RUNAWAY
2002 Words
CHAPTER 64: RUNAWAY
SLAP.
“How dare you stained my dress, you stupid wench?!” Adriana Dravian yelled furiously. Beheld with anger, when Carsel accidentally spill a cup of coffee on her dress.
“I—I didn’t mean to—”
“Do you f*****g know how expensive it was, huh?!” But Adriana do not give a damn. “It is more worthy than your life!”
Left with no choice, Carsel stood there awkwardly, hanging her head low. She bit her lips. She is not embarrassed, but more on afraid. Adriana is the favourite eldest. She was more favour, unlike her. And if her father knew what happened...
“What’s happening here?” But Carsel didn’t need to wonder anymore.
Speak of the devil’s name and he shall appear, but that did not appease her fear. Instead, it doubled.
“Oh my god, are you okay, Adriana?” Their father was quick to rush to her as she wailed. He walked past to Carsel as if she did not exist at all. But there’s nothing new about it. She was the least favourite, always the hated Dravian treated with disgust, if not with contempt.
It is because of the way she looks. Carsel is fat, and she is...ugly or so she believes.
“Daddy!” Adriana cried, and pointed her finger at her. “Carsel poured some coffee on my dress! She obviously do it on purpose!”
Carsel was shock.
“N—no, you know that it was an accident—” She tried to defend herself.
“It wasn’t, I have seen her do it, father.” Her older brother cut her off. Ethan came forward. His lips in a scowled, full of scorn as he spat those words.
Carsel meekly cowered, “I—I didn’t...”
“Enough!” When their father directed his eyes to her, Carsel knew that he believes them.
As always. She thought bitterly.
“I’ve heard enough, and I am not going to tolerate this behaviour!” Lord Dravian stalked Carsel’s direction. His heavy footfalls terrified her.
“Father, I can explain—”
SLAP.
But he didn’t gave her the chance to. He smacked her on the face...hard, the force made her knees weaken until she slumped on the floor with her eyes wide-open. Carsel was holding her cheeks as her tears rolled.
“You insolent brat!” But no mercy was shown to her. “I still couldn’t believe that you are my daughter! You were so ugly—!”
“My lord! Oh my god!” That was the scene that her mother saw the moment she arrived.
Unlike them, she had a pure heart. She always care about Carsel.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Pure concern and worries flashed on her eyes.
She rushed to where her daughter was, but Lady Emerald Dravian was stopped by her husband.
“If you touch, I am not going to feed her for days, Emerald.” The patriarch threatened her.
“Do you hear yourself now, Lucas?” Emerald was in agony as she watched Carsel being treated as if she does not belong here. “She’s our daughter—”
“She’s not ours.” But Luca heart was long became stone for the youngest.
Carsel bear the humiliation for long that the maids eyed her with pity.
“Lucas—”
“And you should compose yourself before the Drosell’s showed up here.” Her husband’s words held threat.
When he let go of her hand, she knew that he is serious. At what cost, when as a mother, her only wish was to hold Carsel on her arms?
Emerald looked at her daughter sadly. A pain on her chest as she saw her state made her turn around.
“I’m sorry,” That’s what she said, whispering those words as if she were sorry, not for her draughter, but for herself, because she knew she was at fault. Having no power to defend her child against her own father.
When they left, a single tear fell from her eyes.
“A family, huh?”
“I’m sorry, Lady Carsel.” Rosetta, the older maid who hade gotten to love Carsel apologized. She couldn’t look straight on her eyes as she bring her on the attic. “But your father ordered us to locked you here for the meantime until he decided your release.”
Her heavy heart mourn for the child. Rosetta have gotten attached to Carsel. If Adrianna and her brother was spoiled towards the luxury and fortune of her family, that chance was taken away from Carsel. It was always the maid who had been on her company. Her birthday was never celebrated, and her father had never sent her to school in spite of her right age.
She was stripped from her right as they decided her fate.
“It is alright.” She force herself to smile. “It wasn’t as if it was your fault anyway. It’s mine...”
For being ugly as a Dravian. She continued inside her head.
“Don’t say that, my lady—"
“But it is true, Rosetta.” When she stared at her reflection, Carsel felt a lump on her throat.
She was fat. She have thick brows and her lips are plump, her nose is flat, and she have freckles that does not actually complemented her pale skin
It was as if she had been cursed to be this way, while her sister and her brother inherit the genes of their parents. They are beautiful, handsome is the right word even. Admired by many, while she was hidden here...in the attic.
“My lady—”
“Don’t feel sorry for me, Rosetta.” Carsel turned around, and looked at her in the eye. “I can take care of myself here, and don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt much the same it was from the first time I was locked her—”
A voice interfered.
“Rosetta! Quick!” Julio, the stable boy showed up. He was breathing heavily as the pair stared at him in confusion.
“Julio?” Carsel frowns. “What’s happening?”
“We do not have time! But we must go, I just heard that your parents are planning to replace Adrianna in marriage!”
“And...?”
“And they thought tat you are fit to marry instead of her!” Julio looked back and forth between them. He seems afraid.
“Me...?” Carsel’s lips parted.
“Yes, my lady! And to the Drosell’s heir! Lord Trevor Maximo Drosell!”
“O—oh my god!”
Hearing the name, Carsel’s eyes widened. She is no stranger towards the name. It was the Lord who was said to be cruel, heartless that a few brides offered to him he killed if he is not pleas.
“Now, hurry!”
Rosetta and Carsel looked at each other before nodding their head. They did not waste any second. Julio lead the way to the stable, making sure that they are not being followed.
“Where do we go, Rosetta?” Carsel hauled herself to the stallions back. Her heart was thumping against her chest.
“I didn’t know, but I think you are not safe here, my lady.” Rosetta looked at her.
“Rosetta? Julio? You are coming, right?”
“We can’t, Lady Carsel.” Julio shook his head. “But here.” He places a bag of gold on her hand.
“I can’t accept this—”
“You needed this.” He stared at her, his eyes are determined. “Find my friend, Max, he is going to help you—”
BANG.
“JULIO!”
Blood spurted from Julio’s mouth. A wound on her chest slowly trailed blood.
“They are here!” There are voices, and heavy footsteps marching to where they are.
Tears stung on Carsel’s eyes.
“G—go.” Weakly, that was the last words he uttered before he fell on the ground.
“Go now, my lady!” Rosetta screamed, before another bullet rings on the air. She met the same fate with Julio.
Terrified, Carsel was heartbroken.
They did not deserve this. She wailed, her agony has been reeved by anger.
When she left them, a grudge that was buried long ago sprouted, the humiliation, and everything... It all reminded her, stamped on her memory that the Dravian’s do not deserve her kindness...what they truly deserves are punishment, but what her heart wants...was death.
“Carsel manage to escape.” One of the men came back.
Lord Dravian curse. “Damn it!”
Adrianna looked at him in fear.
“What are we going to do? Am I really bound to marry that m—man?” She shuddered at the thought.
Earlier they thought that Adrianna was supposed to marry the youngest, not the eldest Drosell. It was a rather surprising events given that the eldest heir had just killed his bride...again.
“No, sweetheart.” Lord Dravian consoled her daughter. “You won’t, not until they find Carsel.”
“And they hadn’t?” Adrianna sobs.
Lord Dravian’s face hardened, “I won’t let that man touch you, Adrianna. I promise...or I will kill him myself.”
“Julio said that his friend is here.” Carsel followed a trail that lead her depth on the woods. But all her eyes could see were trees, unending trees that blinded her vision from the sky.
She felt tired and she’s been travelling for hours. Her stall on couldn’t go on much longer. But as they went deeper, soon Carsel found a single and old mansion behind the trees.
“Is this for real?” He mouth agape.
She climbed down from the horse and make sure that she was in the right place. The man that Julio draws indicated that she was in the right place.
Carsel carefully walked closer. She was holding her breathe as she watched from every movement inside, but none. This seems to be abandoned for so long.
“Anybody home?” She knocked, but she received no response.
In spite of her fears, Carsel pushed opened the door, but the moment she stepped inside, something flashed, a black mass on the air before she felt something sharp on her neck.
“O—oh god!” She panicked.
“Move or I won’t hesitate to slit your throat.” A baritone voice threatened her.
Carsel gulps, but base on his physique and his grip—it was certainly a man.
“I—I won’t.” She was trembling in fear.
“Good. Now, who sent you?” The man asked.
“J—Julio—”
She heard him clicked his tongue.
“Lies. Julio is dead.” His grip tightened.
“I—I am not lying, here, y—you can see the map, he gave it to me—” Carsel gave him the crumpled papers.
“Oh, he certainly did.” Inside the house, Ethan appeared.
Carsel felt her lips trembled, “H—how?”
“Simple, we take a much shorter path.” Ethan walked closer at her. As the man let go, he grab her hair tightly. “Do you really think you can escape from us, Carsel?”
“J—just please, let me go.” She cried.
The pain on her scalp was unbearable.
“I can’t do that, now that our family needs you.” He whispered with malice. “We can’t rush Adriana dying, but you? You can die, and you’ll serve our family with honour.”
“Ethan...I’m your sister!” In a desperate attempt to escape his clutch, Carsel uttered.
“Only if you marry Trevor Maximus Drossel.”
When he mentioned that name, Carsel knew that it was the beginning of a new horror for her.
No...
- Writer
