The Crown's Entrapment

620  Warm… and Conflicting

The day for Pinra's transfer had finally arrived. And exactly as Gilas had wanted, Pinra was sedated to ensure that she wouldn't be able to mount an escape during her transit to the safe house.

Of course, he also led the transfer process himself. While he wouldn't be able to even talk to his cousin due to her being sedated before she was given to his care, it wouldn't matter much. He didn't want to talk to her anyway. There were just so many things that could go wrong if it even happened.

[And you wouldn't want to be the cause of her escape now, wouldn't you,] Ham casually remarked.

[No, I didn't,] Gilas sighed. [In truth, I just want to get this over with. Mother thinks she can be redeemed, well… Let's give her the chance to do so.]

As such, there he was, guarding the cage that Pinra was currently sleeping in. It had no windows, and the entirety of it was lined with silver to prevent her from even trying to punch through it.

"We're close," he remarked as he saw the Keen Manor in the distance. "Just a bit further."

He could only shake his head. He really didn't look forward to even seeing Pinra in the immediate vicinity of his home, let alone inside it. Nevertheless, this was their responsibility… or so said Mother.

Before long, they arrived at their destination. As per their agreed upon procedures, the guards carrying Pinra would be the ones to handle the transfer process itself with Gilas simply standing by supervising the proceedings. He watched as they carried Pinra's unconscious body out of the cage before then carrying her into the safe house within the Keen Manor compound.

"She's finally here," Shila chimed up beside Gilas, watching the transfer alongside him.

"Mother, you knew you shouldn't be here," Gilas frowned.

"I just want to make sure that they'll treat her properly," his mother reasoned with a frown. "Pinra's a young woman, and I wouldn't want anyone to just touch her like that."

Gilas sighed. As was his mother's request, the only guards currently finalizing Pinra's transfer were all female. It was supposedly so that they could protect his cousin's modesty, but then again, did she even care at this point? He was pretty sure his cousin didn't even know what was happening to her before they knocked her out.

"I'll prepare a few things for when Pinra wakes up," his mother remarked as she turned around. "Do tell me when the transfer's completed."

Gilas smacked his lips in deliberation. He wanted badly to not tell his mother when exactly that would happen. Still, there was nothing he could do except nod. "I will."

He let out another sigh as he watched the guards lay Pinra down on her new bed. He would have to make sure to post a few of his trusted men around this safe house at all times. He refused to let his guard down, even if he was pretty sure that they'd already done everything they could to render his cousin powerless.

'I won't take any chances with you,' he inwardly thought to himself. 'I just can't shake the feeling that Her eyes widened at the warm and familiar tone behind her. Craning her neck, her heart swelled 12:54

when she saw Shila sitting beside her. The older woman was giving her the ever-radiant smile that there's more to this…'

***

The first thing that Pinra thought when she opened her eyes was that the cold hard floors had turned soft for some reason. That, and the fact that she no longer felt shackles on her hands and feet also made her mind go into a loop. Where was she? What happened?

"You're finally awake."

Her eyes widened at the warm and familiar tone behind her. Craning her neck, her heart swelled when she saw Shila sitting beside her. The older woman was giving her the ever-radiant smile that she had so dearly missed after all this time. However, it was quickly replaced with a dark and heavy emotion as her mind was forcibly turned to ask for the one man that she had so eagerly hoped to see.

"Where's Gilas?" Pinra asked, her tone coming out more forced than usual.

"Oh? I think he might still be busy at the moment," Shila replied, a hint of regret coloring her tone. "In the meantime, let me help you get situated in your new home."

Pinra blinked at the word Shila just told her. "Home?"

"Ah, this place is where you'll be staying in the foreseeable future," Shila explained with a warm and comforting smile. "Do you like it? I made sure it'd be safe and comfortable for you."

She couldn't help but stare dumbfounded at the older woman. It took her a considerable amount of time before she managed to turn her attention to the rest of the room. Sure enough, it was a far cry from her former cell. What was once cold and dirty floors were replaced with warm and clean flooring. There were a few plants and flowers planted in their own small pots by the window, and the unfamiliar sight of a shining sun almost blinded her if Shila wasn't already blinding her with how amazing she was.

"T-This is…"

"Take your time, dear," Shila smiled at her, holding her hand. "We have all the time in the world right now."

Pinra didn't know what to think. This was… This was more than what she had expected anybody would do for her. The bubbling warmth blooming within her chest almost suffocated her, a trail of tears running down her cheeks as she stared out of the open window before her.

She couldn't help but choke out a sob as she asked, "W-Why?"

This shouldn't be happening. Ever since Shila first visited her, the mysterious voice in her head kept on telling her that they were the ones that put her in that position in the first place. Her memories were muddled, but the anger within her kept on trying to surface whenever anything related to Gilas came to her attention. And yet…

"Why? Pinra…"

Before she even knew what was happening, the older woman had given her yet another hug. It felt the same as any of the previous hugs she had received from the woman; warm… and conflicting.

"You deserve this much, my dear," Shila whispered into her ear. "You're not free by any account, but at least you'll be treated properly here."

Pinra didn't know what came over her as more tears erupted from her eyes. She didn't know what to do…

She needed to see Gilas, but she was afraid of what will happen once it happened.