"I'm ready," once he completed preparing all the needed scrolls, he went to eat while waiting for Lara to arrive.
"Did you make them?" As she arrived here, she seemed more impatient than what William even thought. He already told her to come to get the scrolls of the promised products.
"What? Did you think I'll take forever to prepare these scrolls or what?" William rolled his eyes before looking at her eyes for a moment, "what's up? Why do you look like you are this desperate?"
"Sigh!" in one rare moment she showed a moment of weakness. William saw not the strong looking young woman, the one who used to rule everyone in the family before. In front of him, an image of a weak and normal young girl appeared.
"What's there? Just speak and I'll support you," William couldn't help but move closer, look deeper into her eyes. Just from such close distance, and seeing his serious and deep eyes, made all her struggle and resistance fall apart.
Without feeling it, a tear finally found its way towards her cheeks, then lots more appeared like a dam got broken or something.
William saw a shattered image of her, something that he never expected to see before or even thought she'd show in front of him.
"Come here," at this moment, William didn't care about any rumour going on about the two, moved his arms and held her closer, embracing her within his arms, and hugged her deeply.
The moment that happened, the moment she felt his masculine warmth, she couldn't help herself anymore. Instead of just silently releasing a few tears, she started to weep and cry, like any normal girl in her current position.
In a stuttered tone, she started to tell him about what went on in the family in the past few days. To her, it felt like she was living in a different place than the one she grew up at. It felt like she was at a hostile place, at a place that looked at her like she was already dead.
She even had part of her supporters abandon her, joining the camp of Larry and Richard. William kept his silence while listening in attention to her words, not feeling a single speck of surprise or shock or anything.
He already expected such a result a long time ago, since the moment he spotted Richard and Larry in that meeting. But least to his knowledge that this matter was much more complicated than that. He didn't know that there was someone else interfering in all this mess, someone he already had history with.
"Don't worry yourself about any of them," William paused, knowing there was a perfect solution for all this, "why not keep yourself here, protect the fort, while I'll go on my own way?"
"No way!" she pushed her head away from him, looked in defiance and challenge towards him. At this moment, William saw the old fierce image of that lioness in front of him.
She wanted to keep her place as the leader of the family while taking the hardest route ever. She wanted to go out and adventure the world with Willaim like she planned before. And then she'd return safely and take back what belonged initially to her.
The idea of changing her plans and succumbing to the will and schemes of her enemies was just too irritating to her. She would prefer to face such a challenge head on rather than lower her head and let the storm pass.
William could only sigh in front of such eyes and determination. He felt how stubborn she was in front of such a problem. "Fine, but during that adventure, you have to listen to everything I'll say."
"Sure, count on me," she said lightly, not grasping the hidden meaning behind his words.
"I mean if at some point I gave you the order to retreat, you'll have to execute it, ok?"
"This…" she would agree if he intended to run away with her. Without her knowing it, she grew used to being by his side, grew used to the miracles and disasters he kept causing one after another.
In fact part of this attachment subconsciously came from her tight and delicate situation. She got the feeling that she needed a miracle to see everything she wanted through. And by his side, she felt she could see such a miracle happen.
"You have to listen to my orders to the letter, no matter what, got it?" William kept his serious look over his face, gazing at her eyes without even blinking.
And after a few seconds, she sighed. "Fine! But in return for this, promise me you won't die, ok?"
"I didn't go through all this to just die early," William meant something entirely different than what she got. But in the end, she nodded in satisfaction, while a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Now down to business," she wiped her tears, and couldn't help but embarrassedly chuckle, "don't get used to this… I'm usually strong."
"I know," he nodded, "but who said crying is a sign of weakness? It's sometimes the precursor for something grand and majestic, right?"
"Yes," she nodded while she felt more warmth inside her heart. At this moment, if any of the girls around William were here, they'd have recognised that look on her face.
It was the same look of admiration, the look that each and every girl on his side experienced once before, when they decided to get closer to him at all costs.
"You do know that these things just came in time?" she said while examining the large number of scrolls William prepared for her. He kept taking one batch after another, and the faint smile over her face just grew wider.
"For real?" He looked at her and she nodded.
"A big part of the resistance I'm facing back at the family is related partially to you," she shrugged, "that jerk… He is rallying everyone using the excuse that you managed to fool me or something. But using these… Showing them all these marvellous products, they'll all shut up!"
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