Chapter 59 - Personal Comedian
Adeline shot out of bed, out of breath and clawing at her throat. Her eyes burned with tears that never fell. Sitting upright, she could only take in haggard gasps of air. How was this possible? Why was this possible? What exactly was going on?
"F-Father tried to kill me?" she breathed out, her eyes trembling with disbelief. She refused to believe it. Her Father, gentle and kind, would never do such a thing to her.
He would never try to kill her!
Adeline could not wrap her head around it. But what other explanation was there for that dream? It felt real. She had experienced the feeling of someone grabbing her throat, squeezing it, as the world gradually fled from her eyes.
People say your life flashes before your eyes when you're about to die.
Adeline had witnessed it before. She had seen her entire childhood play out like a movie. It was going at the speed of light, but for some reason, she could see each image perfectly. But then, everything came to a screeching halt, when she could suddenly breathe again.
"It can't be true…" Adeline's voice cracked towards the end. She buried her face into her hands and furiously held back the tears.
"Why did Father try to kill me?" Adeline whispered to herself.
Her hands slowly lowered, and she was forced to contemplate this question for a while. She noticed her fingers were shaking, like the rest of her body. It wasn't Winter yet, but she was already breaking out in a cold sweat that felt like ice on her skin.
"What did I do wrong…?"
Adeline couldn't understand. She had always been an obedient daughter. She rarely caused her parents any trouble. The few times she was scolded was because she had accidentally broken something.
"My sweet," a gentle voice murmured.
Adeline jumped with fear. Her head snapped to the left side of the room, where the doors had opened. Elias was standing there with a nonchalant expression.
"Why are you awake?" Elias asked in a deep voice.
"E-Elias…"
Elias surveyed her features. Her hair was a mess, and there were unshed tears in her eyes. He narrowed his eyes upon her neck. He saw bright red nail marks. Judging from her reaction, she had a nightmare.
Suddenly, he was reminded of the past, where she'd wander his castle at night. He'd scold her and warn her to behave. But she always clung to him, naive as always, believing he could chase her demons away.
This little fool.
"It's way past midnight, darling. You should be asleep." Elias quietly shut the doors behind him.
"I-I had a nightmare."
"I see," Elias calmly responded.
Elias approached the bed and gently placed his hands upon her upper arms. She glanced up at him, a frantic look on her beautiful features. Her eyes were moistened, but she didn't let out her tears.
"Let's get you back into bed, my sweet." Elias lowered her back onto the bed.
She was watching him as if he had grown three heads. What was so surprising?
"What's wrong?" Elias gently teased her. He brought the blankets up to her c.h.e.s.t and ignored the fact that she was still wearing the dress. He'd have her change out of it tomorrow when she was more aware of her surroundings and would give consent.
"Am I so handsome that you can't look away?" Elias chuckled whilst pinching her cheek. Even his teasing didn't faze her.
Adeline's lips trembled as she tightly held onto his hands.
Elias froze. She clung to him with her entire body. Adeline hugged his hands as if it was a teddy bear upon her c.h.e.s.t. She was trembling like a prey caught in a predator's jaw.
"Oh dear, what could've shaken you to this extent?" Elias asked. He kept his voice calm and composed. There was no need to startle her even more.
"Hm?" Elias slipped a hand away from her grasp. As a result, she embraced his other hand even tighter.
Elias wondered if she would've done the same thing to Asher. Would she fling herself onto him, and beg him to stay? Was he just one out of her many comforters? The idea humored him more than it pissed him off. Soon, he would be the only one left.
Soon, there would be no more Asher. No more Mardens. No more tormentors. Soon, Adeline would be all alone in this world, with no one to rely upon but him.
She wouldn't even have to remember them. It would be as if they never existed.
"I had a dream…" she weakly said.
Elias raised a brow. The night was still young. He had all the time in the world to accompany her. Thus, he took a seat upon the edge of the bed. But she surprised him by suddenly sitting up.
"What was the dream about?" Elias asked in a teasing voice. He reached out and brushed the hair away from her eyes. Her skin was soft and smooth. He wanted to do more than c.a.r.e.s.s it.
"M-my parents."
Elias stiffened. His smile became forced as he waited for her to continue.
"It was about the forgotten past."
Elias's gaze became frigid. Did she remember him? Was the spell upon her finally warding off?
"And?" he pressed on.
"A-and…" she trailed off, her lips quivering.
Elias stared at her with distaste. She was shivering as if Winter had come early. Holding back a complaint, he wrapped his arms around her. With ease, she slid upon his l.a.p. Her dress covered his entire legs, making him unnecessarily warm.
"There, there," Elias said in a detached, robotic voice.
Elias had never comforted someone before. He didn't know how to, nor did he want to. Compassion was never his forte. He didn't even know what it meant to sympathize with someone else's pain.
"Y-you're terrible at comforting people," she weakly said.
Elias sardonically laughed. "You're such a picky little thing."
Despite her words, she was resting her face upon his large, dependable shoulder. Hugging him was like hugging an ice cube. He didn't elude any warmth, which wasn't a surprise. Vampires were cold-blooded creatures. They thrived on the frigid temperatures and hated anything to do with fire. Even so, she wrapped her arms around his body.
There was something so comforting about him… Adeline couldn't understand it. Perhaps it was the sense of deja vu [1] that washed over her. She felt like she had sat upon this l.a.p before as he gingerly but hesitatingly comforted her.
"You're in no position to pick and choose, but still do so," Elias said. "The audacity that you have is unfathomable."
Elias continued to stroke the back of her head. Every few seconds, his fingers would weave through her hair. She'd respond by leaning closer to him. For some reason, he didn't mind it. There was a strange shift in his c.h.e.s.t, but he ignored it. Perhaps he was developing some sort of c.h.e.s.t illness.
"Perhaps this is what I find the most amusing about you," Elias noted.
He rested his other hand upon her lower back. It kept her in place and pressed her against him even more. Even when she was seated on his l.a.p, he was still taller than her. His lips twitched.
"What do you not find amusing?" she complained upon his shoulder.
"That's impossible. Everything about you is entertaining, darling," Elias truthfully said.
"What am I? Your personal comedian?"
He gently chuckled in response, stroking the back of her head with more affection. "Of course not, darling. You're my soon-to-be wife."
Adeline thought he was joking with her, but his voice sounded serious. Thus, she did not complain. She continued resting upon his shoulders, hoping his cold embrace would calm her down. For some reason, it did, despite his lack of comforting words and actions.
Adeline found it strange. Being in his arms, she was reminded of a blurry memory. Has this happened before? Did he carry her in his arms, and lull her back to sleep? She couldn't remember.
"Have you calmed down, my sweet?"
Adeline wordlessly nodded.
"Good," Elias said in a hardened voice. "Now, you have the energy to explain what made you unhappy."
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