Lowlife impaired

"No, I'm happy. It's just that I felt like I held value in your life. Anezka's Haru sounds just right," Haru said, and Anezka felt emotional because she knew how Akari used to treat him—like a pet who kept her secrets.

She didn't want him to feel unimportant, so she hugged him lovingly and stroked his ears. "So, Haru, I guess we should sleep now because my owner will haunt me tomorrow, and I need energy to deal with her invisible presence," she said, rolling her eyes at the word "owner." That's what Azara called herself.

As Haru heard Anezka's words dripping with sarcasm, he playfully barked and nudged her to get up. Anezka obliged, collecting both her plate and Haru's to place them on the nearby tea table. She then made her way to the bed and got comfortable, while Haru settled on the floor in front of her.

Anezka couldn't sleep, likely due to the unfamiliar surroundings, but what bothered her more was the eerie silence that filled the kingdom and the oppressive darkness of her chamber, which felt uncomfortably warm—everything contrasting sharply with the chilly presence of Azara. Putting her thoughts aside, Anezka decided to go to sleep.

....

After few hours.

Anezka woke up to a wet lick on her cheeks. As she opened her eyes, she saw Haru sitting beside her, playfully trying to wake her up. She patted his head, and said, "Why are you waking me up now? It's still night, Haru."

Anezka sat up in bed and glanced toward the closed balcony glass door. It was still midnight, illuminated by the red crescent moon. Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door. Getting up, with Haru following closely behind, she opened the door and saw a lady standing there with a food trolley in her hand. The woman wore a foul expression as she said, "Your breakfast is here," while pushing the trolley toward Anezka. Confused, Anezka frowned and asked, "Breakfast? Isn't it still night?"

The lady with curly black hair rolled her eyes. "Just because you have regained your eyesight doesn't mean I'm here to teach you everything. If we say it's morning, then you need to follow the morning routine. If we say it's night, then you should go back to sleep. You're just an extra burden for Azara, so don't think so highly of yourself that you expect others to assist you." With that, she finished her remark and muttered "lowlife impaired" under her breath before leaving the chamber without waiting for Anezka to respond.

Anezka gaped at the lady's words as she looked toward Haru. "Did you hear her, Haru? Isn't she Serafia, the sweet maid of Azara? Two hundred years have changed everything and everyone so drastically." Shaking her head, she took the food trolley inside and closed the door to her chamber.

Anezka stared in disbelief at the lady's words as she turned to Haru and asked, "Did you hear her, Haru? Isn't she Serafia? She used to be the sweet maid of Azara. Two hundred years have changed everything and everyone drastically." Shaking her head, she pushed the food trolley inside and closed the door to her chamber.

She sat on the bed and served breakfast for herself and Haru. They both ate in silence, and Anezka noticed that Haru was unusually quiet. She didn't comment on it, choosing instead to focus on her own meal. Eating breakfast at midnight felt stupid to her, but she was hungry, so she went ahead anyway.

After having her breakfast, she got up and began searching for her wardrobe. Once she navigated to it, she entered, hoping to find a suitable dress, but discovered it was empty. As she looked around her chamber closely, she realized it appeared abandoned and poorly maintained, with spider webs gathering in the corners.

Infuriated, she decided to leave the chamber and find Azara. She really needed to talk to her because she didn't like the way others were treating her. "Does she think saying 'I'm your owner' means she can treat me like garbage? I won't let that happen," she muttered to herself. Calling Haru to follow her, she stepped out of the chamber and found herself in a large, empty corridor. She turned to Haru and asked, "Do you remember where the throne room is? I've never visited it; I only know the directions to Azara's personal chamber and the yard."

Haru shook his head as he replied, "No, I don't. Don't forget, I used to follow you even before. How would I know about it?" Anezka giggled and said, "Okay, okay! Let's try to search for the throne room together." With that, she got up and started descending the stairs. As she wandered around, she felt as if the castle was abandoned; she hadn't encountered a single person or heard any noise. The magnificent, dark castle was shrouded in eerie silence, illuminated by dozens of candles and lamps.

She sighed as she rubbed her arms and said, "Haru, I think we are trapped here. Why is there no one around? I'm tired of wandering. Let's go to the yard instead." With that, she took a right turn and headed toward Azara's personal yard, with Haru following her silently. Once she reached the yard, she opened the door, and the scene in front of her filled her with dread. She gasped, "What in the world happened here?" as she she ran toward the flower beds.

She knelt on the dark, blackish soil as she began touching the black tulips. "Haru, why are all the flowers black? They used to be pretty pink, red, and yellow. I planted them along with Azara. How did they turn this way?" she asked, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Bold of you to assume how they turned black when you yourself took my red heart out in the dark night," she heard a familiar voice, accompanied by the same chilly atmosphere. She rubbed her eyes and turned toward the direction of the voice.

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"Night sky is a wilderness-a desert of lamps with no owner."

- By Federico Garcia Lorca