Chapter 112 Chapter 112: The Jealous King
\[Lilia\]
A minute went on for a little longer than we had anticipated. The stars started to appear in the sky when we decided to return to the mansion. The cacophony of cicadas was singing in the background, harmonizing with the soft thumping of our horses’ hooves against the grassy lawn.
I was sure Aya had left my dinner inside my room by now instead of looking for me; either that, or she was waiting for me to return. We brought the horses back to the stables. Mikanor met us at the entrance, taking Copper from me as he tended to their needs.
“I’ll walk you to your room,” Val offered as soon as we exited the place, walking down the cobbled path back to the main entrance of the mansion. I did little more than nod, and a yawn escaped my mouth at the same time. Everything that took place today has left me feeling exhausted. My shoulders were still sore from bracing against the impact of the rifles, and my legs felt numb.
Time went by in a blur, and soon we were standing outside my door.
“Thank you, Val, and sorry about what happened earlier,” I said, turning to him and thanking him for everything he had done for me the entire day, as well as apologizing for the little incident. For going along with my little scheme—making Kael jealous—which I am proud to say we perfectly executed. The outcome was quite promising, aside from the fact that Sabina pulled my hair and scratched my wrists.
Aya will surely have a fit when she sees me with yet another wound that she’ll have to heal. Maybe next time I’ll need more than salve and pain relievers. The thought of it already made me laugh.
“No worries about it, sweet cake. You can count on my company anytime you need me if I am available,” Val replied, taming down my frizzy hair more out of habit than necessity. Truthfully, he was quite fond of doing that, and I didn't object. I actually quite liked it.
“And by the way, tomorrow you don’t need to come for training; Sasha is busy with something. But you can resume your training when she’s back,” he added, lowering his hands to his side and sliding them into his pockets.
Now that he mentioned Sasha’s name, I wondered what kind of work he had assigned her to do. I hoped it wasn't anything too grim, knowing well her occupation as a reaper for the mob. An assassin. Though I had no business probing into that yet. In time, I would ask questions, but not now.
I let out a long and tired sigh, smiled at Val, and nodded. “Oh, alright. I’ll keep myself occupied tomorrow then.”
“I’ll go.” He returned my smile and cocked his head, gesturing that he was leaving. “Good night, sweet cake.”
“Good night.”
I watched him as he turned his back on me and wove his way through the corridor before turning the corner and disappearing from my line of sight. I would be lying if I told myself I wasn’t intrigued by the woman he liked. He said she wasn’t available, but he didn’t confirm whether she was taken or not. He just told me I could think of it that way. Much like Aya, who said there’s a man she likes but couldn’t be with.
I thought about it for a bit, staring into the empty hallway, putting each piece together until something clicked.
“Could it be…” I muttered, my eyes widening as a suspicion arose in my head. Could Val and Aya possibly like each other? If so, two of my closest friends...
As I turned the knob to unlock the door and pushed it open, a huge smile unexpectedly broke across my lips. My imagination came up with yet another idea for how I would set them up, playing the role of Cupid to get them to admit their real feelings and profess their love. They are dear to me, and I would be one of the happiest women alive seeing them in each other’s arms.
“You return late.”
“Holy damn hells!”
I gawked at the man sitting on my bed, staring at me blankly. My heart dropped to the floor, and I swear I saw my soul leave my body for a second.
“What the fuck are you doing in my room!?” I fumed as soon as I recovered from the shock. I slammed the door shut behind me, marching toward him angrily. All the anger I believed I had subdued earlier came to the surface, stoking the flames of the storm I had been suppressing deep within myself.
“Your room is my room,” he stated icily. He sprang up from the bed and towered over me at his full height. “I am allowed here as much as I want without asking your permission.”
This man doesn't seem to understand the concept of personal space at all. Does he think I wanted to talk to him after that woman attacked me? I loathed the thought of ever seeing his face uninvited in my room. I didn't care if this was his mansion.
I squared my shoulders and lifted my head defiantly. He’s damn tall, and it hurt my neck to stare at his face in such close proximity, but I ignored the strain and asked, “What do you want? Does your fiancé know you’re here? I don’t want her barging in here and pulling my hair just like she did earlier.”
Kael just gazed at my face without expression, aside from his brows dipping toward the bridge of his nose and his mossy eyes piercing mine.
“Do you and Val have a secret relationship behind my back?” He rebutted my inquiry about his presence with another uncalled-for, stupid question.
“What?” I gaped at him in bewilderment. “Is that really the reason why you are here?”
Kael took a step closer while I tentatively backed away, keeping a considerable distance between us.
“Just answer my question,” he stated gravely. His eyes gleamed darker than they should, the black of his pupils slowly swallowing the mossy hues.
“No,” I firmly responded, trying very hard to keep my voice steady while my heart began to pound restlessly inside my chest.
Kael prowled closer, emanating an energy I couldn’t explain as his presence grew darker by the minute. He stood right in front of me. “Do you harbor any romantic feelings for him?”
“Are you being serious?” I immediately scoffed, not believing he was really asking me such a ridiculous thing. Did he hit his head to think such thoughts?
However, he appeared gravely serious, suddenly raising his voice so loudly that it made me jump. “Just answer my goddamn question!”
I stood there, gaping at his incredulity. What the hell had gotten into him? Was this because of what I did earlier at the firing range? Had that little devious charade with Val made him this jealous? I didn't think he would take it so seriously. Has he lost his mind?
“No,” I griped, shaking my head as I defended Val from any wrath Kael might unleash on him if this jealousy continued. “He’s my friend, nothing else.”
However, now that Kael was reacting this way, confronting me about nonsense, I realized this might be the perfect chance to tell him everything I wanted to say—everything that had been bottling up inside me, waiting to erupt. I took a deep breath and steeled my gaze, unwavering as I started to talk my heart out.
“But even if I did have feelings for him, it wouldn’t be his fault. He cares for me. He makes me laugh when all you do is make me weep. He comforts me, shares my sentiments, and understands me even without asking me questions.”
My eyes started to well up, and this time, I did nothing to hold them back. A pang of pain lanced across my chest as I continued. “He was there when you weren't. He was there when you crushed me to pieces and left me broken. He was there when I needed a friend, along with Aya. He was there when you broke my heart by bringing that stupid bitch you’re calling a fiancé.”
By the time I quavered that last word with such hate, my tears had already sprung, watering their way down my cheeks. “You hurt me, Kael,” I bemoaned, drawing in a series of agonizing breaths. “Worse than anyone could imagine, and I rose from that pain. I built walls around myself to keep you from entering my heart again.”