C3 Auburn Abuse

Kana's room had a single but large window on it. When she lost consciousness, the skies basked in the sun's glory. Now, the window exhibited an orange and reddish hue outside as the warm breeze caresses her battered face. She is starting to rouse as her ears pick up on the squabble outside the room's door.

"What do you mean you can't open the door?"

"I'm sorry, my lord, but the Duchess has instructed us not to allow anyone entry."

"Does this mean that our sister has been locked up in her room the whole day?! Get out of my way!"

A man kicked the door with such force that its frame cracked. Kana could hear people enter as footsteps shook the ground. She wanted to rise but her eyes weren't participating and her body still felt mangled.

"AMARA!" A man yells, his voice lingering with surprise and worry. Suddenly, she feels her body disconnect from the hard marble as an arm lifts her up.

"Ara, wake up." The man calls again and Kana feels another presence draw near.

A hand touches her neck. "She's been strangled! That woman- Has she lost her mind?!"

"Marta, call the physician at once, and quickly, somebody bring us water!"

"Y-Yes, my lord." A woman answered. Kana could feel people scramble out of the room and the need to open her eyes overcame her.

She forces her eyelids to move up, and slowly, she is granted an exquisite existence. A man holds her close. He had long hair falling behind his ear and face, his eyes are oceans and wet and trembling.

Kana had seen this child- er, her face in the mirror and as she stared at the man, she noticed the striking resemblance. He pulls her to his face and Kana swears she could hear his wild pulse.

The man embraced her, a tight and deeply comforting embrace as if he had no intention of letting her loose. His breathing is scattered and if Kana had eyes at the back of her head, she'll see how the crystal tears made a mess out of his face.

As she's held, she catches a glimpse of another man near them. He looked like the other man but his eyes were of a darker blue, almost mixed in with a tinge of purple. His hair isn't long as the one who held her but is the shade of the night sky. He stares at Kana and reaches for her cheek, touching it gently before nuzzling her hair.

"Sorry we weren't here to protect you, Ara. You must have suffered alone. I'm sorry." The man gritted his teeth hard, pain obvious in his quivering irises. Both of the men had white dog ears and tails.

For some reason, upon hearing his voice and being enveloped in the other man's arms, she is pacified, as if gentle waves of the ocean moved around her ribs.

At this moment, servants poured in with a glass of water. They handed it to the man who held her and he ushered her to drink. But, as much as she wanted to, she had no strength in her to move. Not even to part her lips.

Kana is at her weakest. Even in her past, she had never felt such pain. The man presses the glass of water on her lips, his eyes pleading.

"Please drink, Ara." He says.

'Ara?' She thought. They have been calling her that name.

He looked desperate.

Her lips began to dislodge and she was able to drink some water, but every time she swallowed was a challenge. Her throat still felt like it's a crumpled piece of paper.

The other man spoke, "Where's that damn leech?!"

Kana is placed on her bed from whence she roused earlier. The man who held her sat behind her and as the room was showered with bright lights, she could see his features better.

His blonde straight hair is so light it almost looks white. His thin nose and high cheekbones provide his face splendor. His ivory skin seemed to put the unsullied clouds to shame. He is more attractive than any man she'd seen before.

Her eyes fell to his clothes. She had only watched certain period dramas sporting those clothes but never in real life. The man actually wore fit tailored clothing, intricately embellished with designs that looked too lavish. In fact, both the men are luxuriously dressed. She looked around the room, and found that it had the same taste.

The wide open doors of the room were suddenly crossed by a man in robes. But as soon as he stepped close, a figure blocked her sight. He pulls the robed man's clothes and towers over him, clenching hard, "How dare you make us wait? When I call for you, run like your life depends on it. Do you understand?!"

"Atlas!" The long haired man calls, "Let him go."

Atlas did what he was told and pushed the cowering man to the bed. When Kana glanced at him, his eyes weren't the ones she had just seen. No, they weren't gentle. They are blazing with arrogance, anger, and something dark.

"Forgive me, my lord." The robed man squeaks.

The blonde man holds Kana's hand and nods his head to the doctor, "Please."

After a while of trembling, the doctor examined Kana's neck, her face and hands while the others watched carefully. He then pulls something out of a box he had carried. It was a small bottle of green and when he opened it, its pungent smell flitted in the air. He rubbed some of the salve on Kana's bruised neck and wrapped a white cloth around it.

He said, "Can you speak, my lady?"

Kana considered his request and wondered what words she should release that are appropriate for the moment. Of course, her mind isn't that of a child but her body definitely is and if she ran her mouth about that, the consequences she can receive might endanger her.

Then, she remembered what the man called the other. She parts her lips a bit and mouths 'Atlas'. But no sound came out.

The robed man thought for a while, "Her throat may have been injured. It would be best for our young lady not to participate in activities that will strain her neck until she recovers." He pulls out another bottle and raises it, "She will have to drink one spoonful of this medicine everyday to heal. It will be hard for her to swallow for some time so I also suggest the food you prepare for her to be soft and easy to chew."

"How long before she heals?" The blonde man asks, concern written all over his face while his eyes cowers in helplessness.

"After a few days, our young lady will be able to swallow better. As long as no force is exerted on her neck, she will heal faster. You will need to apply this salve on her neck once in the morning and another at night, change the bandage as well, and clean it with warm water."

The robed man seemed to have missed something.

Kana pulls the blonde man's hand to her stomach and reveals her maimed skin. The men gasped in horror and all their eyes widened at the sight.