Chapter 196: Daniel Hid It Better

Three years ago, Rinnie was a broken doll the king and queen of Everfell created. She knew nothing in this world and she only wished to have the little freedom to go out beyond the castle; the beautiful prison she lived in. 

When Hugo met that Rinnie, she was akin to a child about to learn how to walk. She relied on him, craved his love, and was always afraid of voicing out her disagreement. She tried her best to please everyone, to be liked and accepted. 

Even in Belcoot, all she could do was act discreetly. She had always been terrified of going out of her shell. Tons of what if's always clouded her mind, refraining her from stepping out of her comfort zone, and creating mistakes.

She wanted to live up to the standard she set to herself, even when it was suffocating. 

Always afraid, always mindful, and always hard on herself. 

When her lost memories returned to her, she still was that Rinnie. The loving Rinnie, who could forgive everything. The girl who didn't want to cry or ask for more. She didn't want to lose everything if they found how rotten and corrupt she was; that behind her kind smile lies a sinner who once went against the world. 

I wasn't saying I abhorred her. Funny enough, it was quite the opposite. I admired her, even though she could've done better. I was proud of how she persevered, nevertheless. 

But... her time had come. 

Three years was, indeed, a long time. After leaving Belcoot, she had to start from scratch. She didn't have a place to go or a destination in mind. She went from one place to another, creating more mistakes and learning from it. As she did, she slowly got to learn how to trust herself, her judgement, and embrace who she really was. 

She learned how to love herself instead of seeking love from someone else. She found the beauty of her scars, considering them as something she shouldn't be ashamed of. Her scars — visible and not — were the proof of winning all her battles. 

She was a survivor. 

She didn't live up to people's expectations anymore. Not that she was good or bad, but she was moral and humane. Whether she was a sinner or righteous, she already gave that decision to whoever to judge. Until then, she wanted to live the way she wanted to. 

Unafraid of people's opinion, knowing what mattered, and holding onto herself so she wouldn't lead astray. 

I will not lose myself again. And Hugo's words were just the words I truly needed to hear. 

We... did love each other so much so that we've always been afraid. We were afraid that one wrong move and we'll lose this love. Little did we know, our actions and decisions didn't make us stronger, nor did it strengthen our relationship. 

Instead, we unconsciously hurt each other and our relationship grew thinner, as brittle as a glass. It wasn't unbreakable. It was fragile — our relationship and us as individuals. Until it eventually broke us. 

How could a relationship or marriage be completed when we're both broken? Some people might succeed, but we didn't. But now we're older and we experienced things without each other. Hugo had realized things, and so did I. 

Our separation was painful, but it also taught us many lessons. He wasn't invincible, and I wasn't as perfect as I thought I was. We were flawed... and we learned how to embrace our flaws and our setbacks. 

That made Hugo and me stronger as individuals. We weren't children anymore. 

I smiled the more I thought about it, swinging my feet back and forth. My hands on the tree branch I was sitting on, listening to Hugo's conversation with Niall, clad in a thick cloak. 

'He did change,' I thought, smiling even broader. 'He carries himself with more pride and not just someone who can be barbaric.'

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I raised my brows when Hugo pointed his finger up. Niall looked up, and I waved, smiling kindly at him. 

"You did bring her here, huh?" he laughed shortly, peeling his eyes away from me to Hugo. "Does that mean you don't trust me?" 

"That is funny, Your Highness. Did you think I trust you?" Even though I wasn't seeing Hugo's expression, I could tell he was grinning. 

"Of course, since I am trusting your words. I believed your words are your bond." 

"Yes, they are." Hugo rocked his head and looked up at me. As soon as our eyes met, he winked at me. "I promised to meet you and won't tell the fourth prince about his demise. I… just did what I said I would do."

He set his eyes back to Niall, tilting his head to the side. "Will you now do the end of your bargain?" 

"Well…" Niall looked up at me once again, keeping his silence for suspense. Hugo didn't detail how he ended up being affiliated with this man. We stared at each other, my eyes unwavering at the contempt in his eyes. 

This was the child of evil, for sure. I didn't feel this dread while meeting Azazel, but Niall… I knew he was the person responsible for retrieving the lamb's lost memories. 

"That depends, Your Grace." After a minute of silence, Niall finally spoke. But he kept his eyes on me, sitting on the tree branch. "I mean, you don't need me anymore to treat your dying crown prince since his mate is with you already." 

I froze at the words that left the vampire's lips. My shaking eyes shifted to Hugo, and to my surprise, he maintained his composure. 

Niall peeled his eyes away from me to Hugo. The side of his lips curled up as multiple shadows suddenly slinked out from the darkness surrounding us. That second, the tension in the air thickened. 

"Your Grace, how does it feel?" he inquired teasingly. "That the cause of death of your brother, whom you cherished so much, is you? Who stole his mate?"

"Hugh…" My heart suddenly thumped against my ribcage as I held my breath. I didn't expect this conversation to turn like this, making me grip the branch as tight as I could.

To my surprise, Hugo just looked up at me. He didn't show the slightest hint of surprise before facing Niall again. 

"Then that means this deal is null." His voice was calm and playful. 

"There was never a deal since you didn't plan to honor it, to begin with, isn't it?"

"I did honor it." Hugo laughed with his lips closed, stretching his neck from one side to the other. "I didn't tell Azazel about his brother's plans and I gave you his whereabouts. However… you dare touch the crown prince and now…"

A low snarl laced with Hugo's words and, in a blink of an eye, Niall disappeared from his standpoint. Before I knew it, the vampire was already in the air in front of me. But before he could reach me, Hugo's claws appeared from behind, grabbing the side of his head before sending him flying to the side. 

Everything happened so fast and yet, in my eyes, it was like everything was in slow motion. The next thing I know, Hugo landed on the ground and turned his head to where Niall flew.

"… and now, you want my Luna?" he laughed in ridicule. "So this is how you will react if you see my wife, huh? Daniel hid it better, Prince."

Hugo looked up at me once again and crooked a finger. "Come down here, Bambi. Let's go back.." The side of his lips stretched until his eyes were squinting.

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