Hope
I ground my teeth in anger as I watched Annalise crawl off my husband’s body naked. Darius, himself, seemed to be naked as well but luckily for my eyes, the second Annalise crawled off him, he covered his lower half with the sheets.
I felt like any moment from now, my teeth would crack because of how hard I was grinding them. My fists were clenched so hard with my nails digging deep into my palms. With any luck, I would soon start bleeding.
“I have to talk to you.” I said to Darius, blatantly ignoring Annalise who was sitting on the other side of his bed with her legs crossed, wearing nothing but shamelessness.
Darius frowned at me. “You want to talk at this time of the night?”
“Yes, I do,” I replied immediately. I felt like if I didn’t confront him now, all my rage and confidence would elude me and I wouldn’t be able to confront him another day.
“That would be considered rude, my dear Hope. As you can see, Darius and I were in the middle of something.” Annalise spoke up, running her hand down her bare chest, showing off to me.
I’ve always known that she was well endowed but seeing her body bare, right in front of me, caused a pang of jealousy to strum against my chest. Why was she so perfect in such an effortless manner? She didn’t deserve those breasts. She didn’t deserve that ethereal beauty. She didn’t deserve her perfect features.
“I don’t remember speaking to you, Lady Annalise. I clearly said that I wanted to speak with my husband. Whether you are present or not during the conversation is none of my concern.” I said with a firm tone.
It was a lie though.
I did care about her presence during the conversation Darius and I were about to have. I didn’t want her to be around while Darius would explain why he didn’t tell me how my sister was the mastermind behind the upcoming revolution.
But Annalise didn’t need to know that. She didn’t need to know that under her gaze, I felt insecure about everything. Being in the same breathing space as her, I felt like all my flaws were prominent, and I was nothing in comparison to her.
“Princess, I’m not in the mood for anything you have to say, so kindly leave.” I could tell that Darius was trying to restrain himself from doing something criminal, but I pressed on.
“You might not be in the mood but I am. I am not taking a step out of this room till we discuss what I want us to discuss.” I gave myself a mental pat on the back after saying those words to Darius, looking at him straight in the eyes with an unrelenting tone.
Hope of a few months ago wouldn’t even dare to come into Darius’ room but Hope of today is not backing down until she gets what she wants. I was overjoyed at my present confidence but I tried to keep it under wraps since I was here for an entirely different matter.
“Princess…” Darius said with an intimidating tone. I felt the weight of his anger and displeasure but I held my head high.
“I want an explanation about my sister and I want it now.” I started the conversation since I couldn’t bear the back and forth any longer.
It was only for a second, but I noticed how Darius’ eyes widened in surprise. Then they drew into vicious narrow slits. The next words he said weren’t directed toward to me.
“Get out,” he told Annalise.
The look of surprise that settled on her face pleased me more than I thought it would.
“What?” Annalise asked with a horrified tone. “I should leave?”
“You know I don’t like repeating myself. Get your things and leave.” Darius frowned at her. It was so satisfying to see him frowning at someone other than me.
Annalise chest heaved up and down in a rapid motion. Then after ten seconds, her breathing evened. Like another different personality washed over her, a smile stretched across her lips, and she leaned towards Darius.
“Of course, my dear,” she placed a kiss on his lips. Irritation crawled all over my skin. “I’ll be in my room. If you need anything, I’ll come right back.” She peppered kisses all over Darius’ glistening, hard chest as she spoke each word.
When she was done, she lifted her head to match my gaze, and I could that it was pure mischief that I saw behind those beautiful eyes. She stood up from the bed and put on a long dark robe before she slowly strutted out of the room. Not forgetting to bump shoulders with me when she passed me by.
Thanks to that, the anger that fueled my veins returned and intensified. Left alone with Darius, I could let it all out on him.
“Why didn’t you tell me anything about Light?” I started, changing the pitch and balance of my voice. “You knew all these while and you let me fool myself. What sort of person are you? Why do you act so high and mighty all the time?
“Could it have been that hard to inform me about what my sister was up to? Is there any valid reason why you would keep such an important thing away from me!?” I blasted at a calm Darius.
I hated that I couldn’t tell what he was thinking as he grabbed his robe from the floor and put it on before slowly walking toward me. I paled before his height, barely able to even tower his chest. I suddenly felt small under his heavy gaze.
“Don’t tell me you interrupted me at this time of the night to ask such silly questions, princess?” he drawled with a bored tone.
I saw fire. “Silly questions? Silly questions!? What is wrong with you? How can you say that? Does my sister mean nothing to you? Would you have kept me in the dark about all of this till the day you decided to kill me, claiming that I’m part of my sister’s plan?
“Ha! What am I even saying? Of course, you would. Because that is the kind of person that you are. A selfish person with no emotions whatsoever.” I ended with a huff.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You are nothing to me. And I have no obligation to report anything concerning my kingdom to you. Why can’t you just sit put and do what you’re supposed to do?
“Isn’t that why I married you? You’re just a substitute and you will behave like one!” Darius boomed.
I felt something shatter. I couldn’t tell if it was my heart, or my pride, or my dignity. But I could tell that it made me mad.
“So you want me to be a perfect puppet or is it a perfect doll, to you? I should turn off all my emotions and mindlessly heed you? Is that what you would like?” I shoved against his bare chest in a fit of rage.
“Answer me! Is that what you would like!?” I shoved against his chest harder this time and he reacted just as hard, grabbing both my wrists with one of his hands and pushing me as far back as he could so that my back was against the door and my hands were planted on the top of my head.
I struggled to get my hands free from his grip but I couldn’t. I stared at him furiously. “Let me go.” I said.
He shook his head negatively. “You’ve said all what you’ve had to say. Now it’s my turn.”
My lips parted in response as I began breathing through my mouth.
“You think I don’t know what all of this is really about? The first week you came here, you wouldn’t even dare to look into my eyes but now you’re puffing out your chest and screaming at me to your heart’s content. You think I don’t know?” Darius said to me with a manic look in his eyes that caused fear hives to break out from my skin.
“You don’t know what?” I tried to keep a leveled tone while speaking.
Darius let out a breathless chuckle. “What did Light tell you? What information did she give you to use against me?” His grip on my wrists tightened, and he banged my body against the wall hard.
I made a pained sound and spoke through gritted teeth. “She didn’t tell me anything! I don’t know anything!” I defended strongly.
“Yeah? And you expect me to believe that. I know that all your different shades of personalities must’ve been Light’s idea. What did she tell you about me? Speak!” Darius used his free hand to bang the side of the door next to my face. I flinched hard.
“She didn’t tell me anything! What do you mean!?” My pitch matched his.
“Are you lying? Tell me. Did she put you up to this? Did she tell you act meek and innocent when you first married me? Where have you been meeting with her all these while? What kind of information has she been leaking to you? What did she promise you, princess?
“I’m asking you questions and you’re expected to answer them!” He yelled. I flinched again.
I stared into his crazy eyes in the silence and realized something. “You’re crazy,” I said in a whisper. His brows furrowed in confusion. I nodded my head continuously.
“Of course, you are. You are completely crazy, Darius! Do you hear me? You are cra-”
“Keep quiet!” He banged his free hand against the door once more, and his grip on my wrists tightened, causing me to muffle a sound of pain.
“You will tell me what Light ordered you to do this instant! Did she tell you to kill me? Do you have the Morati knife? Has she been playing games with me all these while?” Darius continued to ask with a delirious tone, the manic look in his eyes turning crazier and crazier by the passing second.
I huffed through my nose, deciding to play into his delusion. “If I was truly working for Light all these while and I had the Morati knife, I would’ve killed you a long time ago.”
His eyes widened in surprise. Then an amused look settled on his face as he broke into a fit of laughter at my expense. My blood boiled at his amusement.
“You would’ve killed me? You tiny, fragile thing?” Darius regarded with humor replacing the manic look in his eyes.
“You don’t believe me?” I puffed out my chest. His laughter doubled. In that moment, I noticed that his grip on my wrist had loosened, so I drew out one of my hand and used it to strike him hard against one side of his face.
His laughter died in an instant. It took me half a second to regret that but it was half a second too late as he grabbed my free and planted it beside my head, same with my other hand. My breath had turned ragged out of fear and chest heaved up and down too rapidly to be considered normal.
Darius’ onyx eyes had changed color as they shone bright amber. As he opened his mouth to speak, I noticed that his teeth had started to change and his canines grew into fangs. His next words came out low and husky.
“Try again, princess.”