Chapter 31

Luciano

"Luciano." My Mother repeated my name. It made me quiver, everything. "Are you going tell Red or should I?" She asked, referring to whatever she had just informed me with.

My strength faded at the thought of Red. "I can't say this to her, Mother." I breathed heavily while rubbing the nape of my neck. "You know that."

"Are you sure you want even tell Red about this? You told me she's not in the perfect health right now." I could hear my Mother worrying up.

"No, no. I can't keep anymore secrets, it leads to more trouble and it's better if she hears it from you than me as she wouldn't believe me." I cleared my throat and replied in a deep tone. It was for a minute I froze with the truth, with Lisa's truth.

I couldn't believe someone would do that to their best friend. It wasn't about the present, it was about the past. Red needed to be warned that her friend was no longer her friend but rather an enemy she'll be required to take down soon enough.

"All right. I've a meeting with the council's witches, I'll speak with them, and learn about the time period. As soon as I'm done with that, I'll ring you and have Red by your side."

"Yes, Mother."

I closed the call and shoved my phone back inside my pocket. I gawked at the sky as the warm cup of coffee in my hand had turned cold. There was only one thought that ran across my head. When did Lisa exactly turn her back on Red? When did this started? I remembered sending her off and she was happy, she was happy all along, didn't complain about anything at all.

Ben walked into the terrace. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded, snapping back into the reality. "I'm heading to Dillion."

"Why?"

"To see Red. Something important has come up. I'll speak to you when I return," I patted his shoulder and placed the cup down on the table before walking inside the apartment.

I managed to sneak in the mansion without Dillion noticing me. The more days I spent here, the more I realized that the old man was nothing, he was innocent and slightly wretched. I received no threat from his existence, especially after knowing that he was Red's long-dead Father.

I entered from the backyard of the mansion and found Annabeth by a tree, using her phone until I showed up.

"Luciano." Her eyes widened a little. "What are you doing here?" She glanced around.

"Where is Red?"

"She's in the room."

"And where is that?"

"Hallway, then right and by the corner there are two small brown doors, the first one's our." Anna explained, gesturing towards the bedroom by using her hands.

"Thank you."

"Take your time." She slumped back down on the bench and continued doing whatever she was doing on her phone.

I looked out for any sounds, footsteps, scents or anything threatening before going in the path where Annabeth led me too. I had great sneaking skills long before I became the King. Most of my childhood was spent in escaping the castle with Ben, lying to guards, running under their noses' and slipping out.

I dragged the door handle of the bedroom and the door creaked open. Walking inside, I found Red asleep on the bed, her black hair cascading down her face and her mouth lightly parted. This was no time to sleep. The sun had just fallen and I was sure she had spent the whole day in bed.

Sleeping.

"Red," I whispered, my fingertips gliding down the edges of her faces. Her skin was warm against my tips, growing hotter and hotter. When she didn't wake up at once, I leaned down. "Come on, princess, it's time to get up and become a Queen."

"Mhm," She turned and pushed my hand away. "I'm the Queen."

"You're not."

"Yes, I am!" Her eyes peeled open and she looked directly at me with a wild gaze. "I mean, I will be."

"My Mother wants to speak with you." I shifted my hands back into my pocket and pulled out my phone. An hour had almost passed by since I spoke to her, she must've be done with the meeting and I hoped with everything that it went well.

If the council could deny Damon and Lisa's claim, then Red had the opportunity to take what was rightfully hers—Gretel's place.

Red grimaced, taking the phone away from my hands. "Did she speak with Lisa?"

"Yes, she did and she has something to say to you." I replied as her body moved on the bed. She sat up against the headboard and looked for my Mother's number. "Red."

"Yeah?"

I held her wrist and stopped her for a moment. "I just want to say that even if the closest ones turn their backs on you, I would never because I love you more than anything else in this world. There is nothing much more precious than you beside me. Do you understand that?" I gave her assurance, enough for her to not go sane with what she was going to hear.

Red nodded her head, her innocent eyes taking a confusing turn. "I know. I love you too." She smiled and turned her attention back on the phone.

I kept quiet for the next couple minutes, till she wasn't done speaking with my Mother. Red would've never believed me if I told her the truth but she would believe my Mother—in a second.

I watched her gleaming eyes loose their shine with every second passing by, her brows arching and tears of denial spilling on her face.

"Why would she do that?" She sobbed. "That was my Nana. Why would she kill her? Why would she do that to me?"

It wasn't Lisa who killed Mae, her grandmother, but she had a strong hand in her murder, she tipped off Gretel's witches, taking them directly to the old woman where they ended her life, brutally and she watched it all. She betrayed and hurt Red, intentionally. No one forced her to do it but it was rather her own choice to take revenge from her very own best friend, for her fate, which was in no one's hand.

When Red began crying loudly, I took the phone away from her and she growled at me.

"No, let me talk to her!"

"That's enough for today."

Anger flushed in her face, and she shook her head, "It's not enough. I need to know more, I need to know what Lisa is going to do next. She might just kill Fiona as her act of revenge." She sprang and reached for the phone, almost ripping it away from me.

"Red," I moved back, holding her. "Calm down first."

"Okay." She sat back down on the bed, and folded her legs across each other. Her sobs were replaced with heavy breath and her tears with fury. "I'm fine." She assured, keeping her voice soft.

I glanced at the phone and switched on the speaker to see what else my Mother had to say to her.

"Mother, it's me. What decision has the council made?" I asked while Red carefully listened.

"There are fifteen days till the new moon. Red has the option to appear in front of the council and claim her title in those fifteen days or by default, Damon will be chosen and it will be the first time in ever we will have a King."

"And there is no other way to pause this?"

"No, Luciano, I wish there was but this is it, it's either the end or the beginning." My mother responded, scared. "What is your decision, Red?"

I raised my head, looking at her. She avoided my gaze and titled her head. A storm of emotions invaded her eyes, the black in them widened and flickers of red appeared. It was completely her choice, I didn't suggest as I knew that her becoming the Queen was a better option for all of us as our daughter was among the chosen ones.

"I will return," she whispered. "And claim my throne. Whoever stands up against me will face the exact destiny as Gretel's, let everyone know that, including Lisa and her beloved Damon because I won't hesitate in killing either of them."

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