Chapter 6 The Crimson Cage
\[Lilia\]
I didn’t say anything after that and finished off the remaining food, which was only a few pieces of grapes. Both of them waited patiently as I emptied everything on my plate. I stood up, and Aya went to usher me, assisting me towards Val, who was now holding the wheelchair steady as I eased myself into it.
I kept my silence. Though my stomach was now happy, my heart felt heavy upon thinking about how my fate twirled around a man’s palm, playing with its strings and then cutting them whenever he got sick of me or decided that I was no longer of use to him.
I felt Val start pushing the wheelchair while Aya followed on our trail. We wove through the labyrinth of corners, navigating from there to here until I lost count of how many turns we took. My attention was focused solely on the abstract portraits that hung on the wall. Each piece, I assumed, was worth more than all the money I had ever earned from working as a part-timer even more expensive than my life.
I have no idea which way we were going or if this was the same hallway Val and I traveled when he brought me to Kael’s study. I think all of them looked alike. I would definitely get lost in here if I decided to roam around alone.
After a couple of turns left, down to the hallway’s end came a deep brown wooden door. It wasn’t a fancy-looking door. It looked like a regular door with no intricate carvings like one of those doors I saw a while ago.
Aya preceded us and took a key out from the front pocket of her apron and inserted it on the keyhole, unlocking it.
To say, “don’t judge the room by its door,” is the exact phrase I should be speaking out loud, but I kept those to myself and stayed as expressionless as possible as I roamed my eyes around the room.
The room is on fire, not literally, but it looks like it since the wall is painted red. Unlike the elegant, hotel-like guest room, the room that has been designated as mine is ablaze with red.
I hate red, and they say that this is where I will be staying. I don’t know how long, and it's already making me sick.
My attention was drawn from the wall to the strange-looking, wavy kind of sofa that is nested on the side of the queen-sized bed, and I pondered for a moment as to why it was designed in that manner. Then my gaze swept towards the heavy comforters draped over the fluffy mattress. Four large pillows are neatly arranged against the headboard, and the thick curtains block the large window glass. The space was brightened with six mounted bulbs, one of which was a flattened decorative glass lighting fixture in the middle.
I just sat there on the wheelchair, staring at the new place where I would probably die as well.
My gaze went to Aya when she cleared her throat, intentionally wanting to catch my attention.
“Welcome to your room.” She awkwardly smiled, spreading her arms, presenting the room to me as if I hadn’t seen it.
“Don’t you like it?” She frowned and lowered her arms when she saw my state of sulky dissatisfaction. I could tell that she was surprised as well but still attempted to cheer me up.
“Why is it red?” I blandly asked, looking at her, but instead, Val answered my question.
“The boss personally designed it to his liking, not yours to impress.”
His mere words shot like an arrow again, and for the third time, I wanted to smack his head for him to shut up.
I just bit the inside of my cheek, sorting through all the words in my head so that I wouldn't blurt out anything unnecessary in response to what he said. Instead, I kept my gaze fixed on the curtained window, hoping I could see right through the thick fabric.
“Do I have the luxury to choose?” I weakly said, and none of them spoke. “Guess not.”
I didn’t protest when Val picked me up from the wheelchair and placed me on the bed. He bid us goodbye and went out of the room. After making sure that I had settled, Aya followed Val.
I lay there, looking at the dimmed ceiling, watching how the life that I have known was gone in an instant at the back of my eyes.
Now, I am no more than an expensive possession.
My thoughts consumed all my consciousness that I hadn’t realized I had already closed my eyes and drifted off to slumber.
Blood and chaos-filled my dreams.
Weeks passed. I hadn’t seen anyone except Aya, who had been with me all the time. Ever since my encounter with the man who purchased me, Kael, he never bothered me after being transferred here in this damn fiery room.
If it hadn't been for Aya's constant companionship, I would have gone insane while staring at the glass window in front of me. I also noticed that I am located on the southern side of the mansion since the only view I can see from this room is the dense forest stretching just beyond the backyard.
I wonder if there’s a path in there that could lead me to my freedom.
The sun has already sunk beyond the canopy of foliage, casting golden rays into the gaps between the intertwining branches of the trees in the distance. As a matter of fact, it's the only view I like from this desolate location.
Aya went out early. She said something about the headmistress in this palace having asked her to do something. I didn’t even realize that there was a headmistress. I have only seen some gardeners who maintained the wide expanse lawn and swept all the fallen leaves off the Bermuda grass.
Other than them, I didn’t see the rest of them.
Val never bothered me again, which is good, by the way. At least I could take a rest from hearing any more statements of reality from him.
Now, I am all alone in my room.
The boredom is killing me. The pain on my knee was no longer bothering me as it started to heal up very nicely. Thanks to Aya’s ointments and antibiotics so it won’t get infected. The night had finally come. I got up from the wavy sofa—as I call it—and walked towards the bed, stifling a yawn as I placed the book that Aya had graciously allowed me to borrow from her on the side table.
Then I tucked myself under the heavy duvet and closed my eyes, letting myself succumb to the darkness.
Just then, in the middle of the night, I woke up with something heavy draped over my body. The strong scent of alcohol pervaded my nostrils.
My eyes shot open when a pair of large hands snaked under my dress, squeezing my breasts. My blurred vision was greeted with Kael’s face too close to mine, the tip of his nose trailing on the side of my cheek. I was about to push him and scream for help, but he captured my wrist, pinning them above my head.
The next thing I knew, a pair of hard lips had landed on mine, kissing me hard that I thought my lips would draw blood and muffling the scream that had managed to escape my throat.
I tried kicking him, but he weighed me down. His knees pushed back my legs on the mattress, rendering me immobile.
I have nothing left to do but cry. Violated by all means. Even though I would ask for help, there’s no one in this place that I could turn to.