Chapter 18: Manipulation (Book 2)

                                    

                                          
Hello! I am back to feed your reading hunger. 
                          
Lorena Eliakim 
                          
I was never a master of manipulating other people. As a kid, I was never a good liar and I could never hide my true intentions. 
                          
My mother often tells me a story from when I was kid. 
                          
When I was about five years old, I had stolen a bag of treats from one of the other princesses who lived in the area. The girl who I had stolen from was a close friend of mine and her name was Sapphire. I remember Sapphire vividly in my mind. Sapphire and I loved each other and as I already said, we were close, like two sisters. However, I also envied Sapphire, not because I had a grudge against her, but because I was jealous of how her parents always treated her with love and showered her with many gifts. My parents always loved me, of course, but they didn't always show it. My mother loved me, but she was also hard on me because she was trying to prepare me to be a princess. 
                          
My father was cruel and I rarely witnessed his love and support. 
                          
So, one day, Sapphire decided to bring a bag of treats when she came to see me. She bragged and bragged about how her parents gave her anything she wanted. All she had to do was utter the words and whatever they had in their possession that she desired would belong to her. So, while she was going about and telling the most grand story of the perfect childhood, I reached over and stole the bag of treats from her while she wasn't looking. 
                          
According to my mother, Sapphire went home crying because she couldn't find her treats and later on that evening, when the servants were cleaning my room, they found the bag of treats under my bed. My mother and I laugh about this situation all the time. But even though that was a very long time ago, I am the same way today as I was back then.
                          
I am very emotional, and just like the story with Sapphire, I often let my emotions control how I will act and that is why I could never master manipulation. Manipulation required being a good actor, and knowing how to stay in control of your own emotions and the emotions of the other person. 
                          
In order for me to successfully take down my father, I needed to learn how to master this. My mother had been working with me until I sounded like the perfect liar. 
                          
"Lorena! Pay attention. Listen to me very closely. Repeat what I say and look me in the eyes while doing so. I want you to say: 'It is quite unfortunate that you went looking for me, and I am sorry, beloved father, that you had to waste your time doing so. I have realized that Sahem is a deceiver and that he will never be worthy of me. I beg for your forgiveness.' Now, say it and be sincere about it. This has to be convincing," my mother warned me. 
                          
"Okay, mother, calm down," I reassured her as I tried to recall the words that she said. "It is quite unfortunate that you went looking for me, and I am sorry, beloved father, that you had to waste you time doing so. I have realized that-"
                          
I stopped talking as I failed to remember the rest of what she wanted me to say. I placed my hand on my chin, trying to bring the words back to my mind.
                          
"Lorena! Focus. It's not that hard to remember. I know it's hard for you to say things like this but this is the only way to make you not sound like you're going to cry when you're lying. Now I'll repeat it again. This is what you have to say. 'It is quite unfortunate that you went looking for me, and I am sorry, beloved father, that you had to waste your time doing so. I have realized that Sahem is a deceiver and that he will never be worthy of me. I beg for your forgiveness.'"
                          
I breathed in and slowly said what she repeated successfully. 
                          
"Good. Now you have mastered what you have to say. But you still don't sound convincing. I know that these things aren't true and you can never say them in a one hundred percent convincing way. However, if you seem like you believe what you're saying, the person listening to you will also believe you even if it's a total, complete lie. You need to be convincing. You know that your father is a smart man, he isn't dumb and we need to treat him that way."