Heart of Darkness

Angelica doubted that he would give her the answers she was looking for but at the same time, now that she could ask, she didn't know where to start. Most of her questions were about what she thought to be sensitive topics.

"Why don't you have a surname?" she began.

"I disowned my father."

"Why?"

"I hated him."

Why she wanted to ask again. Ugh..this wasn't it.

"What about your mother?"

"She is dead."

"Do you have siblings?"

"She is also dead."

So that was where his family was. Dead and disowned.

He seemed detached as he spoke. A bad family history, she guessed.

"Do you… miss them?"

His eyes lost the dark hollowness and something swirled right at the surface.

"Not... all of them." He admitted.

She could see that this was difficult for him to talk about so she decided to ask something else.

"You said you didn't like people but you are close to the Lords."

"Is that a question?"

"Well, I am glad you have people around," she said.

He remained quiet. So he was only going to talk if she asked him? And he never asked anything back.

"Why do you scar your face?"

He sighed. "Because…" He began sounding annoyed this time. "I am vain and the only way for me to stop is to look like this."

Who would scar themselves to stop being vain?

The more answers she got the more confused she became and since he was only giving her short answers and not caring to explain she wondered why she even bothered.

He reminded her father. She had lived with her father but he was never there after her mother passed away. He became distant and Angelica tried to understand his ways but he never changed or did the same thing for her. She still had that habit of bothering herself over someone when they didn't return it. She wanted to be smarter this time. She didn't want to spend her energy on someone unless they deserved it.

"Your questions ended sooner than I thought?" He said amused when she asked no further.

Was this funny to him?

"Maybe one day you will tell me about yourself. Hopefully, I will still want to know about you then." She said.

He narrowed his eyes, looking displeased. So he wanted her to show interest but remain cold? He was dealing with the wrong woman.

She gave him a knowing smile and he surprised her by pulling her closer, causing her chest to collide with his. Angelica forced back a gasp.

"Hopefully you will never know about me." He spoke.

"I am not curious at all anymore."

"Good." He said but he seemed annoyed.

He was so childish she could only smile.

"What is so funny?" He asked.

"You. You are funny My Lord. Just ask me to keep being curious if that is what you want me to do." She said.

He blinked in surprise a few times and looked like he was about to say something mean but swallowed his words and took a deep breath. "When do you ever listen?" He muttered instead.

"I will listen this time." She promised just to see if he would ask her.

But he just gazed at her and then the music stopped and people clapped.

Lord Rayven released her and Angelica looked around frightened that she had forgotten that people were watching them. Still holding her hand, Lord Rayven took her to the table where the other Lords and her brother sat and they sat with them. Once they were seated he released her hand.

"You haven't lost your talent. I was hoping you would embarrass yourself." Lazarus smirked.

"I am not sorry to disappoint you." Lord Rayven replied.

Angelica realized that His Majesty had left as he promised. It made her feel uneasy that she didn't tell him to stay for some odd reason. They would probably meet some other day and perhaps one day she would be able to ask him and find out about their connection.

Suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed. Angelica felt Lord Rayven shift uncomfortably beside her and every man and woman in the room turned toward the entrance.

"Well well." Lazarus sighed.

Angelica turned her head to see what had caught everyone's attention and just like them, her eyes widened when she spotted a breathtaking creature come through the door. This woman couldn't be human.

Long black silky hair, skin pale and glowing like the moonlight, green catlike eyes adorned with thick black lashes and full lips. She wore a simple cream dress but walked as if she was adorned with gold. There was a slight knowing smirk on her face that made her look somehow sinful.

Wait? Why did she think that this was the woman her brother described? She looked over at him but he was staring like everyone else. When she came to their table she stopped and smiled at them.

Of course. This gorgeous woman knew one of these beautiful men.

"Well, I invited myself. I am disappointed, Zarus."

"I didn't bother since I knew you would come anyway." He smiled at her.

She flowed around the table with elegance and went to one of the empty chairs. Her brother was quick to get up and pull the chair out for her since no one else did. She smiled at him. "Thank you." She said and sat down.

"At least one of you still has manners," she said looking at the other men at the table.

She then turned her green gaze to look at Angelica and her heart skipped a beat. This woman was intimidating.

"Since none of them will introduce me, let me introduce myself. I am Lucrezia. The puni…"

"She is my cousin." Lazarus cut off.

Lucrezia just smiled and nodded.

"I am Angelica."

"I know. Congratulations to you and Lord Rayven. I hope this marriage is a blessing for both of you."

"Thank you." Angelica smiled.

"What brings you here?" Lord Rayven asked sounding displeased.

There was that look in her eyes as if she knew everyone and everything that unsettled Angelica.

"Zarus planned the wedding well, but Angelica has no female company. I just came here to support another woman."

"It is very kind of you, My Lady," Angelica said.

"Just call me Lucrezia."

Angelica nodded with a smile and then looked over at her brother to see if this was the woman he spoke about. Cunning, mysterious, confident, powerful, and beautiful. She had to be her but couldn't. She thought her brother spoke of at least someone close to his age. This was a woman, not a girl.

But she couldn't blame him. Even she was mesmerized by her. Men kept staring at her from a distance but dared not come up to her. Angelica wondered if Lucrezia was married and if her husband's knees trembled every time he saw her. And she had thought these men were the most beautiful creatures she had seen. She was wrong.

"You look beautiful Angelica," Lucrezia said. "You chose the perfect color that triggers the senses."

"Thank you." Angelica said not understanding the 'senses' part completely.

"Our Rayven might give you a hard time..." She said.

The others nodded in agreement.

"He likes to give orders. Do this, don't do that." The men at the table chuckled. "He is used to being the master but you know what they say. The slave makes the master." Lucrezia smiled.

It was as if she had just told her a secret. 'The slave makes the master'. She had never heard it before.

"Also, rules are fun to break," Lazarus smirked.

"Add some punishment and it will be even more fun," Blayze said sounding sarcastic as he looked at Lucrezia.

She chuckled. "For the punisher or the punished?"

"Why don't you just go home." Lord Rayven cut off going back to being rude. She thought they were all being playful.

"I am sure you will be thankful that I am here since your actions are calling for our enemies to come. Openly getting married without securing safety." She wasn't playful anymore.

Enemies? Safety? What were they talking about?

"Is something wrong?" Angelica asked.

"No."

"Yes."

Lucrezia and Lord Rayven said at the same time.

Angelica became worried.

"Do you have to ruin this day?" Lord Rayven asked her.

"It will either be me or them." She said then stood up. "I'll take care of them for you this time so you can go home safely. But no more."

Angelica could hear the warning in her tone before the woman looked at her and smiled. "It was nice meeting you, Angelica."

Angelica stood up. "It was nice meeting you as well." Angelica returned the smile.

Then Lucrezia looked at William. "Get home safely."

He stood up and bowed. "You too, My Lady."