บท 32: Royal Secrets
We sat on opposite sides of a plush white curved sofa in the corner of the living room, sipping the red liquid from our cups.
The lady said it was wine, made from garden berries, and I must admit, it's delicious!
It's just like fresh strawberries with their juice squeezed out.
"So, Layla, remember me?" the lady asked.
"Oh, um, I'm not quite sure if I do. But you look really familiar. Have we met before?"
She widened her eyes and slammed her drink against the glass table, startling me.
"What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?"
"Really? You don't remember me?"
"Oh, uh, yeah."
She huffed, shaking her head, then picked up her glass cup.
"Well, come to think of it, it wasn't actually your fault. You were drunk, so..."
"Drunk?"
"Yeah, don't you remember?"
Drunk? When was that? I don't even remember. Liam didn't mention me ever being drunk.
"I'm sorry, but I don't remember being drunk."
"It's fine, it's fine. Let's clear that from our minds."
"So, I'm Bethel, Liam's younger sister," she said, stretching out her hand.
I placed mine in hers, and we shook hands.
"So, I'm the only relative of Liam's present here; the rest have a lot on their plates."
I nodded, responding with, "Oh, okay."
"But they did send their gifts; lots of them."
"Oh, wow, that's nice. I can't wait to see what they got."
"They're lots of them, I'm sure you'll love them!"
"I'm sure I will, hehe."
"I even got you a designer bag and shoes, and many others. Mom also got you lots of things; she didn't let me see them, but I can tell they're really pretty... I even..."
Wow, who knew she could be this talkative? Liam's probably the opposite, I think; he's gentle and soft. But in bed, he's the complete opposite.
"And I got you the latest model phone, a wristwatch..."
I don't really know what those are, but they must be really nice since she says they're the latest model.
I sipped my drink while I continued watching her speak, partly interested if I knew anything she was saying.
"I can't wait for you to open all of them; you'll love them!"
"Uh if you say so."
"You don't look very excited; what's wrong?"
"Oh no, I am; it's just that... uh... I don't really know what all of those are."
I was expecting her to react surprisingly, but it seemed like she didn't mind.
Her smile still hadn't faded, and her eyes still twinkled with excitement.
"It's fine if you don't know what they are; I'll teach you how to use them if you don't mind, and before you know it, you'll be tech-savvy."
"Tech-savvy?"
"Yeah, you'll be an A+ when it comes to phones and other devices. And then we'll make TikTok videos together; I'm sure I'll have more followers when the whole country gets to see who Liam's sweetheart is."
I nervously shifted my gaze downward at the mention of Liam's sweetheart.
"Are you shy?" She asked.
I slowly raised my head to meet her gaze, my cheeks flushed,
"uhm..."
She burst out laughing, while I stared at her in confusion, my eyes blinking rapidly.
Why is she laughing?
"I see why Liam chose you; you're so cute and funny."
"I am?"
"Yeah, who wouldn't fall for that cute face of yours? All your facial features are amazing!"
Really?, I thought, I'm ugly.
I was often made fun of for my big eyes - kids called me an owl when I was young.
My large, dark brown eyes, small nose, and thin lips made me feel like I didn't fit in with others who had more conventional features.
But she likes them!
I gulped down the rest of my wine and set the glass down on the table, a smile spreading across my face.
I wiped the wine stains from my chin, feeling a sense of surprise and delight.
"And why do you have a bandage on your head?"
"Oh," I had totally forgotten about it.
I gently touched the bandage on my head, remembering last night's incident, ouch.
I hope I don't ever get to experience that again.
"Uhm, it's nothing serious. I accidentally bumped into the elevator door last night."
"What? How?"
"It was dark, so—"
"Dark? How? Liam's mansion is always lit up, 24/7. How did it get dark?"
"I don't know; maybe the heavy rain last night affected the lights."
"Oh my gosh, what did Liam say?"
"He didn't say anything; I don't know if he's seen it yet."
"Really? That should have been the first thing he noticed."
Why is she so worried? It's fine; it's not like I lost my memory or something.
"Are you trying to tell me that Liam didn't see the bandage on your head?"
"Uhm... well, you didn't notice it either when you saw me."
Bethel raised an eyebrow. "That's not the case right now, but it's strange. Liam's usually very observant."
"Maybe he was distracted," I suggested.
"It could be due to stress, I mean, Liam is a very loving guy. He made you that beautiful necklace, so I think—"
Stress?
I watched her, deep in thought, as she continued talking.
Liam had fallen ill due to this same 'stress'. He had a extremely high temperature and was as red as a tomato. I don't want that to happen again.
Could he not have noticed the bandage on my head due to stress?
I mean, he did say he spent all day making this necklace for me.
It's really beautiful, but the thought of the stress he might have gone through is like a rock piercing my heart.
He didn't look like he was stressed, but I'm pretty sure he was.
"Layla!"
"Layla!"
I shook my head, blinking rapidly as I realized I was lost in thought, and Bethel had been calling my name.
I faked a smile before responding, "Uh, sorry, I was lost in thought."
"Oh, it's fine, don't worry too much. He just needs to sleep it off."
"Sleep it off?"
I waited for her to finish her drink before responding. "Hmm."
"Haven't you found out?"
"Found out what?" I asked, confused and surprised at the same time.
"Found out that Liam is partly a white wolf?"
"Oh, I have."
"That's great. Then you must know that his body doesn't function entirely like a normal human's."
Function entirely like a normal human's?
Could she be referring to the time I first saw Liam and wanted to kill him, but all the places I stabbed and shot him instantly healed? And how he can read my mind?
"Uh, I guess so," I finally responded.
"So, whenever he's stressed and has a fever, he'll just sleep it off."
"Huh? Really? But how?"
She chuckled as my brows furrowed in confusion.
"That's also one of his non-human abilities. He gets sick, but heals in a totally different way than we do."
"Oh, that's surprising. I didn't know that about Liam. I thought the medicine the doctor sent was what healed him," I muttered.
"Huh? What are you talking about? What doctor?"
"Oh, um, well, there was a time he got a really high temperature, and the doctor sent him medicine while I was asleep. And when I woke up, he was fine. He told me he took the medicine."
"Oh, I see. The medicine did take part in healing him then."
"But how? You said his body doesn't function like ours."
"Well, I did say his body doesn't function 'entirely' like ours. The medicine the doctor gave him was probably just vitamins. Liam doesn't need fever medicine to heal. He heals on his own."
"Oh my, that's impressive, I must say."
"I know, right? My brother is so cool!"
"Yeah!"
I guess I don't really know much about Liam. I still need to learn a lot about him.
But, is he the only half-wolf in his family? Bethel didn't mention herself as one.
"Uh, say, Betty."
"Yeah?" She responded with a very wide smile that exposed her shiny white teeth.
"Is Liam the only half-wolf in your family?" I asked.
"Uh, yeah!"
"Huh? But how? Why?"
"Let's just say my dad once used him as a test subject."
My eyes widened in confusion as I repeated, "Test subject?"
"Yeah, I don't think I should be the one telling you that."
"But why?"
"Liam would be the one to tell you that himself."
"Why can't you tell me?"
She shrugged. "No particular reason."
I furrowed my brows into a frown as I responded, "So, tell me then."
"Nope."
I poked out my lower lip, in a pout. This must be convincing, I hope.
"Pretty please?"
She began laughing instead, waving both her hands.
"No, no, not working on me."
My pout instantly turned into a frown.
"You're not going to tell me?"
"Nope."
I huffed, shaking my head.
"I'll find out myself, then."
"Forget about that, come on, let's make a video! I want to share it on social media!" She exclaimed, moving closer to me.
She pulled out her device from her black handbag - Liam's was similar, but hers had a pink case - and tapped on the screen.
Then, she held it up, and I saw my face clearly on the display. Wow!
"Hello everyone! It's your favorite royal member here, and I'm guessing you're all wondering who's beside me, right?"
"Well, guess no more!"
She wrapped her arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer, while I stared at the screen in awe, watching the heart-shaped likes flying upward and disappearing.
"She's Liam's heart, my sister-in-law! Eeehhhh!!!"
I shot her a surprised look as she shrieked, but her eyes remained fixed on the screen.
"Now, don't be jealous, everyone... she's cute, isn't she? Look at those eyes - so pretty!"
I think I already like her; no one has ever complimented my eyes, not even Liam, and she seems to love them. I'm really glad!
"She's even prettier than I thought!" Bethel exclaimed, still gazing at the screen.
"I can't believe Liam kept her hidden away for so long!"
I blushed at the attention, feeling a mix of surprise and delight.
"Well, I'm glad he did, or else I might have had some competition!"
Bethel laughed, winking at me.
"But seriously, welcome to the family, sis! We're going to get along just fine."
I smiled, feeling a warmth towards Bethel that I hadn't expected.
"Thanks, Bethel. That means a lot coming from you."
"Aww, don't be so formal! We're going to be besties, I can tell!" Bethel said, giving me a playful nudge.
"And don't worry, I'll teach you all the royal ways. You'll be a pro in no time!"
She shifted her gaze back to the screen.
"And that's a wrap for now, see you guys some other time."
She released her arm from my shoulder and waved at her screen. "Bye, bye! I'm sure this is going to go viral."
I maintained my smile as she returned to her position, her gaze fixed on her device as she tapped away.
I wonder what that's all about.
Both Liam and Bethel seem to be engrossed when they're on their devices.
It must be fun!
While Bethel remained engrossed in her device, my eyes scanned the party, observing the people dressed in expensive clothes, dancing around with glasses of drinks in their hands.
That reminds me, where's Liam? I don't see him anywhere, or my mom, Mariam, or any of my friends.
I didn't even have time to scan the crowd properly. My whole focus was on Liam, my mom, and Mariam, especially Liam. But he's nowhere to be found.
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