Chapter 118 - A Change Of Heart

Jennet smiled and a soft chuckle left her mouth. "I'm impressed for your limitless perseverance. But, I've told you before, he is mine and you've better change your so-called ultimate goal. Stop chasing after my husband."

Katerina smirked, making fun of Jennet. She cared about nothing. She was so full of herself because she knew Jennet wasn't favoured by Rosella. Jennet was on the downside to ruin.

"Well, there are always chances and I'm not going to give up. Any marriage can always end up with a divorce and I'm okay to be number two." She said brazenly.

She was proud of what she said. She felt the whole world was at the tip of her finger and she can get anything she desired.

Jennet ticked with anger. Anger intensified and burned her chest when she forced a plastic smile on her face. Her fists balled altogether.

She started to imagine how she would ruin the beautiful face before her with only punches. Double combo hit? Drilling uppercut? Twist and turn and lastly, a finishing head slams on the floor?

She never felt so annoyed about the persistence of others when it came to protecting what was hers. She never really fought for what was rightfully hers because of her upbringing. She always surrendered on making decisions because, at the end of it, mama always made the choices for her.

But, when she got to experience what annoying was all about, she learnt something new from it. Annoying taught her about the pursuit to protect what she had. Basically, the instinct of 'mine' and 'protect' had finally made its place in her head.

She wanted to treasure what she had because she wasn't given the freedom to keep what she wanted to keep before.

"You're shameless. You stoop so low for what doesn't belong to you. Where's your pride as a woman? There are tons of men out there waiting for you to choose them." Jennet lashed out at her.

Jennet was angry at Katerina. At the same time, she pitied her as well. The pity she had was because of her ignorance to accept the fact that Hue had married and wasn't available to be taken.

"I don't really care about that. They're so easy to obtain. I'm pursuing those who refused me. They are the one I chase after because they're exotic in my eyes." Katerina replied. She smiled proudly as if she did what was right.

"You have no right over what's already taken. Just wake up from your dream. He isn't yours or anyone for the taking. He is already mine. Do not make yourself so cheap in the eyes of those who you labelled as 'exotic'." Jennet kept demotivating Katerina.

The words were the cruellest that Jennet had ever said so far. If the rivals would stay away once their dignity was questioned, she would keep poking on their morality as well. If it can teach Katerina to give up, she would do it every time they meet.

"Well, we will see," Katerina said proudly and walked away while waving her hand in the air just like a queen. There was a warning in her words as well.

Jennet clenched her jaws silently and when she turned her gaze, Helena and Little Veen were staring at her. Both of them had seen their banter.

Jennet smiled. Right, she nearly forgets about her initial plans. She had to be watchful of Helena as well. Who knew if she wasn't a human.

"Veen, honey, come to mummy!" She called for her 'son' and opened her arms to welcome him.

Little Veen dashed towards her and jumped into her embrace. The boy snuggled joyfully onto her chest.

Oh, what a happy and chummy sight. If Hue were to see them now, he would and definitely erupt. Luckily he wasn't there. (Tch, I want to see him get jealous!-Snail)

Jennet glanced towards Helena and smiled warmly, "Thank you for looking after him."

Then, she left with Little Veen in her arms. From Jennet's back, Little Veen waved his hands at her, saying 'bye-bye'.

Helena smiled and waved back until they vanished from her view. However, a stiff smile had made it's home on her face as it hid her frustration.

It has gotten really hard to try luring the little child. She just needed his blood for goodness sake!

'Nevermind, I still have plenty of chances and my hunger is in control.' Helena thought positively.

She diverted her attention towards Rory who sat on the couch while reading a magazine. He was bandaged from head to toe and the smell of blood could be smelt lingering in the air.

That moment Helena gulped. Her hunger worsening.

The Lockhart members sat lazily around her every day. They didn't pay much attention to her. They treated her as if she didn't exist around them. They didn't bother her either.

For once, Helena wanted any one of the boys to fall for her. That way she can prey on them. However, no one was interested in her.

They weren't head over heel for her beauty either. Even the beautiful Katerina doesn't trigger their interest. They treated her as a guest and never try to woo her like now naughty bachelor men would do.

Instead of searching for beauties, they chased after ladies with ordinary looks. They flirted with the ladies in the countryside who, on the other hand, always rejects their advances.

'The humans here were so infuriating and stupid!' Helena thought.

She walked away, dragging along the dread in her chest.

***

"Mama, this is so great!" Hue exclaimed happily after he tasted the lobster soup which Rosella prepared for them during dinner.

He took another spoonful of soup into his mouth and complimented her cooking nonstop.

"Honey, try it too. Mama made it much better than me." He turned to Jennet and fed her a spoon of it.

Jennet accepted the kindness with a thick face. She didn't stop him from pampering her openly and let everyone see how loving they were.

"It's delicious." She commented with mouth closed after she swallowed the soup.

For the first time, she finally tasted the food prepared by her mama. Mama never let her taste even a bit of her home-cooked foods. Mama always asked for the chefs to make foods for her.

"Try some more." Hue fed her spoon by spoon until the bowl was emptied. Then, when he was about to refill the bowl, Rosella pushed her own bowl towards him.

"You can have mine because you like it so much." She said while avoiding to meet Jennet's surprised gaze.

"Thank you, mama. I'll share it with Jennet. She loves your cooking just like me." Hue took the bowl happily and fed it to his wife.

Rosella watched the two of them. She silently ate her meals as the others feasted on the foods on top of the table.

Because she was the one preparing most of the foods, she silently enjoyed it when everyone ate her home-cooked food with smiles on their faces. For once, she stopped thinking about pressing matters. For once, she immersed herself in the happiness that won't come every day.

On the opposite side of the table, Katerina gritted her teeth silently. Her cousin's aunt was starting to side with her enemy. Despicable!

Helena glanced at Katerina and so she nudged her side softly as not to startle her.

"What's wrong? Foods not delicious?" She asked although she knew Katerina was fuming. However, Katerina didn't answer.

"Aunt prepared the foods, so eat up. Don't be choosy." Helena added as her tone dropped.

She wasn't in her own best mood either. It was because she was starving for blood and not the foods that humans eat to refill their stomach.

Katerina gave Helena a piercing glare but didn't say anything else. She kept quiet throughout the dinner hour.

As soon as dinner ended, Katerina immediately approached Hue who was about to retire for the day.

"Hue, I want to show you something. Can you follow me to the garden, please?" She begged him.

"Can you show it to me during the day?" Hue hesitated.

He knew she meant something else behind her intention to ask him to follow her to the garden. He can't risk creating doubt arousing from all around him.

"It's only blooming during the night and only once in a year," Katerina said.

Hue smiled, "Thank you for the invitation but I am tired. No worries, I'll tell the other to join you. I'm sure they will be super happy to view the flowers with you."

Hue immediately disappeared to his room after he told the others of the rare flowers which bloom once in a year and only at night.

Inside the bedroom, his entire body shuddered, "Such a persistent human. I'm not going to fall for that trick." He talked alone. He had goosebumps all over his good looking body. Even his strong six-packs.

Jennet stepped out of the bathroom while holding a face towel in her hands which she used to dab dry her face.

"What's wrong, honey?" That question popped out of her mouth. She hung the face towel on a hanger before she put her attention towards him.

Hue huffed before her, "That woman, that... I don't know her name, the one who dressed lavishly, she had dirty thought about me. Her mind was the dirtiest I have ever seen." He complains to her.

He fumed before his wife and yapped nonstop about the annoying woman. He said about a lot of things about how dirty her mind was and how he disliked her.

Jennet laughed as she sat down on the stool beside the dressing table. Served him right, she thought.

"Now you know how it feels when you did the same to me." She said, adding salt onto his wound.

"Honey, that's a different kind of approach. I approach you persistently because you are mine, legally in both realms. But, she isn't related to me in any way." He sat on the bed and pulled on a sulking face.

Jennet rose from the stool again and sat down beside him. Smiles still lingered on her face. It was rare for Hue to complaint about anyone of the opposite gender before.

"I know." She took his hands and clasped her hands on top of his. "I trust you won't two-time me."

"I would not do that." Hue hissed at her. At the same time, he rolled his eyes at her. He was unhappy if she didn't trust in him.

"Okay, forget about her. I want to tell you about something else."

"What is it?"

"Can non-human exist among humans?"

"Yes, of course. Take me for example."

"Okay. Then, you do have good and bad non-humans as well, right?"

"If you're referring to the Fallens, yes. They are the bad type of non-humans."

"The Fallens..." Jennet thought deeply. Could Helena be considered as the Fallens?

Hue explained further without waiting for Jennet to continue, "Yes, the Fallens were once good deities however they strayed from goodness. They were associated with those from the Dark World."

"Does that mean they have the face of snakes?"

Jennet remembered and it was fresh in her head about the sudden changes on Helena's image.

Hue frowned. "Face of snakes?"

He had not heard of such appearance in so many years. It would be the first he heard of it. After he was exiled, he hadn't seen any of the Fallens scampering around because the villa protected him and would destroy anything that comes near its perimeter.

"As far as I know, they can appear in so many forms. They don't stick to one form. They are those who don't follow rules in either realm." He elaborated.

"Then, would you believe what I have to tell you?"

"I would. Just let me know."

Jennet inhaled a deep breath, "I'm suspecting Helena isn't human. Well, I don't know if my eyes played a trick on me but I saw her face changing in a brief moment. Or rather, am I going insane now for thinking too much about too many matters?"

Jennet voiced out her concerns. At the end of her words, she exhaled a long sigh.

She hoped she was wrong about what she saw. It was impossible to think of the impossible to happen in her family. Pretty much, her entire family were humans.

"You're not the only one who thought of the same thing." Hue broke the silence with an assuring answer.

Jennet gasped and her eyes brightened, "Then, I'm not wrong for suspecting her?" She asked him for confirmation.

Happiness beamed on her face. Someone else shared the same concerns as she had. She was happy to know about that.

Hue nodded his head, "You're not wrong to suspect her. Little Veen and I found something was fishy about her behaviour for the past few days. Well, actually from the day she arrived." He told her of their findings.

However, he found out about another finding that was rather shocking. He wasn't aware of it at first but he couldn't let it slide anymore. For sure, he won't tell Jennet about it just yet. He will tell her about everything he knew once he was sure of it.

Hue added with a warning, "Remember, do not show your awkwardness around her. Just act normal as if you knew nothing. Little Veen is playing hard to get with her. Well, you know, human kid's stuff when they are being shy."

"I will. I will." Jennet felt safe when she listened to him. She can't stop smiling when they got to bed.

"Shall I erase your memory to make sure you forget about what we talked about? It's dangerous if she found out about what you knew." Hue said before he laid down beside her.

It would be dangerous if he let her wander around with all those memories in her head. Once stolen, the enemy knew what they knew. It would also spell another trouble if the memory was lost from the hands of the thief.

"You can erase memories?" Jennet squeaked from beside him. Her eyes widened.

She had no idea about that before. She knew he had the 'undressing' power which was too much for her.

"Yes, but not me doing the erasing thingy. My aides could, actually. I'm...well, not given that...privilege..." He answered sheepishly and his voice lowered too.

Jennet clicked her tongue. She was happy momentarily before she knew he had no power for a memory-erasing.

"No, thanks!" She rejected his offer. "I want to keep my memory intact until the end of this story."

Erasing her memory was the last thing she would ask from his aides.

***