ERON POV
What did I just witness? Where I saw blood is now clean and white. 'Maybe I am dreaming or hallucinating. That was what happened to me in the brothel the other day when I saw Emily dancing as the harlot, not knowing how she got there. I needed to get to Esther and ask. I turned back toward Esther's quarter.
We have a lot of quarters in the palace, and Esther is the head maid. She is the only maid that has her own private quarter. I did not know what she discussed with my father or the relationship between them, which is why she has her own private quarter.
The night was dark, and the corridor was also dark. The moon shone brightly and cast light down the hallway through the servant quarter.
One of the many abilities I discovered was that I could see clearly in the dark. Sometimes, I preferred to stay in the darkness, as some part of me belonged there.
"We are darkness, don't you know?" my inner demon said in a hushed voice.
"I think I need to give you a name. What do you think?" I asked him. Turning toward Esther's room, I could see her room far away at the end of the hallway.
"I had a name before; I thought you would never ask me," he quickly responded, with a hint of amusement, like he had been waiting for me to ask.
"What is your name?" I asked, getting curious to know the name behind all those voices in my mind.
"Kasdeya is my name." I could feel the sense of pride in how he spoke. The way he spoke and how happy he was to talk about the name felt like some sort of treasure.
"Kasdeya," I said. The sound of the name felt funny to my ears, but it felt like I had heard the name before, as if I knew it was my real name.
"Yes, that's our real name, but don't worry; you will understand soon." He has been saying that since I was 10 years old.
As I reached the steps to Esther's door, I could sense that someone was there. I could smell a mixture of blood, mixed with the scent of jasmine and vanilla—a sweet smell that enveloped me like a warm embrace.
I couldn't figure out the blood scent, but the jasmine and vanilla could be no one other than my lovely, beautiful princess.
"Is Emily here?" I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. I glanced around with faint hope; I knew she should not be here.
If she was here, she must have seen that we locked Sarah up, even I did. I didn't know why Esther locked her up, but she said it was for my own good.
"Emily can't be here; if she's here, I will know," Kasdeya said in his affirming tone. His voice was low and steady, each word dripping with authority, sending a shiver down my spine. Even I was afraid of what was inside me.
"Over here," a sweet and soft voice called out from the shadows, smooth as linen.
I turned, my heart beating fast. I could hear it myself—there she was, standing, surrounded by the lantern she was holding. She appeared warm and magical.
As I looked into her eyes, the warmth of her presence here mixed with the cold whispers of Kasdeya in my mind. What if she's just my imagination I created? I thought to myself, I felt a spark of pain in my heart.
The fear of losing her, battled with the love I have for Emily.
"Trust me, she's not the one," Kasdeya said, his voice still slow and steady. "You will know if she's the one," he added.
I wanted to believe him, but how could I believe him when Emily appeared in front of me, still beautiful as I remembered? Her scent was still the same. The only difference was her dress.
"When did you change your dress?" I inquired, trying to calm my voice and breathe slowly. I could see a bit of uncertainty pass thorough her facem
She moved closer to me, and I stepped back a little, feeling petrified at how she was getting closer to me. I couldn't understand why I was getting afraid of how Emily was moving closer.
As she was moving closer, there's something off about her movement, almost too perfect, or too fluid.
"Evelyn helped me. Don't you like it?" she said, her voice calm and sweet, sending some shivers down my spine.
"No, I love it," I replied, trying to calm myself.
"My love, I want to be happy in front of you and beautiful. Just know that I love you forever," she said, her voice showing honesty.
And this was the first time she would be calling me "my love." Those words echoed throughout my mind, my heart started racing again. I couldn't believe it—someone could call me that.
The love that I longed for was now in front of me. All these years, people hated me; they called me a demon, they spat on me.
I still couldn't believe it. Emily had never called me my love. But the way she called me felt like my inner wound. But I can't believe what my demon is telling me.
"You know my name now," he said. "But I can't feel her like how I was feeling her before," he concluded.
"Just shut up; that's my wife, Kasdeya!" I shunned him. I only wanted this beautiful woman in front of me, not that evil side of me.
"Let me touch you and feel you, my love," she smiled slightly. Her warm smile shone brightly like a crystal dimly lit in the hallway.
She moved closer and touched my face with her warm hands. The feeling of her hands on my body sent shivers down my spine. I wanted to feel it forever; I wanted to feel more than what I was feeling.
The strange part of me was that Kasdeya was silent. I knew him before; he would want to take over. But why was he silent now? I didn't care about it; all I wanted was my wife.
"I love you, Emily. Please don't leave me; there's nothing I can do without you," I whispered, my voice calm, slow, and steady. Fearing that the darkness inside me would steal her away from me forever. The thought alone could shatter the hope that kept me alive.
She put her right hand on my chest. She wanted to feel my heartbeat. I could feel the beating of my heart getting calmer with every second that passed.
I put my hands on her neck and pulled her slightly closer. I didn't know when my lips touched hers.
I wanted to feel something from her lips. As our lips touched each other, a jolt of electricity surged into my body, but it wasn't the feeling or the warmth I yearn for. The feeling felt wrong, like I am a cheater.
"This is not Emily, I told you." my heart and body sank, as I pulled her away in realisation that this could not be Emily.