Chapter 30: His Beautiful Liar
Eveyr didn’t waste time and dragged Esme out of the grand ballroom. His hands never left her waist until they were safely inside the carriage.
Eveyr sat opposite her, his knees almost touching hers. He didn’t say anything but his eyes were fixed on her, radiating a possessive aura.
The atmosphere was suffocating. Esme tried to look out the window, but the glass was fogged by his magic. She once again felt trapped in his dark world. As if sensing her uneasiness, the system interface chimed cheerfully in her vision.
[Jealousy Status: CRITICAL]
[Mission Complete: +1,500 Points]
"What are you looking at?" Eveyr’s voice cut through the silence.
Esme blinked and quickly looked away. She met his gaze and smiled sarcastically.
"Nothing," she answered. "Just thinking about how quickly a gala can be ruined."
"Is that so?" he replied, gritting his teeth.
Esme furrowed her brow and looked away from him. Eveyr didn’t press her further. The rest of the ride passed in uncomfortable tension. When the carriage finally stopped at the gates of Aldric Townhouse, Esme immediately reached for the brass door handle, desperate for fresh air.
But before she could touch it, Eveyr moved and lunged in the small space. He grabbed Esme by her waist and pinned her against her seat before she could even stand up.
"Eveyr..." Esme gasped, her hands instinctively pressing his chest.
"He touched your hand," Eveyr snarled. His composure had disappeared completely. "He pulled you away from me, and he whispered to you. What did he say?"
"Let go of me," Esme shouted. "You are bruising me."
"Do not test me tonight, Esme," Eveyr warned her, tightening his grip a little. "Tell me what did Julian whisper to you on the dance floor?"
"He told me I was wearing a beautiful dress," Esme replied, forcing herself to calm down. "It is called polite conversation."
"Since when has Julian spoken politely to you?" he asked. "Have you forgotten what he did to our home? He is a predator, Esme, who is looking for my weakness."
"Perhaps he does," Esme shot back. "But it’s also possible he knows how to behave in public. You should try it sometime instead of throwing tantrums and threatening the Crown Prince in his own ballroom. You made a scene there."
"I do not care about scenes," Eveyr murmured. "I care that you willingly put your hand in his. I care that you smiled at the man who wants to take you away from me."
"It was a mandatory dance, Eveyr. I was doing my duty as your Duchess," Esme argued. "If you snap at every single man who looks at me, the crown will know how to break you. They will use your jealousy to declare you insane."
"I would burn the crown to ash before I let them touch a single hair on your head," he replied.
"And make me a widow?"
Eveyr’s expression hardened.
"You keep talking about protecting me all the time. But all I see is a man willing to leave me alone every time someone provokes him."
The accusation struck him harder than she expected.
"If you really want to keep me safe, then think before you draw your sword."
Instead of letting her go, Eveyr kicked the carriage door open with his boot. The courtyard was silent. The shadow guards stationed there immediately turned away.
He carried her out of the carriage and put her down. Then he almost dragged her towards their room. Esme kept her pace steady, trying her best not to stumble.
As soon as they entered the bedroom, Eveyr slammed the doors shut with his magic. Then he pressed her back against the door. Esme expected him to yell at her or physically harm her.
He put his hand on her neck and felt her pulse under his fingers. He knew she was lying. He leaned in closer and buried his face in her neck, his lips brushing her ear.
"You are a beautiful liar, Esme," Eveyr whispered, his words sending a chill down her spine.
Then he slowly traced his lips along her jawline while his thumb stroked the pulse in her throat.
"But listen to me...if I find out you are keeping secrets with Julian... if I find out you plan to leave my side... I will take you back to the North. I will lock you in that bone cage again and will keep you there for eternity. No one will ever find you."
He pulled back slowly, his eyes still fixed on hers. He was giving her one last chance to tell him the truth about what Julian had said. Esme met his gaze without flinching.
"I am not keeping any secrets with him," Esme replied. "He offered me exactly what you think he offered. He tried to make me doubt you. He tried to convince me that your obsession would destroy both you and me."
"And?"
Esme removed his hand from her neck.
"I learned that both of you are trying to win the same game."
Eveyr frowned.
"Julian wants me to betray you. You want me to trust you blindly. But neither of you has asked what I want."
Eveyr looked a little surprised. He had no immediate answer.
"I don’t belong to Julian. Whatever he wants from me is his problem, not mine. But I don’t belong to you either."
Eveyr stared at her as if she had hit him.
"You are my wife!"
"That is a title. It doesn’t make you my owner."
He clenched his fingers tightly.
"Then... if Julian opened those doors tomorrow and offered you complete freedom...would you leave with him?"
"No," Esme replied instantly.
Eveyr relaxed a little but before he could smile, she spoke again.
"I wouldn’t leave with anyone...until I know the truth about you and about why everyone keeps trying to use me."
She pushed him away and walked towards the window.
"I trust no one."
Her mind drifted back to Julian’s words.
The Black Ledger
She needed to find it before Julian did and discover Eveyr’s secrets. Because somewhere inside Eveyr’s secrets lay the truth about why he had dreamed of her long before they met... and perhaps the answer to why she had transmigrated into this world.
