DUSK.
Fear ran through me that Lucius might be smarter than I thought. He could actually catch on.
I know I was supposed to leave, but for some reason, I could not bring myself to leave.
I decided to listen in.
"Like you've been bewitched?" Ethan asked.
"I've been trying to be nicer to her lately, but all this is too much. Before I know it, I'm doing or saying something I shouldn't say. I'm just so forward. I don't think before I act. It's like I was spelled to see only her." He said, and I waited for a long time before I heard Ethan speak.
"Maybe because she's changed. The love for her has become something else because she's changed for the better. She's prettier, curvier, and even she's got more energy." Ethan said, and I didn't hear anything. It seemed Lucius was thinking about it.
"I still feel weird. Like, today, I don't have that crazy urge to make her notice me or something." He said, and I heard a light laugh from Ethan.
"Love's like that. It's not constant and keeps flipping over, but if it persists, we'll talk more about it." He said, and I heard them get up.
They were about to leave the study.
I immediately ran as quickly as I could, and I happened to run into Seline.
"Oh!...." She said and was about to call my name, but I had gotten to her and covered her mouth with my hand, and I dragged her to hide with me behind some drums.
"Wh..."
"Sssh!" I cautioned her, and she decided to keep quiet.
Then I saw Lucius pass; he passed without noticing us. Ethan locked his door, and as he passed, he looked around, but he passed without noticing anything.
When I was sure they had gone. I sighed.
"What's going on?" Seline asked, and I forced a laugh.
"Don't you mind me? I eavesdropped when I shouldn't have, and I didn't want them to see me. By the way, aren't we training? I think we need to." I said, and Seline nodded.
"Oh yeah, sure. Let me drop this for Ethan." She said she was standing.
"He locked his door." I said since I saw him doing that.
“Yeah, I know. I'm not playing it there." She said, and I nodded.
After that, I and Seline went out to the forest.
"Okay, today, I'm really ready for whatever you throw at me." I said, and she raised an eyebrow.
During that training, I trained extra hard because the fear of Lucius finding out what I did got to me.
As I fought, I thought...
Why did I do it?
It was something I enjoyed. But it was all pointless. I was really restless.
"Wow. You're really getting better." Seline said with a smile as we went back to the Palace.
As we walked back to the Palace, I saw the Old lady I bought the potion from. I would have asked her about it because I knew she'd definitely know about it, but I couldn't because Seline was right next to me.
Later on, when Seline had gone to do some other things, I left the Palace.
I was in a hurry. I had made sure I didn't run into Lucius or Ethan because I didn't know how I'd relate to them.
When I got to the old woman's place, I didn't see anyone there.
"Oh no. I can't come here for nothing." I said as I tried to see past the darkness that filled the deeper part of her stall.
"Looking for me?" She suddenly spoke, and I turned around to see her. She was carrying two buckets of fish, and she dropped them next to her stall and sat. Then she pointed to the chair opposite her.
"Thank you." I said, and she wiped her hands over her apron.
"I noticed you staring at me restlessly when you passed earlier; is there something you have to say to me?" She asked, and I took a deep breath, thinking of the best way to ask questions.
"Does the potion stop working after some hours when it's not applied properly?" I asked, and she shook her head.
"Never. The potion is always for a day." She said, and I moistened my lips.
"It didn't last a day today; it stopped working earlier." I said, and she raised a brow.
"Tell me, was he jerking his head, closing his eyes, and looking uncomfortable?" She asked.
"Yes, yes he was." I said as I recalled him jerking in the library.
"I'm sure you've noticed a red ring in his eye by now." She said, and I nodded.
“Yes, I have."
"Was the red ring fading and getting stronger continuously?" She asked, and I placed a hand on my mouth.
"Yes, it did that." I said, and she smiled.
"Your lover must be a strong person. When someone's mentally strong, they can break through even the strongest potion. He probably knows something's wrong. " She said, and my brain thought fast.
"So what do I do now?" I asked, and she shrugged.
"You keep applying it whenever he sleeps." She said, and I thanked her and left.
I blamed myself on the road as I asked myself why I did it in the first place.
Lucius was a strong man physically, and it seems he was the same mentally.
I thought of what would become of me if he discovered what I did.
At a point, I started to run on the streets, and when I got to the Palace, I went to my room and opened my drawer. I searched frantically for the potion, and when I saw it, I stared at it.
"You've really helped me get respect in this palace, but I think it's time I stop using you." I said and took it.
I was going to throw it away.
When I spotted a waste bin in a corner. I went to it and held the potion over it. I was reluctant to let it go, but after about a minute, I let it go, and it dropped into the empty waste bin.
And it was only after I dropped it that I noticed someone sitting there when the figure stood up. It was Ethan, and he was staring at the waste bin.
He had watched me all along.