By the time Emily returned to the hall, after drinking the lemon juice offered to her by Mrs. Steams, there was only ashes on the floor, and a brooding Theodore.
“Where did she…? Is that…?”
“Yes, healers, unlike other supernatural beings, turn to ashes once their life drains out of them,” he told her matter-of-factly.
“Okay,” she drawled and nodded in understanding. “And have you recovered your memory?”
“She didn’t cast a spell on me, but rather injected me with a confusion potion,” he sighed. “I am not sure when the effect will wear off.”
“I see,” Emily couldn’t help but say in a dejected tone.
“Don’t fret it, lover,” he told her softly as he approached her, “I am sure I will remember everything, given time.”
She nodded at him, a small smile stretching her lips.
“But for now, let me hold you,” he then said before embracing her gently.
Emily, who was shaken up from the day’s events as to be expected, needed the hug as much as he did. And thus, she allowed it to happen.
“I have no memories as of now of you,” he began, seemingly uncaring of her feelings, and she almost withdrew from his embrace, but his next words made her still, “but you feel like home… even though I have never known such a thing.”
“Is that why you believed a total stranger over someone who warmed your bed for a month during the war?” The words were out of her mouth before she could prevent herself from uttering them.
“Is that jealousy I sense, lover?” He said in a teasing tone that did nothing to appease her. He then nudged her gently, “Don’t act as if you were a clueless maiden when I claimed you as mine. A beautiful woman such as yourself must have had her fair share of lovers…”
She pouted at him, and then averted her face as a blush came to cover it.
“You’re telling me you were a virgin when I took you to my bed?” He asked incredulously.
“So what if I were?”
“Then, that makes my life a whole lot easier. I have no one to kill for touching what is mine,” he deadpanned.
She smiled at that, unable to contain her joy at being so cherished by her mate, even though he didn’t recognize her as his.
“How are we to deal with this situation?” She asked after some time. “Would you rather I give you time and space or…?” She trailed off, the very thought of parting away from him, even just until he figures things out, painful.
“As far as I know, this is like amnesia. You just have to trigger my memory somehow,” he told her in a pensive tone. “And for that, I’ll ask that you don’t separate yourself from me.”
“I would never,” she told him with a sweet smile as she played with her promise ring.
His gaze focused on her hands at that, and then he asked, “Did I propose already?”
She shook her head negatively, and then told him softly, “No, you did even better. You vowed to always choose me with this promise ring.”
“Sounds to me like you had me wrapped around your little finger, woman,” although he was merely teasing her, she couldn’t help but feel accused somehow.
Tears sprang to her eyes and she averted her face so as not to look pitiful in front of him.
“Oh, I shouldn’t have…” he trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words. “I obviously took it too far. Forgive me?”
She shook her head negatively at that. “It’s not your fault, Theo. If anything, it’s your dear mother’s and Shirly’s fault.”
“So you’re thinking that my mother has a hand in this?” He asked, confusion painted on his face.
“I wouldn’t put it past her. She never quite liked me,” she let out on a sigh.
“She’s the queen though, and she is thus untouchable,” he said pensively.
“Even though she is no longer the ruling queen?” She retorted innocently.
“What do you mean no longer the ruling queen?” He quirked an eyebrow at that.
“Well, you abdicated the throne and Liam and Tatiana are now the ruling couple,” she told him simply.
“Why would I do such a thing?” He frowned in confusion, not disbelieving her words but unable to comprehend them, it would seem, “I was brought up to become king even though I often thought I was unfit for the role. I don’t see myself giving it up though.”
“I am sorry,” Emily said as she sniffled. And he looked at her with even more confusion. “I was the one unfit to become a queen. And it was because you wanted to protect me from the court that you gave up on the title of king.”
“Why are you crying, lover? It’s in the past. Hush now,” he cooed.
“I am crying because I never quite realized the sacrifice you did for me. I am crying because I love you so much it hurts. I am crying because you aren’t calling me dorogoya like you used to.”
“I am sorry, sweet mate of mine, that the endearment doesn’t come naturally to me right now. And I am sorry that I come with such baggage and from such a messed up family.”
“Oh, Liam and Serena are lovely,” she defended the siblings.
“But not father and mother,” he retorted bitterly.
She agreed with a nod at that.
“It’s five in the afternoon already,” he then announced after looking at his wrist watch. “I am famished and I believe you haven’t eaten anything… how does an early dinner sound?”
“Sure,” she shrugged. “Not sure I’ll be able to stomach anything though.”
He frowned slightly and then said, “You should drink some rosemary infusion.” She opened her mouth to ask him how he knew that but he beat her to it. “Don’t ask. But I just know it’ll do you good.”
She nodded at him. “I’ll ask the cook to prepare some.”
He smiled at her. A true genuine smile. The kind of smile he usually kept for her.
And that gave her hope. Hope for their future together as a couple. Even if he didn’t remember who she was to him, some things never changed.