Chapter 3

They walked together to Alia's house. When they arrived, Lewis saw an old wooden shack in the village. The house was away from the other houses as they needed more space for farming. Lewis turned his head to look at Alia.

Alia's face looks troubled. Maybe she's worried that her parents couldn't understand her feelings and abandoned her.

He patted her back shoulder to encourage her. She looked better than before. She finally found the nerve to walk to her house and called her parents from the outside, so Lewis can see her.

After a few moments, the door opened, and showed an old man and woman at the door. They were her parents.

"Father... I..."

Before she could finished her sentence, her father walked to her and slapped her face.

"Where the he'll have you gone? Don't you know we have a lot of work to do today?"

He dragged her head to show her the stable.

"Look at the cattle, they're starving! All because of you!" Shouted her father.

"You're too soft on her, dear." Her mother finally spoke. "You should kick and punch her to teach her a lesson, so that she won't avoid her work anymore."

"You're right, honey." He let go of her head and kicked her stomach.

"Arghhh!" Alia screamed in pain.

"Stop it!" Lewis shouted from afar.

"Who's that?" Her father asked. He looked at Alia and gave her a murderous look. "Maybe that's your lover?"

"So that's why you were gone frequently now." Said her mother.

Lewis approached Alia's father who gave a look that want to kill people.

"You shouldn't do that to your own daughter. Don't you have love for her?" Lewis asked the father.

"Love?" Said the father. "There's no such a thing from us to her. She's just a kid that I have to take care out of my friend request. Now that he's died in the war, I have to look out for her now."

"You!" Lewis patient finally blew up. He threw a punch to his face.

Alia's father swayed by the punch for a second. When he covered himself, he threw back a punch to Lewis's face. They keeps punching each other until some of the villagers came and solved the fight.

"Take her with you! I swear I'll never admit she's my daughter again!" The father screamed right at Lewis.

Lewis walked to Alia and carried her to the mansion for treatment.

*****

When they arrived, the maids ran out of the house when the saw The prince and a woman was heavily injured. They were taken to the treatment room hastily. They wanted to treat the prince first, but he refused to take any treatment as long as Alia didn't get hers.

She was taken to the other room because she had some broken ribs.

When both of them were treated, Lewis came into Alia's treatment room, who was lying on the bed while trying to recover fast.

Lewis approached her slowly. She covered her face with her hands, but Lewis could see clearly that she was crying.

"Am I really worthless?" Said Alia. "I've angered my parents, burdening them with all those works."

"Are you still thinking of them? After what all they've done to you?" Lewis accidentally raised his voice.

"Bad or good, they're still my parents." Alia still had the heart of the angel, even though she was raised by the devil.

"Now I don't even have a home, food and clothes." She added.

"That settle it." Said Lewis while putting his head high.

"You're gonna be my private maid."

Alia was speechless. She stared at Lewis with her round eyes, signing she doesn't believe what she just heard. But like before, she gave in and agreed to be his private maid.