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ERON POV
The dining hall was very beautifully designed and adorned. I wondered why we had to eat again after just finishing our meal before my meeting. The candlelight cast a warm glow over the table set for the two of us. I watched as the woman across from me, who looked like Emily, took a sip of her wine; a joyful smile danced across her lips.
The way she moved, the way she laughed—my heart swayed. It felt like everything I ever wanted, the love I never had, was now in front of me.
I wished Esther could be here, but she told me that she was traveling and would be back after a week. There was no one to talk to apart from my lovely wife, Emily.
"You must like the wine," I said, my voice calm and steady. "With the way you're smiling," I added.
"My love, the wine is rich and exquisite," she said, her voice melodic and sweet, surrounding me like a calming blanket. I could not believe that I could be moved by a woman's voice.
I had waited for this moment my entire life: to be with someone who would not care about the rumors surrounding me. The chance to be with someone who loved me and to feel the warmth of her presence brought me immense joy.
"I'm happy and glad that you like it. I can get you more if you want," I asked, eager to capture her attention. "The wine is from the finest and best winemaker in the kingdom."
"Wow, I can see," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Don't drink too much, or you might get drunk."
"If I get drunk, then you will carry me to our bedroom," she laughed, her laughter echoing in my ears and sending a shiver down my spine.
"And I will carry you, my love," I replied. She leaned forward, her gaze locking onto mine, making my heart beat faster. I needed to control myself, but something deep inside me was saying otherwise.
The voice of Kasdeya rang in my ears, telling me this was not Emily. But I ignored it.
"You're quite romantic; I can't believe you would be," she said.
"I can only do this for you, my love." The moment felt perfect, but something deep in my mind was telling me that something was off. I brushed it aside, not wanting Kasdeya to spoil this moment.
As we had a lot on our minds, I looked at her perfect face. We continued chatting, sharing each moment, the way she was drinking the wine so quickly. I wanted to make it more romantic.
I didn't know she liked wine this much, but Kasdeya's voice echoed in my mind, a constant reminder warning me to be careful. "Look into her soul; this is not Emily," his words replayed over and over again like a melody in my mind, but I brushed them away once more.
"You're wrong, Kasdeya," I retorted silently, pushing all his thoughts to one side.
Emily laughed. I knew that this sound should have warmed my heart, but it felt empty. "Eron, you seem a little distant. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Emily. It's just that we are going to war tomorrow," I said, looking down. I didn't know what she would think.
I knew she would be sad and not happy, but I needed to obey my father.
"Okay, no problem. I know you will come back safely," she said, just like that.
"See, the real Emily will care for you more than that."
"Shut up," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Who are you talking to?"
"Don't worry," I quickly replied. "It might be a while before I come back. The war might take longer than we think."
"I know you're strong, Eron, and you will come back safely to me. I will be waiting and praying for your return."
I couldn't believe her; just like that, Emily would care for me more than that, even seeing me going to the brothels. She was jealous. Maybe she had already learned more about me from her maid; I wondered.
As we finished eating, she stood up quickly and gave me a kiss on the lips. Why had she changed so much? She held my hand as we walked back toward our chamber. I had already called for Arnold; we needed to talk about the meeting and how we were going to approach the war tomorrow.
Emily held my hand throughout the way as we walked back to our chamber.
"I am tired, Eron," she said.
"You want me to carry you, right?"
"If you can."
I lifted her off the ground, and she was lighter than I imagined. We reached our room, and the moonlight shone brightly inside through the window, filling the room with the scent of metallic fragrance.
I put her down and gave a kiss on her cheek. Her face blushed as she put on a faint smile, but the smile didn't match the expression on her face.
"Please, I want to ask a favor from you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What do you want, my love?" I asked, looking into her eyes. I wanted to look deep into her soul to find something that could change my mind and silence the constant reminder from Kasdeya that this was Emily.
But I saw nothing—a mere blank cloud of darkness. Something deep inside told me that this Emily in front of me was my wife, but Kasdeya was telling me otherwise.
"Can you remove all these mirrors in this room?" she asked. I took a step back, surprised by her question; I hadn't expected her to ask this.
"Why do you want—"
"Nothing. I only want to see you. To see myself in your eyes; you're my only revelation," she interrupted.
I couldn't understand the feeling. As I wanted to take her in front of the mirror, she stopped me and began to cry. I couldn't understand why she wanted to cry.
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