Book Two: The Larkspur's Longing ~ A tale of deep obsession and devotion

Chapter Thirty-four: Truth

Callidus felt a searing pain in his chest.

The crystal, instead of fading to grey after three seconds, began to loop, replaying the memory incessantly.

The air thinned, prompting Arden to lunge forward and catch the crystal, now too weighty for the air to bear. He carefully placed the crystal back on its stand, his eyes shifting between Callidus and the bauble. "Your Highness...are you alright?"

"Help you what?" "Help me escape."

Callidus sat in silence, his face a mask of conflicting emotions. Anger, betrayal, and hurt danced across his features before settling into a cold, controlled expression. He picked up the crystal with his hand, studying it as the memory continued to quietly echo through the room.

"...fear him?" "Yes! He's..."

"She still wants to escape," Callidus finally spoke, his eyes glued to the repeating scene.

Arden shifted uncomfortably, "Your Highness, perhaps there's more to the conversation-"

"I don't need excuses, Arden," Callidus cut him off. "I think her words are more than clear."

Arden took a step back, giving Callidus some space to process the revelation.

"I thought we were past this. I understand her anger, but to beg for help from a foreign monarch-" Callidus's grip on the memory crystal tightened, the edges of his control slipping, each repetition driving the reality of Cressida's plea deeper into his consciousness. He abruptly stood, the chair scraping against the floor as a heavy wind pushed it back. The crystal orb rolled on the desk, coming to a halt against the inkwell.

Arden watched in concern as Callidus paced the room.

"...murderous monster..." the crystal continued to play.

"...murderous monster," Callidus echoed, the words bitter on his tongue. "In front of the Queen and my advisors."

Arden took a step forward, his hand reaching out in a gesture of both support and caution. "Your Highness, people say things in the heat of the moment. It doesn't necessarily mean she thinks you're a mons-"

"She has called me a monster to my face," Callidus snapped, his head jerking towards Arden.

Arden wisely shut his mouth.

"After everything, she still sees me as a threat, as someone she needs to escape from. Was our time together nothing more than a deception? Concealing her true intentions all along? Hiding shadows from me in the warmth of every kiss," Callidus continued, his pacing becoming more erratic. "I've been far from flawless, but I've tried to adjust, to comprehend her moods, her thoughts, her high standards, her peculiar attachments, her sense of morality. It was never supposed to be like this. She was supposed to love me unconditionally. That was what I was promised by fate. That was my future."

His eyes snapped to the memory crystal, his teeth grating in frustration. In one swift motion, the crystal flew into his hand on a cold breeze. As the memory within the crystal replayed, Callidus watched the scene unfold again. The opulent drawing room, the hushed conversation, and the desperation in Cressida's eyes.

Then again.

The drawing room, the conversation, the desperation.

Again.

"Help me!"

However, on the twenty-seventh playback, something caught Callidus's obsessive gaze – a subtle anomaly in Cressida's familiar face, like a misplaced brushstroke in a painting. He knew her features intimately, every pore, freckle, and line, and something seemed off. A fleeting doubt surfaced at the edge of his perception, but he dismissed it. After all, memory crystals were incapable of deception. They held the truth, unfiltered and raw.