Chapter 27 "The pure home"
But the truth wouldn't come out. I simply couldn't form a sentence that made sense. I observed his easy expression. There was nothing to suggest that Conrad was angry or indignant about my confession. Doubt. That was the only thing his face expressed.
I remembered the times when he was angry and serious. Those looks were always directed at other people, never at me. What would it be like if one day he gave me a look of hatred or disgust? I couldn't bear it.
"My life?" Conrad calls me, encouraging me to continue speaking.
"You know that we, the caretakers, don't have a stable relationship with the Moon," I begin, following my instinct to lie. "The celestial jewels were made for complete, powerful, and pure she-wolves. And I am none of those things. That's why, when I touched the jewels, they burned me." I finish by showing my mother, who, incredibly, still had a small burn.
Conrad takes my hand, observing attentively. Conrad firmly holds my hand, and I immediately see a golden ribbon around our hands. It was the color of his magic. I couldn't help but compare the color of his magic to mine.
One is clean and pure. The living representation of life and what is good. Mine is completely different. Dark, dense, and dead. Two different extremes, like water and fire.
"Did you just heal me?" I ask, looking at my hand, which no longer had the burn. "You didn't need to," I say, head down, too afraid to look at him.
"You are part of me, and I promised I would take care of you forever," he says tenderly.
My heart clenches, and I take a deep breath, trying to find the courage to concoct that lie.
"I'll ask a trusted jeweler to make a replica of the jewels, and then we can camouflage them with magic. I'm sure no one will notice," Conrad says, easing my heart.
"That's good," I say and hug him. "Maybe we can rehearse the entrance for the recognition ceremony. I did it with the girls, but I'd like to practice with you." I ask, and Conrad gives me a sly smile.
"Alright, my love."
I was staring at myself in the mirror, nervously fidgeting. The ceremony was just minutes away, and my anxiety was through the roof. Conrad had left in the middle of the night to get the jewels forged.
The jeweler was skilled with magic and managed to deliver them very early in the morning. Conrad promptly cast a spell on the fake jewels, making them appear celestial. And everything was as good as new.
I put on my white dress, and the jewels adorned my body. The flower crown was on my head, and my hair was loose in waves. I looked beautiful, as most of the caregivers had said; I looked angelic.
I look at my bed and remember the secret hidden beneath it. Would they still consider me angelic if they knew what I was? I take a deep breath, feeling my chest ache.
I hear the bedroom door open and turn quickly, hoping it's Conrad coming to calm me down. But I see the worst person who could appear at that moment, walking towards me with an ironic smile.
"Look at you!" he says sarcastically. "You look so funny in that outfit. I designed this dress myself and had it made for my son's future Luna. But I never imagined it would end up in the hands of a lucky caregiver." He says the last sentence with superiority.
"Today is a dark day for our kingdom! I'm sure my son will forever carry the stain of having made you a Luna." His words are sharp as a knife.
I lower my head. What could I say? I was really deceiving Conrad and was about to deceive everyone in this kingdom. I couldn't defend myself against something I was obviously guilty of.
"Please, Solange. Not today!" I plead, feigning vulnerability, but I look away and stare back at my reflection in the mirror. "I know you hate me, but give me some peace, at least for today," I ask, taking a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
"I don't want to be your enemy, not at all!" Solange says, making me observe her in the mirror's reflection. "I want the best for the kingdom and for my son. This story could be beautiful in a fairy tale, but this isn't fiction. You're about to become queen of this people and you're nothing more than a simple caretaker." She takes a deep breath, showing her disappointment. "Social classes exist for a reason and shouldn't be ignored. Everyone has their place, their function. You weren't born for this."
I felt like my lungs were being crushed with each of her words. The pain was great because I knew Solange wasn't wrong.
"This is a gift." Solange approaches me with a big smile, feigning kindness.
Solange places a small chest on the dressing table near me. I stare at the gesture, confused. I pick up the chest and notice its great weight. When I open it, I see gold and diamonds in abundance inside.
"You have everything you need to live well for the rest of your life. You can go far away and live in luxury. You will have no responsibilities or disappointments. This is the opportunity you've been searching for your whole life! Live your life in peace, Maya. Selena and I will take good care of Conrad."
Her voice was illusory, almost like hypnosis. Her posture was straight and perfect. Solange was acting with the lightness and grace of a queen. Then, when I look at my feet, I see that pink smoke. I stare at it in disbelief, almost as if it were something created by my disturbed mind.
I turn around, in slow motion. I raise my gaze and look at Solange. Black magic surrounded her body. I stare at all that pink smoke, with utter surprise.
It was impressive that that smoke was so frequent in that castle. The place of the pure ones, where black magic is forbidden. Why did the pure ones apparently perform more black magic than other creatures?