previously, part 9 of the fanfiction "There's light in the dark" - "ᴍᴇᴀᴛ" - ᴘᴀʀᴛ 2
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The golden chandeliers of the grand dining hall casted shadows that danced across the dark stone walls. The air was thick with tension, though no one spoke of it. The long oak table was laden with a feast that was both lavish and imposing: platters of roasted meats, glazed vegetables, baked fish, and ornate desserts meant to impress and intimidate in equal measure.
At the head of the table sat Osmund Saddler, his piercing gaze sweeping over the assembled diners. To his left sat Ramón Salazar, perched with a smug expression as though he were anticipating a grand performance. Astrid, seated opposite her father, at a distance of a few chairs away, shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Her complexion was still pale from her recent ordeal, though she had regained some of her strength. A plate sat before her, carefully arranged with roasted vegetables and fish but also a small portion of succulent, roasted red meat.
For a moment, no one spoke. The clinking of silverware simmered just above the silence that filled the room. Astrid kept her gaze fixed on her plate, the weight of her father’s scrutiny pressing down on her like a vice.
As she stared at the meat. The memory of the pain she had endured in the training hall was still fresh, as was the image of her father’s cold disapproval as he carried her to Luis Serra’s lab. The humiliation of being scolded like a child, of realizing she had defied the demands of her Plaga a mindless experiment, still burned within her. So much for what cost?
She thought to herself: "I didn’t want this. I wanted to make my own choices, to have control over something in my life. But… I was wrong."
She looked around at the two lords, a dreadful sensation stirring in her veins.
"This isn’t just about me anymore. My body isn’t entirely my own, no matter how much I wish it were."
She clenched her fork tightly, the smell of the roasted meat wafted up to her. It's smell was rich and tempting. It reminded her of everything she had resisted and everything she had lost in her pursuit of independence.
Saddler’s voice cut through the quiet, calm but edged with authority.
"Astrid. You’ve been given another chance. It would be… unwise to squander it."
Astrid looked up, meeting his gaze. His expression was unreadable, but his tone carried a warning she couldn’t ignore. Salazar, sitting to the side, chuckled softly, his condescension barely hidden.
"Yes, Astrid. Surely you wouldn’t want to make the same mistake twice. That would be… unbecoming of someone in your position."
Astrid’s grip on her fork tightened further, her jaw clenching as her anger flared. For a moment, she considered throwing the plate across the room, letting the frustration and humiliation consume her. But then, she ed the pain... the sharp, searing agony of her Plaga turning against her and the realization that defiance would only lead to more suffering.
Taking a deep breath, she lowered her gaze to her plate. Slowly, deliberately, she cut a small piece of the meat and speared it with her fork. Her movements were measured, as though each one carried the weight of her decision.
She lifted the fork to her lips, pausing briefly as a wave of emotion threatened to overwhelm her. Closing her eyes, she took the bite. The taste was rich, savory, and overwhelming, a stark contrast to the light, delicate flavors of vegetables that she had grown accustomed to. It was almost too heavy, too intense... but she forced herself to chew, to swallow, to accept it.
Saddler watched her closely, his expression remaining calm, though there was a faint glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. Salazar leaned back in his chair, smirking as though he had won some unspoken victory.
"You’ve made the right choice, Astrid. Your survival depends on it. that."
Astrid didn’t respond immediately. She took another deep breath, her hands trembling slightly as she reached for her glass of water. Her gaze drifted to her father, then to Salazar, before finally resting on the flickering flame of a nearby candle.
The right choice… or the only choice?
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
𝑀𝒶𝒹𝑒 𝒷𝓎 𝒞𝑜_𝒟𝒽𝑒𝑒𝒶
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
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