Chapter 215: The Tongue Shall Not Speak
"Eloise?"
"Drevon."
I just said his name, didn’t I? Then why can’t I speak of Corvin Graves?
The tongue shall not speak.
Those words rang in my head, and a cold chill grasped my entire body. I see... that explains it!
I’d have thought of this as some kind of trick, but it was quite obvious it wasn’t. I could not speak of Corvin Graves. What is this? Some kind of mysterious power at play?
I walked to the table, searching for any paper I could find, and grabbed a quill. When I tried to write his name, my hand froze, almost like I had no control over it.
I can’t write about him either. He had done something to me.
"Eloise, is something wrong?"
If I can’t tell Drevon about him. How am I supposed to deal with this intruder? He’d come back, I knew that much. I don’t know who he was or what he wanted from me.
I straightened my spine. "It’s nothing, I just thought about writing something down before I forgot."
That wasn’t a very good lie, but it was the best I could do at the moment. Forgive me, Drevon.
Drevon spun me to face me, hands on my shoulders. He didn’t look pleased.
"I can tell you’re lying."
"Is there something you want to tell me, too?" I asked, hoping to divert the question. "The look of worry in your eyes when Celia checked me. Was there something else she diagnosed?"
"Should I not be worried about my wife and unborn child? I found you passed out on the divan. If you’d fallen off the stairs, your life could have been in danger."
"This pregnancy," I blinked. "It’s oddly similar to my lingering ailment. I know you can tell too. What does Celia have to say about this? Could it be that—"
"Averting this discussion won’t help any of us," he cut me off. "Earlier, you wanted to talk to me about something, but stopped. Why?"
"I do not wish to talk about this anymore." I turned away, fixing myself a platter.
I could feel Drevon’s stare, but I chose to ignore it, already frustrated by this. I cannot seem to tell him about my encounter with Corvin Graves, even though I was willing, yet Drevon was purposely keeping something from me.
This was so chaotic, so I chose silence as an option before I let my mood get the best of me.
I ate through my food, and as the time passed by, I realized I had too much, yet I was still hungry. It was almost as if all the food was being stored somewhere else.
"Are you not going to say anything to me?" Drevon said to me after an hour of silence.
I used the napkin to wipe my lips and hands before I forced myself to look at him. "I see no reason why we should keep speaking. Whatever I had in mind to say was of great importance. I was about to complain how much I prefer not sitting around looking pretty like a doll. I hate it."
"Is there anything else?" he brushed off my words as if he knew that was not the major issue.
I scowled. "You’re the only one asking all the questions, husband."
Drevon leaned back on his chair, hand stroking his jawline. I tried to ignore the sight of his bare chest with all my might; this was no time for distractions, but I found myself already distracted.
He suddenly pushed to his feet and walked to my end of the table, stretching out his hand for me to take, and said. "It’s time for bed, my love."
We’re just going to end it there, then?
I slapped his hand away and stood to my feet. "I can walk to bed just fine, without you."
And I did.
~•~
I awoke at noon; my sleep was lengthy these days, and when I woke up, there was already a warm meal waiting for me. It was no surprise I didn’t see Drevon, but I couldn’t ignore the constriction in my chest. Despite what happened, I felt him holding me close at midnight.
"Eloise."
I heard Diana at the end of the door.
"I’m awake," I said, pushing the covers out of the way and swinging my legs off the bed.
The doors opened, and Diana walked in, smirking. "Well, look at who decided to wake up, sleeping beauty. Please tell me you have been awake the entire time and just thought about lying there being lazy like the queen you are."
"I just woke up."
"Goddess! Is this usually how pregnancy is?" she questioned with a repulsed look. "I pray I never experience it."
I rolled my eyes, and ambled to the table. I picked whatever I could get my hands on and started shoving them in my mouth, moaning at every taste.
"A large appetite, too. Where does all that food go?"
"Why are you here, Diana? You have been so busy that I rarely see you."
"Aww, sounds like you missed me."
"Of course I did," I replied bluntly.
I wonder if it’d work on her if I tell her about Corvin Graves.
"Yesterday I met—" This time I bit my tongue.
"Easy! Speak properly."
I winced. "I don’t think that’s the case."
"Hmm... did something happen between you and Drevon? Earlier, I went to see him about a matter, and he wasn’t in a good mood. No one dared approach him with that kind of energy rolling off him; one might just drop dead."
"Nothing happened."
"Tell me nothing one more time and I’ll throw a fit."
I shot her a look. "I should be the one throwing a fit. Things are happening that I have no control over, I can’t explain them either, because it doesn’t make sense, and Drevon? There’s something wrong, I just know it!" I rasped, trying to catch my breath after exploding.
I thought I’d feel better, but I felt worse.
"Why so hot? Whatever he has in mind, I’m sure he’ll tell you... eventually."
"I don’t care anymore. If he wants to keep things from me, then fine!"