"Your highness, I need you to understand that my relationship status is by choice and not because I couldn't get a woman for myself….I was a handsome man in my days," sir. Oliver said, feeling quite offended.
"But your hairline says otherwise," Francis answered and Sir. Oliver held his bald head.
"I'll take that as a compliment, your highness," Sir. Oliver answered and he took a step backwards.
Francis looked at him and he couldn't help but scoff. Sir. Oliver was the only one who dared to speak or come close to him that much.
"I'll get things sorted out with Mala myself. It's better than seeking advice from someone who has never laid his hands on a woman. I need to make sure she's dead as soon as I can," Francis said, then he left.
******
Francis walked into the room with his eyes shut. The last thing he wanted to do was meet Mala's gaze. He just wasn't prepared for that.
His other senses were more than enough for him to move comfortably.
"What's wrong with you?" Francis asked in a rather cold tone the moment he heard Mala's silent sobs.
"Why is life so unfair?" Mala asked…her voice was shaking.
"Life is never fair to anyone, Mala. It's either to leave it the way it is or you die," Francis answered.
He wasn't helping things. "Everyone thinks that I killed my mother. Everyone thinks that I am a freak. I have nothing to be happy about and every day of my life comes with one pain or the other. I'm afraid that I might die like this," Mala cried.
Francis walked up to her and he stood right in front of her while she sat at the edge of the bed. Mala's breath seized for a minute as she watched his huge figure before her.
What she didn't understand was why he always had his eyes closed whenever he was with her.
His perfect scent ran through her nose and for a while, she forgot everything that had been running through her head. The fear that built up in her heart after Lord Chris's words vanished and all that was left was the strange feeling that came with being so close to him.
"Do you want to feel better?" He asked.
His voice was so cold but his words meant otherwise.
Mala nodded like a child…. though she was worried he wouldn't get her response because his eyes were shut.
But he immediately held her hands and pulled her up. Her hands fit perfectly into his and Mala couldn't help but stare at how dangerously handsome the devil was.
His perfect lips, his cold and thick voice, his hands, his height and even though his eyes were closed, he still looked like he was pulled out of someone's imagination.
Mala didn't know what he was going to do next.
How would he make her feel better?
The next minute, she felt herself being held tight in his hands. Her head was pressed against his chest and she could hear the sound of his heart beat.
It was fast …faster than usual.
Faster than a normal human's heart.
"It's usually that fast. Forget about me and focus on being comfortable," he said…it felt like Mala was under a spell. She sank herself into his arms and it felt….safe.
She knew it was weird to feel safe in the hands of the devil but she couldn't help it.
Her hands slowly held him….she suddenly felt the urge to keep him in her hands. The last time she felt that way was when her mother held her.
Mala closed her eyes…embracing the feeling but when she raised her head to look at him, she felt a liquid drop on her forehead.
Is ..is he crying?
"Your highness," Mala called and his grip tightened more around her. He held her like his life depended on it. He sobbed silently and he finally rested his body on hers.
"Is everything okay?" Mala asked.
She had already forgotten about herself and she was left wondering why the devil would cry.
"Please …let me hold you a little longer," Francis begged amidst his tears and Mala gently stroked his back. She could feel that he was so deprived of love.
He cried like a child till they finally laid on the bed and he still held her hands like he was scared to be left alone. Mala found herself staring at him. He looked so helpless.
"I'll…. protect you. I'll love you," Mala promised.
It was at that point that she found a meaning to what he had told her before. She saw her broken self in him.
Mala knew what it felt like to be lonely…she just couldn't stand someone else feeling that way. "I'll love you."
*******
~Aurora's (Mala) POV
"Mala!" A loud masculine voice called out my name and dragged me out of my sleep.
My heart raced and my eyes flung open.
The voice could only belong to one person…. Francis.
"Your highness," I called, breathing heavily.
I wondered why he would yell at me like that after he acted like he wanted me to embrace him throughout his life the night before.
"What have you done to me?" He asked me and he held me by my shoulder. His eyes were still shut and his voice held a sense of worry and fear.
I was scared.
"Maybe someone came into the room….. I didn't hurt you…I wouldn't dare," I answered, shivering.
"Why was I crying? Why did you make me feel that way? What did you do!" He sneered and I flinched.
"I …I was only fulfilling your wish ... .you told me that you gave me the chance to love you…I…. only showed you love," I answered, crying.
I didn't understand what was happening.
"You can do whatever you want, Mala. But what you did to me last night, make sure it never repeats itself." He sneered before storming out of the room and I was left all alone.
Confused …and scared.