Chapter 16 - Surreal Captivity

They say only the truly poor know the difference between being hungry and being starved. And today, Persephone felt what it's like to be starved for the first time.

Persephone's stomach made an obnoxious noise, reminding her of how starved she was. How long had it been since she last ate? One day? Two? Wait. This was not the correct question she should ask right now. 

With a jerk, she threw the sheets covering her body on the floor, and shock penetrated inside her veins as she found herself on a huge bed. Was it wrong for her to say now that she would sell her soul to Satan if she could buy a bed like this one back at Marino house? 

Again, this wasn't the right question to ask either. 

She found herself in a foreign bedroom, fully washed and beautifully dressed not to forget absolutely starved which only meant one thing -- she is alive and her captor has every intention to keep her alive for the time being.

She muttered a curse as she recalled the last words she spoke to the Villain. 'Damn you, Persephone. What was the need for acting as a heroine? Think about the mess you are stuck in now." 

Her stomach made an even louder noise to remind her to fill it before her body collapsed of fuel and she tightly shut her eyes to evade this embarrassing situation. 

She studied the bedroom for a moment before opening the door which on checking showed that it led to a bathroom. The room was luxuriously decorated, it would have looked even more luxurious if designers had put more pieces of furniture in the room beside the bed she currently slept on. 

After freshening up, she opened the other door which opened to a silent hallway. She couldn't even blink her eyes as the sheer magnificence of the building greeted her eyes. What era was she in? From the looks of the decorations, it appeared as she had transmigrated into an ancient era overnight. 

Nonetheless, she knew that she was still in the same era with the same rotten fate. 

Her growling stomach again reminded her that she was out on a food hunt. 

"Excuse me, can anyone help me?" Persephone said loudly, and the hall echoed behind her. 

Walking forward and calling for help for several minutes when no one came, Persephone decided to sit down in a corner in utter defeat. 

''If not at the hands of Villain, I will surely die of starvation. And you know what's sadder than dying of starvation, it's the fact that once I've succumbed  I won't be counted in those people who die every day due to hunger." 

Persephone hugged her knees and rested her head on them, a hand touched her head. Quickly, she looked up to see a woman staring down at her with blank dark eyes.

Persephone blinked her eyes. "Umm… I thought humans don't reside in this world as I have transmigrated into a different world overnight. I even thought that I, Persephone, had unknowingly entered the wonderland, like Alice in Wonderland?" 

'She was just trying to crack a joke, okay? Well, your loss if you don't want to be acquainted with me.'

The woman gave her a dirty look as she gestured to follow her back to the room Persephone earlier emerged from. 

With a long, hard, and heavy sigh, Persephone followed her back. As long as this woman gave her something to eat, she was fine with the arrangement. 

As if God couldn't be more benevolent, Persephone found food as soon as she entered the room. Without caring for her image, she launched an attack on the plate of food. Who cares about being elegant when you are kidnapped?

Once Persephone finished the food, she discovered the woman with dark eyes scowling at her. Sigh. It wasn't easy being a captive these days. 

"Uhuh… thank you for the food," Persephone said as she had no other words to say.  

The woman ignored her words and, placing the plate outside the door, she occupied a chair (which was not there before) and began reading a book. Persephone noticed that there were several more books placed next to her bed. 

A week passed. In the whole week, Persephone wasn't asked to step foot outside of the room. She was provided a comfortable bed to sleep in, books to read when bored, and delicious meals thrice a day when hungry. Just like the first day in the new place, the woman with dark eyes as Persephone called her in her heart, used to sit at the same place and the same chair, a new book in her hand daily. Not one word she had uttered until now. 

Instead of getting happy that she was at least treated better by the Villain here, Persephone was growing frustrated each passing day. Today, she had an urge to lock herself in the room. However, much to her bad luck, there wasn't a single lock on the doors. 

It was midnight when the woman who tended to Persephone's needs left after making sure that the captive his master had locked in his personal ivory tower was sleeping.

Persephone had been obedient to her surprise, so she had no qualms about her. But boy, she had never been so wrong. 

An hour after she left, Persephone opened her eyes and quietly, came out of the bed. 

She opened the door and entered the hallway. Under the dimly lit chandeliers, she walked and walked until she found a way to leave the building. She must admit it was a sight to behold. She had never seen something so luxurious yet so otherworldly beautiful.

Step by step, her curious and hungry eyes took in the beauty of the place and as she was about to take another step, she found a magnificent and huge wooden door ahead. With both of her hands, she unlocked the door and only looked ahead as the salty and cold air touched her skin. 

Surreal. The view outside was utterly surreal. The moonlight falling on the sand was appearing as if pearls were shining under the full moon. The ocean was quiet but a glorious sight to behold. 

Now she could begrudgingly say she was too wrong to stay cooped inside a bedroom. 

"Is it too soon to say that I have never felt so free under the open sky before," Persephone said to herself.

Smiling at the ocean, she recalled her childhood, her mom's night stories, her brother who's now on the other side of the realm, and a certain someone whose eyes were the color of warm ocean water. 

Laying her head against a tree, Persephone shut down her eyes.. As she was about to navigate the narrow alleys of her childhood in her nostalgic dreams, a pair of icy blue eyes pulled her into a never-ending sweet nightmare.