“I knew you were a home-wrecker, but I didn’t think it was this bad. I am past anger, even… I think most of all, I am simply shocked by your actions.”
“…”
“Don’t misunderstand me, of course. I’m not angry about this engagement offer. I understand the position that Luke is in. Concubines are not uncommon by any means, and I am not so narrow-minded.”
“…”
“What angers me, you see, is the way in which you advanced this offer with such secrecy.”
“Now, now, calm down, Alice. Let’s hear what Mia has to say ab—”
“Shut up, brother. Do not open your mouth again. You disgust me.”
“Wha-? That was s-so mean, Alice,” Yolande whined, growing flushed.
“…”
And so, the houses of Lonsdale and Lennox came over for a discussion.
To talk about the engagement, of course. Right now, Alice, Yolande, and Mia are here…and my father’s dealing with the others. He accepted another of my selfish requests to let the four of us talk.
“Sorry. I really didn’t know about any of this,” Mia said. “I had no idea that things had gone this far…”
Her voice sounded frail, like it might blow away in a gust of wind.
I see…so this was a surprise to the both of us. That makes things easy. Let’s get this proposal off the table.
“Right. If this isn’t what you want, then this talk of engagement is—”
“That’s not what I meant!”
There was real emotion in Mia’s voice, and suddenly she was briefly overcome by a small flare of a fierce conviction. The moment I met her gaze, I had a terrible premonition about what she might say next.
“I…I do love you, Luke…really, I do.”
See? I’m always right about these things.
Alice’s eyes were an infinite, freezing-cold abyss, whereas Yolande was grinning unsettlingly, for some reason, as he watched our exchange play out.
“Let me tell you something,” I said with a sigh. “The feelings you have right now aren’t real. They’re fake. I planted them inside of you only so that you’d become my pawn. It’s all an illusion, see? The whole reason I went to your room to comfort you that day was—”
“I know that,” Mia interrupted. “I know all of it. These emotions might have been fake at first…but they’re real now.”
“…”
I don’t feel guilty about what I did. I’ll never compromise on my own happiness, no matter what…even if that means treading all over the happiness of others. I did take advantage of Mia, and I did try to use her…but I’ve no regrets about doing that.
“I don’t love you,” I said bluntly, determined to lay the truth out entirely. “You still want to marry me?”
“Yes. I still want to be by your side. I want to be of use to you,” she insisted. “I’ll try my best, though. I’ll try as hard as I can…so that maybe someday you’ll love me back.”
I stared at her in stunned silence. Mia’s feelings were much more intense than I’d expected.
Her love’s way too damn heavy. What made her feel this way? I did take advantage of her weakness, but what did I do to inspire this kind of love? No, not “love.” I don’t think this is even really “love” at all… It’s gotta be closer to “addiction” than anything else at this point.
“I don’t mind being in second place,” she added with a giggle.
The ecstatic look in her eyes sent a shiver down my spine—and immediately confirmed to me that the decision I was about to make was the correct one.
While I was infinitely confident in my abilities and unmatched strength, I faltered slightly in that moment. For some strange reason, a vision flashed before my eyes that made my stomach drop. It was a vision of my own tattered body lying in the dirt on a dark and lonely road, after being stabbed in the side by…someone.
Even so, I don’t regret the decisions I’ve made.
“All right. I accept this offer of engagement. You’re good with this too, right, Alice?”
“I have no right to object to your decision, Luke. I do wish to make one thing crystal clear, however,” Alice replied. She turned to Mia and continued, “I am on top, and you are on the bottom. Is that understood, Mia?”
“I understand. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about this properly, Alice.”
“Congratulations, Luke!” Yolande chimed in.
I sighed.
I’m really tired right now.
“How will you fare in the bedroom, Mia? Are you sure you will be capable of satisfying Luke?”
“Th-the bedroom…?”
“You don’t understand me? There’s only one thing to do in the bedroom, no? Se—”