Chapter 11

"You look amazing, Annabelle." Isabelle said. "I'm sure the next time we will celebrate valentine's day, the number of letters you will receive will be much. 

"Isa!" 

"I'm only trying to say that you look nice sweetheart." she complimented. "And I'm sure everyone in this room agrees with me." 

I laughed, but my laughter seized immediately Richard's face flashed in my mind. The way he spoke about Faoiltiama showed how much he cared for her and also how hurt he felt about Amoux's deed.

"Annabelle?" Isabelle's voice distracted my thoughts. 

"Yeah!" 

"What happened to you? You seem lost." she kept a steady gaze on my face. 

"It's nothing." 

"You are worried about Richard, right?" she inquired. 

"How did..? Yes."

"You keep on forgetting that we have mind-reading powers." she laughed. "Anyway, why please don't worry about Richard." 

"He was close to Faoiltiama, right?" I asked. 

"Yeah, the two of them behaved like brothers and sisters from different kingdoms. They read together, understood each other and cared about each other." she said. "At Richard blames himself for her death." 

"Why? He didn't cause it." 

"I know, but Richard thinks he did." she sighed.

"How?" 

"Well, when Amoux asked Faoiltiama to be his girlfriend, Richard told her to agree since he thought Amoux was genuinely sincere about his feelings and to be honest we all did but a leopard can't change its spots, right?" 

I sighed before looking around the room, it's my fault that Richard's day is spoilt- all my fault.

"Isabelle, do you know where George might have taken Richard too?" I asked. 

"I think the garden." she said. "But why?"

"I want to apologize to Richard." I muttered. 

"There is..." 

"I want to do this Isabelle, please don't stop me."

"Okay." she raised up her hands above her head. "Please try to calm him down a bit." 

"I will try." 

I squeezed my way through the dancers, chatterboxes and flirting men all to get to the garden. 

Oh God, please, I pray Richard is feeling better.

"Richard, stop it!" I heard George's voice immediately as I stepped into the garden. 

What's going on in there?

Rushing into the garden with a heavy heart just to see what Richard is doing and have all kinds of thoughts in your head is the worst. 

Could he be hurting himself? If anything happens to Richard, it will be all your fault! A voice in my head said.

No! Richard won't be doing such a thing like that. Another voice said. He is a reasonable man. 

"Richard, get off him!" George tried stopping Richard from beating a guy on the floor to a puke. He had a bruise on his eye, he was bleeding from his mouth and nose.

"Richard!!" I yelled before rushing to where he was. 

"Annabelle! Please tell him to stop." George cried out. 

"Richard, please stop beating him." I pleaded before sighting the guy he was currently trashing. It was Amoux that Richard was beating up. 

"What are you doing here, Annabelle?" he asked in a fit of rage. "I won't stop beating this dickhead because he deserves it. 

"Richard, stop for my sake and for the sake of Victoria." I pleaded. 

Richard looked at me and his face softened before raising his hands up while Amoux ran away like a coward.

"What the fuck, Richard!" I yelled. "Look at you." 

He was seriously bleeding from his nose and mouth, there were bruises around his eyes and his hands were bleeding profusely. 

"Oh, my god! You are badly hurt." 

"Why did you come here?" he asked again. 

"I came to see you." I said. "Your hands are.." 

"It's nothing." he hid the hand at his back. 

"Come on, let's get that wound cleaned up."