Run Away

Once the Tarvan was gone, Talia was once again alone in this small chamber inside the Temple, and the darkness that pervades the place around her soon came at the same time he disappeared.

Talia wasn't even able to say a few more words to him. The desire to ask him why he hadn't claimed her and why he had rejected her twice was stuck inside her throat. But the words he uttered before he vanished seemed to enter her thoughts as she tried to investigate what he really meant by that.

'Not yet.' Is what he had just said to her. What does he mean by that? That he would soon claim her as his mate? But why? Hadn't he already rejected her? Not even once. But twice. Or did he think that the third time's the charm?

No matter what he meant by his words, Talia didn't think she'll ever be able to find out or hear it in this lifetime as she swore to never see him again.

Talia looked around her through the attenuated veil covering her face. The chamber's appearance was still the same as it had been the first time she arrived there. The Tarvan who was supposed to claim his bride was also gone.

The coldness from the wind that passed through the gaps of the windows caressed her skin through the thin gown Talia was wearing. Then, she remembered how the handmaiden tried so hard to soak her in fragrant scents, and forced her to wear such a thin gown. They would be disappointed to know their effort was wasted on her. But, has she really met a man in such shameful attire?

Talia refused to think of anything or even wonder if her appearance had aroused the man. Can a being with the blood of the gods even know how to be aroused or tempted?

Talia looked at the door, the shadow of her father outside seeped through the gaps below the door. The miserable man was still waiting for her to come out.

She smiled when she realized that the king had been waiting for the ceremony to finish and saw Talia walking out of this room - already claimed by her mate. Now that she was rejected by that man, Talia didn't think her father would get whatever he wanted from the Lord of the Beasts.

It was too bad that she won't even see the dissatisfaction and anger that would bloom in the King's face when he finds out what happened as Talia planned to never see him again.

After Talia was certain that there was no one around to peep through and witness what happened in the chamber. She slowly took off her veil, unmasking herself from the thing that covered her face for years.

It was an emotional moment to celebrate, but she had no time to waste.

Quickly taking off her veil and wrapping it around her waist like a waistband, Talia then braided her long hair, twisting it into a more comfortable style so that it would allow her to move freely without it being a hindrance. After she was done with her hair and veil, she followed her actions by grabbing the hem of her skirt and ripped it until it stopped to her midthigh.

The silver glow of the moon touched the hilt of the dagger she secretly strapped around her left leg. Talia might have been born as a princess and locked away like a prisoner awaiting her sentence, but that didn't mean she didn't possess any stubborn bone inside of her.

Her rebelliousness started soon after she was rejected for the first time, the desire to grow stronger and learn how to fight increased.

In the past, she sneaked out of her room through the small window while risking falling from a high place. She started to linger around the training grounds of the Royal Guards without being found. At first, she was only curious and watched them train. But soon after she saw how they moved their hands and feet, and how they swung their swords in the air, she started to imagine herself doing the same.

She imagined striking her father and the man, whom she should have been married to, with her sword.

Unfortunately, her reality was too far from what she envisioned in her imagination.

She was still a bird in a cage, a princess designed for a desirable political marriage. Her real worth lay on the man who she will spend her remaining time with.

Or it should have been that way hadn't her mate rejected her twice.

Walking down the dais, Talia started to run towards the east wall where a banner of the royal crest was located and lifted it up to the sky. Looking around the room, Talia feared that if she used the door where she entered from, her father would be there with his scornful look directed at her. Then, all her plans to escape and get her freedom will all be naught.

As Talia was musing whether to use the main door or the window where the wind was pushing through into the chamber, her eyes soon settled on a backdoor by the center wall where a statue of Goddess Martia, the Goddess of Blessings, was erected, looking ethereal in flimsy attire.

She didn't know what this door was used for, but she assumed that it was created for the priests that frequented the Temple of Goddess Martia. .

Talia hesitated for a short moment as she reached the door.

Behind her was her father and the place she was kept in for eighteen years. As horrible as she was treated and imprisoned with everyone treating her like a ghost that shouldn't appear, Talia still felt the nostalgia that surged inside her.

But in front of her was the door to her freedom… Talia held her breath and proceeded to push the door.

With only her dagger and thin gown in her possession, Talia finally left the castle.