Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
“There’s no way you’re that girl.”
A part of him was screaming at him that Elspeth was indeed that girl, but he couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe the woman he had helped for so many years wasn’t the same one who saved him all those years ago. Something in his heart broke.”Wait. You think Emma was the one who saved you?”Arthur’s face fell.
“Enough.”
Arthur shook his head and ran off into the distance so Elspeth couldn’t ask him any more questions.Elspeth saw him off, and she sighed. I shouldn’t have saved him. If I had known he would turn out to be someone so evil, I would have cheered those bullies on. She looked in the direction he ran off to, and then she returned to her courtyard….The next few days, Elspeth spent the mornings at her mother’s place, talking about her condition. When it was night, she would go through the escape plan with Harper. When she had free time, she would call Gilbert and chat with him. Those were some leisurely times.Then came the day of the wedding. Elspeth was unceremoniously woken up at five in the morning and dragged out of her bed. Then it was time for makeup, which took a long time. After that, the servants changed her into all-red attire. They would have gone for a more modern wedding, but Michael wanted to go with their tradition, so they settled on a traditional wedding ceremony. Elspeth was donned with a crimson cape and a golden crown, then her head was covered with a red veil.She was escorted to the carriage and would be taken to the new courtyard the Dawsons bought in Blaydal. Everyone thought it was a merry occasion; everyone but Elspeth.Since there were people around her, Elspeth kept her voice low as she talked to her ring.
“Where are you?”Gilbert was released a few minutes after the carriage had gone off. Now, he was outside the Joneson Residence, rolling his wrist around.
“Released. Once I rendezvous with Harper, we’ll bust you out.”Elspeth rolled her eyes. The ornaments on her crown clanged against each other.
“Tell Harper to keep the fighting to a minimum. You saw the Joneson Family guards. They’re as powerful as we are.”
If Harper’s plan fails, I can never escape.Gilbert nodded. This was serious, so he stopped his usual wisecracking.
“We’ll bust you out safely.”Elspeth cut off contact and lifted her veil to look outside. The whole of Blaydal was witnessing the wedding of the century. It was the marriage between the Jonesons and the Coles after all. The streets were packed with people celebrating the occasion.Elspeth wondered if the escape would be successful. Michael must have his guards around, and Harper would find it difficult to save her. Yet, she must try. She refused to marry Edmund just like that. The carriage was moving stably, though slowly, as it was held up by humans. That should buy Harper a lot of time.Nearly an hour had gone by since then. Elspeth’s mind was in chaos, but then the carriage came to an abrupt halt all of a sudden. Elspeth fell forward and bumped her head into the carriage. She clutched her head and gasped in pain. Just when she was wondering what was going on, a familiar voice spoke.”Hand her over!”
Harper shouted.Elspeth lifted her veil and opened the curtains to see what was going on outside. Harper was in full-black attire, and he had a mask covering his face. Standing beside him was another man in black, though he was taller. That man’s eyes were shining brightly. Obviously, it was Gilbert.”Who are you people? This is the Jonesons’ wedding.”
The man in charge wondered why these people would challenge the Jonesons.Harper didn’t answer. Instead, he said,
“Get the woman in the carriage and ignore everyone else.”The men in black quickly defeated the people in front. Just when they were about to snatch Elspeth, the rest of the escorts whipped out some needles and speared the men in black. Harper frowned and told the men to retreat, but it was too late. The moment the needle pricked them, the men in black started howling.”The needles are poisoned!”
Gilbert noticed their men falling around them. We can’t win.
“Retreat!”
That was not a decision he wanted to make, but he had to.”We can’t!”
Harper protested.
“This is our only chance. If we can’t save her, then she’ll have to marry that b*stard!”Gilbert took a deep breath, and then he snapped,
“If we don’t retreat, our comrades are going to die. What’s more, the Jonesons’ men are on their way. If they get here, then all of us are going to die!”Harper opened his mouth, but he had no idea what to say. Gilbert grabbed him by his collar and dragged him away.
“Trust her. She can get out of this. She’s Elspeth.”
There was determination in Gilbert’s eyes.Only then did Harper leave. Gilbert looked at the carriage one last time and saw Elspeth looking at him. She was wearing a beautiful crown, and perfect makeup adorned her face. She was gorgeous, or she would be if she weren’t rolling her eyes at him.Once Harper and the gang were gone, Elspeth pulled the curtains down and tried to come up with Plan B. That commotion didn’t affect the procession that much. Soon, the crowd jumped back into a celebratory mood. They shouted and hollered in delight, but Elspeth balled her fists, tightening her grip on the dagger she was holding. Guess I have to count on myself, then.
Elspeth was dragged into the house and forced to complete the wedding ceremony with Edmund, then she was pushed into a room. The stronger servants told her to stay in the bed and never take her veil off unless stated. Then they tiptoed away.
“Damn it. I knew I couldn’t rely on Harper and Gilbert.”
She rolled her eyes and took off the veil. Then she tossed it onto the ground like it was a piece of tattered cloth.Despite her foul mood, Elspeth still kept her eyes on the entrance. If Edmund steps through that door, I will stab him with this dagger. That’ll teach him not to mess with me. Just when she was wondering what she should do with Edmund, she heard the door creak. Elspeth hid the dagger behind her and held the hilt tightly while staring at the door. A familiar figure stepped in, but it was Arthur.
“Why are you here?”
Elspeth heaved a sigh of relief and stood up, but her dagger fell. The clang rang across the silent air.”If my idiot brother hadn’t proposed to you, I wouldn’t have to come here.”
Arthur’s gaze shifted from her to the dagger on the ground.
“Someone really hates marrying Edmund.”
Even though Arthur was trespassing, he waltzed into the room like he owned the place, then he sat before the table.”What do you want?”
Elspeth didn’t know what Arthur had in mind, but it was probably worse than what Edmund was planning. She took a few steps backward and put some distance between them.”Calm down. I’m not here to hurt you. I want to help.”Elspeth almost burst out in laughter. Oh, you’re not here to help. You just want to lead me out of this place and take me for yourself. Elspeth moved backward and put her hand behind her.
“I don’t need your help.””Oh? Then why are you holding your dagger?”
Arthur smiled, pouring himself a cup of tea.Elspeth held her dagger tightly. She had an extra prepared just in case, but Arthur didn’t try to take it from her. He was still drinking his tea.Arthur took a whiff of the tea. Hm. Aphrodisiac.
“He spiked the tea.””He spiked the tea?”
Elspeth’s face fell. She was focused on the escape plan so much that she didn’t realize Edmund had spiked the drink. If I had played along and drunk that tea because I needed an opening, he would have gotten to me. Terrifying.
“Wait. Why are you here anyway?”
Sweat was pouring forth from her forehead, and she stared at Arthur.”I told you. I’m here to save you. Nothing more, nothing less.””As if.”
Elspeth didn’t believe that.
“We’ve been enemies for a long time, so cut the crap. Don’t give me that ‘turn a new leaf’
sh*t.”He was looking at me in disgust just a few days ago. What’s with the change? He doesn’t even feel evil.
“Turn a new leaf? No, I don’t think what I did was wrong.”
Arthur sneered.Elspeth snapped out of it. Yep. He’s still the same old guy, but somehow, he feels wrong today. Why is he saving me?”However, you saved my life. I owe you one, so this time, I’m repaying my debt.”
Arthur put down the cup of tea, stood up, and approached Elspeth.Elspeth was sure Arthur didn’t mean any malice at the moment, but she was still worried.
“How can you even bust me out? The security here is airtight.””Easy. This place used to be my friend’s estate. I know all the secret passages here. How do you think I got in?”Elspeth froze.
“What?”
He’s… odd. Full of mysteries.
“Who is your friend?””Can’t tell you just yet.”
He still had that small smile on his lips, but it was disappearing.Arthur was still the same man she knew, but he felt different. He used to be a hypocrite. A snake, she would say, but now he felt mysterious. Not even she could figure him out.”Let’s go. If Edmund comes back, none of us can leave.”Elspeth’s heart sank. She stood up and tore off her crown, her hair tumbling down her shoulders. Next, she took off her heavy cape and dress, leaving only the last layer, which was a white shirt, on. That would make escaping easier.
“Let’s go.””I’ll take you to the passage.”
Arthur stared into her eyes, and he felt something stir in him. It was a familiar yet strange feeling.They opened the door and looked around. The guards were knocked out, thanks to Arthur. He then took Elspeth by the hand and went toward the eastern corner. There, a boulder stood. Arthur moved it away, revealing a dark tunnel that could only fit one person at a time.
“Just keep moving and you’ll see the exit. Continue out and you’ll be fine.”Elspeth nodded, but she had her guard up.”Go in. I’ll seal the tunnel with the boulder.”Arthur looked like he was doing it for Elspeth, but Elspeth thought otherwise.
“You sure you’re not trying to lock me in so you can kill me?”Arthur chuckled.
“You read too many stories. Killing you does nothing for me. I don’t want you marrying Edmund, nor do I want Emma to marry Callum.”
Arthur spoke nonchalantly, but there was love in his voice.Elspeth nodded and entered the tunnel. Soon, she realized Arthur wasn’t lying. Once the hole behind her was sealed, she saw a dim light ahead of her. She followed that light and eventually came to a clearing. Dusk had descended, draping the city in a blanket of darkness. She looked back and only saw a speck in the distance. That was the villa she had escaped from. Elspeth took out her ring to establish contact with Gilbert, but the moment she made contact, a muscular silhouette appeared.”I have orders to capture you.”
Elspeth narrowed her eyes. She wondered if she could win, but then she realized she couldn’t. She hadn’t had anything to eat the whole day, so she didn’t have much strength.
“Take me, then.”The man froze.
“I’m here to capture you.”
He was wondering why Elspeth would let him take her. Is she stupid?”I know. Take me.”
She extended her hands, looking impatient.”Odd. You should be asking me who I am, why I am capturing you, refuse to cooperate, and then fight me.”
The man was stunned. His boss told him that Elspeth was a decent fighter and that he must exercise caution, yet Elspeth wasn’t putting up any resistance. He felt a little down that he couldn’t fight.The man was staring at the ground in disappointment, much to Elspeth’s chagrin.
“Why should I resist? You’re here to capture me, not kill me. We can talk things out on the way. Just take me now. If the Coles come after us, none of us can leave.””We’re not chatting. I’m here to capture you!”
Angered, the man darted ahead and grabbed Elspeth’s arm, intending to throw her over his shoulder.Elspeth flung his hand away and took a few steps back.
“No. I can walk on my own. Just lead the way.”The man frowned. He wanted to get mad, but he couldn’t. This is too simple. Wonder if there’s something wrong. However, his boss did tell him to take Elspeth away no matter what. Guess there’s nothing wrong with her coming with me. I still will be finishing my mission anyway. I was also ordered not to hurt her. If I push my luck, she might go back on her word and fight me until her last breath. Can’t let that happen. The man nodded and led the way. They then got into the van and left.Elspeth’s ring shone for a moment, then it dimmed….It was Edmund’s wedding day. He had been waiting for this for three years. Ever since he saw the smart Elspeth, he had already taken a liking to her, but he never showed it, or Callum might laugh at him. To his dismay, Callum managed to make Elspeth fall for him first, and their love for each other deepened at a blistering rate. It was then he gave up on her. However, Callum lost his love for Elspeth all of a sudden, and he became the Coles’ eldest son. This was the perfect chance for him to get Elspeth.Edmund was delighted that he finally triumphed over Callum on at least one matter. At first, he wanted to get wicked drunk, but then Elspeth didn’t like the smell of alcohol nor did she like bumbling fools, so he only drank a little. He then gently told everyone off and made his way to the bedroom. Yet, when he wobbled his way into the room, the first thing he saw was the unconscious servants. A bad feeling surged in his heart. He stormed into the room, but all he saw were the crown and wedding clothes. Elspeth was nowhere to be found. Fury flared in Edmund’s eyes. Damn it. She managed to run away even when she’s surrounded by all these people? He was disappointed, but that was Elspeth’s style, so he didn’t feel too sad. This marriage was just a test anyway. What would turn out depended on Elspeth. If she refused to sleep with him, then he wouldn’t do anything. Even if she wanted to cancel the marriage, he would do it as well. All he wanted to do was to see if Elspeth would choose him if Callum was out of the picture, but now he knew it was impossible.A bright smile curled his lips, and he closed the door. Edmund returned to the ballroom. The party was still going strong there.”Hey, it’s your wedding night. Why aren’t you with the bride?”Edmund chuckled.
“The missus is exhausted. She’s asleep, so here I am.”
Calling her that is certainly… odd, but not like I can call her that for a long time.”Missus? Well, someone’s bragging.””Hey, he’s back to party with us. Might as well have as much fun as we can, right?””Touch?, my friend. Bottoms up!”…Elspeth was led to an area filled with villas. It was remote enough that no cabs would pass by.
“Whose villa are we going to?”The man sneered.
“My orders are to take you here. You’re going have to figure everything out yourself.”
Then, she was kicked out of the van.The man drove away, leaving Elspeth in the dust. She twitched her lips. Oh my god. There are dozens of villas here. Where should I start? Then, she saw someone approaching her from afar. Arthur?
