THE Knight's Hidden Princess
Chapter 186: Depressing Thoughts

Chapter 186: Depressing Thoughts

DAHLIA POV

I was locked in the hole for a week with no food and water. By the time they let me out I could barely walk on my own two feet so I had to be dragged out. Luckily for me it was during nighttime so I didn’t have to worry about going to spin the wheel. The guards were not gentle with me, they shoved me back into the cell and I fell on my face as they shut the door open.

The first thing I could think off as I laid in the dirt was food. I was so damn hungry and thirsty too. My throat was dry and if I didn’t get any water soon, I was going to die of dehydration and food? Gods, I would kill for a piece of lamb chops right now!

But it seems I was going to be dying soon. If it wasn’t from dehydration, the worms inside of me that were gnawing at my intestines might probably kill me if I didn’t get any food in my stomach soon. Perhaps this was how I die. Death by hunger and lack of moisture! Gods, what a pathetic way to die, I can already imagine what would be written on my headstone.

Here lies Dahlia Hawthorne, hated princess, most hated daughter, piece of shit protector and a failure both as a wife and a mother.

Yeah, fuck my pathetic life!

"Stop whining and eat this." A gruff voice suddenly interrupted my quiet obituary for my self.

I cracked an eye open only to see a hooded figure standing over me with a plate of food and water in the other hand.

"Bra...Branderson?" I called my voice raw and scratchy even to my own ears.

"Well I ain’t no fairy godmother that’s damn sure." Branderson responded earning a chuckle from me.

I managed to pull myself up into a sitting position, leaning against the wall for support. "You read that book?"

"If you are asking about the one where a prince found a girl through a shoe, then yeah I did read it." Branderson said before he lowered himself beside me, "But if you ask me, I think it was just a book about a man who has serious issues with women’s feet."

I groaned again as I let my head fall back against the wall. "Please do not ruin a children’s book." I said before I turned to look at the plate in Branderson’s hand. "Is that mine?"

"No, it’s mine." Branderson replied and I nodded my head but he handed me the plate, "But it’s yours if you want it."

Smiling, I collected the plate from Branderson. I knew there was a good guy somewhere inside Brandy, hey that’s not a bad name! I thought to myself as I shortened Branderson.

"Do I even want to know what that look on your face is for?"

I turned to look at him, my lips stretching wide into a smile that must have looked scary to him because he was staring at me with raised brows. "I just gave you a new name that I’m sure you will like."

"I highly doubt that."

"Brandy."

Branderson now looked horrified. He cocked his head at me, then narrowed those black eyes of his into slits. "Do you have a death wish kid?"

"Come on, the name is nice. It will grow on you." I said shoulder bumping him while he just stared at me like I’ve lost my mind.

"Don’t ever call me that, I will slit your throat!"

I laughed loudly, even though it was hoarse but it was the first laugh I had in weeks and it was very good. Except Brandy wasn’t laughing which meant he probably had no sense of humor or he was serious. "You can’t be serious?" I asked still smiling, a smile Branderson didn’t return. "Oh gods above, you are serious!" I muttered and now I was the one who had a horrified look on my face.

Branderson rolled his eyes at me, shaking his head a little bit. I would have laughed at the sight of a man his age doing something so petty but he just threatened to slit my throat so I held in my laughter. Instead I stared down at the food on my plates, which was nothing but rice balls.

How disappointing! I thought to myself as I contemplated whether or not to surrender to the angry worms in my stomach or just eat a dirty rice ball.

"Well it’s no lamb chops but I bet it will have to do." Branderson said and I looked up at him in surprise.

"You heard me?"

Branderson gave me a half shrug in response. "It was hard not to considering that’s the only thing you were mumbling when they threw you in. So just settle with that."

Picking up the rice ball I smiled at Branderson, "Thank you."

"Don’t thank me kid." Branderson said and I wanted to ask him not to call me kid but he spoke again, "I know what you are trying to do."

The rice ball tasted like dry regret and sawdust but I still continued to chew. I was starving and beggars cannot be choosers. "Trying to do what?" I asked through mouthful of my rice balls of disappointment.

Branderson didn’t answer immediately instead he stared at me with those dark eyes as if he could reveal every thoughts in my head. "You know the most dangerous thing in the world kid?"

"Rice balls that taste like it had been squashed by the boots of those evil scum outside?"

Branderson snorted at me, it wasn’t a laugh but it was close. "Hope." Branderson said, "It’s the most dangerous thing in the world. You don’t have it you die. You have it, then it tears apart with a whole lot of emotions until it slowly eats you and it’s becomes hard to escape."

"Thank you for that really depressing conversation." I said before I turned back to my food, "As if my life in here isn’t depressing enough." I mumbled the last part.

"Depressing but true, this is your life now whether you want to believe it or not."

I shook my head refusing to believe that what he said is true. "I am not staying here, I am going to get out of here."

Branderson snorted before he stood up "I told myself that for the last ten years. I know you are trying to give the people hope with that little stunt you pulled today. Just do me a favor? Stop trying to be a hero, you are going to get yourself and everyone associated with you killed!"

I smirked as I glared at him, "I thought heroes always die alone."

"Unfortunately that isn’t the case with you." Branderson said with a wry smile, "You Westward fear dying alone and like to take a lot of good people with you." He said and before I could ask him what he meant by that, he had already walked away.

I blinked wondering what he meant. This was the first time he would be referring to me by my last name and not the current one. I raised my head up to stare at Branderson retreating figure. I wanted to go after him, I have it in mind to go after him but I was just still hungry and tired. My mind still couldn’t stop replaying what he had said, it almost feels personal.

I drank the water from the cup as I stared at the corner where Branderson had gone to seat, drawing his hood tight over him.

"Hey."

Looking up, I found Ilyana and her mother Loraine approaching where I sat. Loraine immediately inspected my body. "Are you okay, you were gone for a long time? Longer than most."

"Yeah, I had already started telling people you were dead." Ilyana said and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Well, sorry to disappoint." I said to which Ilayana grinned at as she patted my shoulders.

Loraine shuffled closely, "By the way you should be dead. What the hell were you thinking running around?"

"Looking for a way out?"

"So did you find it?"

"I already told you there’s no way out." Loraine said at the same time that her daughter spoke. "Listen to me carefully, what you did was reckless and stupid."

Ilyana arched a brow up at her mother. "But you were claiming it was impressive days ago?"

"And look where that got her."

Shaking my head I leaned backwards, "Yeah well, I’m not giving up."

"Yeah well, you will die alone." Loraine said as she eased away from me, "I just don’t know who will kill you first, your stupidity or Branderson Skolgard!"

Blinking, I turned to look at her with confusion on her face. "And why will Branderson kill me?"

Loraine and Ilyana both stared at me like I was crazy. "You didn’t know?" Ilyana asked me, "Your father was the one who put him in here after he made him watch the slaughtering of his family."