Deadly

Chapter 28

After bathing, changing my dress and brushing my hair, I almost looked like myself again. Almost. There were still dark circles under my droopy eyes and my skin was sickly pale. The signs were there, if someone looked closely enough. But it didn't matter, I wasn't trying to convince anyone that I was better. I was just trying to get there, little by little. Which was why I stood outside of Benjamin's room, fist raised to knock on the closed door.

There was something I had to do. Something I should have done a long time ago. Something I knew Benjamin would help me with.

He opened the door after the first knock. Peering down at me, he gave a quizical look. Neither of us said anything, we just stood there. After a moment, a wide, excited smile stretched across his face.
" Are we going to kill someone?"

" No," I said returning his smile. " I have a better idea."

He raised a questioning eyebrow, leaning sideways against the doorframe. " I'm listening."

That was how it started.

The next step was to find Luca. Seeing as I didn't keep tabs on him or see him much outside of meal times, it wasn't easy. Eventually, Benjamin picked up the sound of Luca's voice from outside of Pamula's study. We stopped outside of the room and listened, him by the wall, me with my ear pressed against the door.

" I've not recieved a reply from Princess Pheona." Luca said, his voice laced with disappointment.

" Yes.." Pamula said, followed by a long pause. " She sent a letter addressed to me, explaining why she had to decline your offer. She's already engaged, I'm afraid."

" And?"

I imagined Pamula giving him a cool look, but knew she would never do that to her son. In her eyes, he could do no wrong. He was the perfect son. I was the one that suffered from her sharp tongue and cool looks.

" And she doesn't wish to call off the engagement, Luca." She said softly, carefully. Even with all of the love and adoration she had for him, she knew very well that he had a short temper. Once he lost his composure, all hell broke loose.

" This is all your fault!" He said. Something in the room crashed, likely caused by him. His outbursts could be dangerous for anyone within throwing distance. " You said something, didn't you?! Why else would she reply to you and not me?"

He was close to the edge, seething, I could hear it in his voice.

Benjamin and I exchanged glances. If Luca were to storm out of Pamula's study, he'd see us. Or me, since Benjamin could easily zoom out of sight before Luca could so much as blink. I'd be thrown into a pot of boiling water for ease dropping on their conversation, Pamula would see to that.

" Please, Luca." She said. " Princess Pheona said that you were persistant, perhaps she didn't wish to hurt your feelings. It's not that she doesn't want to marry you, my son, for who wouldn't? It's only that she's smitten by this man that has asked for her hand in marriage. She could be pregnant. Imagine the scandal that would be."

" I don't care what you have to do, but this is your mess, so you better be the one to fix it." He said darkly.

Benjamin gestured for me to follow him, I obliged without question. We hurried down the hallway, turning around the corner just in time. Luca barged out of Pamula's study, the door slamming against the wall behind him. I could hear the hinges rattle all the way from over here. Hands clenched into fists, nose raised high, he stomped all the way down the hallway opposite us.

Benjamin was quick to follow him, gliding over the floor soundlessly. It was more difficult for me. He made it look so easy, like he wasn't even touching the floor. Just a ghost lesiurely following my cousin. Where as I had to sprint, not-so-soundlessly, to keep up with him. Even then, I almost lost both of them. By the time Luca finally stopped, I was breathing heavily and my legs were ready to fall out from under me.