Chapter 20 Chapter 20
Lydia was laying in her bed, in her room and her hands covering her face. Her mind refusing to quit thinking about what happened back in the cabin.
The storm, the argument, the kiss and what they did. That is not has sex, but they did much more than a normal conversation and that is what was eating Lydia up, on the inside.
She grounded softly.
"God..." Why had she done that. Why had she lost control. Because she was the one who allowed him to do so. Arthur was ready to back away from her many times, but Lydia wanted him.
She rolled on her back, staring at the ceiling above her. She did not hate Arthur for it, and that was the problem.
Lydia had wanted it too and that terrified the Queen on Mafia's. Because it meant she wasn't just caught in this dangerous world. A very small part of her was choosing it on purpose.
Eventually, exhaustion dragged her under. Her eyes closed almost immediately and for the first time since the shooting, finally Lydia slept.
How ever, downstairs the mansion still echoed faintly, and a distance scream was there that she did not hear.
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After noon she slept and eventually the night came and Lydia did not even wake up.
The night came quickly over the mansion. The sky went completely dark, slowly swallowing the last streed of orange. Until only the moon remained, hanging pale and bright over estate.
Lydia slept threw most of the evening. The maid had brought her food earlier. Bread, cheese and tea. But, it was still very untouched, on the small table beside her bed. Lydia's body had completely given up. Because too much had happened in one day.
The event, the shooting, the kiss, the cabin.
Slowly Lydia opened her eyes sometimes later. The room was dark, accept for the faint light of the moonlight splitting through the curtains. For a moment Lydia did not move, she was simply was laying there and staring at the ceiling.
Her mind slowly catching up with reality that she was still..... Here
Still in The Kings mansion. Still in the world she had sworn she wanted nothing to do with. A small sigh left her body and her stomach immediately growling loudly.
Lydia turned her head and saw the tea and food beside her bed. Cold and untouched.
"Well..." She mumbled quitly to herself.
"That's depressing." She said, pushing the blanket away and sat up. The house felt strangely silent. Nevertheless, she got out of bad and open the door, walking outside.
Lydia made her way down the hallway, completely alone, but it was not empty, just simply very controlled, silence. Like every sound knew exactly how loud it had to be, and how much was allowed.
The staircase opened into the massive main hall. Soft lamps were glowing along the walls. Somewhere far away she could also here quiet footsteps. Lydia thought they may be guards, because they were always guards somewhere.
Lydia stopped at the kitchen, and as always this too was enormous. Polished counters, shelves stack with every, every ingredient ever.
Trays of deserve left neatly arranged. It looked more like a luxury hotel kitchen, than something inside a private house. She blinked to multiple times.
"Okay... this is excessive... But... wow."
Lydia opened the refrigerator and looked at the endless food options. Pasta, fruits, pastry, ice cream...
"Ice ream?.." She though to herself. And for people who are always angry, all the time. They should be eating ice cream but it was untouched.
"No wonder everyone is so messed up. No one here eats ice cream."
And there she saw several cake options. Lydia stared at one chocolate cake, sitting near the back and then a big smile came on her face.
"Perfect..."
Lydia dragged the fork, cutting half a slice right from the cake. A very large size. And there was no plate she put it on, no elegance, she simply took the cake in hand and walked upwards a large glass door, leading outside.
The garden spread endlessly under the moonlight. White pathway, curved surface, trimmed hinges and tall trees were moving gently with the night breeze.
The guards walked the perimeter, as always.
Watching all this, Lydia leaned lightly against the window and took a bite of her sweet, soft and very perfect cake. For a moment she allowed herself the relax. The cold glass pressed against her shoulder and she was simply watching the movement. Apparently in her own land.
That is when something caught her eyes. Beyond the garden, past the row of trees, there was another structure.
It was small, dark and almost hidden. Lydia tilted her head, and slightly frowned.
She had never seen a structure like that before. The buildings was too far away from the main mansion and separator by stretch of trees, that almost look like a small forest. It was very isolated and strange.
Her curiosity started to grow on her.
"What the hell?" She said to herself and took another big bite still staring. There were no guards around it, no light except for the faint glow from somewhere inside. It looked very old as well.
Out of place.
Lydia looked around the empty kitchen. She was all alone in there and there was nobody to stop her. No one to see what is happening and now her curiosity won. As a smile came on to her face.
"I am just looking around." Lydia said, stuffing all of that cake into her mouth, but also grabbing the rest of the cake and moved outside.
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The night air was extremely cold and the moonlight was going through the trees. As she followed the stone path through the garden now.
The deepest she walked, the quiet everything became. Soon the mansion lights were far behind her as well. But the cold of the forest was slowly getting to Lydia.
Lydia continued to walk and now the well maintained land wasn't so well maintained over here. It was a mini forest now.
Now, there were only trees. Tall, dark and moving with wind. And the building in front of her was growing clear, as she approached it.
The place looked like a old storage house or maybe an abandoned guest house. Except it was not abandoned. She looked up, frowning to see smoke drifted faintly from above.
Someone was there. Lydia slowly stepped forward. Her instincts whispering caution.
But curiosity push to her forward the door. Standing slightly open and the chair outside that sat was still very warm. She understood that someone has been sitting here recently.
Lydia stepped closer and she could hear the sound of movement on the inside. Her hand reached towards the door, slowly and quietly and just as she was about to touch the handle, another hand grabbed rest.
"Ahhh..." She let out, as a firm and very warm hand grabbed her softly and turned her around. There she saw her husband, The King standing behind her. And his expression was very sharp and then something soft came, when he realized it was just Lydia.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, quietly and Lydia blinked multiple times.
"You scared me." She said, putting her hand on her chest.
"Why would you do that? You could have just called my name." She said.
"And why are you even here?" She asked him, like he was the one doing something he should not be doing.
"What are you doing here, Lydia?" He asked quietly, one more time.
"You should not be here." He said, his voice soft.
Her eyebrows lifted and a question formed on her face.
"I live here now Arthur. Remember? All of this is mine." She said moving her hand around everything.
"This property, this land, the waterfalls, the garden, this house." She said slamming her hand at the building right next to her.
"Everything is mine, husband." She reminded him and he was just so surprise to hear her say that, but she was not wrong.
"Of course, everything is yours. But it does not mean every place is open to you." Arthur said and Lydia looked at the building again, curious.
"What is this place?" She asked.
That is when his grip on her hand went loss but he didn't let her go.
"This place is somewhere you don't need to stay." He muttered.
"And why not?" She asked, her curiosity growing again.
"Because it is not a place meant for you."
"Why not?"
"Because it is dangerous Lydia.
"What is inside of it?" She asked again, trying to look in. And he was being very patient with her.
"Something you should not be seeing."
"What you mean by "something I should not be seeing"?" She asked over and over again, and he was very patient the entire time just for her.
The King looked at the door behind her for a moment. Something dark was across his expression and then he looked back at his wife. She was waiting for him, studying him and noticing something very interesting.
He wasn't angry. He was concerned, actually concerned.
"This is for your own good, Lydia.
She thought about it for a moment, and as much as she wanted to go see what was inside of the dark house in the Jungle. She let go of that idea and nodded her head.
"Alright." She said and The King was completely surprised by her statement, or her answer.
"You are agreeing with me?" He asked.
"Yes.." She said.
"Why are you doing that? Normally you would have something more to say to me. You never agree with me." What was Arhtur had to say.
The King of Kings was surprised with his wife.
"I don't want to be shot again. And I just had a very beautiful cake and I am hoping I have more of that when I go back. I don't want your grandmother to eat it. She does not deserve that beautiful cake."
She said, which made him softly smile and he was not in any intention to do that. He only nodded his head.
"I will make sure the staff make more cake for you when I go back."
"Please do." She said, both of them actually having a wholesome conversation.
"Why did you agree with me?" He asked. It was surprising for the man and so she simply shrugged lightly.
"You are a Mafia King. I assume you know what you are saying. And I not walking dead into a room where you have a big torture snake and a dead body."
She said, Arthur got a little uncomfortable with that statement, because she was surprisingly, slightly, right.
"So today you are not going to argue with me?" The King asked.
"Not tonight." She said, catching him of guard.
Necessary and something very unexpected happened this time. Arthur smiled, on purpose and Lydia watched carefully and stunned. It was a real smile, small, very rare, but it was actually really there.
"Since you are cooperating for once." He said and she raised her eyebrows irritated already.
"That sounds suspicious.." She muttered.
"Would you like to see the rest of the estate?" Arthur asked and Lydia did not expect that, she hesitated just a little bit.
The King released her hand.
"I thought you wanted to know the place your living in?" She looked at him for a moment, and slowly nodded her head.
"Okay." She said, making Arthur turned around, walking dead into the trees.
"Come with me." Arthur told her, walking ahead and she followed right behind.
The path completely changed from stone, to soft sand. And there the sound of waves came to her, before she could even see it.
"Wait..." He said to her, and then Arthur opened the small branches to show her the view. Suddenly her breath was caught inside of her.
It was a beach. Lydia was standing at the entrance of the beach. Completely hidden from the forest, silver water stretching, glowing under the moonlight.
"You have a beach?" It almost came out of her, like she was spiting words out. And Arthur was simple looking at the water ahead of him.
"It's hidden from the main road. No one knows it is here, but family. Nobody comes here.
Lydia did not move any closer, but simply stood there watching.
"You have a beach?" This time her voice came out extremely tight. Like a kid seeing a toy for the first time.
"Arthur... You have a..."
"Beach.." He interrupted her. Letting her know that she, did in fact have a beach in her own back yard.