GRACE was dressing up with the help of her maids. After taking a bath, the maids thoroughly brushed and frizzed her hair. They decorated her head with a big yellow ribbon. They assisted Grace with her dress and apparel for the morning. When the maid wanted to help Grace wear her nylon stockings and shoes, she saw the chain marks getting cured.
"It's healed, milady!" said the maid.
Grace looked at her ankle. Whoa! That was fast healing. The mark looked transparent and almost gone. And it would not leave any marks or scars.
"Alright, milady. Everything is done." The maids look at the reflection of their young lady through the mirror.
Grace looked satisfied with her appearance. She looked much better in the stunning dress than in the ugly rags. She could not remember when was the last time she dressed this grand since she was abducted. Grace was ultimately happy.
She stood up with help from the maid.
"I want to see my guest. Now," demanded Grace. Her maids looked hesitant at first. Nevertheless, they assisted their lady to the underground gate.
Two guards watched over the gate. The guard looked surprised as they saw their young lady coming to the underground by herself. Commonly, if the master wanted to see the 'guest' or prisoner, the master would send a messenger but he would never come down personally.
"We greet Little Lady Grace." They bowed for respect with their right hands at their left chest.
"Open the gate!" said Grace in a monotone.
The guards looked uncertain. Young Lord Damien has said nothing about this.
"Open the gate!" said Grace once again. "I have got permission from my brother. I have the keys. So! Unlock the gate. Immediately!" Grace urged the guards to open the door for the underground. Fortunately, she received the keys from her brother before so she could show them to the guards as proof.
Upon the order, the guards hastily unlocked the gate to the underground cells.
Grace went down to the underground cell alone without her maids. She commended her maids to wait at the gate. And she brought a portion of food with her secretly. Just imagining how her savior surviving in the underground cell without proper food made Grace worried.
___
ALBERT kept his promise. The next day after that chess mini-tournament between them, he brought Yuki some books as gifts. Although Yuki lost in the last round, Albert still brought her some books to read. He was so thoughtful and caring. He said that being in the cell could bore someone to death. Thus, some reading materials might help. Albert told Yuki that the books were from his collection and told her to keep them. Yuki accepted the books as a trophy for winning the chess game.
However, Albert left the underground cell after giving the books and he never returned.
But it was alright. Yuki lost a friend to talk to, but at least she received something to read. Yuki read the titles. One was 'The Zenith of Queen's Power' and the other book entitled 'Records of Demon Lords'. Wow! The titles of the books made Yuki impressed. Just look at the names. They were incredible! One was a sovereign book, and the other one was historical.
Yuki read the first book. She was so engrossed in the books that she ignored her grumbling tummy, crying for food. Yuki was a bibliophile. Or street name, a bookworm, or book lover. She needs books as much as she needs oxygen to breathe and live. Back in Maruyama Manor, she reads novels, romance books, comedy magazines, travelogue journals, political publications, daily newspapers, and more. She would read rather than eat. And sometimes, the maids in the manor had to force her, or almost like dragging her out, to leave the mini library, so she would finally eat her dinner.
Some loud noises were coming from upstairs. Yuki recoiled a bit as she heard them. The noises interrupt her reading time.
Suddenly, Yuki heard a tapping sound. It did not sound like a guard's boots, but more like flat shoes. Yuki saw Grace walking down the stairs.
"Grace!" Yuki was overjoyed and surprised at the same time.
"Sister!" Grace looked happier. There was a joy and slight worries in her adorable voice.
Grace looked at her savior, being locked in the cell as if she was a criminal. It broke her heart to see her special guest was sitting on the ground and being covered by a cheap blanket. It must be cold!
"I am so sorry that I'm late." Grace apologized.
Yuki shook her head. "No. It is alright. I saw you passed out and heard that you slept for days. How is your body?"
Grace sat refined in front of Yuki. There were only steel bars between them.
"Yes, I am alright. Your healing magic was amazing. Even the marks on my ankles are recovering. And the maids were shocked. But I don't know why I suddenly passed out when we returned to the manor," explained Grace.
Yuki nodded as she heard that explanation. However, Yuki actually knew the reason why Grace passed out. "You ever heard of a healing crisis?"
Grace looked confused hearing that word. "What is a healing crisis?"
Yuki started to explain. "In a healing crisis, some symptoms temporarily worsen before improving. Your entire body was badly injured. But my healing power helps you recover and heals the parts in and out of your body where you cannot see them like some internal injury and more. In short, you passed out and caught the fever because of the healing crisis."
Grace looked speechless. That was a long explanation, and she did not quite understand them. "Sister. You ever considered being a doctor?"
Yuki laughed. "No. Not yet."
Grace looked around and finally pulled a bagel out of her coat. "I brought you a bagel. Sorry, but it is the only food I could bring without the maid see."
Yuki was astounded. She felt like she was a stray cat being fed secretly.
"I am so sorry. But others cannot know that you are a human." Grace apologized again.
Yuki smiled. "No. It is perfectly fine. As long as I can eat."
Grace looked at Yuki as she munched the bread. And she looked around the cell. There was a bed, a blanket, and… mm, bags of blood on the floor. "We cannot hide your identity any longer. Or else, they will keep feeding you blood."
"Agree." Yuki nodded. Drinking blood was already out of the question. And she could not eat bread all the time. Eating the same type of food can ruin her diet.
In a meantime, Grace was thinking of some ideas on how she could persuade and tell the secrets to her brother, Damien. Grace could imagine the face of her brother being angry and mad. Especially when he finds out that there was a human among the demons in their estate!
Suddenly, Grace saw some books on the floor. "Books?"
Yuki already finished eating the bagel. She responded to Grace. "Yeah. Someone gave them to me."
There were doubts in Grace's eyes. "You can read?"
"Yes, of course, I can." Yuki looked perplexed. "Why? You can't read?" She teased.
"I can read a little because I'm still a child, sister. But… I mean you can read our language?"
Yuki was silent. She looked at the books. And she opened the first book and turned the pages. One by one. Finally, her puzzled face began to speak. "Now that you mentioned it. Yeah, I can!" Yuki could read every single word written on the pages with no problem.
Yuki could read the language of Underworld Realm! How amazing was that?!
Albert did not teach Yuki of the alphabet and language of the Underworld Realm. Even if he did, no one could master a language overnight. And it was not her mother tongue.
"First, let's get you out of here," Grace decided.