"You do know that I belong and stay with the dark Fae prince Aldric, right?" Islinda’s voice carried a hint of discomfort as she practically winced upon referring to herself as Aldric’s property. It pained her to admit it, but she knew she needed to ensure Gabi understood the gravity of the situation she was getting into.
"Of course," Gabi replied, her tone a little too nonchalant for Islinda’s liking. Islinda couldn’t shake off the unease that settled in her chest, wondering if Gabi truly understood the gravity of the situation she was willingly stepping into.
Islinda shook her head in anticipation, her expression a mix of concern and impatience. "So?"
Gabi lifted a brow in response, her expression mirroring Islinda’s anticipation. "So?" she echoed, her tone neutral yet filled with an underlying curiosity, as if waiting for Islinda to elaborate further on her question.
Islinda’s brows narrowed in confusion as she sought clarification. "So, are you not scared or sothing?" she questioned, her voice tinged with disbelief. "It’s the notorious, fad cruel prince we’re talking about here. Why would you even risk it? Why would your family let you go knowing how dangerous the job is?"
Gabi’s lopsided grin spread across her face as she spoke, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes. "I told you, Isla," she said, reverting back to the familiar nickna, "I would do anything for the money... well, not illegal things..." She chuckled lightly, dismissing the notion with a wave of her hand. Then, her gaze shifted towards Valerie, a playful glint in her eyes. "And your lovely prince over there pays such a handso sum. Even if I die, the money I get is enough to feed my third generation. Thanks to the gods, I’m not my parents’ only child." She laughed, her tone a mix of bravado and dark humor, masking any underlying apprehension with a facade of confidence.
Islinda huffed irritably, her frustration evident in the furrow of her brows and the sharpness of her tone. "This is not a laughing matter," she retorted firmly, her voice carrying a sense of seriousness that cut through Gabi’s lighthearted deanor.
Gabi’s sudden shift in deanor caught Islinda off guard, her grave tone sending a shiver down Islinda’s spine. "I never said it was a laughing matter," Gabi asserted, her words heavy with a raw emotion that Islinda hadn’t anticipated. As Gabi continued, her voice trembled with the weight of her experiences.
"You have been sheltered this whole ti in the Fae realm by Prince Aldric," Gabi began, her words tinged with bitterness. "You don’t know what it’s like to be the minority group in this realm, a second-class citizen of Astaria. You don’t know what it’s like for your pride to be trampled over and yet you can’t react against creatures far superior than you. You don’t know what it’s like to grovel and suck up to the Fae to survive. You don’t know what it’s like to see the light and hope vanish in your people’s eyes because you don’t know if things will ever get better." The raw honesty of Gabi’s words pierced through Islinda’s defenses.
"I’m not judging you at all!" Islinda retorted, her voice edged with frustration. "I just want to be sure that what you’re doing is worth risking your life for. I might not know what it’s like being in your shoes, but you don’t know what it’s like being with soone as unpredictable as Aldric. I have the right to be worried over soone I’m dragging into this ss!"
She added, "Also, I sure as hell crossed into your world for just a day, and I did make a difference. So yeah, I’ve tasted what it’s like being the minority group. You need not tell ," Islinda added, her words laden with the bitterness of her own experiences at Haven’s Reach.
It was unusual for Valerie to not interfere in the heat of the rising conflict but Islinda demanded earlier that he doesn’t interfere in the eting with Gabi and he seem to be doing well. Islinda was determined to handle the rest of the matter.
Valerie stood quietly at the edge of the room, observing the tension crackling between Islinda and Gabi. Though the sumr prince was usually quick to intervene, he remained uncharacteristically silent this ti, respecting Islinda’s earlier request to stay out of it. The tension in the room was thick, but Islinda remained resolute and focused, keeping things under control for now.
Gabi bowed her head in sha, her apology sincere as she acknowledged her lapse in judgnt. "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said those words," she murmured, her voice tinged with regret.
"It’s alright," Islinda responded, her tone gentle as she offered reassurance. She shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "At least I know you’re strong enough to handle whatever cos your way and you’re not just in for the fun of it."
"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to have fun while on duty serving you, my lady," Gabi teased, punctuating her jest with a playful ceremonial bow.
Islinda laughed at Gabi’s antics, her mirth interrupted when Milo caught her attention by lifting his hand. She straightened up, a curious expression crossing her features as she t Milo’s gaze. "What?" she inquired, her voice laced with amusent and anticipation, wondering what had prompted his sudden gesture.
"You haven’t said anything to , Mistress," Milo reminded her, his innocent eyes trained on her, filled with expectation.
"That’s because you wouldn’t be coming with , Milo. Aldric’s place is no place for a kid," Islinda rejected him firmly. She couldn’t fathom what she was supposed to do with the young boy in the unpredictable and often dangerous environnt of Aldric’s castle.
"I’m not a kid," Milo rebutted, his tone defiant.
"You’re fourteen, that makes you a kid," Islinda countered firmly.
"I’m a half-breed, that ans I’m far superior than the average human my age," Milo argued, his voice tinged with confidence. "You could use for a lot of things like manual labor. I’m especially good at keeping the stables in good condition. Most of all, I’ll stay by your side and keep you safe all the ti like a bodyguard."
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