Chapter EIGHTY: THE LAST LAUGH
“Oh quit the pretence. We found out that it was you. I guess it’s hard for you to do something without leaving your fingerprint all over it.”
“You know that is not why I’m here. You are just talking trash.”
“Yeah to see Clara. I heard you first time. It’s just surprising how you would want to ruin the reputation of someone that you claim so much to care about,” Kieran said.
“I would not respond to whatever it is that you have to say. If you have an issue with me, or you have something to talk about, then you can come to the manor. I guess my maids would serve you something. But if not, then I suggest that you give us privacy to talk. After all, she is not a child. She can make certain decisions for herself.”
“Clara is under my care and protection from predators like you. If there is anything that you would want to say to her, I would suggest that you say it here and now or you can leave.”
“Hmm…”
“What business do you have with Clara? She isn’t yours anymore. She doesn’t stay with you anymore and most of all, she doesn’t need you,” Kieran said.
Yours? Was that the word?
“And she isn’t yours either. Why did you bring her here? To kill her?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh you think I wouldn’t know?” Ryan asked.
“Know what?”
“That you tried to kill her.”
“What are you even talking about?”
Oh God. I didn’t know where this was going. Why did Ryan always have to show himself every time?
Seeing Ryan again didn’t do much to me. But hearing him talk about me like he actually did care about me irked me. I wanted to strangle him till he begged to be freed. To transfer every anger and pain that I had gathered in the past few days and pass it all to him.
“The maid that tried to kill her with the Ivy poison. For crying out loud Clara, could have died. You let this happen. This happened right under your nose. I thought that you actually did had some sort of security here. But clearly you don’t. For fucks sake, you risked the life of someone. Worst of all, this person is very special to me. What do you think that I would do? Just sit and watch you allow something happen to her?” Ryan was defensive.
“What do you even know about protection? I didn’t take Clara away from you against your wish. She came to me because she didn’t feel protected with you anymore. How can you not see that she doesn’t want to go with you. She doesn’t want you anymore. So you really need to stop coming here. Or I’ll be forced to tell my guards to keep you out of the Palace.”
“This is not about me Kieran and you know that. Things have been happening in this palace ever since Clara got here. Its obvious that she isn’t safe here especially not after that poison ivy got into the palace.”
“How can you possibly blame me for that?” Kieran had begin to feel the impact of Ryan’s words. I had expected that.
Ryan had a plan, he always does and whatever it was, Kieran had not noticed it yet. Being blind to it meant that he could probably fall for a trap if Ryan had set one.
Ryan looked around, I knew what he was doing. That dramatic stare like he was about to say something that would hit us directly on the head.
“This is your palace is it not? You let a maid walk into your palace and poison someone you claim to care about.”
Kieran chuckled, “a maid?” He laughed some more, “a maid or Patricia your girlfriend.”
“What’s that even supposed to mean?” Then he faced me, “I see what have been going on here.”
“Or you think that I wouldn’t know that?”
“Clara,” Ryan turned towards me, “what have you been telling him. Trash? You know that it is you that I care about.”
“How dare you come here and pretend that you care about me?” I couldn’t hold back the words as anger grew in my chest. If I didn’t spill the words, then it would just keep piling up until it becomes a clog in my chest and I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to go back to my room and regret what I would have said. Kieran would understand. He should. After all, Ryan had come to see me. At least he was right about that part.
“Of course I care about you Clara. Look at you, you look malnourished. It is obvious that you are not being properly fed. He doesn’t take care of you the way that I do.”
“That’s the problem with you Ryan, you think that you can own everyone. I’m not yours and I was never yours. I don’t know why you wouldn’t just get that. In fact, I am my own person now. Here, I’m treated like a queen and I’m not worried about having a dagger in my chest. At least, that’s enough reason to stay.”
“Can’t you see what he is doing to you?”
“If anyone is to be blamed for what happened to me then it’s you. You think you can handle everyone but you couldn’t handle the person that was obsessively in love with you. It was because of you that Patricia came here to harm me. Well I’m glad that it is over now. At least it is all in the past now. I wouldn’t be having any death threats or be scared of having foreign stuff in my food.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, I guess whoever filled you on what was happening in this palace couldn’t tell you everything. Patricia is dead and she killed herself. Took up a knife she had with her and slit her throat right out. I watched her lie on the ground with her eyes still open as she gasped for air. Blood gushing off her throat. Even if I wanted to save her, she couldn’t be saved because she did it herself,” Kieran said.
“Technically, you killed her Ryan. Just the way you intend to kill me,” I concluded.
“I can never hurt you. I care about you. Come back with me let us go back to the way that we used to be. This time everything would be different. I would get you a car, I’ll get you everything that you so desire.”
“You can’t say that to me Ryan. You don’t get to say that. Not now, not ever. You lost the right to say such things to me the very first day you began to see me as a sacrificial lamb.”This content © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
“But I mean it. Why are you doing this? Let me guess, because of some old myth you saw in some journals in that old office? Did I ever tell you that it was my Dad’s office? Those things mean nothing.”
“Get out Ryan.”
“Hey, can we just leave this crowd and go elsewhere to talk? I miss you Clara. The manor had just been a black hoke without you.”
“I said get out!” I yelled tears formed by the side of my eyes and Kieran walked over to hold me.
“It’s okay Clara, I’ll make sure he leaves.”
I chuckled as the guards pulled him out which kept everyone in awe including Kieran. I made sure to wipe my eyes before the tears would roll down my cheek.
“Ryan,” I called out to him again. It wasn’t over yet.