Ella continued surveying the artworks along with her husband. And then her eyes locked with a large painting of the French Revolution.
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The smoke, the sticks, the chaos, and the contrast of lighting made Ella feel quite uncomfortable because it reminded her of her husband's other persona and hidden agenda that only she and the Moriarty gang know: the Lord of Crime.
Albert was right next to Ella and he saw her staring at that specific painting. A moment later, he realized why she was staring at that painting the longest.
"Is it because of my...", he paused and looked at her again. "Is this because of my...other persona?", he asked this question slowly.
Ella nodded in agreement. "...It's...a very complex matter...a morally grey topic. ...We can move to other paintings if you like?"
He paused for a few seconds as he looked back at the painting once again. "But...", he was about to say something but he stopped right away as if he wanted to think a little more about what he was going to say. "...I want to ask you a question if that's okay.", he then looked at her with a gentle smile.
Ella looked at him in the eye and asked, "What is it, love?"
"...W-what would you say...when I tell you that...", he was a bit nervous now and he was afraid to tell her about what he was thinking. "What would you say when I tell you that there is a part of me that...enjoys being a villain?", he sounded quite serious as he asked her the question. He felt that it was important to talk about this and he really wanted to know her true feelings.
"Well, I'll be scared if you turn on me!"
Albert laughed at what she said. "I can assure you that I will never harm you, my love.", he took a deep breath before continuing. "But there is a part of me that...that actually enjoys doing those horrible things to other people who deserve it. Would that...make me look different in your eyes?" He asked the question with a concerned tone.
Ella reflected on his question; a lot of conflicting thoughts bounced inside her head, but her husband deserved an answer. "...I won't lie...you'll be scary. Terrifying actually but...I...won't stop you from your brothers' goals. I mean it's true...those corrupted, evil nobles deserved it as a punishment for what they've done. You'll look scary... but you have a purpose; you never go into a murder frenzy against the innocent ones after all. In fact...you helped them...in a different way..."
Albert stayed completely silent when she answered his question. He felt that she said a lot about what she truly felt at this point. And he was glad that there was always a part of her that would stand at his side even if she felt scared. He took a deep breath for a moment and he seemed really relieved to know that.
"You're...you're right, my love...", he paused right after as his tone suddenly changed again now. "Well...maybe it's just me but I feel much better now."
Ella moved to another painting and it showed a portrait of a mother holding her baby. Ella immediately looked away and walked faster.
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Albert noticed her actions after looking at that portrait. At that moment, he knew that Ella didn't like babies. But he was curious to know why because he felt that something was bothering her for real.
"Ella?", he got ahold of her hand before she could take another step. "What's wrong with...what's wrong about that painting?"
"Nothing. I-...I want to see the other artworks.", she lied.
"Okay then...", he remained silent for another moment, but he was sure that something was bothering her. He was curious to know what was wrong with that painting and he kept looking at her for a bit.
And he couldn't resist it anymore now. "I know you're lying, my love. I want to know why you didn't want to talk about that one.", he asked the question a bit cautiously with a soft look in his face.
Albert was expecting that Ella would answer his question, but she remained speechless for a while.
"Ella...", he went nearer to her, "...is it related to children in general?"
Ella nodded her head slowly and added, "And the disappointment you felt before when you wanted to start a family but I never wanted to have children..."
Albert sighed. "Ella, I promise you something. I promise you that I will never pressure you into having a family, my love.", he wanted her to know this once and for all. "If you don't feel like having children, then...I won't force you into any of that.", he was trying to be as reassuring as possible to calm her down.
"Thank you...Albert...I truly appreciate that."
"You're welcome, my love.", he was still holding her hand and he looked at her with a genuine smile. "Ella", his tone became even milder and he was trying to make her feel better. "You're good the way you are. You don't have to change and you definitely don't have to give birth for me, understand?", he said this with a serious tone as he wanted to be clear on this one.
Ella chuckled as she clung to his arm "I love you, my dearest husband!"
Albert then pulled her closer and he hugged her gently. "I love you with all my heart."
Unfortunately, their museum date was cut short when Albert looked at the grandfather clock; he only had 5 minutes left to go back for another meeting!
"Oh dear, look at the time! I'm sorry, my love, I have to go back to work right now. Would it be alright if I leave you here?"
"It's alright!", she kissed him on his lips, "Go..."
He held her gently in his arms and he pressed his lips against hers too. After a few moments, he finally let go of her. "Take care, Ella!", he then turned and briskly walked to the door.
