"You do know that I belong and stay with the dark Fae prince Aldric, right?" Islinda’s voice carried a hint of discomfort as she practically winced upon referring to herself as Aldric’s property. It pained her to admit it, but she knew she needed to ensure Gabi understood the gravity of the situation she was getting into.
"Of course," Gabi replied, her tone a little too nonchalant for Islinda’s liking. Islinda couldn’t shake off the unease that settled in her chest, wondering if Gabi truly understood the gravity of the situation she was willingly stepping into.
Islinda shook her head in anticipation, her expression a mix of concern and impatience. "So?"
Gabi lifted a brow in response, her expression mirroring Islinda’s anticipation. "So?" she echoed, her tone neutral yet filled with an underlying curiosity, as if waiting for Islinda to elaborate further on her question.
Islinda’s brows narrowed in confusion as she sought clarification. "So, are you not scared or something?" she questioned, her voice tinged with disbelief. "It’s the notorious, famed cruel prince we’re talking about here. Why would you even risk it? Why would your family let you go knowing how dangerous the job is?"
Gabi’s lopsided grin spread across her face as she spoke, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes. "I told you, Isla," she said, reverting back to the familiar nickname, "I would do anything for the money... well, not illegal things..." She chuckled lightly, dismissing the notion with a wave of her hand. Then, her gaze shifted towards Valerie, a playful glint in her eyes. "And your lovely prince over there pays such a handsome sum. Even if I die, the money I get is enough to feed my third generation. Thanks to the gods, I’m not my parents’ only child." She laughed, her tone a mix of bravado and dark humor, masking any underlying apprehension with a facade of confidence.
Islinda huffed irritably, her frustration evident in the furrow of her brows and the sharpness of her tone. "This is not a laughing matter," she retorted firmly, her voice carrying a sense of seriousness that cut through Gabi’s lighthearted demeanor.
Gabi’s sudden shift in demeanor caught Islinda off guard, her grave tone sending a shiver down Islinda’s spine. "I never said it was a laughing matter," Gabi asserted, her words heavy with a raw emotion that Islinda hadn’t anticipated. As Gabi continued, her voice trembled with the weight of her experiences.
"You have been sheltered this whole time in the Fae realm by Prince Aldric," Gabi began, her words tinged with bitterness. "You don’t know what it’s like to be the minority group in this realm, a second-class citizen of Astaria. You don’t know what it’s like for your pride to be trampled over and yet you can’t react against creatures far superior than you. You don’t know what it’s like to grovel and suck up to the Fae to survive. You don’t know what it’s like to see the light and hope vanish in your people’s eyes because you don’t know if things will ever get better." The raw honesty of Gabi’s words pierced through Islinda’s defenses.
"I’m not judging you at all!" Islinda retorted, her voice edged with frustration. "I just want to be sure that what you’re doing is worth risking your life for. I might not know what it’s like being in your shoes, but you don’t know what it’s like being with someone as unpredictable as Aldric. I have the right to be worried over someone I’m dragging into this mess!"
She added, "Also, I sure as hell crossed into your world for just a day, and I did make a difference. So yeah, I’ve tasted what it’s like being the minority group. You need not tell me," Islinda added, her words laden with the bitterness of her own experiences at Haven’s Reach.
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