Chapter 90 Exploring the Prison Walls
\[Lilia\]
My eyes unconsciously shut close, and I let out a low moan as the potato melts away on my tongue and the flavors of the seasoned beef combine together. Aya smiled and laughed as she watched me devour my food with great enthusiasm. It seemed as though the act of seeing me eat was the thing that entertained her the most.
Honestly, I eat like a man when I am hungry, and right now, I am ravenous. Though I know, they are already aware of that.
“Right, three hours of sleep isn’t enough for a jetlag,” I mumbled, agreeing with her suggestion right after swallowing the meat I was chewing.
Aya told me to finish my food first, and I very much obliged. I left no crumbs on my plate and sighed in contentment after drinking a glass of water. Almost instantly, I got to my feet and loaded the table cart with the dirty dishes. Aya initially objected by ordering me to take a seat and allow her do her work, but I am not a sick person who is unable to move, and I am most certainly not a member of a royal family whom she is obligated to serve at all times.
After cleaning up and brushing my teeth, I got out of the bathroom just when I saw Aya was about to leave the room.
Suddenly, a sensation of loneliness washed over me as the thought occurred to me that I would have to spend the night in my room by myself. So, I immediately called her before she could open the door.
“Aya, can you stay?”
She instantly turns around, looking bemused with my request. “You want me to sleep here?”
“Yeah. We spent time together in Italy and shared a room. Kael is not here, so I think you should stay in my room till then. Please?” I begged, pursing my lips at the end of my request, and looking her in the eyes with a puppy-like expression that I had been told was impossible to refuse. I just really hope that it flatters me and that I won't end up looking like some kind of harlot who was dumped at the side of the road.
Aya's response to my shenanigans was limited to a giggle and a head nod.
“Okay, finish your food now, and then we plan for tomorrow. Oh, Lilia, there are a lot of places you need to visit around the mansion. Let me just put these dirty dishes in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.” She then proceeded to open the door and leave the room.
A moment later, Aya returned holding a sketchpad and a pencil. She came to my side and drew a map around the entire mansion. Explained to me the area where I could freely go and some that were restricted even for servants.
I had once gone out of the mansion unsupervised, but I was too busy trying to escape, and mostly I was inside the trash bin that time. What I do know, though, is that Kael owns a vast expanse of untouched forestland that is located directly behind the mansion. The one where I had the misfortune of getting lost in the middle of a raging thunderstorm and getting bitten by a snake.
Not a pleasant memory, but it taught me a lesson not to go in there alone.
Aya and I conversed for what seems like hours before deciding to turn in for the night. The next morning, we were both up bright and early.
We were so excited that we both took a shower together, and she borrowed some of my clothes as I insisted. I couldn’t waste time having her running back and forth from her quarter and to my room.
Also, for the first time, I spent my breakfast in the dining hall.
I was so enthralled looking at the lighting fixtures on the high ceiling, the designs, porcelain decorations, and paintings that surely cost more than my yearly wages serving coffee in the shop I worked at before my father sold me and was put in an auction. Totally feel like a stranger to the place where I spent months. I got so used to my red room that seeing other colors makes me giddy.
I haven’t seen Val for the rest of the morning. Certainly, he was busy managing their business while Kael was still in Italy. I have no exact idea what their business is all about, but one thing I am sure of. It wasn’t something legal.
Well, it doesn’t have to be my concern.
“We should check out the pool,” Aya chirped at my side, clutching my arm, and began dragging me on the pavement.
We just came from the pavilion right at the side of a manmade pond. It was a picturesque scene, with blooming hyacinths floating on the surface of the water and feeding the fishes and ducks. I don’t know what Val meant about the fences when I actually haven’t seen one. Maybe he meant them miles away from the mansion.
This place feels like a whole town could fit in here.
So much has changed since I first got here, and it’s been good. It feels like a breath of fresh air after being stuck inside for too long. Just changing the scenery has helped clear my head.
But even then, I can’t shake this feeling deep down that I’m yearning for something more. Yearning for a feeling of real freedom. I dream of a life with no restrictions or fences, where I could go wherever I wanted without looking over my shoulder.
A life where the threat of danger wasn’t a constant shadow.
Then I catch myself, and I remember to look at what I have right now.
Nevertheless, I value everything now. I don’t have that perfect, unlimited freedom, but at least I have something real and something good. And I have no intention of throwing that away.