Chapter 59 - A Flowers Grave
Chapter 59 - A Flowers Grave
"hmm" I felt warm hands suddenly grab a hold of mine, turning around I see the little brat preventing
me from going further. Her face was expressionless as she stared at her so-called family. Those
familiar icy blue eyes reflected futility and the innocent aura that surrounded her earlier was gone but
replaced with butter air.
"What do you assume you will accomplish by attacking them?" her voice was cold and threatening.
I stared back speechless. Something about what she said got me to stop the idea of beating the shit
out of that man and pouring the hot tea all over that good for nothing slut of a wife of his.
The little has a point. 'What will I achieve by doing it? I just thought since Diana can not get revenge
that I will do it for her. Avenge the anger that's bolted up within her. No that's not right. Diana didn't look
or sounded angry... Was it me it just me. Was I caught in the act of anger that I didn't see what she
wanted?'
"It's definitely not going to change their behaviour towards me. There will still look at me and treat me
the same way." The bitterness that came out of her was too much for a child her age to have.
"Nothing will change no matter what I do to get his attention. I'm just an orphaned outcast now with no
one but myself to rely on" she let go of my wrist and turned around leaving back to the garden.
"Let's go. I want to see mother and pay my respects to her" my eyes followed her backside, the way
her silver hair swayed in the wind and the sudden change of personality made me wonder what kind of
treatment and talk she had to endure living with these bastards.
I glanced back at the family that was now leaving to go inside. Watching how happy they were and the
smiled they gave each other; it made my gut churn and my blood boil.
'Just you wait. One day I will punch that handsome face of yours and disable your wife's nose. Your just
lucky today that I wouldn't get the chance to because of your daughter'
'Duchess Mariana Lancaster' was what engraved on the tombstone. Another similar name I couldn't
point out who it was and where I heard it from.
"Father refused to have his last name to be engraved on mother's grave. He never looked at my
mother as his wife or a member of the Glacies. To him she was born a Lancaster and dies a This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .
Lancaster." Diana stated coldly, those indifferent cold eyes gazed upon her mother's grave as if she
was blaming her that she is born, betrayed by her own mother for leaving her only daughter in this
empty world filled with despair and loneliness with no one but the shadows that follow behind to
accompany the lonely soul.
"This world is far to cruel" she uttered under her breath.
"The world is a cruel place for everything that thrives to survive." I corrected her, resulting in the little
brat to look my way.
"A flower can wither away by the slightest change of weather; a prey will have its neck snapped by the
predator but in the end, everything grows to adapt and evolve through the situations. The flower will
evolve over time to adapt to the certain weather, the prey will learn its way around the predator"
"However we humans are all greedy to survive no matter what. We will kill and betray our trusted family
and friends for the soul purpose to live, never learning from the past mistakes and continuing the
endless cycle of bloodshed and war for survival"
I glanced at the now grey clouds that formed in the sky, hiding away the sun that provided the light. The
feeling of the cold breeze against my skin was felt so surreal as if I wasn't dreaming and was really
outside.
I bent down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's why you must live to trust no one. Learn to live
alone because not everyone will stay. Don't take anything for granted because nothing comes for free
and never kneel to anyone but yourself."
Diana's eyes averted to mine, those cold empty eyes now holding the life I saw before.
Standing up, I put my hands in my pockets of my coat as looked down at the flowers I placed in the
vase. "Walk the journey of your life by yourself with the world as your shadow and never look back
because it will be the end of your journey if you do. We are born alone, and we will die alone because
that's the cruelty of the world we live in" The cold air blew my hair away from my face.
She didn't say anything, and we both continued to stand in front of Mariana's grave without uttering
another word when I suddenly felt an unexpected cold hand on my wrist.
"Before you leave can you..." I slowly turned my head to glanced down at the little brat.
"Can I what?"
Her head cocked towards me quickly with the sounds of bone crushing rattled out. Her pupils were
pure white, her skin was the colour of the dead and her face was withered and shrunken in. "Save me
from my fate"
I jumped up, feeling the cold sweat run down the back of my head. Instantly I felt a sting in my lower
abdomen.
Looking down and examining myself, I wore a white medieval blouse instead of my Kimono but what
confused me the most was the blanket placed on me. 'What the? Am I in a bed?'
Ignoring on the situation I'm in right now, I pulled the top and saw my lower half bandaged up and faint
yet visible blood stain. "Well, that's a pain in the ***" I grumbled in annoyance.
My weapons weren't with me, but my needle wrist holders were still attached around my wrist.
Sighing, I observed where I was at right now. I looked around to see odd looking artifacts, animal
bones, plants hanged on the old looking wooden walls of the place. There were jars filled with liquids,
unusual looking flowers, eyeball's, and other critters that I didn't know of stacked on the shelves with
old looking scrawls and ruined books that have the spines coming off.
It was kind of dim, and the only light source was coming from the two windows in the far corners of the
room. It looked like I was in one of those witch huts from those fantasy movies.
"What happened? where am I?" I asked myself slowly moving my legs to the side to sit on the edge of
the bed, feeling the cold wood beneath my feet.
As I about to get up I heard a familiar squeal of terror. The same one of that snobby fox.
"HOMURA!" ignoring the sting on my waist I rushed bolted out the door, praying he was alright and was
just a paranoia.
"Oh, stop squealing like a baby would ya" a creaky old voice hissed. My heart nearly blasted out my
chest.
In front of me was a small elderly woman, with messy grey hair tied in perfect bun. Her face was all
wrinkly with a long-crooked nose and she was draped in a long cloak that reached the ground.
Homura was on a pillow on the table with his injured paw being aided by the woman.
"ARTEMIS!" he shrieked for help. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake"
"Now do that kick thingy and kick this ugly old hag away" I sweat dropped at his snarky remark. Does
this stupid fox know she's only trying to patch his leg up? What an idiot.
"Oh, shut your tramp ya stupid fox" she hissed as she finished tying a bow around his paw. Homura
growled at her bust she ignored it and walked off towards a pot above the sizzling fire.
"Foxes are all arrogant little creatures" she grumbled, aggressively stirring the pot. "Never having any
gratitude towards their saviours"
I stood there awkwardly and no clue on what to do.
"Ya must be hungry dear." The old woman turned her attention towards me. Her eyes resembled of an
owl, dark large pupil, and the colour of honey.
"Sit." The woman sounded to excited for my liking.
"The dragon. Did you see my dragon?" I asked impatiently, ignoring her nice invitation. I was worried
sick about Demarcus. Was he alright? Did he survive the fall? is he here or out there?
"Uhh\~ you mean the Orga dragon" she pinched her chin, squinting her owl-like eyes at me and
observing every single part of me.
My heart was racing, desperate for Demarcus wellbeing. "Yes" I nodded my head quickly "tell me, is he
alright? Is he safe? Where is he?"
"The Orga dragon is sleeping soundly beside my cottage with Alaric." She swatted her hand as a
gesture of relax.
I felt my nerves calming down and my heart relaxed. The relief of hearing Demarcus was alright
brought peace to my mind. I could relax knowing he was alright, but I wonder what caused him to
become drowsy and lose his control on flying.
'Could it have been something to do with the fog?'
"Sit. I made a wonderful porridge breakfast" I hesitated. I don't know who this person is? and she is
awfully nice to a stranger like me.
The old woman narrowed her eyes at me. "Are ya debating whether to trust me or not?" she wagged
the wooden ladle at me. "Your just like the fox. No respect for ya saviours" she ranted out.
"Sit." She ordered me to. Looking over to where she pointed to a small dining area where Homura was,
poking the tied bow around his paw.
"What's this thingy. It looks pretty but trash pretty" he mumbled.
I rolled my eyes at the comment Homura made.
"It's not whether I'm und grateful for you for saving me but I'm cautious you didn't poison the food I'm
going to put in my mouth" I crossed my hands, feeling her onyx eyes glance over to me.
"I'm the witch of the woods. I don't poison anyone except myself, now sit. I don't like to constantly
repeat myself" she poured the gooey white substance in a wooden bowl.
'The witch of the woods, you say. Yeah, I'm not fond of them. The last time I read about the witch of the
woods, she cursed Ariana and Aspen died lifting it. I'm not being fooled by you old woman'
"How should I trust the words of a witch"
The witch staggered her way towards me with two bowls of the porridge "It doesn't concern me whether
ya trust this witch or not" she brushed past me then to place the bowl on the table. "But the fact ya
haven't eaten anything the last three days ya have been out cold concerns me" the witch staggered
past me again, her brown cloak trailing past her.
"I have been unconscious for three days!" I exclaimed.
"Yes. Found ya half dead with ya buddy fox and dragon" she placed down two wooden cups on the
table as steam arose from it indicating it was some hot liquid poured in there.
She plopped herself on the chair and dove right in.
"What is this gloop of water you're eating? It looks like a foxes vomit" Homura had somehow gotten on
the chair and poked his head up from the chair and to poke the side of my bowl, narrowing his eyes as
he did.
The witch had slammed her spoon on his head. "OOF" Homura yelped.
"Keep ya dirty snout out from someone's bowl, ya snobby fox"
Homura groaned stroking the place the witch had hit him. "Who wants to eat your vomit looking water
anyway?" he barked at her.
"If ya hungry wait for supper. I fed ya 20 minutes ago, ya fat fox" the witch was arguing with a fox whom
she did not understand and misunderstood his intention. To her Homura will sound like an angry
howling fox.
"I'm not hungry! I was just asking a damn question you ugly old hag" Homura barked again.
Before the argument got heated between the two, I picked up Homura and placed him on the floor.
"Now, Now Homura I know your hungry again, but you need to wait for supper" I patted his head like he
was some good dog.
The confusion that crossed his face was priceless. He sat there staring at me baffled at what I just said.
"Huh?" he tilted his head.
I sat down on the chair where Homura was before and slid out a long needle. The witch stopped staring
at eyed me curiously. "Are ya going to start threading?"
"No" I placed the tip in the bowl of hot porridge and waited a couple of seconds.
"What in the Gods names are ya doing to my porridge?" she wagged her spoon at me.
I looked at her with wrinkled brow "I'm not too keen on trusting people even my saviours" taking out the
needle I examined the colour. It was still silver no sign of black, this porridge was safe to eat.
"What is that needle gonna tell ya?" she pointed her long bony finger at the needle. "Poison reacts to
silver and when it does the silver turns black" I explained. She narrowed her eyes at me not a single
belief was seen in her eyes.
"You humans are all so weird and complicated in the heads." Homura ranted angrily, as usual I ignored
him.
"Fascinating" she stroked her chin. In Ancient China, Emperors dinnerware were all made of silver to
prevent anyone from poisoning the emperor, I learnt this in history back at school.
I did the same thing with the milk and nothing. It seems that this witch has no intention of poisoning me,
but I still must have my guard up just in case.
Witches scare the living shit out of me, that's all I got to say about them.
"What's ya name?" the witch asked me, eyeing my hair then my eyes "Artemis Ray" I answered.
"An Isvandy in this part of the world. How peculiar" she stroked her wrinkly chin and continued to
examine me as I ate my porridge uncomfortably because of her stares.
She must think I'm from Isvand because of my features. Good, can't let her know Diana is the Aureum
duke's daughter.
"The people of Isvand never travel in Aureum or other places in that matter except for their own
country. So, what brings ya here in these dangerous parts of Viridis?" she asked me suspiciously.
"I'm heading to Ventus" I answered and took a mouth full of the warm porridge. It was bland but I didn't
complain better then starving to death.
There was no need to lie to her if she didn't know my true identity.
"Ventus ya say? What has Ventus got that makes ya wanna go there?" the witch continued to
interrogate me and still pointing her spoon every time she asked.
I gulped down the bland liquid, feeling it slid down my throat warming it as it did. "You must have heard
about the sick prince with the mysterious illness" I said.
She took a chug of her warm milk and then slammed the cup on the table, making the dinnerware
rattle. The witch stared at me, her eyes reflected frustration yet disorientated.
"That boy was destined to die"
"Walk the journey of your life by yourself with the world as your shadow and never look back because it
will be the end of your journey if you do. We are born alone, and we will die alone because that's the
cruelty of the world we live in"
- Artemis Ray
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Authors Note:
Hello again my lovely readers, hope your doing well because I am........Kind of.
Anyway I hope you liked this chapter and the previous one because the dreams are very important part
of the story, I'm not saying how and why but it will become clear so don't skip the dream chapters
because they are very important in Artemis' Adventures.
Furthermore I have been working on a very big project (Not really) these past few days. I haven't read
any story who included this maybe they have and I haven't read those but so far I haven't seen a single
author who added this in there story.
A Map of their fantasy world.
I thought that since Artemis is traveling around Alphyria and my description is so bad I thought maybe I
could draw a guide for you guys. (Ps it's the one Artemis drew in her journal).
I have spent hours thinking and researching fantasy names for my places, forests and main villages
and to locate them on the map of Alphyria but i'm not finished so it's going to take a while however the
end results would be great so you guys wouldn't get confused reading it. I don't want to rush it as well.
So Yeah, really hope you guys actually like the map I made myself.
Another thing I wanna say before I end this A/N part is that thank you for the people who actually did
the character questions. I mean that was just an experiment I wanted to try and never thought that
people would ask them but hey you guys did, thank you very much.
They (I) would answer the questions when it gets to a reasonable amount and it's them answering it not
me. *wink wink*
Another thank you for the people who stayed, commented, voted and read tell Chapter 59 of 'The
Villainess only wants to go home' , it brings me joy that my story is working and isn't boring to read.
Thank you guys so much it just makes my day when I wake up in the morning to see people
commented and voted my try hard fantasy Isekai story.
Thank you again. (I know I say thank you a lot but it just shows how I appreciate you guys).
Love you guys all.
Ok Bye bye