CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: DORIA AND LUCIANA

"Who am I?" After a thorough search for the owner of the voice, Luciana repeated the question in awe.

"You got scared?" A little girl, who just came out from her hideout, echoed.

Her eyes were indefinable hues of beauty, in which the moonlight reflected, viewing the world with kindness, and curiosity, made her look stunning, unlike other kids.

Coupled with her contagious smile, one would not think about staring twice at her unusual beauty.

Her bold, well detailed oval face, and thin pink lips were perfect along with her beautiful jet-black hair divided into two neatly packed piggy tails. Not excluding her fair skin which matched her grey-coloured kimono, displaying soft details of pink, matching her glowing hair pin. The kid looked so matured that one would easily mistake her for an adult. 'Her mother must be beautiful'. One might assume.

"Girl, You are very brave. I hardly got scared". Luciana, who squatted beside the girl, echoed softly as she stroked one of her pigtails.

"I got that a lot". The girl's words made Luciana chuckle.

"You are so pretty. Did you get such a compliment too?" She asked again, but this time, she already walked the girl to the stone which is close to the river.

"No". The girl replied sadly.

Luciana felt amused at how sad the girl's response was. She knew how painful the feelings of having no one to compliment your looks, and beauty was.

"Why?" She asked as she hugged her little body, which was already getting cold.

"It's because everyone in the palace is pretty, and I don't usually come out of my chamber". The girl replied with a faint smile which felt dark.

"I know the feelings". Luciana, who already took the hand of the young girl, echoed with a curl smile on the corner of her lips.

"Oh, I forgot, what is your name?" Luciana, who just remembered to ask for the girl's name, inquired.

She couldn't believe she wanted to know more about the young girl seated besides her.

"I'm —" The girl wasn't even allowed to complete her oral statement before she got dragged from where she sat by her mother.

"Have I not warned you, not come out again? Will you be adamant? Did you want me to inform your father about your recent behavior of sneaking out in a female robe?" She asked her daughter, who whined loudly.

The young girl tried to pull herself from her mother, but it seemed the more she tried, the harder it became for her.

"Chila, you of all people are supposed to know this. She is a young, growing child which should be given that pri—"

"Gossiper, so you want to make me, and my family your next topic of gossip? Uh?!" Chila fired. Even if she is to listen to anyone, it won't be Luciana.

"Mother, I am not going anywhere! I'm tired of living as a boy!" The girl yelled at her mother.

She knew her mother wasn't the calm type. peace was never her calling.

Chila, who couldn't watch her adamant daughter cause her more trouble, slapped her hard that she coughed out blood. " Dorah, you know this stubbornness of yours won't help you, right?"

"Chila, please give her some time to air". Chila hissed at Luciana words before she dragged her daughter away from the riverside.

Luciana could not do anything aside watch the mother of the girl dragged her away without caring if her daughter was injured. "Is she really a mother?"

To Luciana; if she is, she will learn to appreciate what her child is. Be it a boy or girl, they are all angels from the goddess.

"I'm sorry, I came late". The voice of Dasya made her lift her brow at him.

"Oh, you are here". She uttered as she walked up to him.

Dasya knows she is hurt by the way Chila treated Dorah. He has been watching them from where he stood.

"The feeling of being abandoned is indeed dark, and creepy". Dasya whispered to Luciana, who hit his chest slightly.

"How did you know when you haven't felt that way?" She asked shyly.

"I have been all by myself without family, and friends. How won't I know how it felt?" He asked Luciana, who stared at him with pity.

At least, she is a little better than him because she has Azirin as a friend.

"I'm sorry about that. I hope I become the family you never had, a friend that will always stay by your side". She muttered sweetly with her gaze on his handsome face.

"Wow, the moon looks beautiful". Dasya ignored her words as he stared at the moon, which was sited in the sky.

The light ray that shone from the moon to the river was beautiful, and eye-catching. The blue sky made the moon beautiful in the middle of the clouded sky.

"Since we can pick a thread under the bright moonlight, why not tell an unforgettable story?" Luciana asked Dasya, who was fascinated by the view of nature.

From the patching birds, grunts of small animals in their hideout, howls from palace dogs, sound from the hop of frogs— are indeed interesting.

"Oh, let me…" He stuttered. "How did you know how to tell a story without anyone besides you?" He asked hastily.

"Maid Azirin always tells me stories which make me sleep calmly, and dream sweet". She muttered with her sparkling eyes piercing into his.

"I think I will pay for your story". He teased Luciana before he sat down.

"Hmm, the title of our story is' 'TEARS OF THE MOON' '. She paused after thinking about the story to tell him, and suddenly, the mysterious story told by her father when she was five years old, came to her mind.

"Wow, the name sounds captivating".

"In a far away land in the heavens. The stars, moon, and sun live in a castle called the sky. The moon, and star were half sisters, but the star always outshines the moon in every beauty contest. It was time to get married to the king's only surviving son, which was prince Sun, and he had to choose between the two sisters". She paused, and smiled at Dasya who was following the first-ever story she was going to tell anyone.

"Sister Moon knew she wasn't going to win the contest, but she kept hoping while her sister flaunted with her beauty. It was the day of the contest, sister moon immediately took her bath, and rushed to the mirror only to see how beautiful she was— thrice as beautiful as the Star".

"Stars got sad and decided to destroy the beautiful face of her sudden—beautiful sister. Still, sister moon didn't give up, and decided to attend the contest with her face wounded and ugly." She paused.

"Won't you continue? I'm eager to know who prince Sun ended up with". He persuaded her.