Chapter 29: Underground
It felt as though a hammer had been plunged down hard against Soleia’s skull by the time she woke up. Her eyelids felt heavy as she struggled to peel them open, and when she did, Soleia wondered for a second to herself if she even opened her eyes at all.
For one thing, her surroundings were immensely dark, and for another, everything smelt like the horrible sewage water that trickled under the town’s stone paths.
She strained her ears. In the distance, Soleia could hear the sound of water dripping. However, there was nothing much else she could catch― not even the squeaks of rats or mice.
Soleia’s lips parted, prepared to call out for help, but she paused. The word remained choked in her throat as she furrowed her eyebrow.
Perhaps it would be best to stay quiet. She wasn’t sure what the old storekeeper wanted with her, and if she knew that Soleia was awake, she might be served yet another cup of lavender tea to send her off to sleep.
Thus instead, Soleia slowly crawled to her feet before she walked forward. With every step she took, she could hear the crinkle of a metal chain, prompting her to look down.
Even though there was barely any light available, when she squinted, Soleia still caught sight of the reflective metal. Now that she had attempted to take a step, she could feel the difference as well― one of her legs had a new chain attached to it!
"That looks awfully nasty," someone said, causing Soleia’s ears to perk as she instantly looked up.
She instinctively reached into her pocket to find a self-defense weapon, only to find none. Panic instantly flared through her chest. However, it was quickly dispelled when she heard a familiar laughter.
"Calm down, Your Highness," the man said. A small light flickered before gently illuminating the speaker’s face, causing Soleia’s shoulders to drop, relaxed. "It’s just me."
"Sir Ralph!"