Pandora's Box Chapter 4

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In the dinner room were wood floors, limestone walls and two dragon bone chandeliers. A single maid stood at each pair of doors that were the exits.

The dinning table itself was bigger then a normal dining room. It was long and narrow, with at least 26 seats on each side. There were candies every two feet in the middle of the table.

The massive table was a hardly ever used. Neal had liked to eat in his room, but today was special.

Neal sat in the seat that was all the way to the end. To his right Astolo, his left was Asphodel. Next to her was Durose then Bella. Next to Astolo was Amodii then Dreya.

"My this is delicious... Oh before I forget, any questions?" (Astolo)

The only one in the room who's eating so happily is Astolo. Everybody else was eating too they just weren't so joyful. Set aside Astolo everyone had thinking expressions. Even the maids seemed to be "not all there".

"Then let's say Asphodel was chosen, would I be able to become a concubine?" (Dreya)

"Noooope" (Astolo)

She answered Dreya without any hesitation. Yet still as happy as ever.

"Any other questions?" (Astolo)

No one said a thing and just kept eating. Asphodel looked up multiple time to say something but stopped herself.

The group just sat there eating quietly.

                                ＊＊＊

Asphodel lad in her bed and pondered

Today was... Confusing I mean Queen!?! Really Astolo...? Ah I can feel my face. It's hot, really hot.

Asphodel rolled and kicked at nothing in bed like the teenage girl she was.

But really me Queen...? But then Neal and I would be married...! We would, we'd...

The poor girl's red face only got redder as the night went on.

While Asphodel was well, being herself. Neal and Astolo talked in the throne room.

"You know dad I really only want you to be happy. You've been in this big place alone for so long. I just... Isn't it lonely? I mean it's been 20 years yet you still look the same as the day you took me in." (Astolo)

"Astolo I won't lie to you, I was lonely once. I would wonder why I never aged or why no kingdom could ever beat me. There was a time when I did almost anything just because I could. I started many wars made some friends too but none of that helped." (Neal)

He paused and took a breath in. Astolo held her breath paying very close attention to what the man she called father had say.

"I had declared war against a kingdom known as Lleh Liff. They weren't a strong kingdom and had declared surrender not two weeks after the first skirmish. I had gone to see what one of their village had been. The small village I went to had been attacked be bandits, without the protection of their own knights they were defenseless. In fact there was some people still being attacked when I arrived. I ran over but it was too late... The man and woman had been killed. The woman however clung onto life if only by a thread. When she saw me she pleaded me to save her child. And with her dying breathe she told me where she hid the child. That's how I found you under that old shed." (Neal)

Astolo tried but couldn't help but cry. About halfway she had started to hug Neal.

"I haven't been lonely for twenty years because of you my child." (Neal)
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