that if it was a different person. The Ileus I know would have chopped off our body parts and sent them as gifts to Kael before launching an attack.”

I pressed my lips together.

“You are right though,” I murmured. “But you know… Ileus isn't predictable, right? Maybe he is only keeping us alive because it's already late and by tomorrow morning, he might be chopping off our bodies.”

“Yeah, you're right.”

A thick silence fell between us as the gravity of our helpless situation returned slowly.

“But you know we can't die, right?” I murmured. “If we did, everything will go wrong. Daisy, Ray, and their little one… they will die alongside us.”

He sighed. “So what should we do now?”

I shook my head. “I don't know, Archer…” my voice was husky. “My life is in so much of a mess which I really do not care about, but the fact that I'm dragging everyone else with me… is the most upsetting and terrifying part of it.”

He pulled me closer and I leaned against his shoulder. “We will figure everything out, Reika. One step after the other.”

Archer's words were never reassuring, but then, there was nothing I could do right now. Nothing at all… other than wait for whatever the Goddess had planned out for us.

We stayed in the silence for what felt like eternity. The worst part of it all was that we couldn't even deduce if it was night or day. No words were exchanged between us; just faint breathing.

—————

The sound of the heavy doors creaking open jolted us awake. I rubbed my eyes to see unfamiliar figures walking in with their backs turned…

My brain quickly caught up with me. I had not covered my face. My hands moved quickly. I removed the scarf from my neck and wrapped it over my head.

There was a lantern in the hands of one of them, so I could see them and instantly recognised the three ladies as the kitchen staff.

Without a word, the ladies dropped the luggage they came with. The one with the lantern set it down just inches away from us and the room felt slightly warmer. Another had a straw mat which she also dropped. Then the last lady dropped the covered tray from which a delicious aroma wafted into my nostrils.

Then they turned and walked out of the room.

Archer and I exchanged glances, our lips parted in disbelief. They had brought light, a mat, and food… almost everything we needed to make staying here a bit better.

Archer opened the tray and his jaw dropped further. The food looked delicious… just like the same one we had been eating before we were arrested, with a jug of water by the side. He swallowed hard, his hungry eyes fixed on the food.

“Was this how prisoners are treated?” I asked, confused.

Archer shook his head. “I don't think so. Earlier when we were being led in, I didn't see any prisoner with a lantern or mat. I think he is treating us specially.”

“Why?”

“Isn't that obvious? It is because despite everything, he still cares about your wellbeing and comfort.”

“Hmmm..” I refused to believe that Ileus actually really cared. “Or maybe… he just wants to keep us alive enough before he figures out what to actually do with us.”