(From Blue's Perspective)
"My company?" I asked, dumbfounded. Why would he want my company? I was not someone anyone would want to spend time with. People called me weird all my life.
"Your company, my bride."
"Why?"
"There are some things in life that don't need any reason. It's just how life is. Uncovered in some points," he said.
Why was he so mysterious? Sometimes he was gentle and warm, but the next moment he was intriguing, a bit frightening and mysterious.
"Won't you take me to the tower?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I did not like to talk about the things he was mysterious about. They made me uncomfortable and always let a shiver run through me.
"Now?"
"You won't be here in the afternoon, as you said. Then I won't get any other time to go there," I explained.
"Alright then. How can I refuse you, my bride?"
He took me to the tower. I liked the insides, the way the wall was made of stones. It gave a kind of cold vibe.
"It's huge," I commented.
"It's supposed to be," he muttered carelessly.
Perhaps he was used to seeing those big and luxurious things, but I was not. I barely got to have enough food, let alone luxury. So, everything here was taking me by surprise, even though I knew clearly that things were going to be luxurious and expensive here in this castle.
After spending some time in the tower, Demetrius took me down for dinner. He asked me if I needed to take a shower, but I said that I did not. Most of the times, I took a shower in the middle of the night. Because I loved to pour all of me out in my tears sitting on the floor as water fell on my skin.
"Where is Ava?" I asked Evelyn as I sat beside her in the dining table with Demetrius on my other side.
"She is sleeping," Evelyn replied with a smile. "That kite has finally calmed down after talking endlessly. Oh, meet Merrick, my husband. And Merrick, this is my to-be sister-in-law, Blue."
"Nice meeting you," I mumbled.
"Nice meeting you too, my lady," he said.
"Oh no, call me Blue please," I blurted out.
"Sure, Blue. I heard Ava is very fond of you. She has been telling me about you since I've come back," he said, taking a seat beside his wife.
"She is amazing. We had a great time," I said.
"You're going to introduce Blue officially tonight, brother?" Evelyn asked.
"Yes, that's the plan. I've told others to prepare everything. There is going to be a feast tonight," Demetrius muttered coldly beside me.
His voice had no hint of warmth, unlike the times when we were alone. Why was he behaving like this? It was his family.
"I told you, my bride, I'm not the same way with everyone else," he whispered into my ear.
"Why not?" I whispered back.
"That's how I am," he replied simply, leaving me in confusion again. He seemed to enjoy making me feel intrigued.
During lunch, Evelyn chatted with her husband and her mother joined now and then. Demetrius's uncle and aunt talked among themselves, but I noticed them looking at me as if I had done something wrong every moment or so. Demetrius was not talking while I was trying to figure him out. Why was he like this? It was like multiple personalities were inside the same person. His mood seemed to change every now and then in a blink.
"Do you, by any chance, have bipolar?" I asked. I could not hold my tongue back anymore. I needed to know why he was behaving like that.
"What?"
"Bipolar- Do you have bipolar? Do you?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"You know why," I muttered. "Do you have it?"
"No," he replied.
"You do have," I said in a low tone so no one could hear me. He chuckled slightly, only so I could hear the sound of his laughter. He surely had heard me.
After lunch, Demetrius took me back to my room. It felt weird because he could tell any of the servants to take me back, but he never did. It was like he was trying to make sure that I had gotten there safely. But why?
"I won't be able to come back the whole afternoon. The feast on behalf of your Royal introduction will take place at eight tonight. I'll come back right on the time. Be ready."
"Um..."
"You have something to tell me, my bride?" he asked.
"It's just... I won't have to say anything, right?"
He chuckled. "No, my bride. You won't have to say anything. You just have to be there and look perfect, which you always are. So, basically you don't have to do anything," he said and kissed me on the forehead.
"Okay. I'll be ready," I said. "Will... will you be there too?"
"Are you afraid without me, my bride?" he asked with a smirk.
"I don't know anyone else," I mumbled.
"Don't worry, my sweet bride. I'll be there with you, holding your hand and leading you into this world officially," he said and kissed me on the forehead once again.
Why was he doing this? I was feeling strange, but in a good way, which frightened me even more. He was having unimaginable effect on me.
"Okay."
"I'll go now. And remember, this is an unknown world full of creatures that are not humans. So, be careful in whatever you do. Just stay inside the room when I'm not around. It's safe for you."
"Will they kill me if I go out?"
"What happens when you go to the cave of lions? A lot of lions. They can kill you, right? But there is a possibility that they will not kill you, but just hurt you, scratch you, hurt you so much that you'll want to die. And there is also a chance that they will not hurt you at all. You know what it means? The situation is unpredictable. This is the same thing here, my little Blue."
"Then what if I go to the grasp of a single lion?" I asked.
He smiled. "The lion can kill you, can eat you, can hurt you... And there is a chance that he can fall in love with you, can care for you and save you from others, perhaps from his own kind as well."
He continued, "But it's almost impossible for a group of lions to fall for you, to care for you, to want good for you. There are always going to be one or two who will want to harm you. But the first lion, if you stay with him only and he falls in love with you, he will never leave your side. He will always be there for you when you need him, he will stand up for you, he will listen to you even though he never cares what other people say, he will be kind to you. He will show you his wild side too, but he will make sure that you like his wild side along his gentle side that's only preserved for you."
"Why would he show me his wild side if he loves me?"
"That's what a lion is, my Blue. No matter how much gentle he tried to be, he can never give up his wild side, his possessiveness. Even though he will love you, he will make sure that you know who you belong to. For that, he might not hurt you with pain, rather with pleasure."
"How can someone hurt me with pleasure?" I asked.
"Oh my bride, there is always a way for everything. The lion has his way. He will hurt you and torture you with so much pleasure that you will crave more and do whatever he wants you to do. He will not take advantage of you, but he will make you his and make sure that no one ever dares to lay their eyes on you or you look at another lion in the same way you look at him."
"Will the lion go against his own kind for me?"
"If you love the lion, care for him and stay with him despite his flaws, he will stand up to anyone for you. He will do anything and everything for you," he said, a little cold smile formed on the corner of his lips. "Just like a wolf will do."
Demetrius seemed to talk in a mysterious manner... Man, even I have a hard time understanding him. Anyway, I guess it's his style. But one thing is sure- he is trying to make her understand his personality and his world through his words.
In the next chapter, we will know more about how Blue is dealing with life in the new world. See you then, my readers!