A/ N : I wrote this in a rush, so if you find any errors, feel free to point it out!

__________________________________

"Shall we play a game, Ly Ly?"

I place down the two champagne glasses on the table in front of Layla and take a seat on the couch adjacent to hers.

Layla stares wordlessly, her gaze skidding from the glasses to settle on me, "What game?"

"A game where we ask questions to each other." I enunciate before adding, "And we reply honestly."

"Go to sleep, Marilla." She says rising from her seat and heading towards the door.

I lean back in my seat, "Don't you think you could atleast spare me a teeny veeny game in return of me signing a suicide statement by giving away the crown to my supposed husband despite its curse?"

That has her halting on her steps with her back to me.

A momentary passes with her form stoic as ever before she spins around, "What do you know about it?"

I let a smile slip on my lips, "You could ask me along the game and I'll answer, I promise."

For a long moment, she doesn't retort, observing me with those oddly hollow eyes before finally deciding to settle on the plush maroon couch opposite me.

"Drinks?" I offer letting her choose from both the glasses set on the table.

She passes them a cursory glance before picking up one. I pick the other one and wait for her to take a sip before I take mine.

There's no bitterness or any difference in taste that would indicate there's a herb mixed into it. It's just plain wine.

"Five questions each," I say placing my glass down, "I'll let you go first."

"What do you know about the curse on the crown?" She asks immediately.

"Except for the part where I and my supposed husband both die if I pass him the crown?" I raise a brow fixing my gaze on her, "I know you didn't really kill me because it must've killed you if you tried to harm me when I'm still the crown holder. There was no other way you found to get the crown without killing me as you claimed. "

That was pretty much the truth and I suppose there was no point acting as if I didn't know about it when I'm still going along to her requests of getting married to her selected suitor for me.

"Why are you still-"

"It's my chance now." I raise a finger in protest and don't wait for her to retort, "Did you and Charlotte work together to frame me about the whole Queen Annabeth getting abducted thing?"

Layla doesn't retort for a long while then, "We did." She frowns at her own answer as if she hadn't intending to tell that.

"We did." She says again frowning profusely before her gaze slids to her wine glass, "You mixed something in the drinks, didn't you?" Her tone is accusatory.

"Is that your next question? If yes, then-"

"No, it's not." Layla narrows her gaze at me, her voice hard.

"If it's any consolation. I drank the same thing. It just makes you speak only the truth. And if you don't believe me," I picked up her glass and took a long swig, "There, I drank the same thing as you so we're even."

Layla's observes me for a lengthy minute then asks, "Do you love Zander?"

The question takes me off-guard. I blink at the sudden rush of emotions I feel. I don't want to answer. I don't.

But it's not like I have a choice here.

"I don't know." I answer brutally honest, "I like him. A lot. I mean, he's my mate. But I don't know whether I love him. . .I can't let myself to love anyone after knowing how the loved ones could become your weakness and have the ability to break you. Mom followed Dad to his death. Valerian almost sacrificed himself for Kate and his children. Anthony was in a state of shock for months when he thought Carla was dead. I don't think....I'm really into signing myself upto it. No matter how heartless it makes me."

Layla takes in my words silently and for a brief moment, I see some understanding flash in her eyes but they're gone within a second.

I cast my eyes on her, "Do you?"

I know I don't have to elaborate here.

She stares at me before looking away, "I do love him." Her voice is so low and soft that it almost sounds heartbroken.

I take in a deep breath feeling a sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach. Why am I stalling with these question? I need to ask the important ones.

Five questions....two gone.

Okay there was only one important one. I could start with the other subtle ones though.

But now it's her chance.

Layla doesn't beat around the bush, "Do you enjoy the ruling and everything?"

I'm surprised by her question and I think for a very long second, "Does it make me a bad person if I'd rather not rule at all if I could?"

"That's not exactly an answer." She states, her face straight, "Although to your rhetorical question, I suppose not."

I fight back a smile at that. I don't know why it makes me feel somewhat of.....less burdened knowing that she hadn't really lied about it.

"Okay my chance," I rest my palms flat on the surface of the table, "Why are all the maids and servants here glamoured?"

Layla frowns slightly before her gaze drops to her wrists as if looking at something intensely although all I see is clear skin.

Her eyelids lift to mine but her expression is suddenly so blank I couldn't decipher a single thing she might be feeling as she says monotonically, "I have them spelled so that they can only follow my orders and not think of anything else like betraying me and....." A fleeting look of fear takes over her features and I'm sure for once she doesn't want to answer but then the emotion is gone like all the other time, "....selling me off to anyone."

This time, I frown.

Sell her off? Why would someone do that? And why would she even think of such a thing?

"Why are we really playing this game? I know you want to ask something, go on with it. I want know too." Her tone is icy as if the last question I asked switched something in her and she was back to openly hating me again now.

Nevertheless, I answer as well as ask my next and most important question I was here for,

"I found something very strange among the records at the sea castle. Two certificates. One indicated the death of a two year old and the other birth of a new born. Both of them had my name in it and the same date." I see the way her entire body freezes at that, the way her hands subtly tighten around the edges of the table, "Do you know anything about it?"

"I'm not sure." She grits out and I suppose the herb doesn't make a person forcefully speak about something they aren't sure of.

Although I know she knows. I'm sure she does....

Dilin had mentioned how if not everything, Layla knew something.

"Tell me whatever you know." I say and her eyes blaze.

"Why are you doing this?" She asks and my eyes mirror her fury.

"Because I don't understand for hell's sake the hatred you have for me! I don't get what I'd done. And I know it isn't just the crown. You're hiding something Layla and I'm sick and tired of trying to figure out what it could be!" I burst out, my breathing coming out in labored puffs.

Layla's jaw ticks. She looks away avoiding my outburst and answering the question instead, "I just know that when I was two, I died but somehow made it out alive. I suppose the certificate about the death is mine but I don't know why it has your name. And I know that whatever had happened that day when I'd supposedly 'died', it was decided that very day that the crown would belong to you. The crown was also cursed that day itself."

Then her gaze fixes on me, "I know that mother always knew you'd be the queen from the moment I was two but she still chose to feed me with false hopes. She made me think of a future that was never supposed to be mine. She gave me dreams only to take them away. That's all I know. And I'm done with this game." She concludes slamming her palms on the table and getting up from her couch.

I stay stunned not knowing what to speak before shaking myself out of it, "Answer me one last thing before you go," I say then flick my eyes to hers to elaborate, "Why do you hate me so much?"

Layla's hands fists at her sides, "Isn't it obvious?" She counter asks standing still.

"No, it's not. Don't give me that same old half-baked answer, Layla." I stand up myself, inching my face right in front of hers determinatedly, "Don't you dare tell me that it's because you feel envious that the crown was given to me. Don't you dare act like it's a jealousy feud. Don't you dare taint our bond with that nonsense."

Layla stares not speaking a word, her fists clenching and unclenching.

I bring up my index finger to point at her, "I don't remember a single moment there was any greed between us. I don't remember a single moment you didn't love me back then. Maybe you did feel wronged when mother gave your crown to me but that's not why you hate me. Because the Layla I knew must've felt hurt at our mother's actions but you'd have never held her doings against me. I'm sure that as time would pass, you'd have accepted what happened and you'd have been proud for me. I say this because I know that's how you are. I know that you didn't love so less. I know you more than you think I do, Layla. So please, just. . . .tell me why."

I don't realize I have tears in my eyes by the time I'm done speaking.

Layla peers at me, her eyes equally glassy, "You want to know why I really hate you?"

She inches closer poking a finger at my heart, "I hate you because Ursula sold me to the slave establishment since I tried to hurt you. I hate you because I was in that hell hole for seven hundred years tortured until I lost my mind while you were busy enjoying your throne and didn't even look for me once!"

"But most of all, I hate you because despite knowing you were the very reason I was in there, you were also the only hope that kept me going, that stopped me again and again from ending my life! All those centuries, Marilla, I believed if no one paid even a heed to my dissapearance, you would. But you never even cared." The tears run down her cheeks freely now, her eyes and nose red and puffy.

I've never seen Layla like this.

So hurt and broken.

Tears blur my vision, my heart beating so fast I could hear it loud and clear. My hands shook where it rested on the table.

She'd been tortured.....

For seven hundred years.....

Ursula sold her to the slave establishment......

But Ursula had said Layla ran away from the kingdom.....

She lied.

And Gods, I believed that conniving woman.

She sold Layla. She sold my sister as if she were an object. What kind of monster does that?! Is that why Layla doesn't trust anyone and has the whole staff glamoured here because she fears they'll do the same thing as Ursula?

Amd what kind of person am I who trusted Ursula blindly and didn't even consider asking around twice?!

But a lot of the merfolks had confirmed she ran.....

They'd all lied to me. They'd wanted so badly for me to kill Layla.

I remember the hatred they'd had for Layla since we were kids. I was always the strange curious object since childhood. But Layla was the one who'd always recieved the viciousness of their words.

I used to think it was because she was to be their future queen and they envied being ruled by her.

But there's more to all of this.....I'm sure of it. There's some story of behind their sickening behavior.

Although. . . .

"You think I didn't look for you?" My voice shook as I grip the table to steady myself from all the information.

Layla doesn't answer. The tears are wet on her pink cheeks and she seems lost about something, her eyes taking over that strange hollowness as if she were an empty vessel without any soul.

"Layla," I grab her shoulders forcing her to look at me, "I searched for you every single day. There wasn't a moment I didn't miss you! Whenever I felt even the littlest of happy, I used to feel guilty that I was feeling so while you weren't here! Seven centuries, there wasn't a day I stopped looking for you! Even when no one could find any trace of you, even when everyone started giving up hope, even when everyone thought that maybe no tracker could find you was because you were.....dead." I whisper last word painfully.

Layla just chuckles humourlessly, "Right. I believe you."

"You think I'm lying?! How could I when I've drunk the same thing you have and you know it deep down that I'm not? Tell me, Layla," I let out a bitter laugh, "Why do you think I went to Charlotte and told her about Helvon's gateway? Surely I didn't decide to betray Queen Annabeth's trust, break the royal rules of secrecy, bring a cold war between Seagill and Helvon, endure the demon folks hatred and the other courts accusation, bare with the guilt for being the cause because of which Zander didn't have his mother with him anymore and his wife's supposed death, all just for nothing."

Layla furrows her brows at that, the tears now dried.

I let go of her shoulders knowing I had her attention, "When I couldn't find you anywhere no matter how hard I tried, I seeked the wrong way. I was desperate and I just wanted to find you. No matter in what way. So I approached the black witch who claimed to know about your whereabouts. I went against all my principles and struck a bargain with her. I gave her the information I'd have never given even on my death bed all just for a little information about you. And when I came to meet at the Black Sea, you wanted to kill me! Have you ever thought how it made me feel?!"

Angry tears ran down my eyes furiously and Layla looked way too stunned to reply.

Her eyes fill again but she rubs at the edges of her eyes. She keeps staring at me for so long I think she's frozen but then without a word, she turns around facing her back to me.

And as I brace my emotions, Layla walks out of the sitting room silently shutting the door behind her.

I slump back on the couch, another tear trailing down my cheek.

We were both so wrong about each other.

***

▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎¤▪︎

Layla waited, waited till she was far away from Marilla's ear shot before she let the tears free.

She fought back the emptiness trying to claw at her, mock her about how wrong she'd been.

She'd avoided to talk to Marilla properly for so long because she was afraid if Marilla had a valid reason, she'd not have a reason to be angry on her anymore. She'd been afraid if the anger dissipated, then it'd be back to her hollow mind and the dangerous path it kept leading her to.

She'd held back so long only to be bought down to this.

Ursula had fucked both of them so bad.

Layla knew. She always knew that there would come a point when the anger she felt for Marilla might dissapear but now.....

She didn't know what to feel and what to not. Although there was one thing that was always constant. The hatred for the woman who ruined her life.

And right now, she needed to focus on some emotion if she didn't want to completely loose it to the empty shell again.

On cue, Layla shut her eyes and when she opened them again, she was in a dark room.

The place was dimly lit except for the yellow light emmitting from the lamp on the small desk next to the couch at one corner of the room.

A girl was seated on the couch, her legs stretched out in front of her and her face nooked into the book she was reading.

As if sensing Layla's presence, the girl spoke, "You're here."

Layla just stood still, her eyes taking in the two large glass tubes set in the middle of the room in display with the two captive merfolks in it—one unconcious while the other glared profusely at her as her skin sizzled due to the Rowan berries—before settling on the sandy brown haired girl lounging on the chair.

"Ursula's been a screeching bitch the last hour. I couldn't even read in peace." The girl still hid behind the book muttered grudgingly, "As for Avyanna, are you sure the rowan berries of hers are completely fake and you've just put a temporary slumber spell? She's still sleeping and it's been almost a month! I've been waiting to speak to her since ages. I think I'd die of old age before she finally wakes up." The girl exagerated dramatically.

When she didn't hear any reply from Layla and only received silence in return, the girl looked up from her book.

Her hazel eyes widened as soon as she took in the tear strained face of Layla. Without wasting a second, she dropped the book on the couch and approached Layla with an ethereal speed.

"What happened?" She asked softly bringing up a hand to wipe away Layla's tears from her cheek.

"I'm fine." Layla stared back with the hollow eyes proceeding to take the girl's hand of her face before speaking again, "Laira."

Y'all be like,

WHAT IN THE DEAD PERSON-

Why do you think Laira is with Layla willingly looking after her captors?

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!