Chapter 131 - Laments

"Both of you...looked so happy with each other, little duckling." 

Standing just behind her, rolling his hands inside his suit pocket, Czar cast a sly compliment towards her giving her a wicked small simper.

"Mr. Czar?" Eva seemed much surprised to find him there out of the blue as she rolled her eyeballs, gazing at him in wonder. After a few seconds, she took a small glance around her, but the lane was completely desolated. Zeus was present there just a moment ago but probably he had already left.

"Are you looking for Zeus?" Immediately, he understood her anticipation and snatched the words right from her mind. She didn't expect him to be so witty and kept ogling at him. 

"No...I was just..."

"Well, Zeus had already left a few minutes ago. Why are you still looking for him after spending so many lovey-dovey moments together? Or perhaps...you are scared of me?" His facial expression turned pretty atrocious, as he locked his eyes at her, intensely.

"We are not strangers, Mr. Czar. There is no need for me to be scared of you. I was just surprised since I saw him standing there just a minute ago...but he suddenly disappeared and you came out of the blue. That's all." She didn't flinch a bit and firmly proclaimed her answer, staring at him back.

"But we aren't close either...so...there's an obvious reason to be skeptical of me, little duckling. Don't you think, you are being too gallant around monsters like us?" He murmured walking a step closer to her, igniting his fierce gaze at her with a smirk. At his dubious actions, she didn't look even a bit bothered and kept glancing at him nonchalantly.

"Mr. Czar, are you purposely trying to scare me today? May I ask...why?" A little simper lingered on her roseate lips as she firmly chose to inquire him first.

Her sudden question somehow startled him a little as if he wasn't expecting such a response from her. Gulping his saliva, he took a deep breath out, raising his chin up to gawk at her before answering, "do you even know who we are?" 

"Yes. You all are inhuman beings who claim themselves dangerous as monsters."

"How can you be so casual about it?" Frowning his eyebrows, he grumbled in a displeased tone looking much dubious from his dubious expression.

Eva stood still and smiled a little at his sharp question. "Because I am in love with such a being... There is nothing left for me to be scared of--"

"How naive of you, little duckling!" All of a sudden, he chuckled out aloud before she could even finish off her sentence. He firmly walked closer to her, standing only a few inches apart, and leaned his face near to her, whispering in a low pitch, "once you see our real selves, you will be the one screaming in horror. Especially, the one you love...Zeus. He is pretty dangerous and brutal to be called a monster, the most fierce amongst us! Will you be able to bear it when you will see his true self?" 

Hearing his cold dubious interpretation about him in such a shady manner, unknowingly, a chill of fear ran down her spine but she tried to portray herself as calm as possible right before him. "I...have faith in him and...our love---"

"Hahahahah! Faith? Hahaha!" He burst out in laughter hearing her quivering response. His laugh was quite humiliating which she could perceive well, but didn't utter a single word and continued observing him. After a moment of intense laughter, he became silent before responding to her further.

"What an utter bullshit you are dreaming of, little duckling! You don't know even have the slightest idea with whom you are meddling in yourself! Don't you think you are too brave to face us? You came into our mansion tossing away your life just like that... and now right in front of me, you are standing all fearlessly. Do you think I can't harm you? Do you think you are trusting the rightful beings?" 

"Will you harm me, Mr. Czar?" Holding a small sad smirk on her face, she mumbled in a low tone ogling at him.

In the flash of a second, his dark brown eyeballs obtained the translucent blue color which shimmered in the dark as he glared at her viciously. Watching him suddenly changing his pupil color, she flinched a little but didn't take a single step back from him.

"It won't take three seconds for me to kill you right here, right now! I had warned you earlier...messing with us will lead you to lose your own life! Do you still trust me and willing to stand here bravely? You should run away now or beg before me for your life!" His voice sounded as dark and dubious as he scowled.

Surprisingly, she still didn't retreat a single step back and stared straight into his eyes, taking a deep breath of huff out. "Trusting you and standing here is my choice, Mr. Czar. If you kill me right now, my choice will be turned to regret and I will die with that. It won't be your fault if you do so, I am facing you with my own choice." She reciprocated her words in a husky tone, sounding much intense.

"Wh-What?" Immediately hearing her bold proclamation, his vision blurred out for a second and his heart throbbed with immense pain. His feet staggered and unknowingly, he took a step back.

"Mr. Czar, no matter how much you try to scare me, I know from deep down inside...you are a good person. You kept your word and protected me inside the mansion. You may try to portray yourself as rude and arrogant but that's your outer shell...Deep down inside, you are a good man with a bad choice of life." Her eyes were shimmering with a glum feeling as she looked at his dark eyes, much gallantly. 

All of a sudden, his heart twitched with intractable pain as the exact few words of his mother reverberated in his ears while he was staring at her.

"TRUSTING YOUR FATHER HAS BEEN MY CHOICE, CZAR. IF MY CHOICE TURNS OUT TO BE A REGRET, I WILL DIE WITH THAT REGRET BUT IT WON'T BE YOUR FATHER'S FAULT. DON'T HATE HIM EVER. HE ISN'T COLD TO YOU... HE ISN'T A BAD PERSON. I HAVE KNOWN HIM... HE IS A GOOD MAN, BUT WITH A SAD CHOICE OF LIFE." 

His inner core ached severely as those words rang in his ears. Tears swelled up in his eyes and he was swallowed up with immense anger as he was reminded again with those painful words of his beloved mother! Those words that he always wanted to forget...resounded to him again just because she reverberated the exact words too!

Trembling in angst, he dashed towards her and furiously grasped both of her forearms, rolling his eyes wider. Eva was shocked at his furious approach and in shock, she gawked at him gulping her saliva down. Glaring at her, he gnarled in an angst tone, "Hey! What do you think of yourself, huh? Who are you to rip apart my hidden wounds? Who are you?" 

His intense voice sounded too appalling for her as she was squirming in fear trying to release herself from his fervent grip. "Mr. Czar...wh-what did I do? Please...Please release my arms, it's hurting me---"

"How can you utter those same words like her!? How can you ache my heart so much? How...How can you understand me so accurately? It's pissing me off! Fuck!" His loud scream crooked a little as if he was trying hard to swallow his tears of grief.

All of a sudden, she stopped striving in his grasp hearing his painful allegation. Her eyes were shimmering in tears as she could vividly watch the immense sadness engulfing him entirely. "Mr. Czar--"

"How could you be so naive like her? Why do you have a kind heart? Why?  Look...I...I am not a good person! I am a devil! Good people always face a bitter ending! Why do you have to be like her?" He continued his shrieks.

"Please ca-calm down..."

"You should be scared of me! You should be terrified of us! We...We are heartless beings! Why do you trust me? How can you see through my heart? Why do you always make me realize how weak I am? Why...Why do you torment me so much? Why do you remind me of scars? Why!"

Unable to hold his despair anymore, helplessly he broke down into bitter tears. for the first time, she realized how painful it has been for him to suffer all alone which ached her heart. Leaning his head over her frail shoulder, he continued mourning his lament silently as she could sense warm teardrops dripping down on her shoulder, holding her tight in his arms. 

Eva didn't flinch or resist and quietly stood still. Tears were rolling down her cheeks too as she raised her chin up at the blank gloomy sky, mumbling at him, "cry all you want...Mr. Czar. Don't swallow your pain...Let it all out as much you want..." 

...

A few meters away from them, leaning his back against a large wall of a building, Zeus was standing all numb. His sad dark eyes, quivering jowls looked stuffed with pain as he swallowed his tears inside, looking at the horizon emitting a deep sigh out...

"I am sorry...my brother..." He murmured in a teary broken voice.