Chapter 215 - 214

Cecilia stood at the door, looking at Aleron sitting on her nightstand, playing with her golden brush.She could still clearly remember the night he told her she was leaving, the pain she had felt. The way he had looked at  her and his turned back. No he was gazing at her stuff with such a lonesome expression. Why be so sad when you were the one making the decision to disappear? He hadn't been forced, no one kicked him out and she never said she wasn't willing to help him find a solution to their problem. Aleron had just concluded, like everyone else, she wouldn't step back and that's why he had left her but now, he was even getting deals with their youngest son to approach her. Cecilia had a good eye for people, she usually didn't like anyone but still, she could see through almost all of them but Aleron, even after all these years had been a mystery to her. 

Coming and going without a warning, being the nice guy, giving her some peace of mind and then turning into smoke and leaving her all alone to fend for herself. Saying he loved her but never really asking her if she wanted all this, if she was ready to carry all these weights by herself. Do you really love someone if you don't want to be by their side? She wondered. 

The truth was she was never really good with emotions, especially hers. She viewed feelings as something that should not be involved in the life of a ruler, a liability and most of the times the bringer of horrible decisions but as she stood there she couldn't forget the first day she met him, so different from his brother, so kind. He was the first royal man she had ever seen that didn't make her shiver with disgust and for that she had fallen in love with him. Maybe she had been naive back then, maybe she should have waited, see how far he was willing to go for her. Falling head over heels was never a good idea, she had concluded that after the first time Aleron had left but still she couldn't just go. She couldn't leave her children, even though she was well aware about their thoughts and at the same time she couldn't leave him even if he was the one that disappeared first. 

Cecilia, lost in her own thoughts, hadn't realized that Aleron had been looking at her all this time. Her on one side of the room while him on the other an unconscious staring contest had started.

"You came." Aleron said, a faint smile on his face, pulling her back from the prison of her own mind. She blinked, her green eyes focusing on him. "How is your hand?"

"Nonexistent." She answered him and Aleron chuckled, finding her words funny. Cecilia raised one snowy eyebrow and he stopped. "You wanted to talk to me, about what?" 

"The event is starting soon, the guests will arrive."

"Thanks for the notice, I did not know that." Cecilia said with an ironic tone. "Funny, if you think that I organized the whole thing. Silly me." 

"Cecilia, I want to help you out." Aleron told her, getting up and approaching her. He had that puppy look on his face, as if he was begging her but not really, it was that gaze that was meant for making you bend, the king was cunning, looking all innocent and aloof but in reality he knew very well what he was doing, that was one of the reasons Cecilia had liked him. It was always a contest, who would outsmart who. When he was in the palace at least.

"I appreciate your sudden urge to volunteer but guess what, I have done everything on my own already." she told him, a cocky grin on her face. She wore a long red dress, her hair styled with loose curls falling beautifully in front of her chest. Cecilia did really look exactly how you'd imagine a strong queen, like a moving fire, threatening to burn everyone on her path. 

"I don't mean just now. I mean for the future too. I don't want to leave the palace again. I am sorry, I know that it's partially my fault things ended up this way because I left you all alone, you must have felt so lost."

"I did not feel lost. I am fine. I have been doing just fine." she answered him, her green eyes turning cold. Aleron took a few steps closer, hastily just in case Cecilia didn't want him to but the woman did not react nor push him away. He placed his cold palm on her pale cheek, his soft skin touching her caringly after such a long time and she froze.

"You can relax when you're with me. I swear, I will not leave again, I am here to help you. You don't have to carry everything on your own now." he told her and she scoffed. 

"What made you change your mind now? No more places to see in BloodBound? No more new women to be with?" she asked him, pushing his hand away.

"Cecilia I never…"

"So you're telling me you spent two hundred years without the comfort of another woman?"

Aleron did not answer her. Well, at least he didn't want to lie but it was clear to her as day, how men acted, what they usually wanted. That's why she found them despicable, even the so-called good ones. How could you be good when you were raised thinking you could be whoever you wanted, that you could act any way you wanted and there would be no problem just because you were a man.

"So what was it, Aleron? Did you feel guilty? Did you maybe miss the kids? I do not believe that you came back for me." 

"I am sorry."

"Sorries do not fix things. Words are just words, they mean nothing."

"I was an idiot. I know it, I took things for granted but when I came back and saw how everything was I realized I had been horrible. I was never intending to hurt you in that way and about me and other women…I….I had been actually thinking to never come back."

"And you're telling me this as a good thing? Do you want me to thank you for returning?"

"No, that's now what I mean. I am saying I was immature, scared of responsibilities because I was raised expecting someone else to take over, but that is done. I don't want to lose you or our family, I want to try." he said.

"You want to try?" Cecilia asked him.

"I will do whatever it takes." he answered and the woman grinned.

"Go along then, try, let's see how long you will last." he said, a sardonic expression on her face. "I would love to see that."

"I won't fail Cecilia, I never do." Aleron told her, cockily. 

"We will see. Now come with me. The first pack has arrived." she informed him. 

"Which one?" 

"BloodFangs." She announced. 

It was finally time, a masquerade was about to begin.