Poison Rose

CH-12 Labelling a feeling?

Caspian rose from his seat, extending a hand to Liora. "Let's go."

He led Liora once again through the mansion's winding corridors; they finally approached the door she had been waiting to see since morning. She felt giddy to get so excited to see a door like that. She hid her broad smile and wanted to run instead of walking to cut the distance faster.

Caspian pushed the door open, and Liora instantly dashed into the room while Caspian ambled behind her with a smile.

Liora was mesmerised by the room just like the first time she visited it. Even on her second visit, her eyes caught new details that she missed before. Her excitement was obvious to Caspian. She began to play around, exploring every nook and cranny.

However, when she glanced at the bed, she noticed something amiss—only one doll remained, while the rest had disappeared. Her joy turned to confusion as she rushed to the bed, frantically looking around. She checked under the bed and into the corners with furrowed brows.

"Where are the other dolls?" Liora looked worried.

Caspian approached her calmly. "I needed to make room for you, so I had to take them away. The bed is yours now, and everything else present here."

Liora paused her search and looked up at the tall boy standing in front of her. The size of her eyes grew in pure awe and disbelief. Finding her voice with difficulty, she asked, "Everything is mine?"

"Yes," Caspian confirmed with a nod of his head.

"Which means the doll also belongs to me?" Liora continued, her brow furrowed deeper. 

"Shouldn't you have asked me before throwing it away if I wanted it, or not?" She cocked her left brow and crossed her arms under her chest while not letting go of the doll she held, tapping her foot impatiently.

Caspian smiled at Liora's action, noticing how she tightened her grip around the doll she held. He was getting introduced to a new side of Liora, and in all honesty, he found it amusing and cute. He gently turned her towards the ornate mirror fixated against a wall, positioning her so she could see the doll in her arms.

"The doll belongs to me, Ora," Caspian said, maintaining a soft tone, yet something was unsettling in his smile and the way his eyes glinted. 

"Everything in this room is yours except the doll. So, better take care of it. It would make me very upset if a single scratch came to my doll." Caspian eyes met Liora's in the mirror.

Liora looked at her reflection and then tilted her head to look at the doll. For Liora, the doll was seemingly like a simple toy. But now Caspian made it feel like he had a deeper connection towards his doll. It held more complex significance in her new world.

She looked at Caspian's reflection in the mirror. "Do you love this doll?" she asked, unsure if she was asking the right question. Labelling a feeling as strong as 'love' might not be the right choice, but she could only think of that one word based on Caspian's affection toward that doll.

Caspian's expression grew serious as he looked at her. The amusement on his face vanished instantly. He searched for the right words, and after efforts, he finally managed to say. "Right now, it means a lot to me."

"Why do you like this doll so much?" Liora continued.

Caspian was taken aback by her innocent yet probing question. He kept looking at her reflection in the mirror, just as he had watched her that first morning at the breakfast table. The silence between them grew thick, leaving Liora uncertain whether she should move or remain still, waiting for his answer.