“Even if it is, how will you open it?” I ignore Eliza again and step forward, feeling myself getting pulled toward the bookcase gently. “Mistress?” Eliza says behind me but her voice seems dull somehow. I put my hand on the case and push; it turns to the side with ease. “Oh my gosh,” Eliza utters as she steps inside with me. The room is pitch- black, with no windows and no other door except the bookcase. A glass partition obscures my view in the center of the room. I step closer and see a man in shackles, breathing laboriously and looking deathly thin. He can’t seem to move any other body part, but one look at his hazel eyes and I’m sure I know who this man is.
“It’s him,” I say out loud.
Chapter Sixteen
“I’ll get you out of here,” I whisper as Eliza rushes to pull me back outside.
“Have you lost your mind?” she angrily tells me while dragging me all the way back to my room. “If we had gotten caught, it would’ve been the end for the both of us! What about your promise to earn the trust of your people? You made such bold statements earlier and yet you keep doing reckless things!” She shuts the door to my room behind her.
I bury my head in the palms of my hands and ignore Eliza’s admonishments. “Eliza, I can’t believe it. He’s real, and he’s here. Inside my own home.” I try to shake the image of Gregory’s father out of my head but I can’t. Eliza sighs beside me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “You know, a small part of me didn’t want to believe it. A very small part of me held on to the hope that maybe, my family isn’t that bad. That we wouldn’t be as cruel to keep someone imprisoned for a very long time. That maybe,” I look at Eliza in her eyes, “maybe there’s still a small part of humanity left in this household. I guess I was wrong,” I say, feeling my heart get heavier by the minute. “I mean, even you were taken in as a… slave,” I note carefully, and Eliza stares blankly at her hands.
“You play with the cards you’re dealt with in life, Mistress. What happened in the past is something we can’t change. But now, the power to change your fate is in your hands.” She leans her head on my shoulder and sighs, and we stay like that for a while.
“What are you going to do now?” she asks.
“I have to tell Gregory. He needs to know I found his father. I don’t know what to do after that, though.” I pull out my phone from my pocket. “I’ll figure it out tomorrow,” I express, and Eliza leaves to let me rest my head.
***
My grandmother’s booming voice wakes me up the next morning. “Isabela! Come down at once,” she demands, barreling through my door, not bothering to knock. I nod and try to rub the sleep from my eyes.
“It’s a Saturday, I don’t have work today,” I huff, attempting to hide a yawn.
“These are your new bodyguards,” my grandmother blurts out simply. Behind her, five men greet me with a bow.
Well, that woke me up completely.
“I—uh, what for, Queen Mother?” I ask hesitantly. She fixes her gaze at me.
“To protect you, child. These days are crucial for our family.” She pulls me closer to her. “Remember your promise last night. You need to survive.” I don’t dare question her authority after that. “There’s no need to learn their names or ranks,” she says to me and turns to the guards. “You may only address her as Your Highness. I don’t want you befriending the princess to lessen the chance of her manipulating you into doing her bidding.” My grandmother slyly eyes me and smirks. I fight the urge to talk back and just watch her walk away.
“I’m not manipulative, you know.” I smile at the guards and they simultaneously look at the ground in response. “I’m actually quite nice!” I quip cheerily only to be met with silence. “Does this mean you’ll follow me wherever I go?” I ask and they nod.Okay then, how am I supposed to meet Gregory if I have a couple of tails following me?I sigh and start walking to the cabin where we house the Omegas. Hearing the clunky military boots trail after me gives me a bit of anxiety but I try to shrug it off. “Hello, good morning!” I greet as I open the door. The dark, windowless room is shared by a couple of teenagers, some of whom are huddled in one corner, shivering and already whimpering.
“Greet Your Highness properly, you dimwits!” a guard yells and they crawl near my feet.
“That was unnecessary,” I hiss and order the guards to stand outside the room. I crouch down to look at them in their eyes. “You don’t have to be so scared of me, you know? I’m here to take care of you. We’ll get you strong and healthy so you can be better pack members!” I smile at them, but it’s clear that they’re very apprehensive to trust me.This is going to take a lot of work. “I’m here to protect you, I won’t…throw you to the wolves, so to speak.” A girl, maybe my age with the same green eyes, stares at me and grabs my hands with her trembling ones. I smile at her. “Why don’t we start today by having breakfast?” They look at one another and slowly bob their heads.
I hear someone gasp beside me. “Vera looks like you, Your Highness!” A boy around seven years old suddenly blurts out after having a mouthful of pancake.
“Stop that! Show some respect for the princess!” A girl around his age slaps his hand.
“It’s quite alright,” I say with a chuckle. “Who is Vera?” Looking around the room, I spot the same girl from earlier with green eyes. “Is it you?” I ask softly and she nods slowly. I eye her up and down, and then a sudden idea sparks in my mind. “I have a favor to ask you, Vera.” I smile innocently.
Chapter Seventeen
“You’ve gone insane,” Eliza says and eyes me incredulously.
“I have not, and this is going to work. Trust me.”
“Mistress, why can’t you just text him or something?” Eliza asks.
“It’s too delicate. I need to tell him in person, so we can plan ahead.” I clasp my hands and pout at Eliza. “Eliza, please. You just need to drive Vera to the café, and that’s where we’ll switch places. She’ll be back here in the estate, and I’m going to stay at Nina’s tomorrow after I meet up with Gregory. I’ll be back in the morning, and we’ll switch places again after that. It’s simple.” I sway her hands in mine and she shrugs me off.
“It’s not that simple, your grandmother will find out.”
“But no one comes into my room on a weekday. Everyone has work around the estate, and my grandmother’s going to pay a visit to an old friend of hers tomorrow. She won’t be back until late at night. If I don’t do this tonight, I won’t get another chance. You have to help me.” She sighs and I know I’ve won her over.
“Fine! Go, before I change my mind.” She practically pushes me out of my bedroom door and into the arms of my bodyguards.