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“That is absolutely out of the question!” Luke shouted, as the three of us found ourselves in my father’s study. Father had just revealed to us the new plan, which was for me and Adrian to go to the witch’s cottage and stay there until the wedding, or until it was safe for me to come back.
I didn’t get the chance to say anything at first, because Luke exploded the moment Father shared the news with us.
“I don’t think you are seeing the bigger picture here, Luke,” Father tried to calm him down, which I applauded.
As the king, he could have just issued this as an order and Luke wouldn’t have been able to say anything. But he didn’t. Father had always been mindful of those around him and hated issuing orders. He preferred to come together with people, and agree on something, rather than make it seem as if he was having his own way. That was just one of the reasons why everyone respected him and considered him a kind and just ruler.
“Don’t I get any say in this?” Luke asked, clearing his throat a little. I thought that this was the moment where he realized that he was dangerously close to crossing the boundary and making it seem as if he were being disrespectful to the king.
“Lilith’s safety is our primary concern now,” Father reminded us all, although I doubted any of us needed a reminder for this.
Cass’ body was buried mere hours ago in the family crypt. The pain felt like an open wound, and I doubted it would heal for a long time. The worst part was that this wasn’t the end. On the contrary, this felt like the beginning of something horrific,and we could sense it in the air, crackling around us, like a foreboding.
“I could go with her,” Luke insisted. “I could keep her safe.”
Father paused, careful to choose his words. “I do not doubt your fighting prowess, but I do doubt that you would be granted entry into the witch’s cottage.”
“I could say that you sent me,” Luke urged.
Father shook his head. “It’s not that easy. My word means nothing to the witch. The only reason Adrian gained access to her knowledge and help was because of Florian. The witch keeps to herself. It doesn’t matter if someone is a human, a vampire, a werewolf or whatever species one belongs to. She has withdrawn from the world. We were fortunate that Florian’s mother belonged to the same witch order as her, and she wanted to pay homage to Florian’s mother because of a necklace. Now, she connects that necklace to Adrian, and I doubt that she would open her doors to you even if you were to wear that same necklace.”
This made a lot of sense, but Luke was still frowning. I couldn’t understand why. Then, it hit me. He was jealous that I would be leaving the castle with Adrian. Now, I was certain that his feelings were real. They were much bigger than I had initially thought. Otherwise, I doubt he would react like this.
“Lilith is to leave tonight,” Father said, turning to me. “I have already told Adrian to pack, so you should go ahead and do the same.”
“Yes, Father,” I nodded, not saying anything else. I headed for the door, when he called out to me. I turned around, puzzled. “Aren’t you going to fight me on this one?”
I shook my head, shrugging. “Why would I?”
He smiled for the first time since Cass had gone. I couldn’t even imagine how much effort that must have taken him. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I wondered, lingering.
“For understanding the urgency of this,” he clarified, then walked up to me. He cupped my face in his hands. They were cold and clammy.
I remember, when I was a little girl, he could fit my entire face in his hands. But now, he seemed to have diminished, shrunk somehow, as if most of his life force had been sucked out of him. When they were closing the crypt with Cass’ body in it, for a moment, I thought that he would run back inside and demand to be buried along with her.
“I already lost one daughter,” he told me, his voice on the verge of breaking. He was looking at me with tears in his eyes. I had never seen him like this, a broken man, a mere shadow of who he once was. I almost broke down into tears myself, but I stayed strong, for him, for Cass, for myself. “I cannot lose the other one as well.”
“You won’t lose me, Father,” I replied, my voice faltering, as I fell into his arms.
At that moment, his regal façade had crumbled, and he stood before me with a vulnerability that I had rarely seen in him. His once proud shoulders were now slumped, and the weight of sorrow etched lines on his tired face.
It was an embrace filled with both love and sadness, a tender moment that spoke of our never-ending bond. I closed my eyes, allowing the unspoken words to pass between us, words of love, loss and promise. Father’s grip tightened, as if he was trying to hold onto me just a little longer, wishing to shield me from the harsh world that had somehow managed to creep its way into the confines of our castle, the place we had always called our home.
“I will miss you, my dear,” he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.
This was where I couldn’t hold my tears any longer. I spoke through the tears. “I will come back before you know it, Father.”
He nodded, caressing my cheek. A few moments later, he let go of me, and I left his study. I rushed to my room, closing the door, and just as I was calming myself down a little, the door burst open. It was Luke.
“A closed door means you need to knock,” I told him, annoyed that he would intrude upon my private space like this. It showed an utter lack of respect, just like he showed the same towards my father when we were in his study. I didn’t like that.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I wasn’t thinking.”
I didn’t say anything to that, I just kept on packing, grabbing just the basic essentials and stuffing them into a backpack. He watched me do it silently, until I finally lifted my gaze to him.
“Did you want something?” I asked, still annoyed.
