The morning sunlight streaming through the window, couldn't touch the cold that had settled deep inside Olivia's chest.
The first thing she felt when she opened her eyes wasn't peace but was the throbbing ache in her palm.
The makeshift cloth bandage she'd wrapped around it last night was already stained with dried blood, a very real reminder that what happened in the basement was not a dream.
Olivia exhaled slowly, like all the energy in her soul was escaping with the breath trapped in her chest.
"Huffff."
She kicked her legs against the soft mattress and patted her own small cheeks.
"It's okay. OLIVIA YOU HAVE TO BE STRONG!!" she said to herself, forcing a smile.
Then she hurried to get ready and slipped out of her room.
The moment she stepped out, she spotted Madam Irene emerging from Ophilia's chamber.
Madam Irene walked past, then stopped. And turned toward Olivia.
Olivia's heart immediately seized.
"Oh no, what if she saw me sneaking out last night. I'm finished,"
she thought, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Please don't," she begged internally.
A hand came to rest on her shoulder.
"Olivia. Lady Ophilia is eating her favourite chocolates. Go keep her company, she doesn't want anyone near her except you and Celine," Madam Irene said, her expression serious as always.
Olivia nodded and excused herself before stepping into Ophilia's room.
"Phewww," she exhaled internally.
She walked in with her cheeriest expression, like nothing had happened at all.
As usual she chatted with Ophilia, that was her role as personal attendant after all.
TOK TOK TOK.
"My lady , it is I, Celine," came Celine's soft voice from outside.
"Come in," Ophilia answered, watching for Celine to appear.
The moment Celine entered the room, the three of them fell into easy chatter, bright and lively as children always are.
Right in the middle of their fun, Madam Irene walked in.
Olivia immediately straightened and positioned herself beside Ophilia without missing a beat.
Madam Irene said nothing. She simply arranged a large spread of sweets on the table in front of them, then quietly excused herself.
Ophilia, who absolutely adored sweets, reached for a pudding without hesitation.
Before it reached her mouth ... Olivia stopped her.
"Ah ....my lafy, please allow me to taste it first. To make sure it's safe," she said, her face completely serious.
Both Ophilia and Celine went quiet and nodded.
"Mmm this is so good,"
Olivia whispered internally, eyes nearly rolling back from how good the pudding tasted.
"Okay. Safe," she declared, nodding with great authority.
And without another word the three of them settled into comfortable conversation, snacking on everything laid out before them.
"OHHH MY GOD!! THIS IS AMAZING," Olivia screamed inside her own head.
The cake that melted the moment it hit her tongue had her internally losing her mind.
"I really like these biscuits," Olivia said while chewing happily. She single-handedly worked through an entire jar of them until she was the only one left eating.
Ophilia laughed.
"If you like them that much just take them..you too, Celine," she said warmly, sliding the jar toward both of them.
Celine's eyes lit up as she reached in and picked her favourite.
Ophilia, who didn't particularly like sweets, took one anyway... then noticed Olivia hadn't taken anything else.
"Olivia, aren't you taking more?" Ophlia asked.
Just as Olivia was about to nod, something crossed her mind.
The boy in the basement.
She reached in and quietly took a few biscuits, wrapping them in her handkerchief under the table.
"You're not taking the whole jar?" Ophilia asked, looking slightly disappointed.
"Ahh !..it's fine, save the rest for Your Highness," Olivia said quickly.
"It's alright, there's plenty more. They can make more anytime I ask," Ophilia insisted.
Reluctantly, Olivia accepted the jar. Ophilia disappointed face immediately brightened.
"What can I do," Olivia thought, resigning herself with a tired expression.
Without anyone noticing, evening had crept in around them. As always the three of them eventually returned to their own rooms.
Ophlia's nanny would be with her through the night.
CLICK.
The door shut.
"Today felt like the longest day," Olivia murmured quietly.
But tonight her routine was different. Instead of sitting down to write her daily notes .... she had somewhere to be.
She cleaned herself up, then carefully wrapped the biscuits from Ophilia in her handkerchief and tucked them away.
She moved toward the door ...then stopped.
The guard.
She needed a reason.
Olivia pressed a hand dramatically against her stomach, wincing. She tucked the biscuits carefully inside her clothes. Then she picked up her lantern and smiled to herself.
Sneaky.
CLICK.
Her door opened. She shuffled out, still holding her stomach with great dedication.
"Owww... owww..."
"Where are you going?" the guard asked.
"I need to use the toilet," she said, clutching her stomach with full commitment.
The guard went quiet and let her pass.
"Thank youuu,"
she said .... and the moment she turned away
YESSS!! MISSION COMPLETE!!
She pumped her fist internally like she'd just won a battle.
She walked forward, checking left, right, ahead and behind to make absolutely sure no one was watching.
When she reached the garden she pushed through the overgrown bushes until she spotted the dry leaves she had carefully arranged over the secret entrance.
She descended the old wooden staircase slowly.
CREAK.
The old steps groaned loudly enough to fill the entire basement.
"SHHHH!!" Olivia hissed at the stairs.
Then she carefully eased the door open, making sure not to startle him.
Olivia stepped in slowly. The dim flame of her lantern danced against the damp stone walls. Her heart beat loud .... loud enough that she was sure the silence of the basement could hear it.
She moved toward the boy.
The golden chains around his wrists caught the faint lantern light and glimmered, a strange and heartbreaking sight.
Then , his eyes opened. Slowly.
Olivia nearly dropped the lantern.
He didn't scream. Didn't fight. He simply looked at her with eyes that seemed to have long forgotten what hope felt like. There was dried blood at the corner of his lip that made Olivia's chest squeeze tight.
"W...who?"
His voice was hoarse, nearly breaking, as if the words were being dragged from a throat that had long forgotten the taste of water.
Olivia swallowed hard, her throat feeling tight. With hands that trembled slightly, she pulled out the handkerchief filled with biscuits.
"I... I just want to help,"
Olivia whispered. Her voice was small, competing with the frantic thumping of her own heart.
"Here. Eat. You must be hungry, right?"
The boy went still. He stared at the biscuits in her hand, then looked up at her, her small, sincere, warm face.
It was a sight so alien to his world of shadows. Something in his eyes shifted.
The hollow emptiness was slowly replaced by a thousand unasked questions.
He reached for the biscuits with a desperate urgency, as if they might vanish if he was a second too late.
"Hey... slowly,"
Olivia whispered softly.
His chewing slowed immediately. He followed her instruction without a word, as if Olivia's voice was the only law he ever wanted to obey.
Olivia's lips curved into a bright smile.
"Aww, good boy."
The boy's eyes widened. That word... it felt sweeter than the biscuit melting on his tongue. He stopped chewing, frozen, staring at her face as if he were seeing a miracle.
"I have to go now. Tomorrow... if I can, I'll come back,"
Olivia whispered, picking up her lantern. Before stepping out, she turned back one last time.
"Finish those, okay?"
Olivia walked away with light steps, leaving the darkness behind. She didn't realize that in that basement amidst the rot, the cold, and the silence she had left behind something far more precious than food.
She had left behind hope.
"So bright,"
the boy whispered softly, his eyes still fixed on the closed door. For the first time in a life defined by chains, his lips slowly, tentatively, curved into a smile.
TO BE CONTINUED..