CHAPTER 225: A GOOD TIME

Aristia wordlessly took out a handkerchief, using it to gently wipe his face, carefully avoiding the bruises.

She squatted down to meet his eyes.

"Are you alright?" She almost facepalmed at her stupid question, but caught Owen facepalming from the corner of her eyes.

She shook her head and answered her own question. "No. You’re not alright. Come with me. Can you stand?" Even though she asked that, she still turned to Lucas.

"Please, carry him."

"Yes, your highness."

Lucas went forward and bent down. He touched the boy’s arm and the boy groaned in pain.

He lifted the boy in his arms and before he turned around to face Aristia, the boy mumbled weakly. "Thank... you."

His voice was so low and Aristia would not have heard it if she wasn’t watching him and saw his mouth moving.

She nodded, thinking about something.

What happened to this boy reminded her of something.

She had seen children that had gone through abuse.

It was because of one time she had unknowingly saved a little girl being abused by her uncle. It was sad, seeing a cute, innocent seven year old who wasn’t suppose to experience such a degree of fear, shiver in fear. Scared of people, and most especially, scared of men.

She had met her once in the park. Unlike other children, she wasn’t playing around. She did glance around curiously and watch other children play, but that was it.

Aristia couldn’t help but approach her on the bench. She had asked her what her name was, and after the guarded girl had told her what her name was, they talked a bit more.

Maybe it was her warm smile, but the girl lowered her guard a bit around her. Aristia found out that she was just on her way back from school and decided to sit in the park a bit. She spoke too maturely for a child her age.

Just then, as if she remembered something, she shot up from the bench so fast it startled Aristia.

The next thing she said was, "I’m late! I have to go!"

A look of fear passed through her face so quickly that Aristia didn’t quite grasp the emotion.

She quickly asked before she could even think, "Where do you live?"

After a second of hesitation, the little girl finally told her her address.

Aristia nodded and waved.

The girl was already off, her pigtails bouncing behind her.

A small frown appeared on Aristia’s face. Wasn’t the park a bit too far from that address? Didn’t that mean that her school was even farther? How could she walk such a distance?

She considered asking to drive her home, but she couldn’t see the girl’s form again.

About five minutes later, Aristia was about to leave when she noticed something. On the bench beside her lay a bracelet.

It had probably been left on the seat when the girl took it off to show her. She was dressed in a faded, long sleeved top and wore the bracelet on her wrist over the top’s sleeve.

From their conversation, Aristia had found out it belonged to the girl’s mother and was very special to the girl.

"She’ll be so sad if she thinks she’s lost it." Aristia muttered.

Thinking that, she stood up, picked up her limited edition bag from the bench with the girl’s bracelet in hand and headed to the address that the girl had given in her car.

A few minutes later, she arrived at the location. She had stopped by a store on the way to buy a few snacks she thought the girl might like.

She parked the car and climbed out, looking up at the small, broken down house with mottled and faded, peeling walls. She took the bracelet and her bag, leaving the snacks in the car.

After locking the door, she walked into the yard after pushing open the half, hanging wood that was the yard’s gate, causing it to make a slight creaking sound.

She ignored the overgrown, grass on the yard and walked up the short stairs to the front door. She just raised her hand to knock, only to hear.

"You bitch! Look at the time you came home! What have you been doing?!"

For a second, she thought she was the one being yelled at.

Aristia doubted she was in the right house.

The anger-filled voice was a bit slurred, like from someone drunk.

She didn’t hear any reply, only the soft sound of whimpers and sniffles.

"I work hard to take care of you even though you’re a burden, and you can’t be obedient. What were you doing? Whoring around with some boy?!"

Aristia was shocked. Now she strongly doubted she was in the right house.

After all, the little girl she was looking for was just seven years old. How could she be ’whoring about with some boy’.

The next thing she heard was the sound of smashing and then fists connecting with flesh.

"No, I didn’t! Ah! Stop! Uncle, stop! I’m sorry!"

That voice was painfully familiar to Aristia, except that it was filled with so much pain.

’Uncle?’ Aristia had thought then. Then she realized she didn’t know the girl’s family situation and she hadn’t said if she lived with her parents or not, or if they were still alive.

Aristia stood frozen to the spot, her hand hanging in the air, her heart pounding fiercely.

She snapped out of her senses when the begging and screaming stopped.

"You’ve still not learnt to behave. This time, I’ll show you not to disobey me, bitch! Well, since you like to whore around..."

Her heart’s pace increased. She couldn’t see what was going on on the other side.

Before she could even think, she had pushed open the door.

She wasn’t even sure it was unlocked. She had just acted purely on instinct.

The two inside turned to the door. One face filled with fear and hope, and the other with annoyance and a bit of panic.

But Aristia’s face was filled with horror.