CHAPTER 136: A SHARED MEAL

Pandora walked with Raven, surprisingly after that question he asked he had not said anything else to her except giving instructions.

She had just been following him, having helped him with a few of his tasks. Was this her punishment, or what? she wondered curiously.

She had no idea if he was going to tell anyone about her being a mermaid. He had only said that he would be keeping a close eye on her, which meant he would be checking on her as she was more like a threat.

She had kept that a secret; no one knew, no one had suspected, so it was quite surprising that this man knew within minutes. Was it because he was a royal guard? They entered a place that led to a small room. As they stepped inside, Pandora realized that two covered plates were already placed on each side of the table.

The evening breeze blew gently into the room as lanterns on each side cast a warm light. A wooden table and bench stood in the middle of the room. Was this his eating place?

"Eat," Raven said as he sat, opening his food and beginning to eat. There was another small plate containing fruit, two cups, and a jug. The girl looked at Raven and, as she sat, bowed gently.

"Thank you," she said, trying to hide her excitement. She moved as she opened the plate, grabbed the fork, and began eating. She ate as if Raven wasn’t there, stuffing her mouth eagerly. It was clear she had not eaten in a long time.

"Eat slowly," he spoke calmly. Pandora’s face flushed. She had been so caught up in the food that she had forgotten she wasn’t alone. She pressed her lips together, trying her best to avoid his gaze, and began eating slowly and gently. She knew why she acted like this: the taste was so different. She could taste the richness, the flavor her food usually lacked because of her low coins to buy more spices and things for it.

She calmly moved the cup toward him, silently asking with her eyes if she could take it. Raven nodded. He took the jug and gently poured water into her cup. As he was done, he handed her the cup, which she took and gulped down.

She continued eating, while Raven just watched her. He forgot to eat himself, caught up in the way she devoured her meal. Before he knew it, she was done. She moved a little napkin as she wiped her mouth. Pandora’s face burned as she realized he had been staring at her, his food barely touched.

"Pandora... why would you... oh my... this is so embarrassing," she muttered to herself, finally locking her gaze on Raven.

"Do you want more?" he asked. She nodded without hesitation; at this point, she could act ladylike later, but not now.

"Do you want to give me yours?" she asked softly. He nodded, gently pushing his food toward her, which she took with a bow and began eating.

This was the first time he had seen anything like this. Normally, he expected her sole concern to be whether he was eating or not, but no. She didn’t hesitate to take it. In fact, she looked glad that he hadn’t eaten much.

He almost chuckled at the situation.

After some time, she finished. She raised her cup to him. His eyes widened; he couldn’t believe it. This woman really was something. Just because he had helped her earlier by pouring water from the jug into her cup, now she was asking him again to do it—not outrightly, but with her gesture.

He moved to pour the water into the cup.

She gulped it down, and as if that wasn’t enough, she sat back as he exhaled loudly. Her hands moved to her belly, caressing it as if gesturing how full she was.

Pandora smiled to herself, glad she had eaten. This was one of the bestest meals she had ever had. Was that even a word? No—but at this point, she made it one. She sat up, the situation dawning on her. Her neck burned as she realized she had been so caught up in her thoughts that she’d forgotten her surroundings again.

"Please... could you keep it a secret..about me being a mermaid?" she begged.

Raven looked at her. Her blue eyes shone brighter than ever. As she pleaded, he knew her life was on the line; being a mermaid alone was dangerous.

"Are you done? Let me show you to your room. I said I would be keeping a close eye on you," he said, as her eyes still remained on him, waiting. Raven turned his face to the side and spoke calmly:

"I would not tell anyone."

▷▷▷

The wind blew gently to the side, brushing softly against Ariana and Stephanie. Ariana sat in the backyard garden of the duplex while Stephanie stood, gazing at the beautiful flowers.

A particular black flower caught Ariana’s attention.

"That flower is so beautiful... and why is it alone and so small?" she asked as Stephanie looked at it.

"Ah, Mother would have known this. She knows all flowers—she studied them. Right now, she’s resting, but later I’ll ask her. You can simply say she’s obsessed, as I’m sure she knows the name of this beautiful flower."

Ariana laughed and nodded.

"Luna Ariana, you mentioned you knew the song..the music I played that day on my violin during your celebration. You said you knew the lyrics. How about you sing it? I would love to hear it," Stephanie said as she was so curious, she had been willing to ask in a long time now.

Ariana’s eyes widened. She had not expected that at all. She hadn’t tried singing since she got her voice back.

Lady Stephanie, noticing her silence, quickly said,

"If you’re not comfortable, please don’t sing it. I was just curious since I don’t know the lyrics—only the notes."

Ariana shook her head.

"I can sing it," she smiled.

Stephanie clapped in excitement and sat on the bench.

Ariana closed her eyes and began to hum the melody, just as her mother had, before softly beginning to sing.

"~The shade of the night sky~... calls me star~..."

She sang with her eyes closed. Stephanie gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as goosebumps of surprise covered her body. She had not expected that—the Queen’s voice was so smooth, so pure... this was the best voice she had ever heard.

Little did they know that where they sat in the backyard was right behind the window to the forbidden room area.

Ariana’s voice floated gently through the window.

Inside, where Zavren’s mother was kept, the figure lay silently on the bed, her hair spread around the pillow, her body unmoving. And then... her finger moved.