Lily, watching Vasili and Adrian from a distance, walks back towards her room, but stops at her door where she spots Snake.
Lily closes her eyes in disdain and reaches for the doorknob as she hears Snake mutter softly and painfully, "Wait."
Lily sighs to herself and asks, "What's the matter?"
Snake drops his head between his shoulders and says, "I don't do this often, but..."
"Snake, it's nothing. You were just expressing your opinion. Now I just know." Lily answers coldly and walks through the door of her room.
As soon as Lily closes the door, Snake walks into Lily's room and Lily stands under the window, gently placing her hands on her stomach and says, "Please leave. I need some time alone."
"You wanted to know what I thought about it. About you and Kro." Snake replies darkly.
"Now I wish I didn't know," Lily replies reluctantly.
"He loves you, Lily. He would see the whole world destroyed in front of him just to hold you in his arms." Snake says swallowing.
"We both know there's a difference between love and lust," Lily replies, fighting back tears.
"Lust doesn't make you run back to the same person. Craving is like thirst. It requires constant erasure. And it doesn't care what the drink is. The main thing is that he quenches his thirst for a moment," says Snake.
"Do you lust for me, Snake?" Lily asks, glaring at Snake.
"Excuse me?" Snake asks, becoming alert.
"I see you looking at me, Snake. In fact, everyone can see it. So, I'll ask you again: Do you lust for me?" Lily says, taking soft steps closer to the boy.
Snake swallows quietly and says, "Lily..."
"I have other servants. Each of them promised to follow me until death. Protect me and keep my city. But you always try to push your boundaries and get closer to me, as if any little thing in this world could bring me down. And now..where Kro has gone, it has..strengthened." says Lily, standing side by side with the boy.
"And what am I supposed to say?" Snake asks, confused.
"What do you want, Snake?" Lily asks, locking her gaze into Snake's dark green eyes and resting her hand on the boy's arm.
"Lily..." Snake stutters softly.
"Snake. If it's really me you want, go ahead - Take me. I wouldn't forbid you." says Lily in a gentle voice, stroking the boy's cheek with her other hand.
"I... I..." Snake starts to say, bringing his lips closer to Lily's before whispering, "Lily, I can't do this to you."
"What's stopping you?" Lily asks, pulling a few centimeters away from the boy.
"You know very well why I can't do that." Snake says looking away.
Lily nods quietly. Snake was everything to her, but... this wasn't quite it.
It was difficult to explain, it was easy to feel and he could not understand it. And even though they both could have promised everything, here and now, they would have put everything in jeopardy.
"Maybe someday, somewhere in the distant future, I could love you. But right now, loving you, I would cause you more pain than protect you." Snake says smiling at Lily.
"So now you want me, but someday..." Lily says with a frown.
"Maybe someday I'll learn to love you," Snake says to Lily as he leaves the room.
"Someday... perhaps," Lily mutters as she walks back under the tree.
-----------------
When the girl reaches the tree, she rests her head against the tree and whispers, "Give me strength, my servants, my protectors. My hiders. Keep me from the one who desires me and give me to the one who truly loves me."
Saying this, she wraps her arms around the tree and presses herself firmly against it, feeling a gentle tear run down the girl's cheek.
"Lily?" a gentle voice suddenly comes from behind her.
"Go away, Snake," Lily mutters as she grips the tree tighter.
Kro smiles gently and pushes the girl's silky hair over her left shoulder and says, "It's already dark outside. You should hide, little ghost."
Lily turns around, startled, and quietly stares at Kro, barely audibly asking, "What are you doing here?"
"I come here when I need to be alone," answers Kro, shrugging his shoulders.
"You know I'm not afraid of the dark, Kro," Lily answers, swallowing.
"Tell that to your trembling body," Kro replies with a grin.
Lily glances down at her shaking wrists and says, "I forgive you. Which also means that... you will become my right hand. If you're still interested."
Kro kneels in front of the girl until Lily whispers, "Get up."
"What about everyone else? What will become of them?'' asks Kro, frowning.
"I don't know yet. But I know one thing - I need to secure my position. And if I do that, I'll need both my right hand and my left hand." says Lily, biting her lip.
"Then I'll stand next to you," says Kro without hesitation.
"Actually...Snake promised to represent me this time." Lily replies biting her lip.
Kro rolls his eyes to himself and says, "If diplomacy means two Slavs going against each other in the Underworld Community.. then I'd like to see it."
"If I'm going to take on the world, I need my own empire to be as stable as possible. And for that, you need to make peace again with the people of Wendel first." says Lily, looking deeply into Kro's eyes.
"If you want to show me as your ally in the eyes of your subjects, you're going to need a lot more than pushing me away," Kro replies.
"What would you like me to do?" Lily asks, spreading her arms.
"Let me stand next to you so I can be your right hand," says Kro, looking Urgently into Lily's eyes.
Lily swallows quietly and asks, "What difference would that make?"
Kro looks away and says, "I don't mean to criticize Snake, but the World Empire needs both strategic thinking and stability."
"We would never have stability, now that Nikita Nadege has already started the chain. There's no safety anywhere anymore," replies Lily, looking down.
"The world can fall apart, for me too. But not you and your dynasty. You will become the unifier of the criminal world and its protector. And I'll be by your side no matter what measures you try to get rid of me. Because I believe that you are what our world needs. And.. who would I need."
Lily nods quietly and says, "I could use some help with politics..."
"Then let me help you. With politics," answers Kro.
"Okay," Lily replies, looking down.
Kro nods quietly and reaches for the girl, and Lily asks, looking at her hand with disgust, "What are you doing?"
"Handshakes are an important part of building good political relations," answers Kro, looking the girl in the eye.
Lily cautiously reaches for Kro and the boy squeezes it gently and Lily smiles.
Their handshake was not proper, but they could both feel something new coming for them. Something foreign, warm and... desirable.
VOCÊ ESTÁ LENDO
Queen of Wendel: Warlike
Mistério / Suspense"Why shouldn't he take care of you?" Shadow sighs quietly. There were many reasons. Secrets, past, weapons, girl's personal ethics. Not to mention her wounds. Her body was covered with knife wounds that always reminded her of her angry battles with...
