Chapter 4. Funny Games

Talia has adapted to life inside the prison I’ve created for her. I hated to call it that since thinking of her as my prisoner always made me feel sick inside. But I didn’t have a choice.

To make her stay worthwhile, I taught her how to cook simple meals. I had to prepare everything at night of course. Making her slice something using a knife was totally out of the question though. Even though I knew she wouldn’t really hurt me, I had to be careful.

Who knows? Maybe she’d go berserk and use the knife against me. So yeah, I secretly sliced all the ingredients needed while she was asleep.

She also laundered all her clothes and cleaned the place up. Just the third floor mind you. I wouldn’t allow her on any other floors because she might escape. Cleaning was good exercise for her. Not only did it give her something to do, it also taught her humility. Something the queen didn’t have.

“You know,” she said while getting the clothes from the dryer and placing it on the basket. “I’ve been here for 2 months, but I feel like I still don’t know you.”

I was currently sitting on the counter and turned in her direction. “That’s because you’re not supposed to know me princess. You’re supposed to just do my bidding and shut that mouth of yours.”

She rolled her eyes at me and set the basket down on the floor. “Since when have you been lesbian Cybele?” Her question caught me off guard. I didn’t think that she took note of that.

“Since I was ten,” I said. “What about you? Since when have you been lesbian?” It was a trick question. I knew all too well when she became like that.

She gave me an impatient stare. “I already told you didn’t I? I’m straight as a pole Cybele. Unlike some people, I’m sure with my sexuality.”

“Want to bet on that?” I asked.

“Go ahead,” she said while placing her hands on her waist. “But I want to up the stakes. How about we bet on something else, something more challenging?”

Now she got my attention. I wonder what the princess was thinking of. “Go ahead,” I said. “What would you like to wager on?” An impish smile spread on her face, making her gray eyes twinkle and her thin lips widen. “Let’s play a game of cards. If you win, you can make me do anything. Anything at all.”

“And if you win?” I asked while cocking my head to the side. “You’ll do as I tell you,” she said.

“Why the hell would I do that?” I chuckled. “I can always command you to do things for me. In case you haven’t noticed, you don’t really have a choice. So no, I’m not going to consent on your crazy idea Talia.”

“You’re just scared that I may win Cybele,” she smirked. “What? Cat got your tongue?” she said when I didn’t reply. I swung myself down from the counter and stood on my feet. I walked to her and leaned down until we were eye-to-eye. “You’ll allow me to do anything with you if I win?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly while staring me in the eyes. The subtle gulp that she made didn’t escape my vision. She was always like this. She wanted to overcome battles she could never win.

“What if I tell you to kiss me? Will you allow it?”

Her eyes darted to the side. I could see her thinking hard about this. After a moment she said, “Yes. I’ll allow you to kiss me or touch me if you win. But if I do, you’ll also do as I say.”

I considered her offer. Kissing was obviously out of the question since I’d never take advantage of someone like that, especially Talia. But what would I make her do if I win? Oh well. I’ll just think of it when the situation arises.

I leaned back and gave her a smirk. “Prepare to lose Talia,” I said. “I always win.”

After grabbing a deck of cards somewhere inside the house, I went back to the third floor. We sat on the hallway floor and divided the cards in order. “Just so you know,” I told her. “Even if you win, I cannot set you free. I can’t let you go out of this place, and I can’t let you harm me. Are we clear on that? Also, I can only do what you want for a day. No more, no less.”

“I didn’t even think of those things,” she mumbled.

A couple of minutes later, I slammed the cards on the wall in frustration. She just stared at me while I seethed on the floor. “How did you do that?” I said. “I’m good at anything. Where did you learn how to play?”

She shrugged and smiled. “Whenever I was bored in the palace, sometimes I’d ask the guards to play with me. One of them was a poker champion and taught me all the ropes.”

My jaw clenched in irritation. I should have thought of that first before accepting her challenge. The princess was trickier than I anticipated. “So what do you want from me?” I asked after a while.

She tucked her honey colored hair behind her ear and grinned. “Simple. I want you to pretend that you love me.” I blinked a couple of times at her. “What?” I said in a barely audible manner.

“I want to see how you love Cybele. I’m really curious. I don’t think you’re a bad person, just a confused one. If making you love me is the only way I’d know the real you, I’d go for it even if it was pretend.”

She raised her eyebrows at me. “Should we start now?”

“You really think this is a good idea?” I asked resentfully. “Yes,” she said. “Now make good on your promise and love me.” I closed my eyes for a split-second. She didn’t know what she was asking of me. It would hurt both of us. But I wasn’t a liar and I didn’t want to start now. I’d allow myself to feel what I’ve been pushing back for the past 12 years. Consequences were for later.

Without warning, I picked her up from the floor, bridal style manner and carried her all the way to her room. She gasped at the gesture but didn’t complain. After all, it was her who wanted this. It was pretty difficult to enter the security code without her seeing it, but I still managed.

I placed her down on the bed and hugged her while we were sitting. Her body was warm. It always was. Her smell was a relaxing dose of lavender and I inhaled deeply against her. I missed her scent. I missed Talia- all versions of her. The 6 year old child that held my hand when I was scared was my favorite. The version of her that told me I’d be her princess even though it was a lie was also very dear to me.

But here in her grown-up state, it was pretty bittersweet. She was no longer the Talia I knew and the sad fact was she was now my enemy. But don’t think about that Cybele. Not now, not today.

“I love you Talia,” I said full of emotion. I placed everything I had in those four words. I knew I could never repeat it in the future. “God knows how much I love you,” I whispered against her.

I felt her stiffen against me. For her, this was all a game. A prize that she won from her card of games. To me it was real life. One I had to live with for 12 fucking years while being consumed with the thoughts of revenge.

“Tell me you love me too,” I pleaded. I didn’t care if she heard the weakness in my voice. Because I promised to do it, I would give her one day of total surrender.

She removed herself from my embrace and bit her lower lip. I memorized her face. Her straight nose that I always played with, her thin pinkish lips that only knew of teasing and smiling, her gray eyes that would gleam every now and then, and her honey colored hair that was always set in a half crown braid. All of this was my Talia, the grown-up version of her.

“I’d be lying if I tell you I love you,” she said.

I nearly choked on her words but I still smiled. “Then lie. After all. . . I’m lying too.”

She touched my face with her soft hands before whispering, “I love you Cybele.” I met her eyes which were staring at me tenderly at the moment. She told me she was lying but I saw something there.

“Come with me,” I said.

“Where?”

“Just come,” I told her before getting her hand and ushering her gently out of the room. We reached the rooftop in a couple of minutes. I had to be careful not to show her all the passwords for the security codes whilst doing so.

I deemed it safe to take her to the garden. It was too far from the ground. She wouldn’t jump from there and into freedom. She wasn’t a suicidal person either, so I was confident that everything would turn out well.

“I didn’t know that there was a garden here,” she said in awe as she walked around the rooftop. She stopped in front of the potted dahlias and sat so she could see it better. “Are you the one who’s taking care of this?”

“Yes,” I said truthfully. “Taking care of the roses and other flowers in this garden calms me down. How about you princess, what’s your hobby?”

“I love to read books,” she said. “I also have a blog.” I snickered at her confession. “Does the queen know that you’re a blogger?”

She smiled to herself and stood up. She walked to the swing chair and sat gracefully while leaning back comfortably. “Don’t be a fool,” she said. “The queen has certain expectations from me. She’s also very traditional. If she finds out that I’m blogging in secret, she’d cut my arms off.”

That sounded exactly like her mother. She made me sick to my stomach. “Your mum sounds fun to be with,” I said with a smirk.

“Ha! You don’t know the half of it. One time, she didn’t allow me to leave my room for a month because I refused to learn the waltz when I was a child. The maids pleaded for me but that woman was very stubborn.”

“How do you manage to live with her?”

“I have no choice Cybele. Not only is she my mother, she was also the queen of this country. There’s no escaping her.” She glanced at me and had a serious expression on her face. “You know, if there’s one good thing about you kidnapping me, it’s the fact that I’m far away from the queen. At least here I wouldn’t see her face.”

“Let’s hope that’s true,” I mumbled. “If she ever finds this place I’m going to be dead meat.”

Talia stayed silent, lost in her own thoughts. When she spoke a couple of minutes later, she asked. “So what happens tomorrow?”

I told her the truth. At least the version she knew of. “I stop loving you.”

Tomorrow, we would go back to what we really were; enemies. But you were probably wondering how that happened, how this all happened. So let me go back from the start. Way before I kidnapped her. Before I was known as Iris the millionaire or Iris the supermodel. Back when they called me Cybele, the future queen.