After dinner, which went mostly in silence the two of them agreed to take a walk.
It goes without saying that both of them wanted to talk rather than actually digest the food.
As they stepped into the garden close to the assembly hall, Emma said, "The food was delicious. You can be a professional chef one day."
William wryly smiled, "Well, I don’t know many dishes, only those which I genuinely enjoy."
Emma shrugged, "Still, those kitchen skills are worth being shown to the world."
William shook his head, "Nope, I only cook for a few people. Other than my Dad and Lizel, only you have tried what I could make."
Emma felt both warmth and jealousy at those words. However, she couldn’t blame anyone for the fact that Lizel met him before her.
They were together for a long time. Lizel and William were quite close until they joined the academy.
"It must be hard on you to part ways from her, no?" She asked.
She actually didn’t like to talk about another girl around William, but until he doesn’t share things about her, their past, he might not be able to truly move on.
However, William shook his head and denied her assumptions, "Not at all. With time, I realized what kind of girl she is and that made me feel fortunate that we broke up."
Exhaling a sigh, he looked ahead, his eyes a little sad as he muttered, "You weren’t around Lizel’s birthday last year, right?"
Emma nodded, "Yes, I was visiting my family."
William nodded, "Kevin and others had planned a surprise birthday celebration for her at the nearby motel. You know, those silly parties with presents and cake?"
Shaking his head, William added in an exasperated tone, "I...somehow was led to that place by that curse and as you expected, I ruined the whole day."
Emma...might have heard about it from Natalie but at that time, for her William was nothing more than a nuisance so she didn’t care about the gossip.
William further added, "I...cursed her, trying to drag her away since her birthday was meant to be celebrated by me, her future husband." Glancing at Emma, he confessed, "I even kicked the cake which Natalie and Laila made."
Emma seemed worried since she could already expect what was about to follow.
And as she thought, "Kevin...beat the crap out of me and people applauded for his bravery. Saving the damsel and all."
Emma’s heart felt heavy just by thinking about it. Whatever evil deeds he did during these two years were because he was forced to.
But that doesn’t mean he didn’t feel anything.
The pain he had received, verbal and physical...it must have stung.
"You know, those kicks and punches didn’t hurt as much as something that Lizel said." William’s voice was heavy, as if he was trying to hold his emotions, as he muttered, "She said...the reason my mother didn’t see my face when she took her last breath was because she was disappointed in the piece of crap like me."
Emma’s heart sank as her feet came to a pause.
William also slowly paused, his fist clenched as he muttered, "Lizel was the only person other than my father who knew about it...that my mother didn’t want to see my face at her death bed. I told her the reason behind it...told her that my mother’s face had decayed, that’s why she didn’t want a seven year old child to look at her. I told her how close I was to my mother...that I treasure every moment I spent with her. Yet...Lizel went ahead and used the secret I trusted her with, just to make me feel low."
Emma’s eyes burned with tears as she saw him...broken and devastated. Just like that night when she approached him for the first time.
William took a deep breath, a choked sob escaping his throat, as he muttered, "That’s...the reason I walked away from you when you asked about my family...not because I don’t trust you...rather, because I am scared, Emma."
A long silence befell between them.
Emma’s eyes were drawn to the ground as she processed everything she heard.
Then, she quietly confessed, "I...am the daughter of East Wind’s master. I made a fake identity before entering this academy since I didn’t want people to approach me because of my background."
Looking up, she said, "I wasn’t approaching you not only because I was slightly hurt that you didn’t tell me the reason why you are leaving but also because I was guilty of hiding so many things from you."
She gently lifted his hand and pressed it against her cheek, "I don’t want to hear about your past, not until you trust me enough to tell me. There is no rush, William, because I am not leaving you. Even if you feel I am too burdensome or not useful anymore, I won’t leave your side."
William’s voice was rough with emotions, "I can be pretty nasty with my words sometimes, you know. I will hurt you."
Emma smiled, "Then I will wait for you to realize your mistake and pamper me."
William softly caressed her cheek, feeling her warmth reaching his heart as he muttered, "What if the curse returns and I abuse you too?"
Emma assured him, "So, rather than hurling insults back at you I will pin you down and fight that curse until it obliterates."
William couldn’t stop himself from chuckling, "You are insane."
She kissed his hand tenderly before whispering, "Just for you."
William felt his heart racing...how can there be someone so tolerating and lovable?
She has already saved his life and got betrayed once.
He had talked rudely to her even after the curse was removed.
He even told her that he can’t trust her...tell her about himself...yet, she stubbornly wants to stay.
William lowered his head and rested his forehead against hers.
In a tender voice, he relayed, "Why didn’t you visit me yesterday?"
Emma giggled, "Were you lonely?"
William hummed, his fingers interlacing with hers, "I was...so never stop coming over."
Emma hummed, "I won’t."
°°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading. Have you read this far yet this book isn’t in your library? I doubt so...
It is, right?