Once we have calmed down, I do my best to cook the fish Panda King caught earlier in the small kitchen area. It makes me gag but there is nothing else to eat. I would suggest having the chickens outside but that would be rude of me since I am a guest and I don't want to start another fight with Panda.
After we have eaten, the darkness arrives and I glance at Panda. "I'll be heading back home now."
"Not yet." He clings onto me like a child and I gasp as he grabs my arm. "There's no ferry at this time. Stay with me Tina."
I sigh, "There's really no ferry back? What time will it come tomorrow?"
Panda gives me his puppy eyes stare, "I'm not ready to return to my chained life. Stay with me please."
"I..."
"Please stay Tina." He sounds like a little boy. The sadness in his eyes hold me captive.
"Fine." I sigh.
He smiles. The first genuine smile I have seen on his face since I came here. "Don't leave me." He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly. I admit, I am getting used to these warm hugs again. How long has it been since he held me? I realise that I am weak to Panda King.
Surveying the single bed, I pull away to ask him the most important question right now, "Where will I sleep?"
"You take the bed and I'll sleep on the floor." He grins, "Or do you want me to sleep with you?"
I roll my eyes, "Only one of us would fit on it. I don't want a pervert to sleep next to me."
Panda laughs and leans his face close to mine, "Oh, I'm a pervert now? What about all the times in the past when we slept together?"
My face heats up as I recall the times he would sleepwalk into my room and when I would wake up in his arms. Blushing, I glare at him.
"Th–that was because I was a man back then!" I say quickly. "Of course you wouldn't do anything to me."
He smirks and I feel his breath in my ear as he speaks, "You were never a man Tina. If I had realised how I felt earlier, I would have confe..."
I stare at him curiously, "You would have what?"
His face and ears tint pink as he looks away from me, "N–Nothing. I would have cancelled our contract."
"You're so cold Panda." I say, sticking my tongue out at him.
"Let's sleep." He mumbles and I follow him towards the bed. He sets the duvets and blankets on the floor and lies down whilst I climb into the bed.
"Why are you not staying inside the mansion behind?" I ask as I turn on my side and glance down at him.
He turns to face me and shrugs, "There are security cameras inside there which would let my parents track me down. They would definitely make sure I return and marry Ciarra Lake. It's safer here."
"Panda, can I ask you something?" I ask.
"What is it?"
"What kind of person is Ciarra Lake?" She was friendly to me when I saved her but when we met again at Panda's mansion, she was cold and calculating.
"Hmm." Panda pauses, "She's a snake in sheep's clothing. She puts on a facade of being a kind and gentle woman but inside her, there is something cruel."
I am glad he can see it too. "Do you remember that day I drank the wine she offered you?" I say.
"I can't clearly remember it because I think I was too drunk but I remember waking up..." He gasps, "You were next to me..."
"Yes." I say quietly, "She must have planned to seduce you but I ruined her ploy."
"Then that clip she showed me is real?!" He suddenly sits up in the dark.
"What clip?" I ask in confusion.
"She has a clip of you and me..." He turns his face away, "in bed..."
My face heats up as his words process inside my brain. "Ciarra recorded a video?!" I exclaim loudly.
Panda's face is still turned away, "That's how she blackmailed me into going along with her."
"She must have planned everything from the start." The countless drama scenes I have watched where the antagonist strikes, pops into my head, "She probably wanted to video you and herself sleeping together so she could form a plan to marry you."
Panda groans from below, "She went too far. We can only catch her if we can get evidence."
I think about it before speaking, "Pan, how far are you willing to go to get the evidence?"
"What do you mean? Of course I will do anything to evict her."
"Let's play her game." I grin in the dark.
"You have a plan?" Panda asks eagerly.
"Don't doubt me." I say, smiling at him.
"I'm all ears."
Slightly sitting up, I fold my arms and explain my scheme. To get back at Ciarra Lake, we will have to beat her at her own game. I won't let her get away anymore. With Panda's help, we will be able to get the evidence we need to bring her to the police and she will also get the reality check she needs.
Panda is hesitant after hearing my plan but since this is the best thing we can think of, he agrees to be my chess piece. For the first time in months, I am able to sleep well.
***
As her soft snores fill the room, Panda King lifts himself onto his elbows and gazes at her face. Being close to her with no interruptions after so long, his heart is beating loudly and he can't sleep.
He gently reaches up and holds her warm hand. Has her hands always been this small? He never really realised when she was his bodyguard. Her eyelashes flutter as she breathes softly.
The reason he suddenly got cold feet after being forced into the marriage with Ciarra Lake was because he knew from the moment she blackmailed him exactly what kind of dangerous snake was hiding inside the innocent sheep she pretended to be. All he wants is to be free from a life where every step, every word of his belongs to others.
Sighing in the dark, Panda's eyes don't waver from Tina's face as he promises to himself that he will finally do something without waiting for someone else's permission.
"I will never hand you over to anyone else Tina."