Chapter 3 Marked

"You dirty little thing! How dare you?." Ivy spat and slapped her twice on both of her cheeks, the maid was now whimpering as her cheeks burned and they were all red.

People began murmuring and the moment she looked up, they all clamped their lips shut.

"Guards!!." She shouted and two heavy looking guards in armor rushed out to her front.

"Take this worm out of my sight and starve her for two days."

"Yes, my princess." They both bowed and carried the maid away.

She felt better after that as she sighed, her eyes met her father looking at her from the door.

Ivy stood shocked as the king's eunuch shouted, "Here comes the king!."

Everyone quickly stepped aside as all heads went down on a low.

The king started walking towards Ivy, he stopped to look at her and walked ahead without speaking. Ivy smiled, knowing the king went his way without scolding her, she went to stand beside Diana.

"I feel so bad for the maid." Diana said to her, Ivy turned, "When did you start to feel something for those things?."

Diana looked at her, she was a person who became her friend because she wanted to be known as the princess's friend and everyone would respect her, she didn't like how she treats humans but she chose to keep quiet because she was a half-born, her mother was a slave before her father got her pregnant and gave birth to her. Her father was a prince, a half-brother to the king.

"I'm sorry, my princess." She gave a small smile and looked away.

"Now that all have gathered for the coronation, can we begin?." The king asked.

"We're waiting for the priestess." His eunuch said.

"She made the king wait?." The king asked again with a frown. Everyone kept mute.

"My king." It was the priestess, she stood at the entrance, with the divine maidens at her back.

"I'm sorry, I had to consult the heavens." The priestess stated and began walking forward. Her white gown looked divine, her face was beautified with white drawings, and her blonde hair was tied up.

Her divine maidens looked the same, after the royal household, comes the priestess, so everyone respected and adored her.

****

At the palace garden, Avila was lost in thought. She normally hummed whenever she starts to remember her mother, and how she lived before her mother died. She couldn't even see her corpse, she hadn't seen her mother since when she was born. She also remembered how the king used to beat her mother in her presence. She would sit in the dark and hear the silent painful moans her mother does whenever she doesn't want Avila to worry about her.

*Flashback*

"You still think he would save you? you still think of him?." The king asked her mother and grabbed her neck.

The woman began coughing so hard as he was choking the air out of her.

"I told you if I can't have you, no one will. You'll forever be my woman."

He grabbed her dress and rip it off her, and then he made his way into her, as she cried silently.

When he was done, he pushed her off him and stormed off. The woman gathered the blanket and covered her body, she rested her back on the headboard and cried.

Avila wondered who her father was referring to, but she wouldn't ask because it seemed to break her mother's heart even more than the beating, that was the time she wanted to be able to see.

End.

....

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her and looked back quickly.

"Saria..." She called but no answer.

King Lucan knew he been caught, he had earlier entered the kingdom of Meghan and waited till the coronation started, while doing that, he began walking around the kingdom, remembering the old good days when his father was still a friend to the king.

And every time they visit, he would come to the garden to look at the beautiful blind girl who always sat alone to sing. Her voice was so pleasing to his ears that he grew fond of this place. He just came because he wanted to remember those days and didn't know he would still meet her. That was 11 years ago and she's still the same lady.

"I asked who you are." Avila suddenly became alert, it was a strange feeling, and quickly knew he was a stranger. She was so sensitive, even though she was blind, she can still know when a stranger approached her.

"Why are you in the dark and not at the ceremony?." The king asked in his deep voice.

"Oh, I was getting some fresh air. It's been long I visited this place." Avila replied to him, and relaxed a bit but was overly conscious.

Just as Lucan predicted, he thought she meant to say that it's been a long since she visited the palace.

"So who are you?." Avila asked.

Lucan began walking towards her and stopped in front of Avila.

"I'm Lucan of Seabean kingdom." He answered, not wanting to give out his identity as the king.

"Seabean? I hear your kingdom is the most feared around. I can't believe I'm meeting someone from there."

Lucan smiled, "You don't care about the rumors that we take lands and kill other people?."

"Actually, i was about to say that, your king kills innocent souls, and makes them slaves to their land. I don't really like that." She said frowning.

His smile deepened when he saw her frown, she's very beautiful, even if it was dark outside, you could see the moon shining all over her face. Even her frown was beautiful.

"My king has a reason for doing so." He defended himself.

"What reason would make a king kill people or make slaves? I don't even want to think of how those people suffered,"

Would she believe he had come here to declare war on them?

"You won't know until you hear from him directly." He said to her as he looked up to the moon.

"My..." His guard suddenly spoke and he quickly pressed his second finger to his lips to shut him up.

"Who's that?." Avila tensed up.

The king waited a few seconds to pass, he chuckled, "Oh. He's my friend, he came with me." He answered, smiling broadly.

Livin, the king's guard didn't look surprised, the king always does that to him.

"My friend, you have to come with me," Livin said.

The king stood up, he took her hand and she felt an electrifying tingle running through her arm, she felt it so relaxing and comforting.

He kissed the back of her hand, "I'll remember you." He told her.

Avila smelt in his scent as he left her completely. Livin saw that and his eyes rose, he knew what that meant, it was the culture of the Seabean kingdom that when their king kisses the back of the hand of a lady, it means the king had marked his woman.