When she got home, she wanted to quietly enter her chamber but Princess Bellina saw her and immediately, she reported to the Empress.
"She's back, mother!" She said with rage in her voice.
The Empress called out in a loud voice that even the deaf could hear.
"Mira!!!"
As Mira came in. She was already shaking in fear of what might befall her in the next moment.
"Yes, your majesty!" Answered Mira.
"How dare you leave my abode without finishing your chores?" Thundered the Empress in a voice that came like lightning.
"But I did all I was supposed to do before I left………" she was still talking when Princess Bellina cut in smiling in a way that portrayed wickedness.
"So…..why are all the cowries not put in place, the sparkling shells too. Why are they not arranged?
What about the worms that you made, why is today's not tasty like the previous days and why are there so many veggies when you know very well that my aversion for veggies is rated at the highest percentile……why Mira?
Mira, Why?" She asks her again with her face squeezed like that of a rumpled cloth.
All the questions got Mira more flustered because she could remember that she did everything she was supposed to do and that she actually garnished the worms appropriately to soothe their tastes and taste buds as usual.
But it happened that Princess Bellina had scattered all her efforts by disarranging the cowries and sparkling shells that she had arranged before going to the surface.
She went ahead to add much unprocessed veggies in the worms that she had prepared for them before she left in such a way that made the taste change and become astringent.
Mira didn't know what to do at that moment.
The only option left for her was to make the Empress understand that she did all that she was supposed to do before leaving her chamber.
But as she was trying to explain things out to her, she got upset and called the squad.
"Squad!" She echoed.
Within a blink of an eye. They rushed out from their domain to the throne.
"Her majesty!!" The four hefty men hailed in unison.
"Take her out. Deal with her the way that soothes you guys and throw her into the prison.
That will serve as a great lesson to her so that next time, she wouldn't want to misbehave again." She concluded.
"You stupid wretch!" Added princess Bellina.
The four hefty men dragged her out to the field where they torture criminals.
They made a bed with all manner of hard objects and laid her on it.
They tied her two hands and her long tail to the wooden bed. They also tied her waist to it, too.
But as they were doing so. Mira was pleading with them not to beat or harm her again.
At first, they paid deaf ears to her plea but as time went on, their head - the leader of the squad, ordered them to stop.
When they stopped, he told them to give way and without wasting time, they adjusted from the scene.
Immediately they adjusted from the scene, Gilmore came in.
Gilmore had come back to the Empress's abode after she was done talking with her sister.
He came to look out for Mira because he had a bad feeling that something bad might happen to her again.
He was determined to protect Mira from any harm or wickedness that might arise again just so she wouldn't be hurt.
He had hidden himself somewhere closer to the Empress's abode and in a corner that no one could see him.
He had secretly and quietly followed them to the field where they torture criminals because he overheard all that happened between Mira and the Empress.
"Don't do that which you intend doing to her in the name of torture." He said.
His appearance and his very statement surprised the squad and even Mira whose face had been wetted with tears could not believe his ears and eyes because she could remember that Gilmore had gone back to his abode after they said goodbye to each other.
"Check if it was your sister. What would you have done? Will you hurt her again?" He continued without minding if his actions will put him into trouble.
"Ok……Look at her beautiful skin, can't you see how the bruises and the injuries you gave her the last time you tortured her left it?
If truly she had done wrong, why not devise another method of punishing her or serve her a milder punishment instead of treating her like a criminal which she isn't.
I would have preferred you listen and hear her out before you go ahead punishing her and see if truly she deserved to be punished or let free and to also know if that was a set up or not…"
He was still talking when their head - the leader of the squad, told him to keep shut.
"Keep shut, man!" He ordered Gilmore.
At this point, Gilmore's words have melted his heart to the fullest.
He had no option left than to have a rethink.
The whole scene was like a dream to Mira and she prayed to the moon goddess to never allow her to wake up from the scene.
Their head - the leader of the squad beaconed the rest of his cliques to come and hear what Mira had to say.
When they gathered around her, she began to express herself while still lying captive on the wooden bed.
She narrated everything to their hearing.
After her narration, they decided to give her a milder punishment.
But Gilmore pleaded with them to let her free and not push her into the prison where criminals are meant to be because she wasn't one.
"Hey….man!" The head began to speak.
"If we let her free, and did not do as we were commanded by the authority, it will be to the expense of our lives so we cannot do that.
The best option is to throw her into the prison without torturing her. That way, nobody will even know what happened or come to question us unnecessarily."
This very fact calmed Gilmore.
They then untied her and pushed her into the prison.
Gilmore was glad that they didn't torture her.
He would have loved to have a word with her but they didn't give him the opportunity and Mira also wanted to express her gratitude to him for saving her from another pain but she couldn't because she was on restrictions.
So he left for home to tell his sister what had happened.
On his way home he had a great encounter.
He encountered the voice of the moon goddess.
"Lover boy!" The voice echoed.
Immediately he heard the sonorous voice, he stumbled and fell on his back with fear.
He was still trembling when the voice continued.
"That's not bad, anyways.
Just like we all know that Mira is meant to be a royalty but because of circumstances she has not become what she is meant to be.
But ….. the time will come when her purpose of creation will come to accomplishment.
As we wait till then, I have a secret to reveal to you.
This secret is a golden one. It is quite unfortunate that your grannies didn't leak it to you before coming to rest in my bosom.
This is your purpose of creation…..
You are going to be royalty."
"How?" Gilmore asked with a fearful voice.
He went ahead to raise his face so as to figure out the being that was addressing him but the light that showed from the direction that the voice was coming was too bright to behold so he bent his head back again.
"This is how," the voice continued.
"It is in your hands to protect and save Mira. This is because this world will break apart soon and it's her destiny to fix it with your help and advice.
But if you fail to do so, the world will crumble totally, including you.
When the storms will finally come to an end, you two will rule the world to the moon!" She concluded and disappeared.
There was a terrifying darkness when he finally raised his face to continue going back. Because of the darkness, he could not find his way.
He was still staggering like a drunkard when he hit his head on a rock.
This made him scream and fall off from where he was resting in his chambers.
He got up only to discover that all that happened was in the dream.
He was so scared at this point.
He could not help himself but not until bad feelings hit him.
It dawned on him that Mira might be in danger so he quickly rushed out to rescue her.
Before he could get to the throne, Mira has been dragged out by the Squad. He didn't want to show up; instead, he secretly followed them to the prison where they locked her up.
When the squad left the prison side.
Gilmore came out from his hiding place to check up on her.
It was not easy for him because the prison was built in a way that none could see through the inside except that you open up the closure.
He quietly and smartly manoeuvred his way to the top of the prison and called out for Mira.
Mira, who was already weak and sad, was surprised to see him.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Go back to your abode before you get yourself into trouble. I don't want you to be punished because of me," she continued.
"Hey…Mira. Don't worry, you will be fine.
I will help you get out of here, I promise."
"How would you do that?"
"I don't know but the moon goddess will intervene"
These were his last words to Mira before he left for his abode.
Gilmore went back to his abode and informed her sister about their friend who has been pushed into the prison out of wickedness.
When she got the news. She was sad but she couldn't help the matter at the moment other than to cry.
Gilmore went closer to her sister and made her understand why she should not cry. He went further to wipe her tears with his thumb after he had calmed her.