Begged to be Heard
"No! I swear I didn't know what you're talking about. I just came from that store not a minute ago!" Seira countered.
Whispers and hushed tone of standpoints erupt from the passers-by and onlookers who curiously peeked at the commotion. Arthur takes notice of the sudden and confused disturbance of the crowd. He released his hold on Seira's hair and instead grabbed her arm "As a guard of the Adeosian Kingdom and you as a rightful citizen of this prosperous nation, I will verify your claim as I promote equality"
Seira gritted her teeth to the insincere and deceitful statement of the guard. She was sure that the man was neither promoting anything righteous. He doesn't even sound honest when he says those words. Just what is her fate being tangled to these kinds of people?
She pushed herself up as the guard hauled her to the store she pointed earlier with the coachman on her side who was facing the concrete floor and not even sparing her a glance.
Arthur opened the door of the store.
Seira could feel her heart pounding against her chest. Trickles of sweat ran down on the side of her face.
Natalia and his father appear as soon as they enter the building. Their faces were the same, cold and void of any emotion.
"How may we help you?" Natalia asked.
"Does this woman go here?" Arthur asked instantly.
Seira stared at Natalia intently. Her heart was pounding in nervousness and hope. They are her key to escape from her current dilemma.
The father and daughter looked at each other. After a few seconds of staring, the old man nodded to Natalia while the latter slightly gasped as she tried to maintain her cold demeanor.
"No" the young woman said flatly, staring directly at Arthur's eyes.
Shocked was understatement to what Seira is feeling. She couldn't believe that the two lied about her when it was so obvious that she was in a predicament. It is understandable that she was only a complete stranger and customer but still, lying when they both know the truth is unjust.
"NO ITS NOT TRUE! PLEASE I'M BEGGING TELL THEM THE TRUTH!"
The two look away with a stern expression on their faces. Seira's head fell as tears gathered up in her eyes. It seemed they had made up their mind.
"Like what I predicted" Arthur muttered. He grabbed a full of Seira's hair and savagely dragged her outside the store.
"AHHH!" Seira tried to remove the hand of the man on his hair but it was no use.
"PLEASE STOP! IT IS NOT ME! PLEASE TELL THEM THE TRUTH!"
Before the guard dragged her away from the store, she caught sight of Natalia who somehow looked regretful.
If she was feeling guilty, then why did they lie about her? What's the reason that they cannot tell a simple truth? Just why?
Seira tried to pull away her arms for the nth time but it was no use at all. Her skin was already stinging and red.
"I told you she is a thief"
"She looks like she will steal, right?"
"A peasant will be a peasant. Low class people"
It is one of the many mocking words and blunt remarks that she heard in the crowd as they passed by. She clenched her fist, pulling her arms again.
"I DIDN'T STEAL THAT NECKLACE! PLEASE! YOU WILL GET NOTHING FROM ME!" she yelled.
Arthur stopped for a moment; tugging Seira towards him. He moved his face closer to her right ear "That's where you're wrong Miss, I don't care if it is you or not. The only important thing that I should do was to show you. I mean no criminal will confess to her crimes right?" He whispered, enough for him and Seira to hear only.
Seira's lips fell open and gazed at the man with shock, she couldn't believe what she just heard from the man.
"Don't think about calling for help cause no one will help you slut especially if a noble from Arcadis is involved"
As if her state is not the worst already, a sudden heavy feeling hit her stomach. Dread envelopes her mind and body. Her fear doubled. She can endure anything but there's no way that she will go back to that place of monsters. She will not take a single step there no matter what happens.
Seira raised her eyes to the man and swallowed hard, "Are you taking me to Arcadis?"
"Of course, you will die in that place. You should consider yourself lucky that you got to enter the place that everyone dreamed of whether you're the thief or not"
She wanted to laugh. Why would she consider herself lucky when she barely escaped that place of monsters? She will choose death rather than setting a foot in Arcadis.
"I will not go there"
"Unfortunately for you, I need to present a living person to my Lord"
She gritted her teeth. Without a second thought, she bit the man's arm as hard as she could; pushed him and ran away from the public square.
"AH! YOU BITCH! GET BACK HERE!"
Arthur faced Simon—the coachman of the lady who lost the necklace, who was too startled to move an inch. "What are you doing?! Follow her! You dumbass!" he ordered loudly, making the poor man jump to his feet and run.
Seira turns in the alleyway that she catches sight of. The stinky narrow lane is gloomy compared to the well-lit streets of the town as the sun rays were blocked by the solid thick walls of the buildings. The sounds of the carriages on the roads on either side ricocheted from one side to the other. Fortunately, she managed to bring her bag on her flight but she didn't take hold of the birdcage. She wanted to go back to search for the poor bird but she was afraid that the man would capture her.
She leaned against the brick wall, breathing hard. Her eyes were busy roaming around to check out her surroundings. After a few minutes, she took off her skirt fully revealing her white one piece dress. She put the skirt in the trash bin behind her then untied the scarf that was covering the half of her face. Thankfully, the scarf didn't fall from how hard the guard tugged her hair, it just loosen a little. Then she tied her scarf to her waist as a belt of her dress. Using the small puddle of water on the street, she cleaned her face; wiping the stain of blood and dirt, and combing her disheveled hair using her fingers.
She didn't want to resort to taking off her headscarf but she has no choice at the moment. In order for her to successfully escape, she needs to be a different person from the woman that the men remembered her to be.
"Okay, you can do this Seira"
Taking a deep breath, she moves towards the way out of the dark alley; clutching the cage and her bag tightly.
The men gaze at Seira in wonder while the ladies look at her with bitterness and envy. The long straight white hair that resembles the snow swayed beautifully on every step Seira takes. Her fair complexion glows from the orange-gold light of the setting sun kissing every feature of her face from her pointed nose, perfectly structured face, plump pale lips, and long eyelashes. The passers-by were enthralled by the russet tint, warmed by an inner gold in her eyes.
Seira was unaware of the widened eyes and shuffled noises of the stunned crowd she was passing through. She moved her feet briskly to her destination —the train station. If she was not mistaken the afternoon train would leave any minute from now.
The coachman with an exhausted expression suddenly appeared from one of the passageways. Seira's heart leaped. Eye's widening in panic and cold sweat beads on her forehead. The man glanced at her way, staring directly into her eyes. She takes a step backward, getting ready to run as adrenaline surges in her body; getting ready to make an escape once again.
The man walked to his left after a while. She let out a huge exhalation of pent-up breath that she didn't know she was holding.
Seira shakily resumed her walk but more like running on the gateway of the town, vaguely aware of the protruding stone base in the road; making her lose her balance and fall on the ground, face-first into the concrete surface. She winced in pain.
"Ouch" she raised her hand to her nose when she felt a liquid flowing from it. As expected, blood stained her fingers. "Damn" she mumbled, opening her hand-woven knitted sling bag to get her kerchief.
"Here, you can use this," said a manly voice.
A fair hand holding a neat gray kerchief folded in a small square with gold design in the edges appeared in front of her. She glanced up and a man with red hair was smiling at her; his dimples were on display.