"You got me there!" he chuckled as he shook her hand before continuing, "My place is boring with me alone there," trying his best to sound pitiful.
But was Darica easy to fool?
"Heh, of all excuses to use. You just had to pick this one!" Darica shook her head, finding Duke's silly schemes very cute.
He had been using petty tricks from day one, and he seemed to be very shameless enough for him to not stop using them.
Seeing that she didn't fall for it, Duke's shamelessness even intensified, "Come on, babes! If I stay with you, you will get to see me daily and I will do the same. Besides, you also get to monitor me and make sure that no vixen tempts me."
Darica who had been waiting eagerly to hear what more shameless statements Duke would say, suddenly turned cold as she glared at Duke after hearing his response.
Duke felt a shiver run down his spine upon being glared at. And he knew that he was doomed.
"Babes, um … I_"
"You still want to get tempted and fall for it even after getting me?" in a chilly tone, Darica slowly asked as she stood still without moving, her body emitting a chilly aura.
"So, if you happen to have any thoughts like that. I advise you to throw them out and solely concentrate on me. If you get tired of me, be honest about it and let us part amicably. Trust me, you wouldn't want to leave on bad terms. The world is a very scary place, and I can assure you of that."
Seeing Darica emitting a familiar aura that she feared very much. Yuka, who was so curious about what those two were talking about, suddenly took a few steps back.
"Yuka, you don't want to follow them anymore?" Tristan teasingly asked the other upon seeing the drama in front while stifling his laughter.
Yuka shaking her head vigorously, grabbed Tristan's hand and shamelessly said to him, "Darling, let's go over there. I saw a very nice headband and I want you to buy it for me," before pulling him away without giving him a chance to say a word.
On the other hand, Duke was starting to regret blurting out such words. He had forgotten the person he was saying those words to. Although he was joking, the other probably didn't see it that way.
And the consequences now seemed to be dearer than he first imagined.
"No, babes. I don't mean it like that at all. I was just … trust me, babes. That won't happen. Please trust me!" while looking deep into her eyes without shying away, he told her sincerely while he prayed that she would calm down.
"Badum, badum," the thumping of her heart seemed to be increasing at a crazy speed, which bothered her so much.
And looking at the person who made her feel that way, acting in such a manner, she felt like punishing him.
Tilting her head to the left and fully exposing the star tattoos on the right side of her neck. A creepy smile slowly formed on her face while her eyes slightly narrowed into slits, Darica suddenly scoffed.
"I don't care about your previous relationships and how you handled your past girlfriends. The very second that you started pursuing me and wormed your way into my heart to get to this day. You have to know that, dear, you automatically sent yourself into a prison that will be very hard to escape."
Straightening her neck so that she could raise her head to look up to Duke since he was taller than her. She continued to speak in a threatening manner, completely ignorant of how that might make her look bad to her beloved one.
"When you are with me, no matter how far you are, you need to have only me in your heart. If I ever find out that you cheated on me or tolerated any girl's flirting, darling, I swear to you that you will regret knowing me."
"I am not a soft-hearted person and definitely not the kind that will tolerate a man's action just because I am a woman," she tilted her head again as she said that before she continued, "I am the kind that will repay every wrong done to me several-folds and trust me, you wouldn't like it."
And she wasn't joking about that at all.
Apart from her family, the Royal Rebels meant the whole world to her. And it was the kids that were willing to follow her every single command without questions, as well as the group of oldies that would do anything to ensure her happiness and wellbeing.
And Uncle Travis and Craig were part of that group. There was a group that practically raised her for her to become who she is today. Without them, she would probably be dead and gone, and also forgotten.
But because they took her in, fed her, and taught her for years, Darica was strong and confident. And for everything they have done in her life, she was grateful for that.
And it was the same group of people that would go crazy to do damage if anyone broke her heart. And she didn't want to see the person that she loves going through that.
If it doesn't work out, then they should at least part on good terms. It was all for the best.
Seeing Darica acting like that and talking in such a cold manner, Duke understood perfectly well that his intended joke wasn't captured well.
It bothered him, as he wasn't expecting to hear such words coming out of her. The way she said it made everything for him to seem as if he would be a slave in the relationship and the sound of that didn't sit well with him.
Although from the beginning, he had hypnotized himself that if he ever got into a relationship with her, things might be different from what he was used to.
No man would want to be threatened by their loved ones, no matter how big or small the issue was.
And so it pissed him off completely.