"Ariel…"

A name spoken with such a cruel, hateful undertone. Coming from her lips, it was a word that terrified the thing into stepping back and lowering its head even further. At the sight of this, Guila held no more questions about her power over the thing. She knew that it would never turn against her. Even when it had the chance to do so dangled right in front of its eyes. It would forever be obedient - subservient to her. The thought of which was almost enough to make her smile through the blistering rage.

"It's fine, dear. I'm not angry anymore.." A lie. An obvious lie betrayed by her eyes, despite trying to hide it behind a kind smile. However, it needed to be said. "Could you be a dear, and unstrap me? Just my right wrist will be enough, then you can return to your bed and keep resting."

They were such undeniably sweet words. Do one thing, and it'd be left well enough alone. Of course, the doll would accept, right? But no. The thing just stood there, its gaze shifting between the shadow underneath Guila’s bed, her strapped wrist, and then the door. Over and over, the ears on its head quivered and its tail shook. "Is there something you can't tell me?" Guila’s words were sweet with worry and empathy and Guila made sure that her tone was loving and inviting.

Surely this expression of a gentle yet helpless woman was nothing like what she’d shown the toy before. If she was lucky, it was similar to an image that had been implanted into the thing’s head during incubation. But there was nothing she could do about the cold hatred in her eyes. Still, no matter how many hateful, abusive words Guila wished to hurl at this moment, she didn't let a single one escape her lips. For this thing was essentially a frightened child. She just had to keep it up for a little while longer.

"Ariel, don't be scared of the people outside the door." Her tone was now harsher, closer to before, but more like a teacher. "There is nothing to fear."

"Mistress…" Finally, the thing raised her head and met Guila’s gaze. Its trembling quickly stopped as joy and relief from being smiled upon was shown by its perked up ears and tail. Such a simple creature, this thing. Yet also smart. It had deemed Guila’s first attempts to be far too unnatural, but her last attempt was more natural hence it did not suspect anything. Guila almost felt stupid to hate it so much. But ‘almost’ was the extent of it. No matter how innocent it was, it would be the source of all her misery from now on.

She was quickly released and even helped up. After a few more labored breaths, Guila was actually able to sit up by herself, with her toes barely touching the floor. The doll then took a few steps back and hung its head once again. Yet, it wasn't just staring at the floor. Instead, its gaze was constantly darting around the room, before returning to Guila briefly. It was still scared of her, yet also expected praise for what it's done.

"Come here, Ariel." She couldn't help but smile at the approaching thing's honesty and faith. To think that it would completely forego the abuse she’d laid upon it, in favor of appreciation. Once the toy was close enough that she could reach it easily;

Guila raised her hand and slapped it. The sharp sound echoed throughout the room, like a gong.

"What took you so long? Huh? Tell me?" The thing's ears must still be ringing, because it didn't answer. It just stared at Guila, wide eyed; frozen in place and barely even breathing, with its mouth half-agape. That look of betrayal, the shock, the pain, they were all emotions that she only knew too well.

'... huh…?'

Guila thought she would feel some sense of satisfaction from showing the toy its place. Some momentary joy from feeling her palm tear across its cheek again. She wanted the same joy, the same release she always thought she’d get from the other noblewomen. And yet there was none of that here. Only shame. Shame as she retracted the hand which slapped it. Shame as she tried to hide it with her bandaged left hand. Shame as she leaned back, afraid of retribution that she knew would never come.

It was an impulse. Guila just took the chance. Not even seeing the value that having such a chance meant. "I'm…" Sorry. But she couldn't even say the word. Yes she hated the thing, but there was no more anger… so the only thing that held Guila back from doing so now, was… It was ego. Finally, she understood her true sin against this child. Not anger. Not abuse. But for thinking that she was inherently better than it. For being so egoistic that she thought she could do whatever she wanted to. Even now, when she ought to be lowering her head, Guila was instead trying to justify her earlier actions towards the girl.

‘It was natural to harm it, because it caused her pain first.’

‘It was okay to accept a life where it would be subjected to my daily abuse, because I was still reeling from my own shock and pain.’

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Yet never once did she blame the common factor. No, how could she? Why would she even do that? Everyone commits mistakes. This was just another one of her’s. To blame him would mean accepting the fact that the last three years of her life was also built upon a mistake, and… there’s no way that could be the case. It was during that strained silence, where they gazed into one another with heartache and despair in their eyes, that the opaque metal doors slid open.

Their reactions couldn't be any more different, Guila shifted to look, while Ariel kept staring at her unblinking.

Standing right outside the room, was an older bronze-skinned lady in a white uniform with blue trimmings. She was of similar height to Guila and sported an eye-catching pair of long, dark-brown Rabbit ears, which were the same color as her hair. Guila initially thought that she was a Vatgrown but the long, sharpened ears on the sides of her head, confused her into silence. Behind her were two, much taller security personnel in similar uniforms. They were no doubt Federation soldiers, especially since all of them had the same buzzcut hairstyle. However, their outfits were smeared with blood and gunk, to the point that the woman's name tag was made unreadable because of it. There was also a haggard aura around them.

They were clearly exhausted, and yet there was a fire in their eyes.

"Secure that thing! Properly, this time!" At her order, the two men entered the room first and dragged Ariel across the curtain. But even though she didn't struggle, Guila still heard a dull thud.

"Hey, that belongs to my husband!" She yelled, as even from this distance, she could still hear Ariel whimper from the cloth straps being tightened far too much. "Be careful with it!"

They were both his property, but since it was incapable of protecting itself, it of course fell to Guila to make sure that they were both of the best quality. She was just about to get off the bed to stop them, but then a hand had grabbed her shoulder and she was quickly shoved onto the floor. For a second, she felt nothing. Like it didn't even happen to her. But then, that moment passed and she heard a sickening pop from her right shoulder.

"Aah-AAAaAH!!!!" But Guila couldn't even scream properly, before a kick was sent into her gut - forcing her to spew out bile and coagulated blood. Then came another kick. "Aiiehk!"

'What's happening?!'

First, she and the doll were rescued. She even recognized the woman’s voice to be the same one who found her! They were then given a room all to themselves. But now she was getting beaten? It was a small mercy that it was the woman, instead of the men doing this. Since she was surely weaker. But… small blessings were not enough to stop Guila from crying. Eventually, the female soldier stopped and stood just opposite of the bile puddle.

"You disgust me, you know that?" The woman said, glaring with a hatred so potent that it dwarfed even the worst emotions Guila had held for Ariel. Her face was contorted with rage, then she squatted down, grabbed Guila’s hair, and forced her to look up. "Luckily, it doesn't matter what state you are in, once we deliver you to the Count, since I already said you were in critical condition."

"I'm… a hostage?" Guila coughed out.

"That's right. Both of you are. Your motherless bastard of a husband and his goons took the entire bridge hostage, with the guns that you made. Ain't that just amazing, eh, traitor? We were going to trade you for the crew."

"Then why are you hurting us…?"

"'We were' are the keywords, whore. We lost contact with the bridge and the entire area was hermetically sealed. But don't worry, I'm only hurting you. Now get back on your bed before I slam your head against your own vomit." Despite the fact that her mind was still in disarray, Guila was well into piecing the information together. There must have been a reason why the Count took the bridge hostage. A reason that concerned Imperial lives and it was surely connected to the disaster that had occurred at the Rainforest safari. "Although you might now both be widowed Imperial women, which means you're less than half of a citizen, we in the Federation believe in an inherent value within people. You'll get three meals a day and even access to a bathroom."

The soldier was clearly gloating, enjoying the fact that she could handle her in any way she wished. But, even as Guila was forced to listen to her words, while crawling across the floor, she didn't worry about her husband’s fate. Because her faith in him was unshakeable.

"He's alive… and he'll kill you for this."

"Oh really now? I'm surprised you still have the balls to speak after that. I guess you really were raised in the Federation. Still got that tenacity. I'll make sure to tell him that before I hand you two over." And with that, the three left the room just as rapidly as they came in - with the door closing behind them. It was probably locked. But even if it wasn't, it's not like either of them could get out.

After all, even now, Guila could only lie against the bed frame, unable to get back up. Would she be beaten again if she failed to do so before they returned? It was certainly likely. But she wasn’t really in a state to worry about that too much. Since she was still gasping and reeling from the pain, as well as the smell of bile and ammonia. Yet even so, there was one thing she needed to say.

"Ariel… I…" The pain only worsened the more she spoke. But Guila couldn't let it stop her. This was a matter more important than even her own survival. She had to say it before her husband came to rescue them. She no longer had a reason to do otherwise. Whatever pride she may have had left, had well and truly been shattered before the child. She had nothing left to project. "Ariel… I'm sorry…"

Even though Guila thought she no longer had any tears left to cry, they still blurred her vision and felt so cold on her cheeks. As cold as the inevitable refusal that awaited. Who could ever accept such words from her? No one. No one at all. No one except the eager and gentle child that she killed out of hatred and jealousy. Only now that she's lost the one person that she could've made her ally, did Guila truly lament the loss of what she could've had.

An actual friend.

"I'm so, so sorry… please… never forgive me!"