"Charlotte!" His voice was cold snd stiff. It carried an emotion which obviously was anger.
Charlotte gulped, worry crossing her facials.
She could feel he wasn't taking this well. She felt he didn't like what she did at all.
Though she thought he would like it, that was mostly why she did it — To please him but hearing him speak so coldly troubled her.
It made her realize she might had done wrong.
"What had you done?" His tone was risen and it echoed around the room.
His aura froze her and the gaze in his eyes intimidated her to say the least.
Her lips quivered as she stuttered.
This date of hers wasn't going exactly the way she planned. Why did she bring up that slave into the conversation? She was like a curse, bound to soil every atmosphere.
But why was Luther angry? Wasn't the slave meant to be punished? Why did he care so much?
"Luther...." She paused, staring right at him. His gaze was also on her, but fiercely.
She was baffled.
She couldn't understand why he didn't want her punished. Why then did he keep her captive? To show her mercy?
"You're not taking it well, Luther. I did it for you. Her parents had hurt you so much, why then aren't you doing same to her, even worst?"
"She is my business! You aren't supposed to touch her."
Charlotte scowled.
Why was he getting so worked up? This wasn't right. He was supposed to praise her for her job well done, he was supposed to have punished the slave to death by now, why then is he being so merciful?
"Her father had hurt my kingdom and my mother years ago. My people still suffer from the agony he had put us through!"
She didn't want to sound calm but her tone betrayed her. It was calm and tender.
"Charlotte...."
"I thought you would appreciate my efforts. I'm totally bewildered by your responses."
"That's because you went ahead without my permission. I understand the bastard, Rupert had hurt your people but I captured her first. She became my slave, my responsibility the moment I won the war and brought her here. No one is allowed to touch her or raise a finger on her unless I give the order. I will let this pass and forgive your shortcomings, only because you didn't know the rule but this shouldn't repeat itself ever again. If it does, then I would most likely not forgive."
His eyes were so full of fury. If his gaze could burn, Charlotte would have been ashes by now.
She whimpered, almost audibly. She felt so small in here, she felt like she could get smashed any second.
The atmosphere also didn't feel so good. Her nervousness was so plain and so was his anger.
She tried to process all of his words and calm down but his words were really making her mad.
".... If it does, then I would most likely not forgive."
Was he threatening her? Because of a slave? A damned slave?
She was utterly gutted.
When she saw him for the first time, she knew he had changed but then she thought it was chiefly the appearance that did. She never thought he had changed much mentally also.
He sounded like he was speaking to an enemy and not a friend.
She hated the tone in his voice and the glower in his eyes.
It scared her but it also exaggerated her and gave her these feelings of displeasure.
She felt disrespected. She was literally being treated like horse shit because of a slave.
Even horse shits were treated much respectfully.
Before she came in here, she planned for everything to go well. She planned to create a more closer bond with Luther and make him love her but here she was, her plans trashing right before it even started.
They were both having disagreements at their first rendezvous in two years, only because of a condemned slave.
She frowned.
She couldn't bear this any longer.
They weren't sounding like friends, they were sounding like strangers who had some ugly deals with each other in the past.
She stood quickly, not ladylike and slowly.
The frown still centered on her face as she looked more at him.
He was yet glaring at her. The sight broke her and shattered her heart.
He was angry with her because of a slave.
The thought was tear jacking to say the least.
Tears fell flatly to her cheeks and though she tried to hide it but she knew Luther could see them.
"I apologize but I have to leave now." Her tone sounded so sad. Even her voice had a crack in it.
"Excuse me." She added with a small bow as she turned to leave.
She wondered why she bowed, she knew Luther would hate it but now she didn't care.
She only did it anyway, for him not to see the many liquids bathing her makeup away.
She pouted at her thoughts.
She was supposed to be incredibly annoyed at this man, why then was she caring about her makeup washing away Infront of him?
She cared much more about her appearance and she desired to attract Luther.
Though he had seen her without makeup a lot but that was two years ago.
She had grown now and she didn't know if she looked the same as before to Luther.
She feared she wasn't much attractive and so, she had obliged with herself to put on makeup for the time being.
Don't blame her.
With Luther, she lacked confidence. She knew about Luther utmost high standards for women, so she wanted to be fulfill all of them.
She made to leave but Luther called her name. His voice was calm now but thick with something she couldn't figure.
"Charlotte."
She didn't want to stop. She wanted to feel so mad at him, she wanted his sight to irritate her or his voice atleast but his voice was the same. It pulled her to him.
She took a long breath and turned to him.
It was a quick turn, so quick she was staring at Luther instantly.
She hated the quickness. She despised her desperation for his apology. She desired him to apologize so bad she couldn't wait to hear it.
"I apologize if you feel offended...."
She smiled.
"But I care about my kingdom and its subjects. The slave lives in my kingdom now and here she is not just a slave but a subject as well."
"Luther!" Her voice was surprisingly high. She had kept it at bay but it sprouted from her body uncontrollably.
Luther didn't seem to be taken aback by her yell. He seemed calm, like he expected it.
"What are you saying?" She was astounded, with a vast amount of disapproval filling her tone.
She detested his words. What had gone wrong with him? He seems and sounds so much different than when they last met.
"Have you forgotten what had happened to your family, Luther?"
"Don't you dare mention them!" He glowered at her.
She felt fear but her anger and distaste was greater.
"What about your people? You seem to forget the lives lost and the vengeance you had swore to seek. Your people are still waiting, only if they knew how merciful you have become of lately."
"I'm not merciful." He growled. "I'm not being merciful either. That girl is mine to handle. No one touches her. The fools who had hurt my people have been dealt with and that includes her father and the rest of the bastards who put their hands into this. I've showed them hell and they are dead, gone! The girl wouldn't be an exception. Her lineage are evil and murderers, that makes her one. I will deal with her, in my own way. She will taste horror but in my own way. She would die but in my own way. For now until I decide so, you and nobody else should dare hurt her physically. I would overlook your earlier misconduct only because you were new and didn't know the rules but now that you have known, I don't expect you to disobey. Disobedience attracts punishment and as long as you are in my kingdom, you will do exactly as I say."
Charlotte gawked at him as he spoke. It sounded like he was warning and commanding her at the same time. Somehow she knew he was.
It hurt her, pained her.
No one had ever spoken to her in this manner except her parents and few of her stepmothers only.
Luther hadn't once talked to her like this in the past but here he was now, throwing these words to her face.
He had changed and she hated it. Her heart hated it.
She didn't want to be here anymore, and listen to talks about the slave.
It vexed her even more.
She wondered if she regretted coming here but she couldn't decide.
Of course she hated their current argument, but that wasn't a tangible reason to regret her journey here.
She was here for a purpose and not even a damned slave could chase her off it.