"King, our witch is exhausted. Teleporting us back would drain her greatly. Since we'll see each other again tomorrow, may we stay here for the night?" Celea asked.
"Alright," the king replied, understanding her meaning.
"No," Claus said at the same time, clearly annoyed.
"Thank you. If you'll excuse us, we'd like to rest."
"Salem, show them to their rooms!"
Salem bowed and guided them away. First, he escorted Andrea, then continued onward to Celea's room. He opened the door for her and stepped inside; the king followed immediately.
Claus shot Salem a look that clearly said leave, and Salem did.
"Ah… what do you think you're doing?" Celea asked.
The king grabbed her arm, pushed her against the door, and stepped closer until barely any space remained between them.
"What is your relationship with that dragon?" Claus asked in a low, threatening tone.
"Sigh. Really… you? Why do you always feel the need to be touchy when we're alone?"
Claus wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, teeth clenched, eyes glowing with anger. After a moment, a mischievous smirk appeared.
"You don't like it, Celea? Or would you rather have someone else touch you?"
"Maybe the dragon… Tell me, Celea, do you like him?" He brushed her face gently.
Celea stayed silent.
Her silence only fueled his rage.
Do I like him…?
How does his presence make me feel?
His face brings back beautiful memories, but the fact that he looks like him—yet isn't—makes me furious. Everything about him reminds me of him: the silver-white hair, the blue eyes, even his behavior…
Celea frowned slightly, staring down, lost in thought.
Claus grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. The unease in her expression shattered the last of his restraint.
A creepy smile.
"Oh, Celea, do you really think you'll ever be able to leave me?"
He stroked her face, looking unhinged.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying you'll never escape me. Even if you love someone else, I won't let you go. You're mine."
"Your hair belongs to me." Touches her hair.
"Your lips belong to me." Touches her lips.
"The eyes that look at me with indifference belong to me." Touches her eyes.
"Your heart belongs to me…" His finger slid down her neck to her chest, making Celea glance down instinctively.
Claus leaned to her ear and whispered,
"Your entire existence belongs to me Celea"
——
clopf clopf
They were interrupted by someone knocking on the door.
"Come in!" shouted Celea after getting away from Claus's hold. The maid came in.
"Miss Celea and King of Lycans, you are invited by King Dereus to dinner."
"Tell him we are not coming," replied Claus.
"Tell him we are coming in a bit." The maid nodded and left. Afterward, Celea turned to face Claus.
"If you don't want to come, talk about yourself. Don't include me in your decisions without my approval."
"Oh, so you are this desperate to see him again?"
"You may have forgotten your responsibility to your people, but I didn't forget mine. I came here with a goal, and I'm not leaving until I get what I came here for. The more you get in my way, the longer we're going to stay here. So if you want to leave here, stay out of my way."
With that, she left the room. Soon after, Claus caught up with her and took her hand in his.
"I'm not going to leave you alone with him."
"You are very insecure despite your confident behavior. Is this how you try to cover your insecurities?"
"I'm not insecure."
"But you also believe I'll leave you for him, which basically means you subconsciously acknowledge him as better than you."
"I will never acknowledge him as better than me, and I'm not insecure."
"Then is that jealousy?"
Silence.
"Well, jealousy is basically also insecurity—the insecurity of not having what the other party has. In your case, my attention."
"What a smart mouth you have."
"Well, age can make you react in different ways. For example, some may get crazy, some may get angry, some may get empty, and some may get wise. It's all about the way you decide to react to what you see, hear, and live. It's all about mindset."
"Do you know what kind of grandpa you are?"
"A grandpa? Does this look like a grandpa to you?" Claus pointed at his face and body.
"Well, what would you call a thousand-year-old lycan?"
frowns
"Well, which of the above do you believe you are as a young-looking grandpa?"
"Which one do you believe I am?"
"Neither of the above. You are a lunatic." Celea gave a small smile.
"A lunatic?" Claus raised his brows as if he couldn't believe what he had heard.
"Ah, look, we are here."
At that point, two servants opened the door to the dining room.
"Good evening," greeted Celea.
"Good evening," Dereus replied, while Claus didn't greet at all.
After that, they went ahead and sat down. The table was full of delicious food. While eating, Celea broke the ice by saying,
"I saw her quite often on the palace walls. She is beautiful."
"It's true. She is very beautiful…" said the king in a sorrowful voice.
"I also saw a statue of her in the garden. It must be even more beautiful under the moon's shine."
For a brief moment, they looked at each other.
"You are right… though she is beautiful no matter the light or season."
Claus eventually started talking with the king about political matters, mostly to keep him and Celea from talking to each other.
"So you did understand the message," Celea said.
"It wasn't that hard to figure out," King Dereus replied.
"Why do you have her necklace?"
Celea afterward took the necklace out of her pocket and handed it to him.
"I never once wore it except today to get your attention."
"How do you know my mate?"
"I'll answer that after you tell me why you hate lycans."
Dereus gave a deathly gaze but ultimately decided to tell her.
"They killed her. They killed my mate—my most precious thing. All I have left of her are her ashes."
They were both looking at the statue.
"I thought that might be the reason."