Aili

 

I avoided Amaury. I didn't know what to say to him. How I should react? But I avoided Nio much more. I did this for several days. With each passing day, I felt worse. Tired, sad, dirty...

I stood in my and Candy's room, staring out the window, and didn't know what to do. I did my homework and studied non-stop so as not to have to think. Heavens, I had even cleaned up. There was just one sock on the floor, which Candy strangely ignored. I ignored the sock as well.

"Do you want me to get you some hot chocolate? I can ask in the kitchen", my roommates quietly suggested. She sat on her bed, with a thick novel on her lap, looking at me with a furrowed brow.

"No thanks!"

Candy sighed. "Something has happened, Aili! If you don't want to talk to me about it, fine! But maybe with your friends? Hm?"

I just shook my head.

My friends were worried about me, but I didn't want to talk to them about what had happened. I had already had to talk to the headmistress about it. Amaury, as he had said, had told her about the incident. I answered all the questions, but I was silent about most of what happened. Things that didn't make sense to me. Things I'd rather not remember.

Nio had been so attentive at first. When we first started dating. Why did he behave so differently? He had been warned, had to help the staff clean the cafeteria as punishment, and was not allowed to approach me. This made it easier for me to avoid his company.

Like a puppet, controlled, I made my way to class. Today Candy walked beside me. As if she wanted to protect me. Otherwise, she always left much earlier than me. She stayed until Menka and Silja joined us. In class, I hardly listened. Instead, I stared out the window. During the breaks, I listened to Maiken, Menka, and Silja talking, but I hardly contributed anything until they left me alone. Silja hugged me instead. I grimaced but allowed it. Her warmth was comforting.

At the end of the day, however, there was another unpleasant surprise for me. I was on my way to the dormitory, alone, when Oswald came towards me. Oswald von Blaugrau. My fiancé.

"Aili! Sweetheart!" He grinned with relish when he spotted me. I felt sick.

"Hello Oswald", I murmured, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"Aren't you happy? My dear, little fiancée?", he asked, arrogant as ever. I hated the way he spoke to me.

"No. What gives me the honor?" I looked around nervously. Could I run away? Should I run away? But where to? I needed an excuse... But then I heard someone calling for me. Panicked, I looked around. In the next moment, Nio, followed by Arne, approached me. That wasn't good.

Not good at all.

"Aili! Forgive me!", he shouted.

Oswald frowned and put his arm around me possessively. "Who’s that?", he asked.

I flinched. "Oswald..."

"Hey!". Nio immediately grumbled. "Stay away from my girlfriend!"

"Your girlfriend? That's my fiancée, you dwarf!", hissed Oswald. "Aili? Is that true?"

"Well..." I shook my head in disbelief and tried to get away from him. Oswald looked at me confused, then he looked at Nio, and back at me.

"So?" Oswald raised his eyebrows. "This dwarf? Are you cheating on me with him?" A blush of anger rose on his face. "Or is this a silly joke? Well?"

"I said let go!" Nio grumbled, grabbing my arm to pull me away from Oswald. "Is he bothering you?", he asked me.

I shook my head again.

Arne stopped a few steps behind Nio with a pale face. Oswald was taller and wider than he and Nio. But Arne recovered quickly and looked at me disparagingly. I just wanted to get away.

"What do you think, you’re doing?" Oswald took a step forward, snorting. "You kid!"

Nio spat at him. "This is my girlfriend! I slept with her, you bastard! Fuck off! She's mine!" He crossed his arms. "And now, let go of her!"

"What?" I stared at him in shock.

"Girlfriend? This is my fiancée!" Now Oswald's angry eyes met mine. "But apparently, you're cheating on me, Aili." Oswald pulled me closer to him. "In this case, I will have the engagement dissolved! I won't let myself be treated like that! I won't get engaged to a whore! A bitch! This is a scandal! Someone like you is worth nothing!" He let go. But only to slap me in the face. Nio didn't stop him. And he walked away. Oswald left me alone with Nio.

Nio turned me to face him ruthlessly. "Fiancé?", he hissed. "You have a fiancé?"

"She tricked you, Nio!" Arne shouted at him. "What a ... Stupid thing, isn't she? Thought she could get away with it!"

I stood between the two of them, rigid with fear. The world turned again.

Nio nodded. "A bitch. I guess this guy is right."

"Hey! Nio!" Maiken came running towards us. "Get away from her! You’re not allowed to approach Aili!"

Away? It was I who wanted to get away. Away from Nio. Away from Arne. Away from Maiken.

Nio laughed maliciously and shoved me to Maiken. She caught me, shocked. I became rigid with fright. Everything was spinning. "You have a fine friend there, Maiken! A real bitch! Right, Aili? Who did you have fun with first until you let me under your skirt? Surely with this Oswald, isn't it? And what about the baker? But pretending to be the fine virgin to me!"

"The two of them must have had a good time!", Arne agreed. Now that Oswald was gone, he stood next to Nio.

"What are you talking about!" Maiken stroked my back. I wanted to scream. "Leave her alone! Come on Aili, we're going!"

"She cheated on me! Cheated!" Nio's laughter sounded like that of a maniac. "Me! I could have had any girl in my class! What’s with her, Aili? Is this a friend? Or can she also get under your skirt?"

"Ass!", hissed Maiken. "They should have kicked you out of school!"

I heard rolling wheels of a simple cart. Someone else approached us. The person became faster. I wanted to leave, but now it was Maiken who hugged me. "She cheated on you? And that’s why, you believe you can treat her like that?", my friend scolded. "You’re unbelievable, Nio!"

"She's the cheater!"

"We're going now!", snorted Maiken and petted my hair. "You should break up with him, Aili! Did you really cheat on him? That doesn't suit you... He's lying! Aili? You don't look good..." She sounded worried. I just shook my head, then tore myself away from her. Maiken called after me, but I ran until I hit an obstacle. I ran right into Amaury's arms, who was pulling a cart full of rolls behind him.

Frightened, I looked into his kind eyes. "Aili! We heard screams... Did something happen?"

We? I nodded as tears ran down my cheeks. Sobbing, I threw myself into his arms. "Nio! Arne! Oswald! I... It was bad!" I sobbed, clinging to him. Amaury let go of the cart and wrapped her arms around me. "Nio? Your boyfriend? Why was he near you? And who is Oswald? Did Nio do anything to you?"

"He called me a b... a bitch! Oswald too! He's my fiancé... Was. My mother's decision, not mine. And Nio... Maiken came, but... He didn't stop!"

"Aili!" That was Maiken's voice. She sounded breathless. As if she had run. "Don't run... Oh! Miss ... Wait, no... Your Highness!"

"What?" Whimpering, I looked around. There was someone else standing next to Amaury. Princess Chloe von Sonnenhof. She frowned worriedly. The princess worked in the kitchen. We students never knew how to address her. She was the head of the kitchen, yes. On her door sign stood Ms. von Sonnenhof. But she was also a princess.

"Ms. von Sonnenhof is enough here. Anything else just complicates it!", she replied in a stern voice. Chloe was known for her severity. She did not tolerate any mischief in the dining room. When she was there, hardly any student dared to do mischief. Not if they had to wash all the pots in the kitchen as punishment. Chloe's favorite measure against troublemakers. And she always sounded slightly irritated when she spoke to someone. I stared at her, startled. She had heard it all!

Maiken nodded and looked at me. "Is everything alright, Aili?"

"No", I muttered. "No, it's not."

"I agree with that. Come on, children. The two of you accompany us down to the kitchen. Amaury can make you some cocoa, and you tell me what happened."

"Good", Maiken replied immediately. "I'd love to! The punishment Nio received was never enough!"

"Apparently...", Chloe grumbled, looking at me.

I shook my head but held on tightly to Amaury. I didn't want to go to the kitchen. I wanted to leave!

Amaury nodded encouragingly. "Come. You like hot chocolate, right?"

I nodded, then shook my head. I didn't want to go with them, but I refused to let him go. He seemed like a lifebelt to me. I couldn't let him go. Otherwise, I would sink.