Chapter 28: The Painting Resembles A Skeleton, Not Me

"Did you think I would believe you? Why are you here? To discuss the future, or what? And if your goal is to murder me, I'd rather die with you," Alexander said pluckily, and Lustre furrowed his brow, slightly surprised at his bravery.

"I am not here to kill you; I only come to warn you of what awaits you in the future; you are someone I am unable to punish, even if I utilized every ounce of my strength. Take care, this will be my first and last appearance," Lustre stated, disappearing nearly instantly.

Alexander flowed forth blood within the next minute, collapsing weakly on the floor while still breathing.

–-

Gwen was busy packing up her younger days dresses and adornments for Inara to use, as it is no longer beneficial to her, "Where is this place? Surely, this isn't Lord Zephyr's place," Inara exclaimed, her gaze sweeping the room beautifully.

"Seems to me you prefer to address him as 'Lord Zephyr.' Why are you addressing him as that?" Gwen inquired, pulling out a slew of garments, "He is my husband's friend, and I believes he controls his space; it will be strange if I address him by name. So, where are we?"

"My place; Zephyr directed me to bring you here instead of his. I'd prefer here, because I want to be the one looking after you, so I won't let him down again," Gwen murmured fiercely, and Inara saw her change of mood; recognizing the source of her grief made her anxious.

"Thank you, Mother," Inara murmured quickly. Gwen turned to her and smiled before inviting her to step closer, "I'm only doing what I should do; don't feel bad about how I treated you. These are the clothes I wore when I was your age; they are well-dressed, and you can use them for your few days here, or take them with you if you like," she said, handing her the clothes.

"Those adornments are a present from me; please do not return them, "It appears rather expensive for you to just offer me as a gift," Inara objected as she examined the adornments on her palm, "The adornments were generated with my power whenever I needed them; back then, I liked adornments a lot. Do you understand why?" Gwen inquired, but Inara shook her head disapprovingly, "Mainly for him to always find me attractive; being a naive woman, wanting to show her love, I stupidly created those adornments to enhance my beauty," Gwen said, smiling prettily, and she could tell Inara was literally afraid to look at her.

—

Looking up at the individual, Alexander gave her a stern glance before choosing to speak with her, "Quite an age, princess," Alexander remarked in a condescending tone. Suzyo went closer to him, and he backed away.

"Tell me why you're here, princess?" he demanded coldly, "Young Master, I'm here to help you; I could help you win this war with my father's help," Suzyo said, sounding somewhat persuasive, "Do I look like someone who needs your help? Even if you want to give up everything you have accomplished, beginning with your status as a princess of the great Kingdom, it will not change my attitude about you. I'm not the right man for you; consider whatever happens between us as a spur of the moment," Alexander stated in a calm but frigid tone.

Suzyo stepped closer, enclosing the distance between them; she intended to kiss him wonderfully like she was aching for, but a dangerous hard dagger look from him made her pause on her motive, "But, my heart wants you everyday; right now, I'm ready to accept being your second wife, with a promise not to disregard her," Suzyo cried, but it appeared to be worthless for him, as he made no move to soothe her pain.

"My wife wouldn't want to accept you as a second wife," Alexander eventually said, less anxious, which triggered Suzyo's deeper feelings, "But how about you? What if you want me to be your second wife?"

"If wishes were horses, anything the heart desire would have been realized; couldn't I just marry you if I wanted a second wife? Neither do I want a second wife," he said vulnerably, causing hot tears to stream down her cheeks, "I've loved you since you were a child, and no man has ever taken your place in my heart since then. My riches, fame, and everything else I own is yours because I'm willing to do anything to help you succeed for the sake of my love for you," Suzyo mumbled, raising her eyebrows at him. Alexander, surprised, returned the stare.

Silence energises between them for some time, as they stare attentively at each other, "If you'd loved me as you claimed, I want you to accept this bit of advise and go on with your life; not everything you wanted or thought yours will finally become yours. Have a wonderful life, princess; a deadly consequence awaits you if I see you here again," Alexander stated triumphantly, before walking away, leaving Suzyo drowning in hot tears.

—

Walking inside the room after spending hours in the garden, Inara felt agony rush through her neck, piercing her nature with discomfort. The pain did not last long, but it was excruciating. Inara became concerned when Gwen did not appear inside, as she had expected, and decided to go look for her.

As if possessed, Inara screamed frantically, grabbing her neck to suppress the pain; she remained immobile, unable to spring up to her feet, "Inara, what's wrong? I heard your cry but couldn't get to you," Gwen replied, hurrying to her. She examined her closely and brushed a strand of her hair, revealing a thin scar; it appears too hazy to detect because of its hardness.

"I feel agony; a lot of anguish. It's awful, it's terrifying," Inara sobbed, and Gwen drew her hand away from her neck, holding it tightly, "Touching the scar would expand the pain, and if you keep touching it, the pain worsens, "But it hurts, could you explain what's happening to me?"

Gwen helped her sit on the bed and put her palm on it, asking, "Could you tell me why he allows desires to bite you?" Inara squinted her eyes in pain and said in a shaky tone, "I don't know; he only tells the reason why he bites me, "Which is what?"

"When he saw my blood, he felt the need to bite me; I'm not sure why he always wants to bite me after seeing my blood. Why are you asking about this?"

Gwen was completely silent for several minutes, unable to determine the source of the sudden pain, "A bond has been created between you two, through his bite; it isn't difficult, as you'll feel the connection whenever he is in deep discomfort, and it'll fade after a few minutes. Thus, it will not be understandable to you," Gwen revealed, but Inara does not understand her declaration, and she is unable to pinpoint what each phrase means, "A connection? What does that mean, Mother?"

"As I previously stated, you will not understand why you are experiencing agony; instead, you will feel it. Until your heart is settled, the pain will stop," Gwen murmured, and released her hand, the pain in Inara's body ceased immediately, "Is your powers…., "Just ignored this like it never occurred, and it's nothing to worry about," Gwen asked gently, "Could you please take me to him, Mother? I want to see him; it's been three days since I last saw him; I promise not to stay long," 

"It is unsafe for you to be there, Inara. Try to understand that he was looking for your protection, which is why he did not want you to stay with him. Enemies are not always visible, and I do not want your life endangered. You are also my daughter, remember?"

"But I'm worried about him; please let me go check on him for the night," Inara implored, and Gwen gave her one last glance.

—

It was late at night, so Inara could easily enter their personal room without raising suspicions. She entered and shut the door, looking about in the faint light for Alexander, but she couldn't see him anywhere.

She continued to move deeper, but the light turned on, displaying Alexander standing still, "My husband, I'm sorry for coming over without your knowledge, I was worried about you," she whispered softly, but received no answer from him.

His eyes immediately closed on their own, and he was pinching his thumbs were so tight that blood flowed out of his hands. Inara's eyes were filled with surprise and concern; why was he hurting himself?

"My husband, you're hurting yourself; what's wrong? Should I…, "Wifey, make this stop," he said in whispers. Inara blinked her eyes in surprise, came closer to him, and eventually stood in front of him, "How do I make it stop?"

"Leave my sight, before I lose control; for I don't want to hurt you," Alexander replied calmly; his voice strange, yet a touch of worry could be detected, "Don't act stubborn, listen to me, and leave my sight; I don't want to hurt…," his comments were cut short by Inara's unexpected embrace; she engulfed him in a tight grip, as if afraid of encountering something dreadful.

"Stop asking me to leave your sight, just let me know how you feel, maybe I could help you, my husband," Inara wailed, Alexander used his hands to take her away from the hug, and the next minute, he drove his cannies into her neck, which was more horrifying than his previous actions.

Inara screamed insanely, but he wasn't ready to release go of her, and instead sunk his cannies simultaneously into her neck, nibbling on her like it was some kind of feast. Eventually, he stopped on his own accord, and he gazed at her with concern in his eyes. He felt guilty for causing her great agony, and he never wanted to bring her such sensitive pain, "Do you feel agony? Feeling dizzy?"

"No. Did I get it to stop like you wanted? Have you stopped hurting yourself?" Inara asked faintly, and Alexander immediately carried her in a bridal way to the bed.

"Does it still hurts?" Alexander inquired, turning his attention to her, and she nodded negatively, "No, it doesn't, but the pain hasn't vanished completely," Inara stated, Alexander grinned at her, pulled a strand of her hair, and he caressed her hair while sharing a glance with her, "I hadn't realized you were so shy, wifey. Maybe that's why you're always avoiding my gaze, huh?" Alexander scoffed softly, "Not like that; when I first looked into your eyes, I was a little shy of the way you looked at me. Since then, I'd feel awkward staring into your eyes," 

"But, I ain't shy look at yours, nor has it happened to me for once," Alexander replied, this time stopping to caress her hair, but his gaze never left hers, "Wifey, do you have a wish? I want to know what you wished for, "I don't have a wish," Inara responded honestly, and Alexander furrowed his brow, surprised, "Why don't you have one?"

"Because I don't know what to wish for, "Oh, that's quite horrible; how did you get here?" Alexander inquired, and Inara remained mute; how would she tell him who brought her?

"Why are you so quiet? It's acceptable if you don't want to tell me, wifey; but I'll still punish you for disobeying very soon," 

Inara swallowed her saliva hard down her throat, attempting to avoid his stare, "Can I inquire how the war went? Will you later go to war?"

"No, it isn't cancelled; I'm still planning for the war," he replied, "I know I can't stop you from doing what you're supposed to do, but you should try to consider me; I don't want to see you die," she sobbed. Alexander didn't say anything for a while before getting out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Inara inquired, after he had walked several inches away from her, "Trying to change to a better cloth, wifey," he said, beginning to unstrap his clothing, "Let me do it," Inara responded confidently, Alexander furrowed his brow at her, as if surprised by her statements, "Are you sure about this, wifey?" he questioned in a sarcastic tone, taking steps towards her. Eventually reducing the gap between them and staring intently at her face, "Is there something on my face?" Inara inquired, scrutinizing her face.

"Just that you're beautiful, more beautiful than any of my mistresses, "If you knew I was prettier than they are, why are you cheating on me because of them?" she asked in a mournful tone, and he could tell that she was feeling sad recalling his previous awful deeds, which makes him guilty, "I guess I didn't notice that back then," he mocked with a smile, knowing she wasn't satisfied with his response; she lifted her brow in rage.

"Alright, then. I understand," she whispered, turning to leave, but Alexander grabbed her wrist, "Are you upset with how I responded? Do you want a better response?"

"No, it would still be worthless to me," Inara remarked, trying to leave, but Alexander grabbed her hand hard, "Come with me, I have a present for you, wifey," he added, dragging her along.

—

They soon got to the library, and Alexander took his hand from her. She looked at him, wondering why they were there, "Ain't you curious to know what the present is?" 

"A new wife, or should I say your second wife?" Inara queried, in a carefree tone, and Alexander furrowed his brow in surprise at her reaction, "If you'd approve, of course I'd wish for a second wife, but that isn't why we're here," Alexander said, lightheartedly, and shortly a figure approached.

When the individual approached closer, Inara was taken aback beyond words, "Mother? Is this really you?" she asked, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Yes, it is me, daughter. Are you happy to see me? I missed…," Inara rushed into her embrace, embracing her in a warm hug that almost suffocated her.

"Maybe you've been thinking of me as a bad Mother, but I want you to know a secret I've been keeping from you: I'm not your biological Mother, your Mother died a few days after you were born, and I have no choice but to fulfill her final desire, which was to take good care of you and save you from your terrible father. However, I failed that responsibility, and I couldn't help but hate myself,"

"Mother, what are you saying? This is a prank, correct?" Inara inquired in sobbing, her Mother shook her head negatively, "Your Mother was my friend, and I took her role in your life after you were born because I couldn't conceive mine," 

—

Inara couldn't stop crying after discovering the deadly secret from the lady she'd known as her Mother her entire life, "Wifey, what happened may have terribly hurt you, but the act has been done, "Always remember that she did it for your sake," Alexander continued, but Inara shook her head and bit her bottom lip.

Determined to soothe her pain, he approached her and spoke gently, "Our marriage was not built on love, but I want you to know that you are my number one priority, and I will not abandon our marriage for anything. Furthermore, the fact that you don't regard me as a good husband adds to your sorrow. Nonetheless, I still care about you and am willing to accept you as you are. I hereby assure you, Inara, princess of the Moonlight Kingdom, that our marriage will last until death do us part," 

—

"Wifey, what is that?" Alexander scoffed as he returned from the palace, after being summoned urgently. Inara turned her shoulder and found him standing behind her, looking at her intently, "You don't have to know, it's something personal," Inara said, smiling beamingly at him. Alexander claimed to be listening to her words, but the look on his face indicated that he was trying to mock her.

He moved away from her, and Inara turned to continue her sketch, but it was ripped away from her fingers, "Hand it back to me," Inara yelled. Alexander stood on tiptoes and looked at her sketch, "Who are you drawing? Are you into painting…., "The painting is you; I made a painting of you, and I intended to make it a portrait very soon," Inara spoke out confidently, and Alexander squinted his eyes at the sketch before nodding in agreement.

"A portrait? Yes, your work is a masterpiece," Alexander mocked, dropping the sketch back on the table. Inara pinched her brow in dissatisfaction and dashed in front of him, "Would you please tell me your honest answer? Does the painting need an adjustment?" she queried with curiosity. Alexander glanced at her eyes for a few minutes before announcing, "Unfortunately, getting my true answer does not come easily. So what do you have to offer to me in return, wifey?" he asked hoarsely, "Just name it, and I'll give it to you, after you voice your honest opinion about the painting,"

"The truth is, the painting to be described….," Alexander burst out laughing, realizing he couldn't hold back his laughter anymore.

The laughing rang deeply in the room, and it does not appear that he was ready to stop, "In a nutshell, the painting resembles a skeleton; have you seen one before? Of course, you would have seen one before deciding to stretch a skeleton rather than an adult man,"