Seventy-one

"If one is already a problem, imagine what two of them can do..."

— Arise, Benjamin! —ordered bowed beside me, watching me suffer as my bones were redone. — I want you to look me in the eye and assume your betrayal!

Growling in anger, I writhe on the floor until I stand.

— Ready! — I say facing her.

— Now answer me — did you position yourself with your hands around your waist. — She’s "just an arrogant woman who thinks she’s a doctor’s daughter"?

"She remembers it!"

She perfectly repeated each of my words. The same words I used when they first saw Mila in the basement.

— Who is Mila and what is she to you Benjamin?

The love of my life and the love of my life.

— Mila is King Thomas' chosen one! — I give the truth to them. — She is the Queen of Dallnalia and also my fourth creation!

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— WHERE WERE YOU WITH THE HEAD, DAMN?

He screams sitting in the front seat, fighting with the Queen over the internal rearview mirror.

— THAT’S ENOUGH, PITER!

— NO, NO! — SHE DENIED. — SHE CANNOT BE SO IRRESPONSIBLE AS NOT TO CARE ABOUT THE LIVES OF HER OWN CHILDREN!

— YELLING AT HER WON’T HELP, HELL!

Julie and Piter argued in the front seat deciding the future of the Queen, while she cared little for their talk.

— The girls were going to find out at one time or another! — he spoke. — She only told at the wrong time!

— Bad occasion, don’t you think? — he replied nervously. — And even left there threatening them!

— It’s...the...the threat wasn’t smart...

— You heard, Mila? — He looks at her in the mirror. — I know those girls my whole life, they will never forget what you said!

Mila "Are we coming?"

Mila "I’m starving!"

— MILA! — shouted calling your attention. — FUCK!

Then, angry the Queen’s gaze turns to the glass penetrating the vision of the boy.

— Did you hear what I said?

— You know who you’re talking to, Bennet? — She shows her voice gritting her teeth.

— Piter, stop! — asked the poking with his elbow. — You’re annoying her!

— Fuck!

— If you can’t remember who your queen is, then I’ll make you swallow your teeth!

— Are you going to threaten me too?

— Yell at me one more time and you’ll find out!

Afraid the boy’s mouth would shut. Julie would stare at him rebuking each of his offenses, without having to say a word to him.

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— They are always rubbing themselves on bodies in my absence, apart from the times I was silent when I saw you two with Piter!

— Are you talking about that time?

— The day we took his virginity?

— Don’t play dumb! — I think. — I played blind all these years, thinking that when he matured you would also quiet the fire you had!

The truth has always been with me. They didn’t betray me just once, but I would never risk giving them that fact when I would be risking losing them.

— While we were having sex, you were moaning in my ear saying you were faithful, declaring your love giving the certainty that you would never sleep with another again, and the same day hours ago, you had just given to my nephew.

— I —

— Shut up! — I reprove her harshly.

— If you’re telling this now, it’s because you never cared!

— Is that what you think, Iris? — I say standing in front of you. — That I never cared about you?

— Then why didn’t you stop us?

— Because I wanted you to love me as I loved you! — I reply. — I hoped that your feelings would speak louder, that our story would prevail in the moments that you were together. I thought maybe you guys saw how wrong that was and I was worth more than him.

I really and with all my darkest heart, loved these girls. I loved them as no one loved them. And even after all this shit, I still feel something.

"But nothing, nothing at all, compares to Mila!"

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— THOMAS!

They enter the Palace without waiting for the announcement and soon the Queen goes straight through her security, ignoring the return to her home and those around.

— Mila! — called seeing her pass coldly. —where do you go?

— Leave her alone, Piter. She needs to get her head in order!

— She needs a safe place! — replied distressed.

— PITER? — shouted from the top of the stairs, surprised at his arrival. — Am I late? — asked down the steps. — What is today?

It is there that the past of that beautiful blonde vampire and blue eyes, returns with everything striking the chest.

Julie "Thomas is..."

— No, no, no! —reassures him. —The deal was tomorrow, but things got out of line!

— What happened? — asked noticing the blonde next to the security guard.

It was the first time since Thomas was just a boy that Julie had a chance to see him up close. It’s been a long time since they talked, long enough for him to forget her face, forget all the times he ran away from his parents so he could talk to her through the bars surrounding the palace.

At the time it was revenge, she wanted to kill the boy to hit Dastan. Nobody knows for sure why she didn’t kill him when she had the chance, we only know that they met every day one on each side of the grid. Separated by the irons.

— Mila ended up provoking —

— One minute! — interrupted, putting his hand between them. — Sorry, he turns to Julie. — But I have a feeling I know you from somewhere...

The vampire freezes and Piter soon understands the feeling his King was feeling. He knew the story of the two and also did not realize that this was an unfinished past.

— I...I...it’s...I think...go see Mila!

With flushed skin, she runs off in the same direction as the Queen had gone. Thomas is left without understanding his attitude, intrigued by the energy running through his chest.

— She...is...she is Benjamin’s wife! — explained making the King turn quickly to him.

— Benjamin’s wife? — asked electric.

— Yes... —he strange. — I thought you already knew, I heard your grandfather speak that day p —

— He said yes! — confirmed. — But I had never seen any of them up close!

For a single second far enough away, Julie turns back to look at him once again consumed by the same feeling the King was feeling. It was questionable all that situation, but then her looks meet again, making her even more uncomfortable to know that he was already focused on her.

— Is everything okay? — he asked with his brow furrowed.

— I don’t know... said seeing her enter the office. — I feel that I know her...

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— Mila! — she desperately enters the room. — I need to leave!

— Ask Piter to take you!

She is cold and calculating, not caring about her friend’s restlessness. Her fingers kept typing in a notebook, while she occupied Thomas' chair concentrated on the computer screen.

— Why are you acting like this? — he asked. — I’m not the one who should be angry when hours ago you handed Benjamin’s head on a tray?

— Benjamin is immortal, I guarantee he will survive!

— That’s not what I’m talking about, Mila! — he replied. — What the hell, is there any way you can look at me?

Disgusted with the Queen’s harshness, the vampire demands in a good tone that her friend turn to her while they are talking. Her action causes her to rise from the chair, picking up some sheets that had just been printed. Soon she signs and stamps the papers, turning the table until you get the blonde girl.

— How am I supposed to deal with someone who broke my trust?

— Are you talking about me?

— Who else would it be?

— Is this because of blood? — she remembers. — The whole story of Piter?

— I trusted you and at the first opportunity you –

— But I didn’t say anything! — defended himself. — I just found it strange to —

— You didn’t think saying that would raise any suspicion?

— Mila... your voice is tame. — It has nothing to do!

— If I hadn’t done what I did, you yourself would have blown up that bomb telling Benjamin the truth!

— I wasn’t gonna do that!

— I was, I know I was!

— Okay, okay! — Take over.