“I will take the ointment and the medicine.”

“I will come to your apartment to collect the money on your return. By the way, do you need any medicine? I am a very good apothecary. But I’m better with poisons. –How about poison? Your wounds must be painful.”

Alana closed her eyes and saw her father and half-brother’s ugly, beastly faces.

“I want it. Can you make a poison that will make me helpless to drink it?”

“Then I will make a good poison for you. Look forward to the final product.”

The man took a step forward—another step. The vibrations caused pain deep inside her as he walked. But Alana held on. A bead of sweat broke out on her forehead. She wanted to erase her heart from feeling anything.

♔♔♔

Alana was glad that her vision was blurred. The man brought her into a room filled with a thick heat and a strange smell. There were flickers of different skin tones, and she thought that everyone in the room was naked. She could hear lusty gasps and sticky noises. No one in the room reacted to the intrusion from the outside. She suspected drugs but decided not to think about it.

“This room is the everyday life of your brother’s brothel, Anselma. Or should I say re-enactment? Your brother and father are my clients. They use my drugs to create these extraordinary spaces. Some men describe this situation as heaven. Others see it as hell. I wonder what the difference is? …Now let’s get started.”

The man put Alana down on the floor and left her with a faint sound of shifting clothes. As he walked around the room, the silence gradually increased. Soon there was no more shouting or sweet breathing.

“Do you mind what I’ve done now? I got rid of the woman because she was in the way.”

Alana’s eyes were blank. At the moment, she only wanted to keep Luciano alive. She didn’t care what happened to the others. To ensure his safety, she thought it would be better if no one knew that the prince of Serrat was alive.

“No, I don’t care.”

She was hollow.

“We are different in nature but perhaps a little alike. Please, go ahead.”

Before she knew it, the man was standing in front of Alana. As her eyes became a little more accustomed, she realised that the man was dressed in a dark dressing gown and wore a hood over his eyes. Behind it, the man hid his face.

He handed her a vial of liquid and a bottle of ointment. He led Alana to stand in front of the limp, naked man. Even through the blur, she recognised him. It was a nobleman.

“Firstly, I will explain the medicine. He can’t drink the bottle even if you place it close to his mouth and pour it. He’s got a swollen throat. You must put it in his mouth and seal it so that it does not spill. Do not remove his mouth until the liquid is gone from the vial. Don’t let him spit it out because it tastes awful. That’s what the seal is for. I have poisoned him, and he needs to be neutralised. Consider that he is now addicted. Then be prepared to be harmed. He will go into a rage to get you to stop because the medicine you are giving him is excruciating. Apply the ointment to the areas where the colour has changed. The neck, breasts and lips are all bruised, especially his gen*tals. Don’t leave them untreated. The aphrodisiac your brother uses is strong and poisonous and will cause decay. I will hold his body while I graft his legs. I ask you to give me the medicine because I kill them as soon as they lash out at me. Last week I accidentally killed eight of my patients.”

Alana knelt next to Luciano. When she looked at him, she could see the swollen red marks on his face. There was no sign of the beautiful man she had seen the other day. He must have been badly beaten.

“…Luciano, you live.”

Alana tried to open the bottle in her hand. But she could not open it with her weak hands. She chewed on it and pulled the lid off, finally managing to open it. There was an awful smell that stung her nose.

She carried it to his mouth, forcing him to swallow it.

–Even if the stars disappear in the future, even if we never see them again. I will never forget the glittering night sky that I looked up at that day. 

♔♔♔