by Dahlia Lu
“Do you think I need a piece of metal to kill you?”
“This piece of metal can stop my heart. That is all that counts right? My life has always been yours. I would like to see you take it.”
She pulled the dagger back to add momentum, but her hand began to shake. She attempted to stab him several times, but the tip of the dagger always stopped before it touched the fabric of his tunic.
“Let me help you with that,” he said. He steadily held her hand in his and slowly guided the dagger into his flesh. Her pale green eyes stared at him in shock as the dagger slowly penetrated him. Her body began to shake uncontrollably. He was daring her to press on.
“No!” She screamed and then pulled away. She dropped the bloodied dagger to the floor.
“Do I still mean nothing to you?” He whispered softly into her ear and then placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Until the day you can kill me, you are still mine.”
She jerked her head to the side to reject his attempt at her lips. She appeared still shaken from the confusion. Her mind and her body were out of sync. She wanted to kill him, but her own body would not allow her to. He could stand here all day and question why, but it was more like him just to go along with it. He had the advantage and he planned to use it.
Still, it was better to leave her alone for now. She seemed distraught enough. He backed away from her and then walked down the hallway. He had a morning meeting to attend to.
At least parts of her were still the Nala he knew.
He was as audacious as always. There wasn’t another human who would speak to her like that and walk away with his life. She had the intention of killing him, but her body would not obey. Her memories were too attached to him. She couldn’t take that shortcut after all.
Nala watched him disappear to the left at the end of the hallway.
It was not like she minded fulfilling her promise. In fact, she looked forward to it. She still remembered very clearly the pain that silver-eyed bitch inflicted on her and was dying to return the favor. She would enjoy hacking her face and seeing just how fast it could heal. If she was in a good mood by then, maybe and just maybe, she would grant a quick death out of the goodness of her heart.
She felt like she was forgetting something.
“Fai,” she summoned. The beast jumped out of the wall and circled her. “Do you want to go hunting today?”
His tail tapped excitedly on the ground. His nose inched higher as though he wanted to ask her what they will be hunting.
“How would you like a raven-haired, silver-eyed beauty for dinner?”
I see that you are back to your old self, master. Am I really allowed to eat her?
“I will make an exception just this once. Bon Appétit.”
A wide grin spread across the beast’s jaw.
“It’s very creepy when you do that, Fai.”
The beast closed his mouth shut. Your other self is in the palace, master.
“I sensed his presence, but I just don’t want to see him right now. You must find it strange of me.”
Yes.
“I find it strange myself. Perhaps I am already fed up with all of it. If only I had accepted that from the beginning. Come out already, Noctiam.”
He materialized in front of her. She flashed him a charming smile and then slapped him hard enough for his head to snap to the side.
“That was payback for hitting me in front of my mother.” She slapped him again just after he adjusted his neck and his jawline. “That was for burning my bones.”
“Ah no, you’re back to normal,” he said in a monotone voice and faked a gasp. “I was starting to like your other persona. At least you fantasized about me…a little.”
“How would you know that?”
He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “You actually blushed when you first met me at the court. It’s the first time you have ever noticed my appearance. I was flattered.”
“I remember now. Noctiam, I need you to do a favor for me.”
“What do I get in return?” He asked mischievously.
She glared at him.
“Fine, what it is?”
“The Western Prince Ce is being held captive somewhere in the palace. I want you to rescue him and take him somewhere far away. If possible, arrange a fitting accommodation for a prince.”
“You want me to help a human?”
“Human or not, he was kind to me and sheltered me when I had no one to depend on. I owe it to him and I don’t want to owe anyone anything. While you do that, Fai and I have some vengeance to take care of.”
Noctiam scoffed. “You two get to do the fun part. I’m off now. The sooner I start, the sooner I will finish.”
“You do that.”
“A ‘thank you’ would have been nice.”
“I can still feel the after burn.”
“I’m going!” Noctiam dematerialized.
Nala turned the other way when she saw Trent coming down the hallway. She picked up her pace and then suddenly halted when he appeared in front of her. She almost forgot that no matter how fast she could travel, he could always catch up to her. She was hoping for a little more time before she faced him again, but that was unattainable it seemed. She had the urge to look into his eyes, but she denied herself the pleasure. She feared he would be able to see through her with just the look in her eyes.
“You startled me, brother!” She faked a surprise reaction. “I am not used to it yet.”
“Did Noctiam do anything to you?” He asked.
“You mean the ambassador? He came to apologize to me about that day at the cabin. He explained that I caught him by surprise by taking off his hood.” She smiled. “I have a much better impression of him now.”
“Expressing remorse is not one of his fortes, but it is you after all.”
Noctiam never apologized. “When did you arrive?” She asked in a curious voice. “Well, actually, what brings you here?”
“Your wedding is only three days away,” he replied with a soft smile. “I am obligated to attend.”
“You came to attend my wedding?” How ironic. “As my brother, do you have any objection?”
“No.”
His answer was expected, but she could not help but feel hurt by it. “I’m glad that you approve of my choice in a marriage partner. Your consent means everything to me. If you opposed to it, I don’t know what I would do.”
“What if I were against it?”
“I know you won’t be. You want me to be happy, right brother?”
He nodded. “Your happiness means everything to me.”
“It is a nice feeling to have a companion who loves me for who I am. I would hate to die alone.” Again. “Well, enjoy your stay, Trent. I am late for my morning bath and I prefer the water to be warm when I get there.”
“I’m glad to hear you say my name again,” he said as she walked past him.
“I guess it’s true that people can find happiness in simple things. I hope you can find a woman who can bring you a little happiness each and every day. I’ve procrastinated long enough, my bath is waiting.”
The steam of the hot bath allowed her to hide the tears brimming in her eyes. It didn’t make sense that she had Raya’s memories. Her core couldn’t have possibly recorded the memories of the body it was detached from. Why then did the image of fresh white sheets flapping in the sunlight pop in her head? She could remember very clearly the annoying sound of the boiling kettle and the rich scent of coffee that woke her up in the morning. She remembered the lazy days of watching the clouds passing by in the clear blue sky and when they childishly tumbled together down the gentle green slopes; those quiet days of champagne and bubble baths. They’re all her simple little pleasures in life.
Nala stared out of the window to the soft clouds floating against the blue backdrop of the sky. No matter how similar it was to the sky in her memories, it was not the same. It didn’t feel the same. She wondered if this is what humans felt when the
y mourned. It seemed very bleak.
She was not in the mood to torture anyone, and if she didn’t enjoy it, then what was the point? Revenge can wait a few more days.
The dinner table had two extra guests.
Nala sat with Trent on one side of the table and the other guest, a young man with brown hair, sat on the other side. He had always thought that Nala and Trent’s hair were the same platinum, but he could see the difference in the side by side comparison. Trent’s platinum hair has a blue-grey undertone while Nala’s hair was almost pure white with a metallic sheen. Their eyes were also very different, but both were incredibly unique. Trent had a pair of striking blue eyes that commanded attention, while Nala’s pale green eyes were so gentle they could even induce sleep.
Were they truly siblings?
“You have already met Trent,” Nala said. “Over there is my brother Alex.”
Another sibling? This one looked nothing like the other two. Different eyes, different hair color, different facial structure, and completely different presence.
“Yo!” Alex raised his right hand up into the air.
“He means hello,” Nala translated. “I was a little confused when he did that too.”
She was acting different from this morning. “Do you have any other siblings I don’t know about, Nala?” Sayan asked as he took a seat at the table.
“I honestly do not know,” Nala replied with a puzzled expression on her face. “How many siblings do we have, Trent?”
“I am an only child, so we don’t have any siblings.”
Alex shot a glare at Trent. “Go to hell, Trent!”
“I mean how many other children did mother adopt?”
“That, I don’t know. Alex is the only immortal one that I know of. It’s rather a long story.”
“It was kind of fun at first.” Alex leaned his head back in reminiscence. “You do whatever you want. Join gangs, get into fights, get killed and wake up the next day in some god forsaken alley. But then, if you stay at one place for too long, people will start hunting you down. That and your wives keep dying of old age. That is really the most annoying part. You can’t imagine my pain. One minute I am married to a hot chick and the next minute I find myself in bed with a wrinkly old woman. And what is worse is time is going by a lot faster the longer I live!”
“Will don’t you just marry an immortal wife?” Nala asked.
Alex laughed awkwardly. “Well, I tried that once and now there is a crazy woman chasing after me. I’ll never make that mistake again.”
“He’s not the faithful type,” Trent pointed out.
Nala leaned over to Sayan’s side of the table and then tapped on his hand. “Will you always be faithful to me, Sayan?” Her pale green eyes begged for a reply.
“Of course,” he played along and kissed her hand. She was putting on a show for her brothers, but he couldn’t figure out why she didn’t want them to know.
Sayan paid close attention to Trent’s face, but there was no change in his expression. He tore the loaf of bread into halves and shared it with Nala. They both took a few small bites and then left the rest on the plate. His eating pattern was similar to Nala’s, in that they barely ate anything at all. The consumption of food was just for show. Their other brother, Alex, was stuffing himself up to his eyeballs. Where did the food go in that slender figure of his?
Sayan noticed the pair of twin blades resting at Alex’s waist. “Can you fight or are those just for show?”
Alex looked up from his plate. “Are you talking to me?”
“I was getting to that part, Sayan,” Nala said. “Alex volunteers to help you with your conquests.”
“How noble of you,” Sayan complimented. Even if the boy is immortal, if he didn’t know how to use his weapons, he was pretty close to useless. As long as the boy didn’t distract him during battle, there was no real harm in taking him under his wing.
“Don’t make me a general right away,” Alex said with a bright smile. “It will be like starting out on level 1! What was that game I used to play? I forgot the name. How could I forget the name? I used to play all the time after school! I reached the 5000 kills count once playing Lubu! God, what was that game called! Argh, my brain went to mush!”
The boy was ranting on about incomprehensible things. He drowned out the boy’s voice and focused on Nala. She had been stirring her soup for a while now, but hadn’t taken a sip. When she noticed he was looking, she quickly ate a few spoonfuls. A droplet fell onto her chin. His right thumb reached out to wipe it off for her, but Trent beat him to it.
Nala’s eyes met Trent’s and they both got stranded for a long moment before she pushed to her feet. “I remember I have something to do.”
Sayan’s eyes followed her as she exited the dining hall.
“You and I never had the time to talk, Trent.” Sayan folded his hands and rested them on the table. “Since you will be my brother-in-law soon, do you have any words or advice?”
“No,” Trent replied straightforwardly.
“Usually brothers would say something like ‘if you hurt my sister, I will hunt you down like a dog’.”
“Nala is not one who would get hurt easily. And if you ever cross the line, she knows when to leave. I am in no place to say anything regarding her personal affairs.”
“Not even a little jealousy at all?” Sayan watched his expression very carefully, but could not detect any reaction.
“You must understand, Your Majesty.” Trent faced him directly. It was the first time their eyes met. Trent’s clear blue eyes were much more imposing than he had previously thought. “Compared to us, your lives are very fleeting. I cannot recall how many…” He dropped the sentence midway. “I think it is better if I retire early tonight. Goodnight, Your Majesty.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
He could not recall how many different men had crossed her path and wanted to possess her like property. That was what he was going to say, but decided that it was better to keep silent. Perhaps there was once a time when let himself fall victim to a thing called jealousy, but the psychological trauma of it all was too much for him to handle. Half of him was human, but the other half of him was always dictating his life. Unlike full-blooded demons who could only feel a very limited range of emotions, he was complete with all of them. Then again, like the other demons, the intensity of his emotions could get out of hand, and that was an incredibly dangerous path to walk. It could lead to self-destruction along with other consequences.
He needed to rely on his sensibility and he came close to snapping a number of times. He could not allow that anymore. If his temper remotely resembled his father’s, then it would prove to be a problem.
Trent sat on the wide window sill and leaned the back of his head against the window frame. His vivid blue eyes stared at the moon just above the garden. It would be nice to have Raya by his side on nights such as this, but only if she could find her way to him herself.
Nala tossed and turned in her bed. It was probably the habit of fifteen years living as human to be in bed in the first place. Sleep was nothing more than a waste of time and all she had was time. Trying to figure out what to do with her time was the challenging part. There were so few pleasures left in the world.
She had sensed his presence in the hallway and heard him enter her chamber, but she didn’t bother to move a muscle. She heard the sound of rustling fabric and then felt the bed slightly tilting in his direction. A pair of strong arms embraced her and pulled her toward him, until her back nested against his bare chest. He let out an exhausted sigh and then buried his face in her hair.
“Your bedroom is next door,” she reminded him.
“Your scent helps me sleep a little better,” Sayan replied and snugged her even closer. “I struggle with insomnia.”
“What did I say about touching me without my permission?”
“Didn’t I also say that you are mine until you can kill me yourself?” He pressed a kiss on the nape of her neck
. “When we fought, I could not concentrate on work and I desperately need my concentration right now.”
“You don’t seem to get it, human. The woman you knew doesn’t exist.”
He rose up and forced her face to turn toward him. “I think you are the one who doesn’t grasp the situation. The boy you once knew is also long gone. If you prefer bitter to sweet, I will do my best to entertain you. If you don’t like tender melody, then I can also change the tune. I am a man who obtains what I want by any means necessary and I can tell you with certainty that I want you. So what if you regained your memories? What does it matter if you are not human? To me, Nala, I only see you. And I will have you.”
She bit the finger that had gotten too close to her lips. He didn’t flinch away. Instead his eyes passionately watched his blood stain her lips.
“What I want to know is why you are hiding it from your brothers?”
“My reasons have nothing to do with you.” She turned her body toward him. “But I will tell you anyway. If Trent knows that I am back to my old self, he would definitely run away again. I intend for him to stay here until the wedding, even if it is only a few days.”
“Why would he run away if he knows?”
She ignored his question. “I will allow you to act like my loving husband until then.”
“I will not negotiate with you on this. You will marry me simply because of me and no other reasons. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my love,” she replied sweetly, “for now.”
“Forever,” he corrected her. “Or at least until you become my widow, but not before then. I would kiss those pretty lips of yours until they’re bruised, but I am too tired tonight. I just want to fall asleep with you in my arms. If you still want to fight with me, we will continue tomorrow.”
He pecked a kiss on her lips and then gathered her neatly into his arms. His chest was warm against her cheek and she could hear the steady beat of his heart. It did feel very nice to be wanted.
“You smell like… good memories,” he breathed.
