She turned back to holland who was smiling happily. ” Well, I am not. I have to get out of here now. ” She walks away but Holland held her back.
” No, Dora, you have to stay. At least, have two or more words with him. He saved you from that animal, he has to know you’re awake and probably you remember him too. ”
” No way. He mustn’t know I remember him. ”
” Jesus Christ, Dora, do you have to be this annoying? ”
“Yes, Holland, yes. You don’t understand why I have to be so hidden to him. I don’t want him to know I remember him, and I don’t want you telling him either.”
” You’re gonna hurt him if you do that. ”
” I know. I mean, I don’t care.” She sighed.
” You’re scared of him, aren’t you. You still think he’s gonna ki|| you. ”
” He said it himself. Right now, all I can see in him is the monster he was.” Shook her head, ” I don’t wanna keep seeing him as that monster.”
” Then you have to stop seeing him as that. You have to start believing in the human part of him. ”
” Do you think I love this? I’m trying, and I haven’t stop trying… I just… I just don’t know. I can’t bear to look at his face, the fear, horror, it’s all there. ”
” He’s right behind you. ”
” What? ” She whispered. ” How close is he?”
“Very close.”
“Like how many inches close?”
“Three or two. Possibly an inch close.”
Theodora’s eyes flew open. ” Oh no, you should have left me to go when I wanted to.” She whispered.
“It’s not my fault. We were solving some little argument, remember?”
” I h@ťě you for this, Holland. ”
” And I love you too.” She winked.
” Holland? ” Alpha Raymond called, surprised to see her.
“Your Majesty,” she bowed, smiling.
His eyes moved to the side, Theodora was still backing him. She slowly turned to him, “Your Majesty.” She greeted with a bow.
Alpha Raymond was so happy but didn’t want to express it. But one can see the little smile on his lips.
“How do you feel?” He asked.
“Much better. I heard it was you who saved my life, thank you.” She bowed again.
“It’s nothing serious.”
” It is to me. Who knows what could have happened to me back there at the woods? Thanks once again, Your Majesty.” She bowed for the third time.
” I think I should get going, I’ve got some unfinished works to do.”
Theodora opened her eyes, throwing her a hard gaze. Holland smirked at her with a wink. She signaled the guard to give them some privacy.
She looked at him, faking a smile on her face. “Well, you look familiar to me. We’ve met… where again. Urgh, I can’t remember… ”
” At the garden.” He reminded.
” Yes. Yes, the garden. I just realized that I didn’t get to know your name either.”
” My name is Raymond.” He told her.
” Wow. That’s a nice but weird name.”
He chuckled.
” Well, I see you’re heading to your room, maybe I should head back to mine. It’s nice meeting you again, Your Majesty.”
” I was thinking if we’d go out on a walk together.” He suggested.
“I uhmm… that should be a great idea but you look so stressed out, you need to get some rest first.” She said, concerned.
But inside her head, all that keeps ringing was for him to decline the walk out.
“I will rest later but we can still have the walk now.”
“O… sure. Sure, that would be great.” She forced another smile. ” All thanks to you, Holland, you’re such a mood spoiler.” She grunted mentally to herself. ” I wish I didn’t listen to you.”
“I know it’s been difficult for you lately since the death of your husband, I’m sorry for your loss.” He started.
” It’s okay, it’s not like there’s something so intimate about us. But thanks for your concern.”
There was a long silence between them. She started the conversation with, “I don’t wanna look pocky to your personal life but, I heard you’d be getting married to Lady Sophie, is that true?”
He smiled. ” I don’t really believe rumors do spread so fast like this.” He sighed. “It’s not really like a normal marriage, I’d say. It’s more like a contract for some personal reasons.”
She nods her head. “Wh@ťěver the reasons are, congratulations. ”
“Thank you. ” There was another pause, but a brief one. Then he broke the silence. “You once talked about kids back then at the garden, I’m still interested in meeting them. ”
She opened her mouth but said nothing. ” It’s okay if you still feel like I’m that scary.”
She chuckled. ” Actually, I wasn’t gonna say that. Did I ever mentioned kids?” She asked, surprised.
“Yes. You don’t remember?”
” I must have said that when… Nevermind.”
” I’m sorry if I… said something wrong. ”
” It’s okay. It’s nothing. I just don’t wanna talk about it. ”
” I’m sorry. ”
” I can’t even imagine how it feels to be crazy, to say things you don’t wanna say. Do things you don’t wanna do, and it’s all like those dramas we watch in movies. I feel like I’m not complete yet because in here, ” she points at her forehead. ” I can feel like I’m forgetting something.
Something so important and dear to me. Nad each time I try to think it through, it’s hard. I just feel like it’s erasing. I don’t wanna picture myself acting psychiatric because I know… somehow, I deserve it. ”
” I don’t believe someone can be responsible for wh@ťěver happens to him or her. ”
” Sometimes we are.”
” Do you really wanna remember every thing?” He asked.
” I do.”
~~~~
To Be Continued…