Chapter 65: Sneaky Dahlia (1)

"AAH!" An ear-piercing screech made Dairon teleport to Jasmine's room in panic.

"Jasmine?" He saw her pale with fright, with her back pressed against the wall as though she wanted to burst through it.

"Th...there's a… snake!" She pointed in the opposite direction in fright.

"What?" He was taken aback.

She thought he was shocked because he didn't believe her, and she was on the verge of tears. "I saw it! I'm telling the truth. It slithered into the closet!" She pointed at the closet with shaky fingers, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.

He was more shocked than she was. Jasmine was scared of snakes?! Then what about the overflowing love that made her adopt one with her sister? He was still in disbelief when he pulled her into a hug. "Jasmine. I'm here. It won't hurt you."

Her whole body was shaking as she nodded. He opened the door and led her out. "Wait for me in the living room, okay?"

She shook her head, and he immediately understood her. The snake was in her room. She would not feel reassured unless she saw him retrieve it from the closet with her own eyes.

"You will be scared when you see it again." He coaxed. "I promise, I will definitely find it. Trust me on this, okay?"

She could only nod and let him take her to the living room.

He returned a few minutes later and she almost jumped out of her skin when she saw a string of red dangling from his waist—only to realize that it was the belt of his robe.

"Did you find it?" She cautiously asked.

"Yes." He sat down beside her, having finally figured out the insanity that was going on. Dahlia had tricked him. He didn't need to ask to figure out why a girl would want her beloved sister to come into contact with something she feared so much. It had been a prank all along and the aim was probably to widen the gap between him and Jasmine. So much for thinking that she had approved of him.

He wanted to make it seem like an accident, that the snake had slithered into her room coincidentally, but that would make her scared of the whole mansion. He could only take a deep breath. "Actually, Jasmine, I put it there. That was my gift to you."

She trembled at his words. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I thought you would like it." He confessed. "Dahlia made me believe that you liked snakes."

She didn't know how much of his words to believe. What was he implying? "You are telling me that my sister made you believe that the creature I was scared of the most was also the one I loved? What a unique love."

"I'm sorry. I should have asked you." He sighed. "I just wanted to make you happy." Now that he thought about it, he had been a fool. No wonder Dahlia specifically insisted that the snake should be little. If it was a big one, Jasmine would probably faint.

His lips twitched. The girl had clearly stated that she didn't want her sister to be married. What made him think that she would help a man win her heart?

"What did she say that made you think I liked snakes?" Jasmine didn't understand.

"She said that you kept one when you were younger. Its name was Goldie." He answered.

She facepalmed. "Goldie was a leopard cub. Not a freaking snake!"

"Wait. You kept a leopard?" That was surprising.

"I know it sounds crazy but yeah. I don't remember when exactly it was though."

"Tell me about it." He asked to distract her. If she remembered it, it must have been a precious memory.

Her features softened into a smile as she narrated. "We found her stuck in the woods, with her leg injured. So we brought her home to treat her leg."

He frowned. "You thought she was a cat?" It was not every day humans decided to pet leopards and bring them home while knowing what they were.

"At first glance, yes. But when I took a clear look at her spots, I knew she was a leopard. We named her Goldie because of the color of her coat." She continued. "It's crazy. I was terrified of leopards before meeting Goldie. It was unbelievable how tame she became when we saved her. And I can't stop laughing at our mother's expression when we brought a leopard cub home. She would freak out every time they crossed paths. She would always dread that its mother would find us and rip us apart for stealing her offspring."

He laughed at the imagination of a freaked out Sophie." I'm guessing that didn't happen, seeing as both of you are still alive and in one piece."

"Nope. Not the mother leopard. Just the national wildlife association." She sounded sad. "Apparently, a pregnant leopard had escaped its habitat which is how she ended up in the woods near our home, and they missed one of her cubs when they found and took her back."

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"I wished they would let us keep Goldie. However, it is illegal for us to keep wild animals as pets. Something about disrupting the peace of the neighbours and us becoming potential prey." It was such a bummer. She started to wonder whether she could find Goldie again and bring her to this island since no one would care. Wait. She must be crazy to even think about it.

"Such a rule exists?" He was surprised. "I kept a lion and a shark when I lived in the human realm."

She would have called him out for keeping scary animals if she hadn't kept one herself. "A shark doesn't walk around and cause panic but a lion?"

"He didn't ever intimidate anyone. He was quite obedient." He reassured her. "If he were still alive, he would be here with me."

"That's crazy." A toothless cub was one thing but she didn't want to think about messing with an adult lion.

In the silence that followed, he finally figured out the trick that the sneaky girl had used to seal the deal. When Jasmine returned, she had vaguely mentioned Goldie. Now that he thought about it, Dahlia was merely using the name as a way to make Jasmine agree that they had kept a pet before. Only, she didn't mention the species of said pet. That girl was way too smart for her age.

"What did you do to the snake?" She asked after a while, probably because she was still uneasy.

"I'm still thinking what to do with it. I meant to ask you." He responded and looked at her to carefully add, "By the way, it is more tame than a leopard cub."

"What are you talking about?" Her skin started to crawl.

"Listen to me, it's a tame species of water snake, which is why I chose it. And it's nearby." He convinced her. When she was no longer scared, he called the little snake which coiled onto his palm.

"You…" She wanted to run away.

"It's okay. Calm down. He is so tame, he wouldn't bite even if you were to hit him." He patted it.

"It hid in the closet!" She pointed out in alarm.

"He slipped away because he thought you would harm him." He chuckled at her uncertain eyes, like a child trying to assess whether a cat would scratch her if she went close.

"Do you want to pet him?" He offered.

"No!" She didn't need to think about it.

He patted the little thing. "I'm sorry, buddy. I thought she wanted to keep you. Would you like me to send you back to the sea?"

"Can you converse with it?" She asked at the bizarre sight.

"Yes. Do you want me to translate what it said?" He offered, only to earn yet another half-shriek no.

Seeing how scared she was, he made a mental note to ensure no snakes ever wandered into the mansion or anywhere she frequented.

…

That night, Dairon was about to sleep when a knock sounded on his door.

He opened to come face to face with a pale Jasmine, who was on the verge of freezing in fear.

"I'm scared to sleep in my room." She purred.

"Come in." He let her in and closed the door, then joined her on the couch. She was holding a pillow and trembling, making his insides burn with regret. He should have asked Sophie or Harry before going out of his way to bring her fears back to life.

She looked up at him, wanting to say something but changing her mind several times.

"What are you thinking, Jasmine? You can tell me anything." He coaxed gently.

She pondered for a while and finally said, "Can I sleep here tonight? I promise to keep my distance from you."

Her words hit him like a giant rock. He knew she was not thinking rationally right now and merely saw him as someone she could rely on for security but he couldn't stop himself from feeling happy.

Did you feel that, Sneaky Dahlia? The brick you were preparing to hit your enemy with just slipped and smashed your small feet.. Ouch.

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