*Kiara's POV*
I saw him,but I could swear it was a hallucination.It couldn't be him now.
I wanted to blame it on hunger, but Carlotta had sent me a nice warm meal before I got ready for the ball.
I ignored a pair of drunk lovers in the alley and waddled into the room, pressing hard as I shut the door behind me.
The music sizzled its way under the door, tuning a lonely melody to my ears. I wanted to escape it, so I made my way to the window. The song only agreed to die down as I farthered into the room.
The moon perched up high had always seemed so serene and peaceful, except when it was full.
What will I do then, or better yet, what will they do to me when I turn into a raging beast in their mist? I will be a dead man for sure. Like Reya was.
For the first time since Carlotta suggested the idea, I wanted my father to take me home. This wasn't my place.
A cloud that had been covering the moon slowly seeped away, letting its full shine manifest upon the night's earth. I prayed it would calm my raging nerves.
I hissed at myself. The last thing I needed right now was to be daydreaming of him. Especially not when I was abandoned. I begged my brain to turn sane again. I had to go down the stairs,chin up, and end the night.
I heard the door knob turn as the door opened behind me. My shoulders tensed in annoyance.
"I will be out in a minute. I just need some–"
I instantly paused when the familiar blend of forest mint and honey hit my nose. I sensed his overwhelming presence engulfing me. It couldn't be him...right?
Even if he had come this late,how would he know about my dressing room? It was my own brain spewing nonsense again.
"Adriel?" I called anyway; the possibility that it was someone else and I just called out the wrong name was high. That outcome will mean I'm foolish.
However,me being right will mean I can recognize him by his mere presence, which also translates to me being foolish. I didn't know which scenario I preferred. I waited for an answer that took forever to come.
"Neonata,"
The nickname seeped into my brain like a missing piece of some puzzle. The familiar voice caused a fog in my mind as it mingled with my very few normal thoughts.
It is him.
It could only be.
I turned around so my eyes could be assured that it wasn't a daydream. My heart skipped a beat, and I lit up from within. He looked really beautiful, which is the improper word to use to describe a man such as himself, but if only you could see him... He was heavenly(another improper word),posing in his dark clothes and silky hair; they never seemed out of place.
I swallowed the memory of my hand going through it—the dishevelled form it had taken that night.
That…night.
Hold on. How could I forget that this wasn't some happy fairy-tale reunion? He abandoned me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked,my dry voice cracking mid-sentence as I felt the pain freshen up again.
I was face-to-face with it now; I covered it up with anger and loaded my brain with other worries till now. It affected me a lot. And it stung.
He closed the door behind him and walked toward me.
"Well, darling,this room belongs to both of us. It is our dressing room for any event held here."
"I'm going back downstairs." I said, firmly walking to the door. He dared to call me pet names now.
"You don't owe me an explanation anyway. The room belongs to you too,You can have it all to yourself."
His hands clasped on to mine as I whisked past him,circling around the little skin that existed between my long gloves and my dress. My first instinct was to fight, to pull away, but it was pointless. He was much stronger.
He pulled me closer, silently demanding I stay.
"Let me go." I said calmly, glaring into his eyes.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly. I was partly taken aback by how quickly he noticed something was off with me. But he wasn't going to play all-psychology wizard with me , not tonight.
I can handle myself. I had to learn when he left me to rot in the hands of strangers. Either way,I had been doing pretty well before he came. That is, if we ignore the near-death incident and when I almost starved to death.
"The only thing wrong with me is the discomfort I feel from you gripping on to my arm." I said I was trying to wriggle away, but he wouldn't let me.
"Kiara,"he called again,his voice sounding even more smooth than before. But there was a small press to it. He even sounded worried.
I liked my dry lips and turned away from his soft gaze.
I still didn't know how to react to that.
"Talk to me," he coaxed.
"No." I said, pulling away with such force that I didn't even know that I possessed.
He stared at me like he was hurt,like he cared, like he could feel, and he didn't have a stone to where his heart should be.
"Who do you think you are? You think you could just barge in here and grab me, pretend to care, and all will be forgiven?"
His face was squeezed in confusion. "Kiara, I'm just trying to do my duty."
What maddened me was how formal he made it sound.
"Your duty?!" I screeched, cutting him off. "Oh, now you choose to play the role of my fiance; now you want to talk; now you want to care!" I screamed, taking further steps away from him.
"I'm not going to do this. I cannot play this game with you again. I won't be able to survive the in-betweens and this rigid scheduling that only allows you to act like you have a heart once every two weeks. This sick, serpentine thing that you do to make me attached and then suddenly disappear... I cannot handle anymore."
He kept a poker face as I spoke, looking as stoic as he always was. It reminded me of looking at my mother's painting. His emotions were practically non-existent.
"I honestly would prefer it if you kept your distance from me." I said, looking away.
"You are angry,"he observed, like it was some new information. "You seem hurt."
I don't think I have ever seen him say something so idiotic. It didn't suit him. His hands fidgeted a little, and he hid them in his pocket.
"I am, and don't object or try to play any more mind games; just please stay away."
His face dissolved, and I saw the emotions form on his face. I didn't know which, but it was there.
He rubbed his forehead thoughtfully.
"Okay. We will need to talk first to revise it all."
I raised my eyebrows,almost surprised at how fast he was willing to agree. I was just a tease toy after all; the emotions were all up in my head.
No,not in my head they're nonexistent.
A tiny part of my glass heart chipped and fell to the ground. I was feeling it all over again. I was letting him hurt me.
"I've said everything I want to say." I said angrily, heading for the door yet again
I pulled it open, but his hands pushed it back shut before me.
I was surprised at how fast he came to stop me. His swift speed was incredible, but that speed wasn't going to help me in any way. I held the cold doorknob tightly in my hands. His hand was still resting on the door, so it was pointless to try to pull it open using force.
"Let me get out, Adriel."
"As soon as we are done with the talk,"his voice said, hovering over me.
"Please."he added.
"I have nothing else to say; you know what I want." I said, laying my head on the door as I counted random numbers in my head.
"But I haven't spoken yet."
I took a deep sigh and turned to him. "Okay, then speak...but not of the restrictions, speak about the cause of it all,
Where were you all this time? Why did you abandon me at the Cresmoon Palace?Why did you leave me?"
"Firstly," he straightened up. "I was at our marital home, just doing some renovations so you could adjust faster. You will love it when you see it. Thoughtful of me, isn't it?"he smirked.
The ill-timed humor didn't make me even crack a smile. He was acting weird today.
"And the Cresmoon Palace? Leaving as if you came in alone,not even bothering to say goodbye, the hosts had to ask me if we fought."
"About that situation, I had to go to the house,as I said, but I just couldn't tell you anything."
"Why?"
"I just couldn't."
"Yes,but you can do thousands of other things, though. It makes a lot of sense." By a thousand other things, I meant the near-sex incident; he knew what I was speaking about. I saw it in his face.
Embarrassment painted a red blush on my cheeks. He noticed that too.
I turned back to pull the door open.
"Kiara,"he said, placing his hands over my hand on the door.
"Don't do this again, please. I just want to leave"
He lifted his weight off the door and took a few careful steps back.
I looked back at his cold face one last time before I pulled the door open.
"I didn't plan the night that way. I didn't inform you because I knew if I went back into your room,I wouldn't be able to say good-bye."
His words caught me and froze me.
And like some Adriel-made icy glue,I was rooted in the door; I couldn't move, and I didn't want to. I took time to process every word.
He saw the dangers, just like I did.
He felt.
I turned to meet his face. I was completely out of words. My cheeks heated up, and my heartbeat rushed. However, in contrast,the knot in my chest was released. I felt like I could breathe clearly again.
But Carlotta's cautionary words flinched me back to reality.
"Bullshit," I hissed.
"What?"
"It seems you always have a perfect thing to say, perhaps too flawless, and it always aligns with the nice little ploy to keep on playing this sick cat and mouse game of yours."
Adriel did a choked scoff and another, as if for the first time. He didn't know what to say.
"Or am I making it up?" I pressed. "If this marriage was formed with good intentions, then why exactly did you choose me?"
"Where is all this coming from?"he asked hoarsely after a confused pause.
I was resisting; I wasn't being a dummy, and it felt good. I pushed my self-restraint further as I walked towards him.
"Tell me why, and don't do the vague thing."
"I can't tell you what you want to hear."
"I want to hear the truth."
"Trust me, you don't," he pronounced, flashes of warning in each word.
"I want to know."
His face looked like he was toying with the idea of telling me. And just as words were about to leave his mouth,.
An interruptive knock on the door sounded through.
None of us moved.
Adriel glanced at the door behind me but stood still. I had left the door open; couldn't this stranger see that we were in the middle of a conversation?
I kept my eyes firm on Adriel, refusing to break focus.
"We found him; Zalem is here." the voice said, I noted terror in the tone.
Adriel's face showed no emotion at the mention of the name, though; he looked me dead in the eye.
"Who is Zalem?" I asked him.
"Stay in here," he said firmly, and he walked past me.
"Who is Zalem?" I repeated.
"Don't come outside of the room," he warned again and slammed the door behind him.
I stared at the wooden door long and hard. I wanted answers.
I might have agreed to be locked in if he had given me an explanation. I couldn't sit hidden behind locks forever while life happened around me.
I held the door knob and yanked it open.I
will find out who Zalem was.