Chapter Twelve: Despair.

Elizabeth awoke with a fever; she felt like someone who had fallen down the stairs. All the bones in her body were aching, and she felt like dying. Yesterday's events kept playing in her head over and over again; she had never felt so much pain in all her life.

And her poor slave girl, Aurora... Aurora was dead; she couldn't believe this. Aurora had been nothing short of loyal and such a good friend to her.

She remembered how she had taken her in back then in Vitalis when they were only just 15 years old. Aurora, who had stolen a matchstick, was arrested and about to be taken to prison. Elizabeth, who had been passing by and heard her miserable cries, took pity on her and hence took her in.

She turned to her side on the mat, letting her tears fall freely, wetting her blanket beneath her. How pathetic her life was; she had no one now. At this point, she didn't even know if her brother was still alive. She wished she could just die and forget all her pains and sorrow.

She placed her hand on her chest, trying to relieve the pain wracking at her chest... her heart.

"Elizabeth!" Alice hurried towards her and bent down, placing her hand on Elizabeth's forehead. "You're awake. I'm glad you're alright now."

Elizabeth made no reply and preferred to turn her face and cry silently. No, she didn't want to be okay; she wasn't okay and didn't think she'd ever be okay.

"Elizabeth, please stop crying; you're burning up," Alice cried, tears in her eyes. "I know how much you cared for that girl. Please calm down; it will all pass, okay?" She placed her hand on Elizabeth's face, using her fingers to wipe her tears.

"Oh, she's awake," Bella strode inside with Lisa, the girl who came to inform of the execution. She happened to be the third roommate.

Lisa was short and chubby with black hair and a square face; she was also from the kingdom of Gur, just like Alice, and she was a slave there as well.

"Yes, just now," Alice said without glancing at them.

"You shouldn't let it bother you too much," Lisa, who was usually compassionate, tried to offer some words of encouragement. "You'll get through it."

"Is she deaf," Bella snarled, glaring at Elizabeth, who was laying on the mat facing away from them.

"Bella," Lisa scolded, before reaching for Bella's arm and pulling her along, as Alice was angrily glaring at her. "Come on, let's go to the stable."

Alice drew a frustrating sigh before turning her attention back to a brooding and sad Elizabeth. "Here, I brought you some food."

"I'm not hungry."

"But you need to eat so that you can take the medicine," Alice explained, desperation in her tone.

"I don't want it."

"Please, Elizabeth."

No reply.

She sighed and then got up. "I have to go to the stable now; I'm already late. Please eat something, Elizabeth; you need to, please. I'll be back."

Elizabeth, on her part, was grateful to be left alone as she took the opportunity to cry and let it all out. She thoroughly missed her parents, brother, and Vitalis. How she wished she had listened to her mother and not snuck out to meet Nicholas, that bloody deceiver... it was all her fault. They were all dead because of her.

But how could the plumber lie to them that Nicholas was his son? Why did he betray her family, who had been nothing but nice and good to him? They should have investigated more, because in actuality, they didn't know of any son that belonged to the royal plumber.

The pain was too heavy in her heart; she just wanted the bone-shattering pain to end. She closed her eyes, letting fatigue overcome her as she fell asleep.

*******

Elizabeth awoke to the sound of giggles echoing aloud in the room. She turned her head to see Bella and Lisa before turning away again.

Bella walked up to her. "So you still haven't eaten your food?"

Elizabeth shook her head.

"And the medicine?"

She shook her head again.

"I know you're frustrated and sad and angry, but do you happen to know the troubles Alice encountered just to get that medicine for you? She was by your side all throughout the night," Bella said, livid.

"Bella is right; don't let it go to waste, please take it."

Elizabeth sat up slowly and turned a pale face towards both girls. "Really?"

"Just drink it," Bella scoffed before turning away to attend to other things.

"Please, just drink it," Lisa followed suit.

Elizabeth wondered if she was being unreasonable and unnecessarily selfish. Alice had been worried about her, and this was her way of paying her back?

She pulled the bowl closer, removed the covering, and took the spoon from the tray. It was a plain porridge stew; she sighed... she never ate such back then in Vitalis. She took a spoonful and almost threw up; it tasted plain and tasteless.

But she had to eat something so she could drink the medicine. She forced herself to eat some and was glad to put the bowl of porridge away. She took the medicine, which was inside a small bowl, black and thick, and drank it in one go. It tasted bitter, and she felt like puking, but she pushed it back.

She stood up and walked gingerly to the bathing area to have a bath because she was feeling greasy and sticky. After several minutes, she finished and left the bathing area and went to her room. She put on another plain white cloth.

After a minute, Arlene strode inside the room and ordered Elizabeth to follow her. "Prince Nicholas requests your presence."

Elizabeth was appalled; she hadn't even healed yet, and he was already requesting her presence? How brutal of him.

She sighed and resigned herself to her fate as she prepared to face the brute.