Chapter 71: Forced Laughter

Chapter 71: Forced Laughter When morning came, the air in the palace was heavy. Everyone had hoped Lia’s awakening would bring nothing but joy- a miracle, a relief. But instead...it broke their hearts in ways none of them were prepared for. Even as grief gnawed at them, they forced their smiles, pretending everything was fine. A wheelchair had been prepared for her. Tasks that once seemed effortless, standing, dressing, and moving, now required assistance. Maids helped her bathe and change her clothes, their practiced smiles trembling at the corners. They worked gently, carefully, swallowing the lump in their throats as they dressed the princess they had watched grow up, now reduced to this fragile state. What broke their hearts into smaller pieces was the way she still smiled at them all and acted okay, though it was clear in how her eyes didn’t seem to focus on them at all. She seemed to look at them, smile at them, but clearly her mind was elsewhere. This was too much of a heartbreaking sight, one of the maids excused herself to go get a fresh towel, but went out to shed her tears. They hoped she would at least show her pain, not hide it. Why was she smiling at them all and being as polite as ever? What if she bottled it all up and one day it all came spilling out? Couldn’t she be more honest with herself? But through all this, none of them dared speak the thought that haunted them all: Will she ever walk again? Would they ever see her bumbling little self running about with that beautiful laughter she had, dragging her siblings along? Mozrael came over very early that morning—something Lia would always do to her and Aramith. She had to pause at the door, calm herself down, then enter with a forced smile. She did it so well that she believed it was a genuine smile. "Good Morning, Lia!" She jumped before Lia, bending towards her with her hands on her back. She looked cute in that manner, and awkward at the same time, which made Lia laugh. "What’s that hahaha!" Lia laughed, wiping a tear. The laughter sounded fake to even a stranger, but Mozrael believed it was real—she had to. "I’m just bowing to greet you," Mozrael said softly, though slightly abashed. "You look like a sunflower bowing to the sun!" Lia laughed louder Mozrael panicked, her face flushing more. Was it that odd? She turned, looking at her dress like a puppy chasing its tail. "But my dress isn’t yellow...," she muttered, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She deflated like a balloon, wanting to go hide under the ground. "...it’s blue..." "It’s okay, bouncy little sunflower. I missed you too," Lia stretched her arms. Mozrael smiled back, rushing to hug Lia back. "Okay, now it’s time." Mozrael suddenly stood straighter, went behind Lia, and pushed her out with tremendous speed down the corridor. "MOZRAEL!" Lia screamed in actual fear as they passed by three confused guards. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOPP!" Lia feared for her life once more as she heard several servants jump out of the way to avoid being run over by a wheelchair. Mozrael pushed her faster than a warhorse on fire. "PLEASE CALM DOWN!" Lia begged, but Mozrael only laughed harder, zipping past people like a crazed demon. Suddenly, Lia’s fear turned to ecstasy as she started to laugh along with possessed Mozrael. "This is fun hahaah!" She whooped, raising her hands. But her joy was short-lived, turning to panic as she suddenly realized they’d been going straight for too long. It would be almost impossible to turn if they wanted to. "Mozrael?" She called out, but Mozrael had a smile on her face and refused to respond. "Mozrael!" Lia called out again as they kept speeding. Lia struggled, trying to stop Mozrael. She begged and begged, but the always shy girl seemed to have snapped, turning into a monster of excitement. Lia gripped Mozrael’s hands tightly, nails digging into her skin, but the girl seemed not to feel it at all. her eyes were focused on what was ahead of them—doors! Just when they got close enough and Lia’s screams intensified, Mozrael opened her mouth to shout one word. "Open!" The doors opened within a fraction of a second, just as the two entered. A chorus of voices sounded. "SURPRISEEEE!!!" But the surprise was for them instead. In the room were Henndar, Kethra, and Aramith, as well as a lot of maids and servants who stood clapping in front of a towering cake. The room was beautifully decorated and everything should have been perfect, but then... Everyone’s smiles turned to shock as gasps filled the air. Mozrael stopped too abruptly, and as she watched Lia fly off above everyone else, that was when she realized she had forgotten to strap Lia to the wheelchair. "Oh no,’ was all she managed to say, frozen. Lia’s scream pierced everyone’s ears, and Henndar, ever the dramatist, grinned, grabbed Aramith by the collar, and without a single word, hurled him towards Lia like a javelin. "Wait, what?" Aramith didn’t know when or how he found himself in the air, flying to meet Lia, but he thought quickly and narrowly avoided disaster, catching Lia in an embrace. "Oh no, not the cake," Aramith knew there was no way to avoid crashing into the cake. He spotted the lead baker fall to his knees in tears. "My cake!" He cried out like he’d lost his lover. As they spun towards the cake, Henndar sprang into the air with the elegance of a swan, catching them both easily with one arm and spinning to the ground with them, landing right before the cake. Aramith immediately understood how he ended up there, casting a small glare at his father before trying to calm Lia down. Tears were wiped, and applause resounded in the room as all nodded at Henndar’s timely catch. Mozrael recovered, pushing the wheelchair before the three as Henndar gently put Lia down in her seat. Kethra smiled with everyone, but the moment Henndar looked into her eyes, she passed a thumb across her throat, causing Henndar to gulp and find something to do. Henndar came up with the idea, and they planned it all the previous night, right after Lia went back to sleep, quickly preparing this welcome party to celebrate Lia’s waking up. They were worried that she wouldn’t easily cheer up, but the dramatic entrance had lightened the mood, giving everyone the chance to act natural. It came as a surprise, but Lia was acting herself, laughing and joking with everyone as she always did, and her appetite was the same. Mozrael was the one who surprised them all. Suddenly, she’d broken her shell and become very lively, having the same kind of energy Lia mostly had. Henndar and Kethra had to go off later on, but Aramith and Mozrael spent the rest of the day with Lia. She had a lot to catch up on. One matter that Mozrael wasn’t too happy about was Kesha’s absence. Her share of the delicacies was sent to her room as she decided she wouldn’t step out. After hearing about the girl who liked white as much as she did, Lia was very intrigued and wanted to meet the girl who saved her life, and wanted to snatch her brother. [-_-] Mozrael gave excuses to go out and secretly call Kesha, but Kesha remained holed up in her room, refusing to come out. No one would have expected that the princess of the Glacial Empire was holed up in her room because she was too busy experimenting on rats till night fell. While the three siblings had spent a full day laughing till they slept in Aramith’s room like they used to, Kesha was trying to find answers—answers she wanted evidence on before believing. She sat before a table with the caged rat she’d used for the demonstration. It was still unmoving, unconscious, and breathing slowly. She kept checking the time, and when she was certain it was time, she took a syringe with the antidote and injected it into the rat. Instantly, the rat got up, squeaking and breathing quickly. It took a while before the breathing returned to normal. Kesha observed the rat for a while, then struck the side of the cage to frighten it. It tried to scurry away, but its hind limbs did not respond, dragging behind it like liquid. Her frown deepened, and she hit the sides of the cage again, observing how it moved to pinpoint exactly where the paralysis started. She used its confusion and fear to direct it till it was in the middle of the cage. With her teeth clenched, she went and picked another caged rat, placing it on the table. This one was healthy, untouched by any poisons or drugs. She took a piece of meat and lifted it into the air. Both rats raised their noses and followed the scent of the meat till they were stopped by the cage. She observed how each rat moved, how they each lifted their noses, and how each rat followed the meat with their eyes. She tore the meat into two pieces- a bigger piece and a very small piece. Approaching the healthy rat, she brought the two pieces of meat to the cage, the bigger one to its right, and the smaller one to its left. It sniffed them both, then turned to the bigger piece, but the cage held it back as it squeaked in pain, mouth-watering. She switched the order; bigger piece first, smaller second. Still, the rat went straight for the bigger one. It sniffed it, then tried to get close to the meat. She raised the bigger piece, and the rat sniffed it. It compared the two, then immediately went toward the bigger piece. She hid the pieces and repeated the act, but this time brought the bigger piece before the smaller one. It still went for the bigger piece. She nodded in understanding, then went to the paralytic rat. She repeated the test five times before it, then realized it always chose whatever came second after sniffing them. Kesha had hoped, but her guess was right, and to confirm it, she took a metal rod and tried poking the healthy rat with it. The rat dodged the moment it saw it, but the other rat... didn’t react till the rod touched it. Even when she brought it toward its eye... nothing. Not a blink, not a flinch. "It’s blind," she confirmed and collapsed onto the bed, defeated. "Poor Lia..." she whispered, closing her eyes with an expression that seemed to mix sorrow from the crease in her eyebrows, pity from how her lips turned, and anger from her clenched jaws. She smashed a fist into the bed. If only they’d listened and given her the cure earlier...