"Dream... HAHAHA"
Angelica has been laughing nonstop for the past fifteen minutes. And I can't seem to understand what is it that she finds so funny.
Me being cursed or me being able to experience her antics? Either way, the real fun begins when I regain my strength.
"HAHA... To get a load of this crap... HAHAHA"
Once the hysteria subsided, Angelica collapsed on the bed with the empty wine bottles rolling beside her. It was only after she started speaking again that I noticed the position she was in.
"Did you know something Edward..."
Dangling from the edge of the bed, Angelica's voice sounded tired.
"Things aren't always what they appear to be. For instance..."
She paused to take a deep breath and confessed,
"I left the love of my life back home. I don't know what he's up to without me"
'Love... Love of your life you say...'
The four-letter word stuck to mind.
It was not the first time I have heard a woman say that word, for I have received numerous love confessions throughout the years. But none were as impactful as my own wife's declaration of love to a man that was not me.
Until this very moment, I never considered that Angelica might have had someone else in her life before being married to me.
Ours was a political marriage based on mutual benefits. Love was not an essential part of the deal.
So it was a given that Angelica had to fulfill her part of the relationship in exchange for support to her family. There was no need for 'love' between the two of us.
Therefore, no matter who or what this person might be, he has to go through me if he wanted Angelica back.
Still in spite of all that rationing thinking, hearing her say that word makes me uneasy. Why do I feel so?
"What a beautiful birdie..." Angelica chuckled like a child as she flailed her hands in the air.
There can't be any birds inside the room since all the windows have been sealed shut with magic. Not to mention, the bedroom was reinforced with threshold magic that only allows entry to a selected number of people making it the most secure chamber in the entire estate.
The bird Angelica was playing with might just be a figment of her imagination under the influence of alcohol. If it isn't, the bird meant a major security breach.
Anyhow that wasn't the case since Angelica never brought up the bird again. Because the next one she saw was a frog.
"ribbit ribbit........no that's a frog. I want a rabbit. How does a rabbit sound again?"
Aside from my voice, she seemed to have a talent for imitating different spices. Turns out it was only mine she was intentionally messing up.
When she was done goofing around, Angelica hoised herself up and combed the bed in search of something.
"Where is my mike? What kind of a Karaoke place doesn't have a mike?"
'Mike... Karaoke...' Although I didn't recognize the items she was looking for, I was sure she wouldn't be able to find them on the bed.
Right then, Angelica's leg grazed my arm.
"Who is this? Did you pass out from a little drinking? What are you a baby?" She mindlessly assumed and began kicking me in the gut.
*kick* *kick*
I gritted my teeth, holding in the fury.
Apparently, I'm the drunk one now.
It was simply fascinating to experience firsthand the different stages of my wife's depleting sobriety.
'Believe me... I wish to be as drunk as you' I wanted to tell Angelica.
Shuffling through the sheets she managed to get her hands on one of the empty wine bottles and spilled the residual wine on my clothes.
This makes me wonder how she is going to explain the state of the room in the morning.
"Heyyyyy....this is my mike. Why did you drink from my mike you dingus"
*kick*
I swear the last kick was on purpose.
Suddenly, I could hear the sound of clothes being ripped apart. Soon enough Angelica returned with the said piece of cloth and began binding my hands.
'I don't like where this is going' An ominous sensation came over me.
If it were anyone else, I could have estimated their next move based on their intentions. But the problem with Angelica was her unpredictable nature. Just like before when she chose alcohol over a lifetime of fortune, anything is within the realm of possibility however minute they might appear.
The only option was to hope for the best and wait for the storm to pass.
"Better safe than sorry" said Angelica, adding another knot to my already tightly bound wrists.
She pushed and pulled on the bounds with all her might to ensure that they were secured. Once satisfied with her handiwork, Angelica released her hold on my hands and stood on top of the bed.
"Now... let the singing begin" Angelica declared before she started singing to her heart's content.
'I knew it' I shook my head in disapproval.
~ If I were a boy, even just for a day.....
I'd roll outta bed in mornin' ~
Although the singing wasn't entirely bad, the problem was listening to the same song over and over until the sun rises. Being forced into such a situation could drive anyone crazy.
Fortunately, Angelica had realized that and changed between different songs.
~ I can do it... I can do it...
I'll get through it...~
After a few minutes of constant singing, Angelica got tired, this time for good.
"I'm thirsty..." Angelica complained in a hoarse voice.
With a few staggering movements, Angelica stepped out of the bed and landed on her feet. I have to note that she has an astonishing amount of stamina for lasting so long.
Even though I was unable to see her, I could sense that she was in no condition to walk around.
"Whoa!" Angelica exclaimed holding onto the bed railing for support.
"Why is this building shaking?! Is there one place in his freakin' house that is not haunted?!" She shouted at the top of her voice which I thought she had lost.
'Yes, the fault lies in the house. Not the person who broke into a cursed man's vault and got herself blindly drunk' I smirked, amused by her comment.
"OK... OK... I can do this. I can totally do this"
With her legs shaking like a newborn calf, Angelica cheered herself and headed towards the door.
According to her, the Frost estate was haunted with ghosts appearing from the ground and purposefully tripping her feet.
But in order for Angelica to sober up even if just by a little she needed a substance that does not contain alcohol.
'Just be care-...' I didn't finish my sentence when Angelica knocked out the nearby furniture on her way to the door.
*thud*
"Oww..." She groaned, pushing away the armchair on her way, only to immediately stumble on the tea table. This continued till she reached the door.
It was an astounding feat for her to topple the furniture that was not even on her line of the path.
My normally empty door that was void of unnecessary furniture was filled with those when Angelica moved in. Though they were brought in for her convenience, Angelica had repurposed them as training equipment instead of using them for their designated purpose.
*bang*
*bang*
"There you are..."
At least she doesn't sound hurt. I hid the smile that crept to my lips.
Having reached her destination, Angelica picked up the glass of milk that was sent with the change of clothes.
*crash*
However, instead of drinking it, she threw the glass against the wall shattering it into pieces.
Why did she do that? Is she not satisfied with non-alcoholic drinks? I was startled y her sudden action.
"No... this is wrong. This drink is probably drugged too" Angelica muttered to herself.
What did she just say? Drugged? The crease between my brows deepened.
The food brought to Angelica went through numerous testing before they were served, especially after the poisoning incident a few weeks ago. So it made sense for Angelica to be concerned.
Not poisoned but drugged? That was rising a lot of questions.
Unlike before, Angelica made a safe journey back to the bed avoiding the obstacles along the way. But just as she was about to make it, she ended up getting her toe stubbed on the footboard.
"OW! OW! Sh*t **** **** *****" Angelica cursed out jumping around in one leg.
From past experiences, I have come to understand that she was speaking in a different language I was unfamiliar with. Though I am used to the curse words she frequents the rest of the sentences were nothing more than meaningless babble.
"Time to work" said Angelica as she climbed on top of me.
I instinctively knew she was up to no good from the tone of her voice.
'!'
I felt a cold stroke against my cheek.
It was lipstick Angelica had picked up on her trip to the door. And now my face is being subjected as a canvas to her aesthetic side.
"I love the color. Blood red... It suits you" Angelica giggled and continued to paint my face.
"How about a panda... Ah, let's add a clown nose to it hehe..."
Growing up as the only heir to the Frost duchy, I was permitted only a limited amount of time for leisure activities. Among the vast choices of activities to spend time on, the one I enjoyed the most was painting.
The world of art provided the desperate escape from reality I had been searching for.
However, I wasn't satisfied with any of my creations. No matter how much effort I put into completing a piece, the outcome never seemed to reach the ideal image I wanted to create. The blank canvas in my chamber was proof of that.
Never in my wildest dreams had it crossed my mind that Angelica might have had an artistic side to her.
"Boop!" Angelica broke out into a fit of laughter after tapping the tip of my freshly drawn nose.
I have seen countless people acting under the influence of alcohol. Some passed out unable to handle the booze, some broke into fights over foolish reasons. But none of them could ever compare to an intoxicated Angelica.
'What will I be able to do when my hands are literally tied' I looked at the red sky as Angelica's laughter gradually came to a stop.
There was a strange shift in the atmosphere. As if a switch was flipped inside her head, Angelica's countenance had changed drastically.
"I'm dead" Angelica tossed the lipstick in her hand before adding,
"Why do all the sh*tty things in the universe always happen to me?"
The playful behavior she had been exhibiting from the start had vanished to reveal a more honest persona.
"I don't know what happened to the original Saintess. Never got to the point... tsk" Angelica clicked her tongue.
"Had I remembered this mess earlier I would've stopped her from disappearing..."
Now that I think about it, while Angelica was aware of the Saintess's disappearance, she didn't know the Saintess was actually kidnapped by the Serpents. That part of the information was always glossed over like fabricated gossip in a newspaper.
Wherever it was she learned about the Saintess, didn't provide her with the exact facts.
"Arghh?!" Angelica grunted, holding her head in pain.
It has been more than three hours since she emptied the first bottle. Is she finally sobering up?
"Ah... I remember something" Angelica jumped excitedly.
"I can break your curse! OMG! How the heck did I even forget about it!?"
A way to break the curse without holy power. Angelica almost had me for a moment with that until she said,
"Every princess who has ever fallen victim to a curse has woken up with a kiss from the prince"
Angelica pulled my lips towards her.
"Edward... all you need is a kiss from a prince... HAHAHA"
Just when I had thought Angelica finally sobered up she had reverted back to her ways. After laughing for another twenty minutes, Angelica gripped my face tightly with her hand.
"You are a wacko..." She whispered, slowly leaning in.
'You married that wacko' I childishly retorted in annoyance, completely unprepared for what was to come. For Angelica had closed in on me until her face was right on top of mine.
"I can't be your prince..."
I could feel her breath brush against my lips as she got closer.
"But... I can be your cannon fodder..."
*kiss*
I laid on the bed frozen both mentally and physically.
'That is madness...' My heart began to race at an uncontrollable rate.
I have never been so disappointed by someone missing their target as I do at this moment.
Placing a light feathery kiss on the tip of my nose, Angelica had slid down next to me asleep.
'What... I just happened?' I was baffled.
While Angelica slept peacefully, my brain had come to a halt.
I didn't know how much time had passed as I only came back to my senses at the sound of Angelica's voice.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Angelica cried in her sleep with tears trailing down her cheeks.
What was it she was dreaming about to make her sad enough to cry? The unexplainable tightness in the heart I felt when she first cried had returned.
'At this moment, I would give anything to be able to take you in my arms' A part of me spoke, not knowing that it was the last night we would spend together.