Total pages in book: 207
Estimated words: 196971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 985(@200wpm)___ 788(@250wpm)___ 657(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 196971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 985(@200wpm)___ 788(@250wpm)___ 657(@300wpm)
It was love when it hurt too much to be anything else.
"Milord..."
The sound of her voice, frail and tremulous as it was, told Mihail that Rhapsody had made up her mind.
Slowly, he lifted his head. The first thing he saw was her eyes, and the marquis' powerful chest shook when he saw that her gaze was no longer blank. It was soft and lustrous once again, but this time it wasn't merely because of desire. Both of them were done hiding now, and he had no doubt the love in her eyes was reflected by his own gaze.
But still...he had to ask. "You forgive me for being a fool?" Had to be fucking sure, because if she still doubted him the slightest, he wouldn't fucking hesitate to think of more proof to convince her of his feelings.
And when he saw Rhapsody shake her head—-
The marquis whitened. Had he misunderstood her then? Was he only seeing what he wanted to see, and her eyes weren't looking at him with love?
Around them, he could feel the others stirring and shifting in acute discomfort. None of them had probably envisioned him being rejected, he thought numbly, and were now clueless on whether to leave politely or stay on to witness his end.
"Rhapsody—-"
"You were never a fool."
Ah.
"If you were, I would never be able to love you."
His lips compressed to form a straight line, his only way to keep himself from smiling.
"I am not like you, I'm afraid," Rhapsody apologized sincerely. "I am not attracted to what's Not Normal."
The marquis glanced at their audience. They had come to his aid without hesitation when he needed them the most. This was the least he owed them, and so he inclined his head, saying dryly, "It's fine. I won't take offense—-"
Laughter rang out even before he finished speaking, and even the wolves howled with them.
Rhapsody turned curious eyes to her Master. "I must have missed something." Her dark eyes peered up at him. "And it seems you know what it is."
"I do."
"It's funny?"
"Extremely," he said without hesitation, and another round of laughter ensued.
"I wish I could understand what the joke is," she confessed, "so I may try laughing, too."
He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Forget about it. I like you just the way you are."
Rhapsody nodded against his chest. "Naturally." She wrapped her arms around her Master's waist. "That's why I gave you the book, Master."
"What book?" Ilie couldn't resist asking.
"The Art of Being A Pervert," Rhapsody answered without hesitation.
AND THIS TIME, EVEN the marquis' own shoulders rocked with silent laughter. If they had been different people, this story would've likely ended differently. More tears would have been shed, and there would be more pain, too. But because it was his luck to have fallen in love with a girl like Rhapsody...
Normal, he thought, was fucking overrated.
Epilogue
One year later
The Marchioness of Sangre was in a hurry, and the servants watched indulgently as their mistress held her skirts over her ankles so she could race faster up the stairs leading to the war room. They wondered what it could be that had the marchioness excited, and the question had everyone smiling. Knowing Lady Gheorgiu, it would probably be charmingly ridiculous. As she liked to remind them every so often, She was Not Normal, and although the servants thought otherwise, time had taught them it was simply better to do as the marquis did. If Mihail Gheorgiu himself thought it best not to argue with his own wife about the matter, then who were they to do the opposite?
La la la la. Rhapsody had only recently learned to sing when she was happy, and although she was only capable of single-word-lyrics for now, she was very optimistic that she could eventually move on to nursery rhymes, and after that, who knew? The sky was the limit!
Life had been very good to her lately, and it was all because of her Master. His love for her had gone a long way in healing old wounds from childhood, and so many things which she had once thought impossible for her were now things she were able to do easily. She could get irritated now, for instance, and there were even times she was actually furious, such as when this odious woman had pretended being drunk just to steal a kiss from her Master. Also, it only took twice these days for Rhapsody to smile at a truly funny joke, and once in a blue moon, she was even capable of sarcasm. Just imagine - sarcasm!
If she weren't too careful, Rhapsody thought with an inner smile, she might stop being Not Normal, and that would never do.
Her Master liked her the way she was ,after all, and she on the other hand...
Rhapsody nodded at the guards posted outside the war room, and the men immediately swung the doors open for her.