Chapter 20
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The guard Ferma replied immediately with eyes flashing:
"You're lying, you bastard. I can feel it in your lying tone. My sister is too strong to be killed by someone like you, you worthless worm.
I said with a provocative smile as I raised my eyebrows:
"I'm lying? Okay, okay, come on, let's go to the place where I cut off her head so you can see the bitter truth for yourself.
I sneered at her coldly as the guard Ferma began to suspect something and seeds of bitter doubt crept into her heart, and hesitation was clearly visible on her face.
"Let's go."
She said in a hoarse voice full of doubt as she pressed my neck with a warning force, then slowly let go of me as if she hated to touch me.
"Cough, cough, damn it, Ferma, I know I'm handsome and attractive to men and women, but there's no need for such violent sovereign behavior. I didn't know you liked doing things like this to hot boys."
I said sarcastically as I rubbed my neck, which was red from her strong grip.
The guard Ferma looked at me with narrow eyes full of suspicion and anticipation and muttered in a low voice:
"Come forward, Ruthvien!
I looked at her sarcastically as I quickly adjusted my torn clothes, which bore witness to her violence, as if nothing had happened, my body healing itself. All that remained of the previous beating was blood on the floor and on my clothes, which I regretted getting dirty again. Did I have an endless wardrobe? I was tired of changing my clothes every minute!
I said as I rubbed my red neck slowly and deliberately to tease her more:
"I don't remember the way, my dear Ferma. I chose a random road at night and walked down it innocently, like a lost lamb."
Ferma clenched her teeth with suppressed anger:
" Ruthvien, don't test my patience, which is running out!!"
I explained with feigned seriousness, hiding a malicious sneer behind it:
" I'm not joking, Ferma. I said my magic spell and came here to wait for daylight, like any sane lost person looking for the light."
When she saw that I was not joking and that my sarcasm was bitter truth, she hesitated for a moment and looked clearly confused before moving quickly, filled with anxiety:
"Don't move from here, you fool, I'll search the forest myself for any trace of my dear sister.
The guard Ferma ran off, leaving me alone in the suspicious silence of the forest, which was shrouded in a deadly calm.
"Damn it! What's with this damn bag? I'm sure I left it with the corpse of that fool yesterday, so it would disappear with her body into the bellies of the hungry beasts that roam these lands.
I thought anxiously as I washed my face with cold water.
A familiar voice echoed in my ears like a faint whisper:
"Did you enjoy what you did, Ruthvien?"
I replied with a malicious laugh and hidden delight:
"Yes, of course, to see the angry look in her eyes, it was worth all the trouble."
The voice sighed heavily:
"Hmmm!"
I laughed until I suddenly stopped because of this strange whisper that seemed very close. I looked around for the source of the sound but found no one in this empty place.
" Am I starting to hallucinate from beating up a girl? Maybe her blows affected my mind more than I expected."
I scratched my head in confusion as I sat down to rest a little on the wet rock.
I closed my eyes for a moment, waiting for the angry Ferma to return. I don't know why she didn't believe me earlier. I didn't lie to her about the murder. Maybe I lied about raping her sister to provoke her and enjoy her anger, but I definitely killed her. Are my words really that unbelievable?
" You're going to die a miserable death, you little murderer!"
The voice came again, even louder.
I opened my eyes quickly and turned my head to look for the person who had spoken. The voice sounded undeniably like the girl I had killed yesterday. Was I imagining things, or was something even stranger happening in this haunted forest?
"Who's there?!"
I shouted loudly as I searched the area around me with increasing nervousness.
"I'm here, you cowardly little fool!"
An angry voice came from very close to me, as if whispering in my ear.
I quickly and frantically searched my pockets and pulled out a dark bracelet. I wiped the dried blood off it with my trembling hands and saw a face I never expected to see again in such a terrifying way. The woman I killed yesterday! But how?
"What madness is this? Are you haunting this handsome young man like a ghost now, my dear?"
I sneered with a trembling voice as I toyed with the bracelet between my fingers.
The bracelet didn't look impressive, regardless of the different lines engraved on it. It didn't seem special or have any obvious magical value.
"I'm Monica, Marbella's daughter, the young lady from the Marbella house. I'll find a way to tell Ferma that you killed me, you son of a...!"
The lady started screaming louder and louder, but I couldn't hear the rest of what she said. I grabbed the bracelet tightly with my hand and moved it in a circular motion. Like a baseball launched from the hand of a skilled pitcher, I threw the bracelet hard into the river, far away from me.
"Goal! What a great throw!"
I jumped up excitedly at my perfect throw that silenced that annoying voice, then took the dull silver ring out of my pocket to examine it carefully to make sure there was nothing strange about it or any other sounds coming from it.
"Enough with Ferma's constant yelling, I don't need another one yelling in my ear."
I muttered in annoyance as I pressed my stomach, which had started to rumble loudly. It seemed that my adventures were strangely appetizing.
I sat down on the damp rock. I didn't care about Ferma's return or her anger, all I wanted was a moment of silence and rest after this chaotic day full of blood, screams, and angry souls. Gradually, I began to see shadows moving behind my eyelids, then slipped into a world of fragmented dreams. It wasn't long before the sun began to set, casting its last golden rays through the branches of the trees, illuminating the place with a faint light before darkness fell over the forest.
Shh!!
I heard the quiet rustling of trees and opened my eyes to see the guard Ferma returning from among the thick branches, holding a torn piece of blue robe stained with mud and blood. It was the same robe that Lady Monica had worn yesterday.
The guard Ferma shouted in a hoarse voice mixed with anger and despair as she emerged from the forest:
"Ruthvien!"
I replied lazily, yawning artificially as if I had just woken up from a deep sleep:
"Your loud voice is giving me a headache. What now? I told you I killed her. Just kill me and let's end this boring business that is robbing me of the pleasure of finding ways to commit suicide."