"So you don't deny that you don't like me?" Lucas opened his lips, seeing that he wasn't able to rouse an answer from the taciturn Diana.
Her silence was an affirmative answer. Lucas read such brazenness from Diana's calm expression and then laughed. Footsteps drew near as she stood up. He shadowed the sun, towering over her. Diana deliberately stared into the air without seeing Lucas.
"Don't you fear me?" A stern voice rang out in the immediate vicinity.
"Why should I?" Diana raised her eyes. Lucas seemingly felt a knife being stabbed in his heart.
He reached out and smoothed Diana's platinum hair and softly said, "I don't hate provocative women."
At that moment, Diana jerked herself away in a rush of disapproval and avoided his touch. Her relationship with Lucas has been dreadful so far, puzzling not only with emotions but also with her body. He didn't have a grain of consideration for women and always fulfilled his lustful desires.
"Watch your manners, your highness." Her eyes exuded regrets from what happened in the past.
"Why? What mistake did I commit? I only like to touch your hair. It glitters like the sun." There was a desire in his emerald eyes for something new as he gazed at her. The moment their eyes locked, the nightmares of the past became more vivid.
A tacit pause. "Alright, I've decided," he added. He reached out without hesitation and held her chin. And Diana, after all, was who he wanted. "I like you." His words caught her off-guard.
"Please let me go." She begged. Those three words carry countless meanings.
"What if I don't?"
"I'm not the girl for you."
"My decision can't be repealed." Lucas firmly grasped Diana's chin in his hand. Under the sun, Diana's hair glistened more and her beautiful features came into view. The urge to make her his was undeniable.
Diana could hardly resist his grip but she fervently shooked Lucas' hand off her. Her blue eyes dimmed with hostility.
"Not bad for a proud woman. Rather, it's interesting." Lucas made a wild confession.
"But you'd better have such an attitude only in front of me. My mother is not as generous."
Lucas had an innocent smile, like a boy who seemed to be having fun.
"Why don't we take a walk in the garden while we're at it? The imperial garden is very beautiful."
Diana knew that. After all, it was her favorite place in the palace before it was rebuilt according to Trisha's wishes. The familiar, comforting ambiance was still there– both longing and bitterness dwelled in her mind.
"No."
"Don't you enjoy walking?"
"No."
With Diana's stubborn replies, Lucas tried to hold his temper. "Hmm, whatever"
Lucas was not in a hurry. She was going to be his anyway. But contempt and anger lurked impatiently in his heart. "I heard you were sickly since childhood. So, you do not know a lot?" He sarcastically said.
"Yes. I'm afraid I haven't recovered from my illness so far." She answered without a beat, unaffected by his offensive tone.
"No need to worry. The imperial household members are very courteous. And I won't give you any trouble."
Diana's eyes were still cold.
"One thing before that," he said firmly with his eyes fixed on hers, "You'll be my wife anyway, so why don't I choose a nickname for you?"
He hasn't changed a bit. He is still the same self-centered human being.
It was the moment when the glimmer of hope faded into dust.
"Diana…Dinah… would be nice." He murmured.
She got goosebumps. Lucas' voice calling another woman's name rang out in her ear like a hallucination: Trisha, Trisha…my Trisha, the pet name of the girl whom he was fond of. Not once did he ever call her name in the past.
"No, I don't need a nickname."
"Well…you know there's a limit to your stubbornness, right?" Lucas expressed his displeasure at her subsequent rejection.
She had already seen the future anyway. In other words, Diana had no more regrets about this life. It wasn't bad to die here either if she can't change her fate. But Diana, who was seventeen, might still be able to change her fate.
"I'll call you my Dinah from now on."
"It's not my name, so I won't answer you."
"If you can, try it," he replied level headedly, now getting used to her stubborn nature.