Obsessed to Hate Him-Chapter 58: Date?

LIAM

Has anyone ever wandered around in their own home like a fucking thief? If not, then please, I am not at all pleased to draw your attention to me because I am doing just the thing.

Ever since Kian left me all breathless and flustered in the hallway, my mind seems to have clung to a new way to torture me and play tricks on me in a brand new way.

Every time I round a corner, I anticipate finding him standing on the other end. I don’t know what I am expecting. A huge part of me is anticipating him to snuff the light called life inside me when I see him next time. And another part of me just a small part of me... I would rather not mention what it is expecting.

"You never said Kian was coming." I deadpan as I slam the papers in my hand on the desk before Vivana.

"You never asked." She replies simply, with a hint of a smile on the corner of her lips.

I glare down at her, gritting my teeth.

That is right. I didn’t ask for the list of guests from Vivana because I thought it would be a pain in the ass. I had Crystal go over the list, and I never bothered to ask her who was on the list. My eye twitches, infuriated by my own stupidity.

If someone had ever told me that Kian was coming, I would have packed my things and said goodbye to the palace and the capital long before he came here. I don’t have any death wish. The man has made me hunch to myself just by looking at me and touching me for barely a minute, Gods know what he has up his sleeves after this.

I sigh and drop to the chair before Vivana, "Any chance that I can quit and run away now?"

Vivana flips shut her documents and smiles broadly at me, "Nope, Your Highness." Her brown eyes assess me for who knows what, "There is not even a minuscule chance of doing that because all the security measures of the palace rest on your shoulders. It is too late to change the charge. And I cannot believe your assistant with the job because I am well aware of how incompetent she is no matter how good of a fighter she may be."

I shoot her a pointed glare, "And I assume you are the one who hired this ’incompetent’ assistant for me."

Vivana’s smile doesn’t falter, "Not me, Your Highness. It was your mother dearest. She had expected you to fall in love with your assistant. She is still living in her own fantasy world."

"That is bullshit." I spit, frowning.

"Well aware." Vivana switches the topic, "So you have already met Commander Eryx?"

"Certainly," I say sourly.

"Good," Vivana nods her head in mild contentment.

"What do you mean, ’Good’?" My eyebrow arches at her gesture.

"By that I mean you guys have to fix whatever it is between you guys during his stay here." She says sternly.

My frown intensifies, "What do you mean ’whatever we have’? Vivana, don’t act like you don’t know what he did. He killed Eiden. And you are telling me to forget about it just like this? Like it means nothing?" I say, keeping my tone as cool as possible, trying my best not to let the underlying indignation surface.

Everyone knows that Kian killed Eiden during the Great War. But nobody speaks of it. It is like an open secret at this point.

Vivana remains perfectly calm and poised as she takes me in, "I am well aware of what he did, Liam. But if you guys continue like this, another war will be inevitable. Jessifer will never tolerate Kian getting hurt, nor will I tolerate you getting hurt. Your animosity will ruin both kingdoms."

Vivana is right. Absolutely right that I can’t protest. But it doesn’t mean I will do it. I don’t like it and I will be damned if any of them make me do the thing that I absolutely despise. I will shove a dagger up my ass before I have to call a truce Kian. Kingdoms be damned.

But I don’t say it as I keep glaring at Vivana, "I will think about it."

Translation: No way in the hell I am doing this.

Vivana reads on it and smiles—surprising me. "Fair enough, Your Highness."

With one last snarl, I rise from my seat and walk to the exit. And Vivana calls after me, "Oh right, Liam, I have set up a dinner for you and Commander Eryx on the terrace." She smiles, "I hope you will enjoy it and talk it out with him."

My eyebrows jump so high that it is about to leave my face, "You did WHAT?!"

"Arranged a dinner." Her smile remains unfaltering, her eyes turning into crescents.

"I am not going there." I reject drily. I am not interested in dining with my enemy anymore.

"Oh, Your Highness, if you don’t go there, then I will have to drag you up there and force you to have dinner." She says sweetly, underlying the poison in her tone, "Please decide which one will be more appropriate and less humiliating for you? Going there by your feet like an obedient prince or being dragged there by me in front of the whole palace?"

My nostrils flare as the flame of fury ripples through me in waves, "You won’t dare."

"Oh yes, I will." She returns, her words leached with sugar and poison.

I glare at her smile before my shoulders drooping. I know she will do that. Because she is just as stubborn as me. We have it in our blood. I better prepare myself for the dinner. I would be damned if Vivana have to drag me there.

***

I exhale a deep breath before pulling the doorknob and entering the terrace.

This is a damn date set up. Candles, flowers, and shit. A small round table is placed in the middle of the exquisite terrace, decorated romantically with candles and roses.

"Liam~"

My face dries.

Here we go.