'Why is she running away from me? Does she hate me that much? Does our desirable night mean nothing to her? Didn't I leave a single impression on her?' Duke Kleo nearly threw a fury, as he ran as fast as he could to find Lyra.
His voice cracked and trembled, like a wounded wolf, as he shouted and instructed the guards to look for her. His soul was shaken, drowning with the hopes and promises he had held so long ago.
His feet were racing, in the dim night. Torches lined the walls. His feet swooped down to jump over the edge of the balcony, descending and hitting the ground nimbly.
Then he chose to take the path leading to the Mangrovee Forest, Lyra's only reasonable route was to aim for it.
Accidentally he saw a strange flash in a corner, pressing the heart and giving him the dim of hope. Then he approached it, clenching his fists and preparing his legs if he needed to run faster to ambush. His eyes widened, sparkling as he found the glow of blonde hair in the darkness. His heartbeat slowly reduced, his knees hit the ground in gratitude.
"You are there! Turns out you were there. I found you. I know I can do it." His shoulders and back seemed to have lost all their strength. His eyes closed as his lips smiled. His feelings were bubbling as if he had a chance to turn back time so he could go back to the moment when his mother died. Yes, that's the trauma!
But it didn't last long. The feeling of gratitude and relaxation because he felt won finally evaporated instantly. His back suddenly tensed after seeing Lyra running quickly again. Her curvy body turned out to have an impressive speed of movement.
"You're leaving again?" he said, growling, eyes red. His gaze scanned the direction she was going, then slid to cut her way by taking a shortcut. His heart was beating so fast, it seemed like it was going to explode. If he lost her, he wouldn't know what would happen. His life will never be the same again, and that might mean bad.
"Please, let me stop her from leaving," he muttered, to whom he didn't know.
He was able to see her swooping down towards the Mangrovee Forest, just as he expected. After setting off he spurred his feet more than usual. He spurred on his powers exactly as ten years ago, when he had to save his mother who was in danger.
If he couldn't move any faster, then maybe he would lose someone he loved about one more time. Then does that mean he loves Lyra? Perhaps, that was all he could answer for now.
His legs rested to support the weight of his body. His breath hitched as his feet walked slowly and steadily. He didn't want to be seen running to catch her. He wanted to make her comfortable with him. His hands were behind his back, while his steps were dignified and manly.
Soon she appeared from somewhere, looking surprised when saw him.
"Oh, why did you come here?" he asked after turning to her, trying to look confused. "It's getting late, you should be sleeping right?" His smile looked a bit stiff from the exhaustion of running.
In the distance, Lyra stammered, then smiled awkwardly. Seemed to have no choice but to approach him who was standing a few steps in front of her. "I-I looked out of the window, My Lord, then discovered how beautiful the sky is tonight. So… I went out to enjoy it."
"Is that true?" The duke's eyes widened naturally. "We have the same thoughts." Then he cleared his throat, his eyes fell on her juicy lips to her shoulder which had the bite mark on it. "Your shoulder has a scar," he muttered, handing Lyra the ointment. "I am the one in charge. I bit you last night when I couldn't control myself. So…."
"My Lord," Lyra interrupted suddenly. Her cheeks flushed when she heard intimate things from the duke. If she didn't do something then she would get stuck in Wereal and start to fall in love with him. "I'm not a good girl," she continued. "If you remember what we did when we were at the hotel, you know it wasn't my first time." Her fingers move restlessly.
If she confessed would she be executed? But if she married him then it would be tantamount to death.
"I-I have many men, My Lord. You're not the only one," Lyra said again, shaking. "And I never wanted to have sex with the man I slept with. I…"
"So you're trying to dump me?" Duke Kleo's tone suddenly turned icy cold, ready to scald and freeze Lyra, ready to kill her to the marrow of her bones. The drastic change was terrifying as if fangs were sticking out of his mouth, making him look like a bloodthirsty monster.
"N-no, really," Lyra stuttered again, shaking her head vigorously. "I-I'm not trying to dump you away, My Lord. I am a cheap girl. If you marry me then you will get a lot of insults from people. So we'd better not get married, My Lord."
Duke Kleo's hands gripped Lyra's neck, almost choking her with emotion. "Are you trying to play me?" His voice boomed. "Who ordered you? Are you my uncle's errand girl?"
"No…" Lyra closed her eyes, feeling her throat constrict.
"If you don't marry me then you have to return everything to how it was before when we didn't sleep together. Otherwise, you will die." Duke Kleo pushed Lyra's body, then left her after summoning several guards to escort her to her room.
She fell on the grassy ground, illuminated by the now gloomy moonlight. Now she had exposed her disgrace in front of the duke. Now she had received the hatred of him. The marriage probably wouldn't have happened, she had to return his virginity instead, or else she would die.
That's right, this was the end of her life. She used to feel like she was going to die being a dumped and humiliated girl. Then now she would die for being a girl who liked to dump men and get karma. Why is nothing right with her life? Why does at the end of her life still suffer in various ways?
The guards led her to her room. Now the security was tight. Even in her room, six maids would monitor her while she was sleeping. This was like constricting her space for movement as well as breathing.
Having no other choice, she lay down on the bed, pretending to be asleep. When she woke up for quite a while, then she settled down to approach the window. Her eyes looked out the window, observing the freedom she would now find difficult to achieve.
It was then that she saw two strange mounds in the distance, which seemed to be moving closer. One mound looked unfamiliar to her eyes, but the other she could even recognize even if she closed one eye.
"Gerry!" she screamed out of control. Her hand covered her mouth in a hurry, her head spinning to make sure the maids were still asleep in the middle of their duty. Then a sigh of relief escaped from her mouth that she didn't wake anyone. "What is Gerry doing here? And who is the person beside him? That's not Tania!"
On the other hand, Gerald, who was stuck with Wiggie, finally stopped moving. He also pulled the woman beside him to do the same.
Wiggie looked taken aback, turned her head hastily, and wanted to protest. "What is it? We have to settle down and get Lyra free. Are you the one who insisted on doing this, right?"
"She's seen us. Up there," Gerald pointed at Lyra's bedroom window, which showed her a small, pitiful wave.
"Oh, you're right," Weggie commented. "That's good, we've found her room. So we need to sneak in as quickly as possible." She moved again, but Gerald stopped her again.
"She's safe," he muttered, like an adorable bear in the gloom, ignoring Weggie's frowning astonishment. "She's sending us a signal."
Weggie saw Lyra move her hand like she was saying something in sign language. "Can you understand what she's saying?"
"We've been friends since childhood," said Gerald without turning to look at her. His gaze was still on Lyra. "She said we should go because she's in a safe situation."
"But how is that possible?" Weggie stopped her speech as she recalled Duke Kleo's strange behavior that showed he was in love. "Are you sure?" she asked again.
Gerald nodded. "She said we have to go. She is in safe condition. We can come another time. Her current situation is not very urgent." Then he turned to Wiggie, silently seeking approval.
Weggie looked away with red cheeks. Suddenly she was nervous and awkward. "A-alright. We're backing off the mission now. We'll sneak back next time. The most important thing is that we know her position."
From a distance, Lyra breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Gerald's sign language saying, "I'm leaving now! Take care of yourself!" followed by the disappearance of his figure.
Her face fell on her hands which were on the window ledge. "He said he didn't want to deal with my problems anymore, but instead he put himself at risk to save me." Sighing, her eyes still wandered in the night view, watching the leaves move in the Mangrovee Forest.
"I'm not sure if I'll be alright after tonight," she muttered sadly. "Because it seems like Duke Kleo can't forgive me after I admit my scandal. But I can't involve Gerry in my troubles. I don't want him to get hurt."
Then her mind rolled back, looking for a solution so she could live longer. She's trying to choose a priority in her life, whether it's living or being single forever. "If I choose to stay single forever then I will die soon. If I choose to live forever then I won't be able to stay single. I think they both sound terrible."
Her head leaned against the window sill and looked up at the ceiling. "But if I manage to live for a long time maybe I can make my dream come true. I just need to manipulate the situation, as well as make the duke hate me. But will that make him forgive me? Oh, come on think, Lyra!"
Shortly after that, she came up with an idea. Her figure darted toward the mirror, looked at her reflection, then smoothed her appearance. She even had time to apply lipstick and powder to her face. She let her hair loose, covering her long and beautiful neck.
"I'm going to see him tonight as well! I will beg his forgiveness so he is not going to kill me. I will accept any consequences including marrying him. I will buy time until I can truly be free." Then she darted to the door, took a breath, and stepped out.
***