Chapter 27 Relationships Are Hectic. Avoid Them, Dear Reader- Signed, Maeve
Sure you do, you coddling spirit, you evil psychopath, you vindictive, cruel… cruel…
How can I hate you when you have such marvelous work ethics?!
Now, as she and Adrian walked down, the man holding a flaming stick in his hand, she wasn’t surprised as she heard him ask, “If you believe she has a hand in your poisoning, why would you act so cordial with her in the first place?”
“I don’t remember telling you about my feelings on that matter,”
“The Elf mentioned it,”
Ah, of course.
“Just because she does something terrible to me does not mean that I don’t see the kind of person she is,”
As they walked deeper down the halls, Maeve couldn’t help but notice the terrible smell that wafted out of the place. She noticed the bones on the ground and the rats scurrying around. She also noticed the ones of the people laid back in the cells, their bodies looking like it had been kept there till it decayed.
Such strict procedures. Such marvelous organizational skill!
Adrian’s voice brought her back to reality. “What kind of person do you think she is?”
The words began flowing out of her mouth before she could even stop herself, “A woman who takes what she wants when she wants without caring for the people’s needs underneath her. A woman who also clearly wishes to laze around and do nothing but control every person beneath me— all from the seat of her very comfortable looking throne! A visionary. A role model—!”
She stopped as she realized her voice was echoing through the space and Adrian looked almost as if he was inches away from pulling out a Glock and placing it right between her eyes. She cleared her throat, adding in a more solemn voice, “For people who have their rights almost taken away! She was a woman who had possibly had to fight to prove she deserved her seat up there and yet, at the end of it all—”
“She was never supposed to be the one sitting there,”
“— a MAN tried to take over— wait, what?” Maeve could feel her heart almost dropping to her chest as she looked at him, “But… but the matriarchy—”
“The royal family had decided many years ago that she was unfit for the throne,” He looked down at her like a god overseeing a little creature exhibiting emotions. “They understood that it would have been… a strange development, but the council board agreed. Of course, this was all done very quietly as they had planned to slowly ease her into understanding why she could not be there,”
That… that was a terrible way to discover all of this. So the usurping was… a legal usurping? But not legal because she was the one who should have sat on the throne in the first place? And they all forbade her? “Why was she not allowed to rule?”
The Duke stopped in his steps. Maeve noticed how godly he looked even in such a place like this with the minimal light coming from the flame in his hand and the cracks of the ceiling above him. How did anyone look this way in such a terrible environment?! “You truly remember nothing, do you?”
Maeve didn’t! Of course, she didn’t. What was she supposed to do now? And him asking that implies that Isabella knew, but why would she? What was her business with the Queen?
God in heaven, she did not want to do all of this running up and down! “Yes! Yes, I keep saying that but it seems like you’re not listening! You keep… you keep glaring at me instead of actually trying to help me. And siding with… with HER.”
“Does that upset you?”
Not really, but Maeve knew Isabella probably would. “Well, yes! If you’re supposed to be mine then—”
“Supposed to be?”
“Ah,” Maeve held both sides of her head, almost tripping down. She didn’t want to be in the midst of two romantic people. She had no interest in it. And knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it anyway. She began moving her hand in the air. “Look. Do you have a plan? Except of course, sulking and grabbing me like I’m supposed to fall into you and be okay with it? I mean, look around you for a second. I am not the same person you had fallen in love with. I do not remember anything to do with you, and I have no one but this… this man you have locked up! The very least you can do, is let me believe that we are on the same team, and make this less hard,”
Was she using him? Yes.
Was she a terrible person? Most definitely.
Did she have any plans on dragging this out? Most definitely not.
But Maeve was aware of the fact that she couldn’t afford him as an enemy or the Queen. It would drag on her goal for retirement far longer than necessary.
Adrian stared down at her, his icy blue eyes searching for something that was probably never there to begin with. No. No. He was sure of it now. This was how Isabella always looked at him when she was serious— except now… now, the usual small she would have given him to melt his exterior was gone.
This person… this person had no plans on using his affection for her against him like she used to in the past.
It did something to his chest, to the way he was breathing, to the way he blinked. He wanted her to be nice to him again. To smile at him. To laugh at him. Even if it was fake. Even if she didn’t mean it.
Adrian would rather take a lie than this cold unfamiliar honesty from her.
He wanted—
“Amir!”
He watched as she hurried to the place where the elf was, watched as he hurried to her. His chest tugged, an act he knew was only because that would have been her reaction to him only a few months ago if he had been in that position. She was his. She was—
“You look comfortable,” Maeve said, her eyes rolling over his body. “So sure I was coming for you, weren’t you?”
“I know how you get with people who work for you and I’d like to believe I work well,” Amir looked tired, almost exhausted— almost. There was a soft smile on his face as he said, “You have made a deal about taking me out of here, I’m sure? I doubt the prince would love to see me walk out of this place anytime soon,”
“Not yet but I will,” She said then grinned, “How do you feel about going back to Satyr?”