THE FORGOTTEN LUNA novel Chapter 92

ADESSA.

“There she is.” I heard a voice, and my head snapped to look where the sound came from. I found myself face-to-face with four men around a conference table. Even though they were sitting, they all looked tall. They must be taller than Esriel, who was already six feet and two inches in height.

“One would have thought she was tall. Did we have a sister for a midget?”

My eyes widened. Midget? I was around five feet and four inches. I wasn’t short. They were just giants. I thought they were seriously judging me when I realized they were all smiling.

“I would rather have a midget than a giant for a sister,” Esriel said as he stood beside me.

They all chuckled, and if these four men, who must be aging from their late twenties to late thirties, were the princes, they didn’t look like one except for the formal vests they were wearing. The way they were snickering reminded me of the boys of the little rascals.

“Hi…” That was all I could say as my eyes shifted between them.

They immediately stopped making those snickering noises as they stood up and introduced themselves one by one.

Prince Esmaeel was the eldest.

Prince Eston was the second.

Esriel, who was with me, was the third one, followed by Prince Esegar. And then Prince Esaias was the youngest.

Esaias was twenty-eight. He was eight years older than me. While the oldest, Esmael, was thirty-eight. They had two to three years in between them.

I was expecting animosity from them, so I was surprised to see how attentive and curious they were about me.

Esriel pulled a chair and guided me to sit down.

“Where is Father?” I asked.

Esmael pointed somewhere behind me, and when I looked back, I saw a door in one of the walls. “He’s probably changing his clothes to a more comfortable one.”

“Oh…”

“So… Tell us, where have you been all these years? While we were under strict training, you must have been running around and dancing under the rain.” Eston asked, and all eyes were on me.

“I danced under the rain whenever I could, as long as I already did all my chores,” I mumbled as I dropped my gaze to my hands clasped together and resting on the table. I felt like I was a child under scrutiny.

“Chores? Like what, fixing your bed, washing dishes?”

“Yes. Also, washing clothes and hanging them out to dry.” I tilted my face up and looked at the youngest, who asked that question. “Then I scrubbed the toilet floors. The orphanage had many big bathrooms, so cleaning them would take my whole day. If I still had energy, I would go out and play.”

“Orphanage?” Esriel asked.

I looked at him and nodded. “I grew up in an orphanage. I was adopted twice, but they returned me. Because they said, I didn’t fit into their families. After the second time, I asked the headmistress if I could just stay and not be adopted. I didn’t want to get my hopes high that I would have a family just to be let down each time.”

“How old were you when they made you scrub the toilet floor?” Esegar asked.

“Eight, nine. Until I left the orphanage. I can’t remember when I started.” I smiled bitterly. “I honestly can’t remember my age when I was younger, as I never dared ask when my birthday was.”