To the world you may be one person,
But to one person you are the world.
—Unknown
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"Tell me your name, and I'll think about it." he knew she wanted to hit him but it only increased his amusement, nothing else. If she wanted to hit him, he would let her by all means.
Eva hesitated before saying, "Evangeline. Evangeline Blythe." she didn't ask him to call her Eva as she did with Leon.
Evangeline, he mouthed her name, testing it upon his tongue, surprised by how right it felt, how perfect it sounded.
"Beautiful name." he stepped forward raising his hand to her hair.
Eva stumbled, her butt landing back on the cold surface of the fountain.
"You said you'll think about letting me go," she said, remembering his previous words.
"I lied." He spoke with no remorse making her feet itch to kick him in the middle.
"Are you also going to ask me to stay here for money? So that you can make my family stable and not poor?" came Eva's sarcastic voice. It showed that she thought this man was just like the others, wanting to buy her with money.
She expected him to say yes, smirk, and agree with her question. Never in her whole existence would she have expected his aura to become even darker than it was previously. It made the air hard to breathe as he leaned down, trapping her between his strong arms.
She didn't have space to move back unless she wanted her hair to get wet from the water. She could only look down at his face which was empty of any emotion. Goosebumps formed on her arms and she shivered though not from the cold. Her eyelids dropped to look at the grass that suddenly seemed more interesting than before.
"Also?" he asked, tilting his head. He had listened to every word that left her soft mouth and when he heard 'also,' his mind had gone blank to be filled with nothing but anger.
"I-I was just-"
"Who said that to you?" he asked, his eyes hollowing with something worse than fury.
"It was no one, Your Majesty-"
"Then why aren't you looking at me?"
Theo grabbed her chin, making her look up. Though his tone was rough, his movements were still gentle. He held her gaze for a few minutes before moving back from her.
"Leon will send you back to your house." was the last thing he spoke before leaving the castle grounds, not looking back to glance at her.
Eva sat frozen on the spot where he had left her. What just happened? One second he was angry, and the other he left her? Did he have multiple personalities or something of that sort? The garden no longer seemed beautiful and she didn't know why.
With her heart feeling heavy, she left for the same room she had been staying in. As she walked towards the chamber, she felt that she had made a huge mistake by angrily speaking out that there was another man. She had always felt happy knowing that no one could intimidate her, but this man... whatever he did made her heart shiver in its cage.
As she opened the door, she saw a maid bringing in another tray of food from the other hallway.
"Milady, the King has sent this for you."
"Tell the King that I don't feel hungry," replied Eva.
"He said that if you refuse to eat, he will not let you leave-"
Eva hurriedly took the tray from the maid and offered her a bow smilingly, which startled the girl. Never had anyone bowed to her in all her years of living since she had no position of importance in the palace. Why was this girl, who the King seemed to have taken a fancy to, so naïve and respectful?
The maid smiled in reply too and with a bow, left the room to inform the King that his order had been completed.
Eva ate whatever she could. The food was all delicious but she was not used to eating so much food at once. When she tried to swallow a bite, it seemed to get stuck in her throat making it hard to eat. When the maid came to take the tray away, she noticed that not even half of the food had been finished.
"Milady, are you not going to eat anymore?"
"I don't have an appetite, actually. And please call me Eva," she spoke as the woman neared to take the tray.
"Yes, Lady Eva." smiled the maid.
"Why not just Eva? And the food is not going to be thrown away is it?" asked Eva worriedly.
"I cannot call you Eva, since you are a lady and a guest in the castle." the maid then assured her, "The food is eaten by the servants if it is still in good condition and if not, the King's pets eat it up happily."
"The King has pets?" Eva was shocked and bewildered. Such a man could have pets like cats and dogs?
"Yes, he might take you to show them. However, they take time to adjust to strangers, so it's best to remain careful around them," warned the beautiful woman.
"What is your name?"
"It is Daphne, Lady Eva. If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to send a maid to call me." she was about to leave when Eva abruptly stopped her.
"Can you please bring me a piece of parchment and a pen?" she requested and the maid nodded.
"I will be back with it, milady."
With the tone he had used with her and his expression, Eva knew that the King was most probably not going to come to see her tomorrow. She had thought of an alternative already which was less awkward and would still be enough as a last thank you.
She wanted to give him a gift too and a perfect idea entered her mind. When the maid departed after giving her the necessary things she asked for, Eva set to work.
It was past midnight when she finished working. Feeling proud of her work, she fell onto the bed and slept a goodnight's sleep without any disturbances.
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"My King, do you actually plan to let her leave?" asked Leon, worried about the King's attitude. Had he hit his head somewhere?
"Do you really think so?" asked Theo with a smirk on his face. "Gather all information about her. Her past and everything about her family. Also, if any man had been near her for the past days."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Do you have something prepared for the lady?" questioned Leon curiously. He was used to the King's habits and if something caught his eye, he was not the one to let it go so easily.
Theo's lips curved wider. It was not a pleasant sight to look at even though the look suited him. "She will come back with her own free will. And when she does, I'm not going to let her go."
Birdy was his and she would willingly fly back to him, he thought to himself with a crooked grin.
She was not going to get rid of him that effortlessly.
"Make sure to drop her off safely tomorrow, though I will be keeping an eye on her. It would be difficult if she tried to run away."
"And if she does?" asked Leon, opening the door to leave.
"I'll bring her back, cost what it may."