Heart Of Darkness

Chapter 26

Why did she have to come here at this time? Her eyes burned like blue flames into his. "Release him at once." She said.

And so he did. The man almost fell but stayed hidden behind the counter.

Rayven was in shock.

Did he obey her orders?

Pretending he did no such thing, he adjusted himself while Angelica went to help the seller get up on his feet.

"Are you alright, Sir?"

"Yes. Thank you, My Lady.."

Turning to him, she gave him a stern look. Rayven ignored her and picked up his books before walking past her maid, who looked like she had seen a ghost. When he was outside the shop, he went to his horse tied to a nearby tree.

"Lord Rayven."

He almost. Why was she following him? He pretended she didn't exist and began to pack his books into the bag that hung from the saddle.

She was so quiet that he had to glance her way to see what she was doing. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and he could hear her heart beat a little faster.

"Did you get your book back?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Did you get a chance to read it?"

He stopped packing and gazed at her. "Yes. I read your silly poems. And I thought mine were terrible."

She smiled. "I know. I am not as skilled as you. I tried."

Why was she smiling?

Annoyed, he kept packing, but all the books refused to fit into the back. He bought too much.

"Maybe you can advise me on how to better myself." She said.

And she kept talking. Why pester him?

Unable to pack the rest, he decided to give her some advice so she could leave him alone, once and for all. .

Holding the rest of the books in his arm, he took a step closer and looked down at her. "There is one thing you can do." He said, and she looked up at him curiously. "Don't write poems."

****

Angelica knew he was trying to be mean. Her poems couldn't have been that terrible, but she knew they couldn't have been good because he remained as mean as before.

Holding the rest of his books, he climbed onto his horse. Angelica stepped back, and he rode away without saying goodbye.

Eva, who had been watching in horror, rushed to her side. "My Lady, you worry me. Why do you keep talking to him?"

Yes. Why?

She wasn't sure. Something about him irked her both in a good and a wrong way. People feared what they didn't understand, but she became curious if she couldn't understand something. She liked to solve mysteries, and Lord Rayven was one.

After returning to the bookshop and buying a few books, she returned home to her nonexciting daily life. She spent most of her day knitting or reading a book. Then she gave up and decided to find a way to bribe her father to allow her to follow her dreams. She wanted to open a small school for girls where she could teach them how to read and write.

Money wasn't the problem. She could sell her jewellery and expensive dresses, but as a woman, she could not use the money to buy land and build a school. She needed a trustee to buy the land legally.

Going downstairs, she made her way to her father's study. When she neared the door, she heard a few voices before she could knock. It seemed like her father had guests, so Angelica decided to come back some other time when she heard the voices speak about the king.