The Love of the Maharani

Extinguished Lights

Anna felt her hands cool. But he knew, this was not caused by the orange juice he drank. But he was too nervous because he realized the existence of Frans who was not far from his position sitting now. Half an hour had passed since Anna and Daffa had invited Anna and Frans' family into the party room.

Anna sat down on one of the sofas in the room. Zizi looked calm devouring the rainbow cake she was holding on Anna's left side. Meanwhile on Anna's right side, Sella is busy telling her about her daily life living in the mansion. Anna did not pay much attention to it.

Dodi also stood not far from their position. Her step-sister looks uncomfortable in this party crowd. He often looked at Mama Ira in the distance who was 'building connections', and alternately also looked at Zizi.

There is something that Anna caught awkwardly from the interaction between Zizi and Dodi. Sometimes Dodi reached out to wipe away the cream that stuck to Zizi's chin and face.

Anna also caught a shady look at Dodi's eyes whenever he looked towards Zizi. And surprisingly, Anna also caught a thin smile that appeared on Zizi's face every time Dodi after helping her clean from cream cake.

'What really happened between these two sisters? They couldn't possibly be?..' A thought flashed through Anna's mind.

But Anna had not yet named what she thought was going on between Zizi and Dodi, a pull on her right hand pulling Anna back into the crowded party room.

"You're a little pale, Anna? Wanna take a walk ? I'll take you on a short tour to see some nice rooms in this mansion. Wanna?" Sella took Anna.

Anna did not immediately agree to Sella's invitation. She first looked for the figure of Daffa, her husband. But when she saw Daffa was having a serious conversation with a middle-aged man, Anna finally abandoned her intention to approach her husband.

Anna then looked to the side, clearly visible Zizi who was still busy eating her rainbow cake with greed.

Feeling that she was a little tired from the noise in the room, Anna finally agreed to Sella's invitation, after previously saying goodbye to Dodi.

Sella then takes Anna out of the party room and through the wide hallway in the mansion. Once in a while Anna saw some servants going back and forth carrying trays filled with food and cake.

Sella then introduced Anna to the bowling and card room, a library room that was almost three times the size of the porous room in Daffa's penthouse.

With such a large size, Anna suspects there are about tens of thousands of books and may even reach hundreds of thousands of books lined up neatly on shelves exactly like in the general library.

Anna was amazed. Zion Mansion can be a comfortable place for a vacation at any time. Because Anna must have wanted to dive into all the reading in this library.

"duh. I want to go to the toilet. You want to go to the toilet, too, Anna?" Sella suddenly asked.

"Not so yet. But it's okay, we go to the toilet first," Anna suggested.

"OK,"

Afterwards, Sella takes Anna through a winding passageway. As she walked, Anna found herself further away and heard a noise in the party crowd.

"I go in first. You're okay wait here, right?" Sella looked at Anna with an apologetic look.

"Yes, it's okay." said Anna.

Sella went into the toilet. Leaving Anna who was now staring at the abstract paintings attached to the wall of the hallway that had passed through her.

About two minutes later, Anna heard the sound of steps approaching in a hurry. But he did not even find the appearance of the figure of the owner of the step earlier. Instead Anna heard two voices (men and women) who seemed to be fighting.

The two people seemed to be near the corner before heading to the passageway where Anna was now. Therefore, the two did not realize the existence of Anna who had just been silent staring at the painting.

"Stop, Bell!" The voice of a man whom Anna knew very well. 'Sir Kiman?!'

"I said, stop right now! I'll talk!" Call Mr. Kiman to someone Anna thinks is Bella.

Suddenly Anna felt bad. He did not want to be caught again hearing the conversation of the two men. Therefore, at first Anna wanted to cleared her throat to show her existence in the hallway.

"Mmmm..."

Anna wails. Realizing that it looks like Mr. Kiman and Bella are fighting mouth (visually, their two mouths are indeed fighting 🤭). Anna swallowed and instantly turned her body around.

Now, it is impossible to show its existence to the two people who are fighting the mouth. In the end Anna tried to divert her attention from the two figures behind the bend of the hallway, and again seriously stared at the paintings on the wall.

But still, Anna could still catch the conversation of the two.

"You, dumb ****! Fool! Duck head!.." Bella's slurs sounded like she was out of breath.

"What the hell do you want?!" Bella sounded very upset and also angry.

"Don't relate to Boni. He's not a good guy!" This time, Mr. Kiman's voice whispered a warning.

"You have no right to forbid me from being in contact with anyone! You are not who I am! You're just.. You're just my nanny! Now I'm big. I can define my own life at will. Just take care of your marriage with Sister Inggit whose time is to stay soon!" Bella is back.

"But I can't see you getting close to that jerk, Bell!"

"Why indeed?! And on what basis?! We've had no relationship since you turned me down! I am just your foster child who now also wants to live my own personal life! So please, Su! Don't interfere in my personal affairs!"

Along with Bella's last sentence, Anna then heard footsteps galloping away. Followed by another footstep.

A few moments later, the atmosphere was still. Left Anna who was nervous after hearing the dispute between the two people she knew earlier.

Cklek.

The toilet door behind Anna opened.

"I'm sorry, Anna. I actually wanted to get out, but when there was a sound of people fighting, I did not open the door. Who was that?" Sella asked.

Anna blinked her eyes. Somehow, he gave Sella a lie, "I don't know, Sell.."

"Ooh.."

"..."

"..."

After a brief pause of silence, Sella invites Anna to return to the party room. Both of them stepped back in silence. Each one was busy with his own thoughts.

Until then...

Pawning.

Suddenly the lights in the hallway went out. Anna had not been able to shout out her shock as she felt a hand smother her mouth from behind, hugged her very tightly, and pulled her into a room.

Meanwhile, before the door closed, Anna still had time to hear Sella's screams calling her name.

"Anna?! Anna?! Where are you?!"

***