I followed Luke through the corridors as we walked out, taking different routes which was far away from the place I was cleaning a while ago. It seemed like Luke knew the house well as he kept changing directions as we came across multiple passages.
"Keep your head down," Luke said in a low voice and I was about to ask why when I heard someone's footsteps heading towards us. I kept my eyes down and my head slightly bowed, for some reason I felt he didn't want the person looking at me.
"Lucian, what a surprise to see you here," a man spoke in a cheerful voice. The only view I had were a pair of expensive leather shoes, "I didn't know you were visiting."
"Hello, Jamie," Luke greeted him politely, "You look the same since the last time I saw you," he said and I heard the man give out a dry laugh. The name rang a bell in my head but I couldn't recollect where I heard it. Of course! He was the king's youngest brother.
"When are you leaving?" the prince then asked, his tone changing to a serious one.
"Whenever I please to," Luke replied calmly.
"You asshole you better leave by noon. I'm going to ask my brother to kick you out for what you have done," Jamie said in anger and saw him retreating with his footsteps.
"I don't think it'll happen, after all your brother insisted for me to stay longer," and from the corner of my eyes I saw Luke yawning, "Anyways it was nice seeing you, brat," Luke said walking ahead but moved to my side to dodge a flying vase which broke into pieces on the floor.
When I turned behind there was no one in sight, Jamie must have left right after throwing the vase. I looked at the vase and then at Luke. His face was serious until it broke into a grin and he said,
"I'm a very likable person."
"I can see that."
As we passed through the corridors the place got darker with lesser lights and it looked like we were entering the underground area. There was no sight of anyone as we walked the dark and narrow passage. When we reached a certain door Luke stopped in front of it to open the door.
Stepping inside the room I saw my friend Marc sitting on a metal bench while his head was raised with closed eyes towards the little opening like a window. Seeing his legs chained to the side bars I turned towards Luke in question who stood to look at my friend quietly.
"Marc?" I called out his name and he opened his eyes to look in my direction. Seeing me he smiled widely.
"Lilly, what are you doing here?" he asked me surprised.
"To see how you were doing of course. Why are you chained up?" I asked walking to where he was and taking a seat next to him.
"The doc said it's just a precaution so that I don't transform and kill them," he shrugged, "The food they provide is pretty good. It's been just a day so far it's been decent."
"Glad to hear that," I said with a relief, "I imagined you having a lot of wires sticking in your skin with beeping monitors and an electric head cap on your head."
"He's not Frankenstein," Luke said with an amused look.
"You never know how these people's procedure is," I said after all this entire place was different.
"I'll go check on the doctor about Marc's progress," Luke said opening the door again but he stopped to turn towards me, "We'll leave here in ten minutes, Lillian," he said and with that, he left the room. When I looked at Marc's arm his wound was missing, my eye brows furrowed in confusion.
"Your wound-"
"It's gone, I know," Marc said in an amazed tone, touching where he previously injured his arm, "They injected me with some black stuff and in the morning it was gone. I guess we can leave this place sooner than we thought."
"I guess but do you feel anything weird or different?" I asked him making sure he was alright.
"Nope, nothing different but I do feel hungry at times but then the doc said it was normal to feel that," he replied to which I nodded.
"I see," I sighed, Marc could go back to living as a human than being shot here. It was such a relief hearing he was getting better.
"How's work at the palace?" he asked me.
"Nothing much as of now it's just dusting and cleaning," I said and saw him nod.
"That's great, I'm glad they didn't put you in the kitchen. You would burn up the whole place," he chuckled and I elbowed him, "Ow, Lilly. You're injuring the patient," I rolled my eyes.
"It was just once."
"Everything starts with the first time."
"But it didn't happen again."
"I see a future for it," he sang earning a smack on his head. We stayed quiet for few seconds until he broke the silence, "I like Luke."
"Not just because he fights well. Boy, I would love to fight like him one day," he said admiration in his eyes and then cleared his throat realizing he was getting side tracked. He took both my hands in his as he spoke now seriously, "I don't know if you're still stuck on to your past but hopefully you have moved on from that phase. I haven't come across a person who is so attached to another in such a short time. Luke's been taking good care of you and that is all any of us could ask from him."
"I'm having a déjà vu," I said while I stretched my legs, "I have moved on, though sometimes it stings and I feel stupid for believing someone I hardly knew. I put my family in danger."
"You're not stupid, Lilly. It was just a wrong guy you put your trust in. Okay?" he asked me with a smile.
"Okay," I smiled back at him.
In the evening I was sent with two other maids to clean the side of the north tower which who was quite reluctant about it but didn't say anything. The north tower stairs were deserted with no one in sight. Was the place haunted? I thought to myself.
I took the brown cloth and wiped the already clean black grill which had no actual dust on it. Unconsciously my thoughts drifted to Marc's recovery. Truthfully I didn't know what I would do if Marc had turned into a complete crossbreed, Luke had said I would have had to kill him which I was sure he knew I wouldn't.
I smiled thinking how funny it would be in a comical scene to have Marc with a fluffy tail and ears. I heard a small growl as I cleaned.
"We'll leave you for this section to clean," one of the maids said making me look at her now. The maid with her other fellow girl hurried down the stairs while leaving me behind perplexed.
"What happened?" I asked myself that's when I heard a deep growl behind me.