Help! This was too embarrassing!
Why didn’t he go to the party?! Why was he here?!
“Shouldn’t I ask be the one asking you that?”
Rufus stopped in front of me. He casually glanced at the coat on the sofa and then shifted his gaze to me. “You seem to like my coat very much,” he commented lightly.
Crystal’s POV
Rufus’ eyes were unfathomable, yet they screamed as though they could see through mine very well, piercing my mind with their sharpness. To hide away from his gaze the guilt that was slowly surfacing to my eyes, I blinked more than necessary and put on an awkward smile. “The style of the coat appears to be very special, so I took the liberty to take a few more glances at it.”
Contrary to his perplexing eyes, my remark spawned a chuckle from Rufus. When he no longer found it amusing, the sharpness from his eyes descended on his voice as he asked, “Really? Let’s get this straight. What are you doing here?”
“I…” I drawled, buying myself some time to think of an excuse.
“Tell me,” he urged.
“I got lost…” I curled my lips and squeezed out these few words, hoping he wouldn’t notice how caught unawares I was.
But when I searched his face, it was clear how he now saw me as the kind of person who would turn my back against him anytime I found myself in a dire situation. I analyzed the situation, and even I thought that I seemed too suspicious to be here. Knowing that it was how he gauged me to be, I could clearly see how guarded he was with me. His behavior told me that just an ooze of flaw from me would earn me something I wouldn’t like from him.
If I hadn’t gone to Flora’s place earlier, I would have suspected that he had followed me all the way here after the parade. This encounter seemed like purely coincidental.
Still, I figured he should be at the banquet at this time, but here we were.
He could go to such lengths just so he could catch the potential “traitor” of the empire, regardless of who he would deal with. This man was utterly unbelievable!
I caught sight of a sneer stretching across his face as he towered over me, becoming more oppressive than he already was. His eyes narrowed. Disbelief and speculation were apparent in his voice as he assessed how I ended up here. “I see. So, you got lost and wound up here without the palace guards catching you at the gate. You must have been really lucky.”
“I didn’t see any guards when I passed by, and no one walked up to me to prohibit me from entering. I presumed this was an abandoned palace.” I raised my head to meet his eyes without showing any fear. Terror was what would feed his dominance over this argument.
Rufus studied me for a few seconds. Perhaps he couldn’t go around my words, so he instead scanned his eyes around the place, hands propped against his waist, as if reminiscing the time he spent here. “This is just where I used to live. There’s nothing special here.”
I fought the impulse to have him catch me rolling my eyes. Of course, I knew he used to live here. Not only that, I also resided here with him. But I acknowledged the fact that between the two of us, pools of memories were something only I had the privilege to remember.
I rewound Rufus’ remarks’ and grasped the insinuation he was trying me to get: he was wary of me. I could make out how he was thinking I was a spy of some sort who was searching for every little information that would be of any importance that I could use as leverage against him when the time came. Despite his effort to hide how he thought of me, after all, he was an open book sometimes.
What a cute little fool he was!
I pursed my lips, trying to suppress how annoyed I was at how apprehensive he had become. Keeping myself in a lower status than him, I asked in a weak voice, “Since you had moved out, why is the palace still as clean as if someone’s living here? The dressing room is also full.”
“You went through the dressing room?” Rufus squinted and asked, obviously unpleased at how intrusive I truly had become. That was an appalling sign.
“Of course not! The door was wide open. I just stood by the threshold and took a look from there.” I explained, catching myself fast. Rufus sending me to prison for whatever charges he could think of was not a promising picture. At this moment, he could easily charge me for trespassing or something heavier.
Rufus clicked his tongue, not thrilled by either what I had and had not done. “I’m not saying I’m chuffed to have you here, as you may have very well noticed that this place is off-limits. You’d better not play any tricks, or you won’t be able to hold onto your position as the Alpha at the border for much longer.”
“I know, I know.” I answered him in succession obediently, afraid that if I didn’t agree right away, he would do something unimaginable. But at the back of my mind, I was beating Rufus’ head crazily. If only he wasn’t in that state, I would’ve done so.
Rufus didn’t linger his stare at me any longer as if he was signed by my very presence. He crossed the room and headed for the window and drew the curtain aside, drawing light into the dark. He said, “There’s indeed someone living here now. I come here to sleep occasionally.”
“What? But why? There’s no one else here except the guards. Don’t you feel lonely sleeping here alone?” I looked at him, disorientation swaying through my eyes.
Although he was also sleeping alone in the exclusive palace for the lycan king, outside the room was crowded with servants unlike this place. Compared to that thronged palace, this was as quiet as an apparition passing by. If someone unknowingly looked at this palace from afar, one would think this was a haunted house-uninviting and horror-filled. I once passed by this place at night, the whole palace was eerily dark and lifeless. What could have possibly drawn him to prefer to sleep here occasionally?
Rufus pondered over my question and was tight-lipped for a while before deciding to explain, “I suffer from insomnia sometimes, but I have this unexplainable solace whenever I sleep here. Whenever I do, I end up sleeping soundly. Of all places here, this is the only location where I fall asleep without any problem. I sense something in here that calms me down.”
Crystal’s POV
Rufus’ words made my heart beat violently, like a withered tree in a desert suddenly being watered by rain. I felt a mixture of happiness and worry. Rain never lasted long, and I also knew that anything I discarded would be lost forever.
“Have you ever felt that you have lost your memory fragments? When you meet someone or see something, have you felt an instant sense of familiarity that you couldn’t explain?” Rufus looked at me calmly. His question made me feel nervous despite the friendly tone of our conversation.
“Why made you say that? You lost your memory?” I asked while staring directly into Rufus’ eyes, afraid of reading a doubt there.
Rufus blinked and smiled. There was no confusion in his eyes, and he looked more certain.
“No. My memory has always been very consistent and clear since I was a child. Maybe those familiar scenes have appeared in my dreams before. Sometimes I am just too tired to distinguish dream from reality.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “Then that should be your illusion, Your Majesty. Please take care of yourself and have enough rest. Don’t overwork yourself.”
Rufus’ eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I had no idea you had such a soft side. I thought you never take me seriously.”
“How dare I do that? You are always the greatest and most valiant king in my heart.” I complimented him while I rubbed behind my ear. Even though I had been an Alpha for a while and had learned social graces, I was still uncomfortable giving public praise, especially to a man who perceived me as an imaginary enemy.
Forgot it. It was always right to be nice to others. I could not bear to be one of Rufus’ enemies, especially now that Beryl was staying with him.
Since I could neither be his enemy or lover now, I might as well just be his most loyal and devoted official.
While thinking, I continued to flatter him, “Back when I was a kid, I looked up to you so much. One day, I hope to grow into someone as admirable as you.”
“Someone like me? Well, you certainly dream big, don’t you? You even want to become a king like me.” Rufus gave me a puzzled and dissatisfied look.
I was speechless, and I felt terrible because I didn’t mean any of that at all! Rufus was really good at this. No matter what I said, he would always suspect that I was plotting something against him.
I thought for a while and answered weakly, “I won’t do that. All I want is to be as strong and courageous as you.”
“Okay.” Rufus nodded meaningfully and continued, “That being the case, let’s fight on the training ground. Show me what you’re made of.”
“No, no, no. I’m not wearing suitable clothes for fighting. Maybe another day.” I waved my hands and refused at once.
“Well, okay. But since you’re here, how about I show you around the palace?” The corners of his lips lifted. He seemed to be in a good mood.
Meanwhile, I was a little confused, but I still agreed anyway. In my mind, I reassured myself that nothing would happen, and I’d be back safe and sound in no time. A part of me also wanted to spend some more time with him.
As we proceeded through the palace, Rufus painstakingly explained the decoration and structure of the whole place.
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