The Devil's Temptation!

77 A Bet

The whole day Anna spent it reminiscing about what could move the heart of not just anybody, but the half-devil named Roshan.

Obviously stories that were told to touch the heart were ineffective on him, so she skipped it and involuntarily bit her nails, as though it’d help her think properly.

“You’re one strange human if you ask me, why help someone who tried to end your life?”

Rebecca couldn’t hold in her question anymore as she laid Gemma’s bed. If it were her, she’d make sure that lousy maiden doesn’t even get the antidote.

Anna understood Becca’s questioning to a valid point and a faint smile crossed her lips, yet Becca could tell from her eyes that the young lady was in another dimension.

“That’s not it.” She sighed.

“Then what is?”

“I don’t think she wrote any notes.” Her cryptical stare landed on Becca. “I don’t know why, but I believe her.”

Becca facepalmed as though Anna uttered something foolish, “believe what? I’ve known Freya for a long time and her feelings for his highness Roshan could be stated as obsession even if she never showed it, you don’t know her better than me.”

.....

“She admitted her wrongs, she didn’t deny her feelings for his highness either, but then she’s nothing but a maid, it’s possible she couldn’t have carried such a clean plan all by herself.”

Anna clearly understood Becca’s logic, but that doesn’t mean she was going to ignore her instincts as well.

“So what are you trying to say?”

“If lady Gretta really saw it happen, why didn’t she stop it there and then? If she wanted to save me, she could have thrown the berry juice away, but she added liquor instead.”

Becca stopped arranging the bed and turned to look at Anna. “Where exactly are you getting with this?”

“I don’t want to jump into any conclusion just yet but I feel Gretta_”

“Shhhhhh..”

She hurried towards Anna, immediately covering her mouth with her palm in order to silence the human from saying something that’ll land her in serious trouble.

“Shush!”

Anna stared at her, not particularly sure on why she was being shushed.

“The walls have ears you know, don’t trust anyone, not even me.”

“Why?”

“Gretta isn’t someone you should mess around with, she’s well-mannered on the outside but a different being on the inside, avoid her and stay away from anything that involves her.”

She whispered while alarmingly glancing around to ensure no nosy maid was eavesdropping on them.

Anna’s eyes narrowed a little bit at Becca’s unexpected alarm. Was Gretta that dangerous? To the point even Becca had to warn her about it? If Gretta didn’t expose her true self on their first encounter, goodness knows she’d mistake the lady for being well-mannered.

That only increased her suspicion.

“Do you understand what I’m trying to say?” Becca asked, bringing Anna back to the present and as her mind recalled Becca’s question, she nodded.

“Yes, I... understand.”

“Good.” Becca smiled with a friendly glint in her lavender eyes before returning to Gemma’s wardrobe to arrange her outfits. “Now let it slide and help me with Gemma’s study table. The little demoness never forgets to read, but she always forgets to pile her books in one piece.” She joked.

Anna shook her head with a warm smile before heading to Gemma’s study table. She arranged the pile of storybooks and notes that were kept on her study table, but her mind was back to thinking again.

She has to speak with the maid no matter what because this matter concerns her life in many ways. What if she gets attacked again? But then to get the antidote, she has to move Roshan’s heart which was something she surprisingly found impossible.

Roshan was a mysterious type of being, he was different compared to the men she’s met in her current years of living and it was difficult to guess his thoughts, or even understand him as he kept most things to himself.

“Move his heart?” She quietly muttered to herself, as far as she knows, Roshan was always intrigued by something that interests him, he was that type of person who liked playing games, and he used people as his pawn, making her no different and this... was one of his games.

She randomly picked a book on Gemma’s study table, turning it over so she could stare at the front cover and a beautiful silver sword was drawn on it.

“Sword.” Her eyes glimmered with a sudden realization and she quickly asked.

“Becca, was his highness Roshan ever interested in swords?” She didn’t know why, but the thought of swords crossed her mind in an unanticipated manner.

“His highness loves his sword and daggers if I’m not mistaken.” She neutrally responded, carefully placing Gemma’s clothes in the right hanger and Anna’s lips curled into a smile.

“That’s it!”

She exclaimed! Startling Becca who wasn’t expecting Anna to sound so.... Excited all of a sudden. She had to turn to see what the weird human was so upbeat about.

“And what is?”

Realizing she had exclaimed a bit too loudly, Anna swifty turned to meet her quizzical stare.

“It’s nothing, I just remembered something that made sense, uhm.. If you’ll excuse me.”

Before Becca could ask what happened, Anna quickly left Gemma’s chamber, leaving Becca all to herself.

“Human emotions are so difficult to understand.” She muttered to herself as she found Anna’s reaction to be weird.

At the empty hallway, Anna confidently stood before Roshan, staring straight into his Hazel-green eyes that tend to suck her in like a magnetic pool. He has such an admiring noble appearance but he was actually a devil on the inside.

Watching his face turn into one of interest, she mustered up the courage to speak.

“Let’s make a bet.” She offered, leaving Roshan to raise a brow at her in a silent inquiry. It left him wondering what this woman had gone ahead and come up with.

“Which is?”

“A sword fight.” She folded her arms, “I’m challenging you to a sword fight.”

“What makes you think you can beat me?” He tilted his head with a look of uncertainty. As expected she succeeded in surprising him yet again but clearly she had gone crazy.

A sword fight? Was she asking for a death wish?

“If I win,” she continued regardless, “..you have to give me the antidote.”