When Lady Thorne said that the western gardens were perfect for a romantic tryst, she wasn’t kidding. It was a massive hedge maze with plenty of little nooks and crannies, so that lovers could enjoy each other’s company in privacy. Not that I had any illusions about that. As the Patriarch of a Great House, I guessed that Lord Thorne was at least a peak Fourth Circle wizard, if not a Fifth Circle wizard. His wife was likely at the same level, or a little weaker at most.

That meant that they each had a powerful and well developed spirit sense. Unless Annabelle and I went to a place that was protected by a privacy magic circle, they would be able to keep an eye on us from any part of Thorne Manor. This limited how…handsy Annabelle and I could get with each other. While that sucked, it was what it was. I wasn’t going to complain. The two of us had cleared the biggest hurdle in our relationship, so there was nothing keeping us apart anymore. That was enough to put me on cloud nine.

The two of us would face opposition from outside parties, especially from those who wanted Annabelle for themselves. Gossip, rumors, and potential sabotage, likely targeted at me. At least we had her parents’ support, so we could court openly and without fear.

Annabelle and I walked through the hedge maze without any urgency. We headed towards the center, but we weren’t in a hurry about it. Instead, we took our time and enjoyed what the western gardens had to offer.

The hedge maze wasn’t an ordinary one. I wasn’t sure how, but it looked like someone had infused several different kinds of flowers into the hedges in order to create a series of living murals. There were roses of course, but there were also several other kinds as well. I didn’t recognize most of them, since I wasn’t a gardener or an expert on flowers by any means, but I appreciated their beauty.

The murals that these flowers depicted were scenes from several different love stories and romantic poems. Some came from tragedies, but most came from stories and poems with happy endings. Most interesting of all, from my perspective at least, was that the predominant scent in the air matched the emotions depicted by the nearest mural. Light and sweet for happy scenes, strong and bitter for sorrowful ones, and spicy for ones of great passion. I wasn’t sure if magic was involved in this or not.

Annabelle and I didn’t say much to each other as we wandered through the hedge maze and looked through the murals. We just held hands and enjoyed the simple pleasure of each other’s company. After so long apart, it was bliss. A part of me wanted to hold onto Annabelle and never let go.

However, I knew that the peace and silence wouldn’t last. There was a tension between us, a tension built from secrets and things left unsaid. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but my intuition told me that sooner or later this tension would reach a breaking point.

When we arrived at the center of the hedge maze, evening had arrived. The sun was setting and the stars started to reveal themselves. The moon remained hidden for the most part, with barely a sliver visible in the night sky. There was a slight chill in the air, though neither of us noticed much, since we were both cultivators.

In the center of the maze stood a white gazebo. There were benches inside, so that people could rest their feet. Brass magelamps that hung within the gazebo provided low lighting.

Annabelle let go of my hand and hurried ahead of me to sit down.

“Come on,” she said, patting her lap. As usual, when it was just the two of us, she spoke in English.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Weren’t you the one who said you wanted to lie down with your head on my lap?” she asked. “With me stroking your hair?”

I chuckled.

“Yeah, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon,” I said.

Even as I said this, I followed her words and laid down on the bench with my head on Annabelle’s lap. Some might have complained that Annabelle’s thighs made for a poor pillow, given how muscular her legs were, but not me.

When I lived on the streets, back during my first life, I slept on much harder surfaces. While that had been literal ages ago, I never forgot what it was like. Compared to sleeping on cold stone, Annabelle’s legs were warm and comfortable. They felt like heaven. Of course I was biased, but that didn’t mean I was wrong.

Annabelle started stroking my hair, and I resisted the urge to let out a groan. I was a reincarnated Immortal, not some kind of cat. Yet, despite that, Annabelle’s ministrations soon turned me into a puddle. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” I murmured.

“So do I,” Annabelle said.

I felt her move, before her lips touched mine. To my immense frustration, it was a brief peck. I felt aggrieved. Why would Annabelle tease me like this? I opened one eye to convey my displeasure, but paused at the serious expression she wore.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“We need to talk, Gabe.”

“Uh oh. Nothing induces anxiety more than those four words. Nothing good can come from them.”

Annabelle frowned at me.

“I’m being serious.”

“So am I.”

We stared at each other for several seconds, before I sighed and opened my other eye.

“What do we need to talk about?” I asked.

Annabelle took a moment before answering.

“Did Lady Elizabeth tell you anything else?” she asked. “Other than her becoming my lady-in-waiting?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how you evaded the question earlier, when asked you the first time.”

I studied her face for a few seconds, before sighing.

“Is this a conversation you want to have now?” I asked.

“Yes,” Annabelle said, her voice cracking a little. She cleared her throat before continuing. “Yes. I can’t be at peace until I know for sure. So answer the question, Gabe. Did Lady Elizabeth tell you anything else?”

It was my turn to take a moment before answering. I didn’t want to answer her question. It was something that we needed to talk about, but I wanted to enjoy the moment a little longer. I wanted to wait until later before diving into the heavy stuff. However, now that we’ve come to this point, I didn’t have much choice.

I suppose that I could have lied, but I wanted to avoid lying to Annabelle as much as possible.

“Yes,” I said. “She did.”

Annabelle’s expression smoothed out.

“And what did she tell you?”

“She said that you warned her to stay away from me, or you would make her life a living hell,” I said. “She said that when this happened, it was as if you had become a different person. Someone colder, darker. Someone obsessed.”

I kept the rest of Elizabeth’s words to myself, where she warned me to leave Annabelle before it was too late. If I told my beloved that part, I wasn’t sure what would happen to Elizabeth. Whatever the case, it wouldn’t be good.

“Do you believe her?” Annabelle asked.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Frustration laced Annabelle’s voice. “Why do you believe her? She could be lying to try and drive us apart.”

“But she told the truth, didn’t she?”

Annabelle’s expression grew conflicted, as if she were at war with herself. I could see traces of the person Elizabeth told me about, the colder and darker version of Annabelle. There were hints of madness in her eyes.

“I never wanted you to find out,” Annabelle whispered. “You were never supposed to find out.” Her face twisted with anger and hate. “It’s all Lady Elizabeth’s fault. If she had just stayed quiet, then everything would have been fine. Things would have continued as they were.”

“They still could,” I said in a gentle voice. “I love you, and you love me. Simple as that. That hasn’t changed. If you’re not ready to talk about this now, then we can wait until later.”

Annabelle closed her eyes.

“No,” she said. “Now that you know, I can’t. It’s better to get it out of the way now. Even if…” She sucked in a shuddering breath. “Even if you end up leaving me.”

Annabelle opened her eyes and a change came over her. Her expression became sharper, more predatory. Hungry. Her eyes became cold and dark, replacing the warmth I usually saw. The madness, which I saw hints of earlier, came to the forefront. Her hand, which had been stroking my head, grabbed my hair. Not enough to hurt, but enough to let me know that she had a good grip on me. She caressed my face with her free hand. However, her touch felt possessive rather than tender and loving.

These changes were small. Someone who didn’t know Annabelle well wouldn’t have noticed them right away. However, as Elizabeth said, it was as if Annabelle had become a different person altogether. That wasn’t to say that the Annabelle from before was a lie. Rather, it was as if she revealed a facet of herself that she had kept hidden until now.

A chill ran down my spine. The two looked nothing alike, but the Annabelle I saw before me now reminded me of Immortal Dancing Lily. While the two of us were allies in our fight against the Golden Dragon, I was always wary around her. More than once, I caught her looking at me with the same predatory expression on her face that Annabelle now wore.

Well, fuck. It looked like Annabelle, or her soul at least, really was connected to Immortal Dancing Lily. I suspected as much, and this all but confirmed it for me.

“Take a good look, Gabe,” Annabelle said, her voice huskier than before. “This is who I really am. This is what I’m really like. No more lies. No more masks.”

I studied this version of Annabelle. While somewhat unsettling, I wasn’t afraid. I mean, I was much stronger than Annabelle. If something happened, I was confident that I could subdue her without hurting her. At the very least, I could escape her grasp if necessary.

Not that I wanted to. After all, Annabelle had my heart. Where would I go without my heart?

“I wish I could be the Annabelle in the painting,” Annabelle continued. “That’s how I wanted you to see me, full of happiness and light and laughter. But that’s not who I am. Not really. Deep down, I’m as dark and twisted as they come. I never wanted you to see that darkness, because I was afraid you would realize that you deserve better and leave me.”

As she spoke, Annabelle’s voice never wavered. She spoke in a calm manner, as if she were speaking about something of little importance. However, I saw the pain in her eyes, lurking underneath the madness.

“Back in Rosewood City,” Annabelle said. “You called me a good person. That was a lie. A mask, like the one I used to wear back on Earth. I’m not a good person. I’m selfish, manipulative, and violent. You want to know the real reason why I chose Lady Elizabeth as my lady-in-waiting? She was a threat. You two used to be engaged. What if she tried to take you from me? What if her House tried to pressure yours into resuming the engagement? I couldn’t let that happen.”

Annabelle’s grip on my hair tightened. It would have been very painful for a regular mortal. I just felt mild discomfort.

“That would never happen,” I assured. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“I know,” Annabelle said. “You’re not that kind of person. It’s everyone else that I’m worried about. That’s why I took steps to keep an eye on Lady Elizabeth and keep her in check. That way, if she or her House tried anything, I would know.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Is that why you want to play matchmaker between her and Lord Miles?”

“Yes. If Lady Elizabeth is too busy with him, then she won’t have time for you. Not only that, but if her House thinks that she has a chance at marrying the heir to a Great House, then they’ll work to make that happen instead of trying to resume the engagement between you two.”

I could have told her that Elizabeth had no interest in me, not anymore, but I doubted that reason and logic would work with Annabelle in her current state. As for House Corwin…That wasn’t an unreasonable fear. Now that House Sturm’s star was rising, thanks to the deal we made with House Icefall, and I had restored my Circles, there was a chance that House Corwin would try to renegotiate the engagement between me and Elizabeth.

It would never happen, but that wouldn’t make it any less annoying if they tried.

“If that was what you intended, then why did you threaten her?” I asked.

Annabelle’s eyes narrowed.

“Lady Elizabeth said some things that…upset me,” she said. “I lost control for a moment.” Her nails scraped against my cheek as she caressed my face. “After that, I should have ensured Lady Elizabeth’s silence. I got careless. I figured that she would be smart enough to keep her mouth shut without my saying so. That was my mistake. I’ll make sure to educate her properly, so something like this doesn’t happen again. After all, now that she’s my lady-in-waiting, the two of us will be spending plenty of time together.” She smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile. “Maybe I’ll cut out her tongue. That way, she’ll be silent for the rest of her life.”

Oh boy. This was when the real madness began. It seemed that everything up until this point had simply been the tip of the iceberg. Lies and manipulation were one thing. Violence and disfigurement were another.

For Elizabeth’s sake, I needed to turn Annabelle away from this line of thinking.

“You can’t do that,” I said. “How will Lord Miles fall in love with Lady Elizabeth if she doesn’t have a tongue? I’m sure they could make do, but things would go much more smoothly if she could speak.”

Annabelle paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, before she nodded.

“You’re right,” she said. “Fine. I’ll let her keep her tongue for now.” She frowned. “Still, I need to punish her somehow.”

I grabbed the hand caressing my face and gave it a kiss.

“Why don’t you let it go?” I asked. “Just this once. Everyone makes mistakes.”

The temperature around us seemed to drop.

“Why should I?” Annabelle asked in a cold voice. “Not only did she question my feelings for you, but she spilled my secrets. A good lady-in-waiting should be more discreet.”

“Because I asked you too.”

She stared at me for several long seconds, before she nodded.

“Fine. Since you asked, I’ll let it go, just this once. However, I won’t be so forgiving if it happens a second time.

“I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

I doubted that Elizabeth harbored any romantic feelings for me anymore, especially after what happened with Annabelle. If it hadn’t been for her family situation, Elizabeth might have washed her hands of us both.

“You’re the only one who can do that, you know?” Annabelle asked. “Keep me in check when I go crazy like this.”

“So you’re aware that you sound…unhinged?”

Annabelle scoffed.

“Of course I’m aware,” she said. “I’m not stupid. I know how fucked up I am. I just don’t care. I won’t let anyone take you away from me.” Her mouth twisted with displeasure. “Gods, you have no idea how angry I was earlier when Lady Isabella batted her eyelashes and flashed her tits at you. How dare she do that right in front of me? I wanted to jump across the table and gouge her eyes out so she wouldn’t look at you anymore.”

“That would have started a war with House Rhodes,” I pointed out.

Annabelle leaned in closer.

“I think I’ve established that I don’t care,” she said. “If it meant keeping her away from you, I would exterminate her entire House.”

I blinked at Annabelle. This went far beyond anything I expected. I knew Annabelle could become jealous and violent, but not to the point of killing an entire family.

“You know you sound like a codependent sociopath, right?” I asked. “I’m sorry, but there’s no nice way to put it.”

“I’m not a sociopath,” Annabelle said. “I just love you to the point of obsession and madness. As long as everyone remembers that you are mine and doesn’t try to take you from me, everything will be fine.”

She removed her hand from mine and started caressing my cheek again. One of her nails came close to scratching my eye.

“This is all your fault, you know? I’m like this because of you. If you hadn’t been so…so…you, I wouldn’t have fallen this hard. Everyone else only ever saw the mask I wore. My parents, the teachers back in high school, the other students. To them I was the perfect daughter, the perfect student, the perfect Annabelle. You’re the only one who ever saw beneath the mask, the only one who ever really saw me. Of course I fell in love with you. I fell hard and fast. How could I not? You were perfect for me, as if we were made for each other.”

Her hand reached down and started caressing my throat. For a second, it seemed like Annabelle was about to try and strangle me, but she refrained.

“My sweet, innocent, socially inept loner,” she said. “I had to hold myself back a lot in the beginning. Otherwise, I might have scared you away. I don’t know what I would have done if that happened. Nothing good, that’s for sure. So I kept myself in check, but it wasn’t easy. I wanted nothing more than to pin you down and have my way with you, over and over again, until you were as addicted to me as I was to you.”

Annabelle hadn’t needed to worry on that front. She wasn’t the only one who fell hard and fast. No matter how aggressive she was, I would have welcomed it. Besides, it wasn’t as if she was the only one who initiated things.

“I was so afraid of losing you,” Annabelle said, choking up. “I still am. That’s why I hid this part of myself from you. I didn’t want to scare you away. If you saw just how fucked up I was on the inside, you would have turned away in disgust. I ended up creating another mask, one just for you. That’s how I know that I’m not a good person. I lied and manipulated the person I loved just so he wouldn’t leave me. If I were a good person, I would have let you go so that you could find someone better. Someone who is all of the things I pretend to be. Someone good for you, instead of a selfish monster like me.”

Tears filled Annabelle’s eyes, though they didn’t fall.

“Now that everything is out in the open, I’m going to give you one chance to walk away,” Annabelle said. “One chance to leave me and find someone else, someone better than me. One chance to find someone who will give you the happiness you deserve.” She wiped the tears from her eyes, though it didn't do much good since they kept falling. “You should take it. After today, there won’t be any more chances. I won’t let you escape, even if you change your mind later on. If you try to run away from me after today, I will hunt you down and lock you up. If another woman tries to take you away from me, I’ll make an example out of her so that everyone else learns to stay away from you. I’ll make sure that you and everyone else understands a fundamental truth: you are mine. I own you, and I’ll never let you go.”

Annabelle nodded towards the gazebo’s entrance.

“If you want to avoid all that,” she said. “Then go. Leave, and don’t look back. I’ll stay away from you, even if it kills me.”

Silence fell over us when she finished speaking. I waited a few seconds, just in case she had anything else to say, before opening my mouth.

“You finished?” I asked.

Annabelle nodded.

“Yes. So just go already. Don’t stay and give me false hope. It’ll just make things more painful.”

I sat up so I wasn’t looking up at Annabelle anymore. Pain and resignation marred her features, as if she expected me to leave.

I reached over and flicked her forehead. I wasn’t gentle about it either, and left a big red spot.

“Ow!” Annabelle said, pulling her head back and rubbing her forehead. “What was that for?”

“You’re a fucking idiot.”

Annabelle stared at me with wide eyes.

“After all the time and effort I put in to be with you, do you really think that I would walk away? Just like that? No. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“But-…I’m-…You-…” Annabelle sputtered. “Why? I’m ugly and disgusting and twisted on the inside. Why would you stay with someone like me? You deserve better.”

“You’re beautiful and wonderful and I love you. When we first met, back when I was Brandon Norwood, you brought light and laughter into my life. Before that point, everything had been dull and gray. You added color into an otherwise dreary existence. Why would I ever leave you?

Her jaw dropped.

“I lied to you! I manipulated you!”

I gave her a flat look.

“Honey, people lie and manipulate each other all the time. You’re nothing special in that regard. Do you think I’ve never kept secrets from you?”

Annabelle stared at me with an unsure expression on her face. Underneath that, however, I saw hope.

“What about the fact that I want to throttle every woman who looks at you funny?” she asked. “I’m not joking. When I said that I wanted to gouge Lady Isabella’s eyes out, that wasn’t an exaggeration. I told you, I’m fucked up.”

I tilted my head from side to side.

“Okay, that’s pretty bad, I won’t deny that,” I said, before I shrugged. “But I’d be a hypocrite if I left you for something like that, especially given my love of violence and slaughter. I’m just as fucked up as you are. You accepted that part of me. How could I do anything less?”

“Do you…Do you really mean that?” Annabelle asked.

“Yes,” I said with a grin. “So don’t try to pull this angsty self-sacrificing bullshit on me. You can’t get rid of me that easily. I’m never letting you go.”

Annabelle stared at me for several long seconds, before her face lit up with joy. She grabbed me by the lapels of my jacket and kissed me over and over again.

“I love you,” she repeated between each kiss.

“I love you too.”

She pulled back, wearing a wide smile across her face. After a few seconds, the smile faded and she glared at me.

“It’s too late to change your mind now,” Annabelle said. “You’ve made your decision. If you have any regrets, too bad. You can’t escape me now. If you try, I’ll-…”

“Hunt me down and lock me up,” I said, interrupting her. “I heard you the first time around.”

Annabelle gave me a grumpy look.

“Spoilsport,” she said. “You’re taking all the fun out of being the crazy girlfriend.” She gave me a predatory smile. “Still, it’s good that you know your place.”

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Were you like this on Earth?” I asked.

“Oh, I used to be much worse back then,” Annabelle answered. “I’ve learned patience ever since I came to Lumina. Why do you think I left your disciples alone? I gave them the chance to prove that they weren’t threats. You have no idea how much self control that took on my part. Back on Earth, I would have done something right away.”

Oh. That could’ve been bad. I loved Annabelle, but if she had touched my disciples, I would’ve intervened. Beloved or not, I took my duties as their Master seriously.

However, something about Annabelle’s words triggered a memory from when I was Brandon Norwood.

“Remember Megan Thompson?” I asked. “Back in high school?”

Annabelle’s expression hardened.

“Yes,” she said in a clipped tone. “I remember her.”

“Did you have anything to do with what happened to her?”

After Annabelle and I started dating, we faced a lot of opposition. There were those who thought that I was a bad influence on Annabelle, those who thought that I wasn’t good enough for her, or those who wanted Annabelle for themselves.

However, there was also a group of girls who suddenly took an interest in me. They tried to steal me away from Annabelle, but stopped after she chased them away.

Megan Thompson had been the most persistent of the bunch, as well as the most open and aggressive. It was to the point where even my dumb ass realized what she was up to. It was less about me, however, and more about Annabelle.

Megan Thompson was the second most popular girl at our school. Like Annabelle, she was athletic, academically gifted, and had a large circle of friends. Unlike Annabelle, she thrived on the attention she received. Being second best, by her standards, always irked her, so she tried to use me to get back at Annabelle. It was the usual petty, high school bullshit.

However, one day, Megan Thompson came to school with two black eyes and a broken nose. She said that she fell down on her face, but no one believed her. However, despite attempts to get her to open up, Megan maintained her story so no one could do anything. A few weeks later, she moved schools and everyone forgot about the incident.

“Tsk,” Annabelle said, turning her head away from me. “She had it coming. That bitch was lucky that I took it easy on her.”

“Babe, you broke her nose.”

“I only broke her nose.”

I paused for a moment, before shaking my head.

“You really are something,” I said.

“Yeah, but I’m your something.” Annabelle said.

Her hand traced the sides of my neck, a thoughtful look on her face.

“Now that everything is out in the open, can I collar you?” she asked. “You know you belong to me, but I want everyone else to know it too. A collar seems like the best way to go about it. A wedding ring is too small, and I don’t want to mar your face with a tattoo.”

I gave her a sardonic look.

“You gave this a lot of thought, haven’t you?” I asked in a dry voice.

“You have no idea.”

I sighed.

“Annabelle, let me make one thing clear,” I said. “I am not your slave. Neither am I your servant, nor am I your pet.”

I gave her a serious look to emphasize my point. Annabelle looked taken aback.

“I’m so-…” she started to say, but I cut her off.

“So if I have to wear a collar, you do too. It’s only fair. Or a choker, at the very least.” I grinned at her. “Instead of engagement rings, we can exchange chokers.”

Annabelle’s eyes widened and a smile spread across her face.

“I love that idea,” she said. “Chokers it is. I already have an idea for the design of yours.” She frowned. “I’d have to change some things to make it work, but it’s still doable.”

I frowned as I studied Annabelle’s neck. A rough idea sprang to mind, and I further refined it as the seconds passed. While I could make it myself, it would be faster to hire an artisan. The problem was, I already spent a good chunk of my quarterly allowance. Either I’d have to go cheap, which I detested, or I’d have to borrow money from Father.

Ooh, I could argue that it was for our House’s sake, since it was a gift for Annabelle. Since it was a declaration of our feelings for each other, I could claim that it’s for an engagement gift.

Heh. An engagement choker. That was what I was going to call mine when people asked about it.

Oh ancestors, what if Annabelle and I started a trend? With her status as a scion of a Great House, that was possible.

Annabelle kissed me deep on the lips, interrupting my thoughts. I closed my eyes as everything else melted away, until there was only Annabelle. Her warmth, her vanilla scent, the taste of her lips, the sound of her moans.

After several minutes, which felt like seconds, Annabelle pulled away and laid her head on my shoulder.

“I love you, Gabe,” she said.

“I love you too, Annabelle.”

The two of us stayed like that for the rest of my stay at Thorne Manor.