Chapter 108 - That Young Boy

''I am fine, sister,'' Arlan quickly stood up and flexed his muscles to prove his point, ''Do you know each other?"

Esme nodded at him before she turned to look at Rowan, ''It has been a few days since I last saw you.''

''I have been busy with the matters at hand,'' he stared at her for a moment and then averted his gaze.

Esme frowned. Was it a glare directed at her?

…

''All these years…. did you ever feel remorse for what you did to me?" Duke Elias, now the newly appointed King approached Marlene.

He waved his hand and  the maids and doctors emptied the room, leaving both of them alone.

Marlene sat up on the bed, ''We have not got the chance to talk properly since yesterday. Coming here was an unplanned event.''

''That was not an answer to my question,'' Elias strode towards her until he was standing near the edge of the bed.

''I was in my early 20s when I fled from our Kingdom and 7 years have passed. I just realized that it has been a very long time.''

''And that was a wrong answer as well,'' Elias looked straight into her eyes, ''I want you to speak your heart rather than going around in circles like this.''

Marlene leaned back on the headboard, ''Elias….''

Elias was a bit taken aback for this was the first time she took his name so informally, without any unnecessary addressing.

Marlene stepped out of the bed but her body staggered.

He held her elbow and supported her body.

She smiled, ''I think staying in bed the whole day did this to me.''

Elias narrowed his eyes, ''Or maybe it was your own carelessness towards your health.''

''How could it be?'' Marlene ended up laughing as she retracted her hand from his grip, ''You know when I was told that I was going to marry you?" she glanced at him.

''Hmm?"

''When I was very small, I remember my father telling me about the benefits of marrying into the Duke's residence. He told me that I had to be the perfect bride for you when we grow up,'' Marlene looked at him but he felt like she was looking at someone else right through him, ''And I…. rejected it. But that very evening I saw that cold-faced boy stealing glances at me while pretending to look at the sky.''

His lips parted, ''You noticed that?" He was curious about her because he was told that she was the one he was going to marry.

''It was pretty apparent,'' Marlene laughed, ''Then following that, I kept seeing him around the castle. Sometimes, he'd be talking to my handmaidens about my likes and dislikes while at times, he would send me rare flowers as presents. I was hailed as a young talent back in those days. I had to maintain my reputation and I had to live upto my father's expectations, to not bring shame to my family because all my siblings were outstanding so I tried my best. I trained till my body was exhausted and till my powers would no longer work. At times, I ended up fainting but I remember receiving colorful candies from that boy. He said something like 'I heard girls are fond of this. Maybe, a little bit of sweet is all you need'.''

Elias could remember his words as if he said them yesterday. Those days were still as vivid in his mind.

''Over time, I wanted to spend more time with him and the smile on his face told me that he couldn't ask for more. But they say good things attract evil eyes just like we did. He was a Duke, destined to leave the kingdom, go to war. I was left alone and I felt emptier than before,'' Marlene lowered her head and looked at her palm, ''Being alone is a very powerful feeling. The coldness it provides can become the best shield for one's heart. But once you get a taste of warmth, you start craving it. That happened to me. Days started feeling like months without him.''

And she did not know how long it took her to get up from the bed and not look at her sickly and swollen face in the mirror. All she remembered was that one day, she just woke up with a new determination in her heart. She was determined to become stronger to be the best wife for him, to let him see the woman she has grown into.

''But by the time he came back, he was no longer the ray of sunshine that I remembered. He was hailed as a merciless soldier and one could sense the bloodlust in his eyes whenever he went to spar. He looked at me like a stranger. I realized that he had changed and somewhere so did I. Because unlike before, I didn't bother to approach him. I didn't ask him if he remembers me. I realized I had changed when I was catering to his family's needs, getting to know their likes and dislikes so I can be a good daughter-in-law and make my family proud. It was not about being his wife anymore. I never realized when we drifted apart.''

Elias quietly glanced at her before he raised his hand towards her face. He wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with his knuckles.

''It was a very long time before we grew fond of each other once again, like those old days. But things were never meant to work out in our favor. Because everything only got worse with  time. The King passed away, his younger sister ascended the throne, unified the factions and was hailed as one of the greatest queens. She got a daughter out of nowhere and followed by it, there was an illegitimate son too. And when everything started looking fine, she mysteriously disappeared leaving the kingdom to her younger brother, and her children…. to me.''

''Do you think you are mistaken?" Elias spoke after a long moment of silence.

Marlene snapped out of her reverie, ''About?"