Diana was in Eugene's office. She was seated opposite the man, staring into his eyes in an unkind manner. Eugene was starting to feel uncomfortable with her glare.
He was wondering what he had done to have her so pissed with him. Did he do something? Did Jasyn do something? Was it Yolanda again? What exactly had gone wrong?
"Dear," he began. "What is the matter? You have been staring at me in the same manner for two hours straight and you haven't said a word to me."
Diana kept mute, still maintaining the hard glare and ensuring that she didn't back down or reduce the ferociousness of the stare. Eugene was very uncomfortable and it became evident when even his seat could not contain him anymore.
He kept itching parts of his body, shifting in his seat, moving left and right. The sight was pleasing to her but she wasn't going to show even as much of a crack in her stoic face. She savored it internally.
"Dear," he said again. "Speak up, who has offended you? Was it Theodore?"
Diana's face almost had a crack at the mention of Theo's name. She knew how soft and weak Theodore was. He could never do anything that had the potency to get her mad. Theodore could hang himself if he ever hit her angrily.
This was a man who had not known her for more than an hour but allowed her into the idea that he had the intention to start up a romantic journey with her and that she was too pretty for him to keep his hands off, so he decided not to be alone with her unless they had begun their exciting journey together.
Look at them now, not even on speaking terms. That was solely because he became too proud. Diana hated proud people, people who reclined in the freedom and privilege she gave them in her life.
They sorely reminded her of Calhoun and she hated that more than their pride in itself. Still staring into Eugene's eyes, she finally could see what was left of his resolve and restraint being snapped and the man became a loose and open book before her. She smirked.
"Alas." She whispered, bringing tears to her eyes. If there was one thing that her suffering from the past had taught her, it was that she could survive whatever situation came her way if she could put on the right emotional expression.
Right now, she wanted to control Eugene's reaction with her tears while controlling his ability to think with the hardness of her glare. It was going to be too much work since she had to ensure that the man believed she was in grief and not just there to seek answers.
"Diana... You weep." Eugene said. "What seems to trouble you? I hate to see you cry, you see from the very first day I set my eyes on you, I knew you were a special one."
Diana wanted to gag. She found his confession disgusting and she could feel a nauseating feeling wash over her. Her resolve almost broke but she withheld it properly. She was a soldier, he was not. She was a werewolf, he also wasn't. She couldn't be like him.
"You have shown true bravery and every time I saw you on the battlefield, I felt more attracted to you." Eugene continued. "You draw my attention every time you even blink, I just couldn't take my eyes and mind away from you."
"I instructed Jasyn to tell every soldier, male soldiers, to keep their eyes off you. I hope they have been doing that?"
Diana stared at him, wondering if he knew who he had ordered. Jasyn had a mind of his own. Everything about Jasyn had a mind of its own. Even his mind had a mind of its own.
How could he order Jasyn and expect him to obey? Jasyn? Perhaps it wasn't the same Jasyn she knew. Maybe it was someone else. Because not only has Jaysn failed to carry out the order, but he has also failed to inform the rest about the governor's orders. She could feel a mocking smile threatening to bloom.
"Diana, you're not responding," Eugene complained. "Look, everything I do, I do for you."
"Me?" She finally broke her silence. "But for how long have you known me, Eugene?"
"It doesn't matter how long, Diana," Eugene said. "I've been there from day one. I was there when you alighted from that train with Julitta."
"I always kept an eye on you. When your friend from Sunshine Town came to visit, I had my eyes on you."
"When you had the clash in the public kitchen place, the restaurant, I had my eyes on you."
"When you beat those men, standing up for your friend, I started to love you then. I knew there was a spirit in you, a fire that if fanned properly, could burn down an entire city."
"Ah, it could raze down a kingdom, it could destroy a kind of life in existence. That is my main goal."
"Existence life?" Diana reiterated. "Educate me."
"You see, being in this world has opened my eyes to the existence of so many other creatures disguised to be humans."
"Most of them are wild animals that belong to the forests."
"I'm not totally against being a creature, but why do you have to stay as a human just for you to be accepted in a particular place?"
Diana stuttered in her heart. "Is this about the werewolves?"
"Exactly! The fact that they even dared to rule over humans shows how stupid and weak they are. They don't even love each other, they can only fight against each other for petty reasons, endangering the human race in the process."
Diana became wary instantly. This wasn't the sound of the voice of a man who was in love, it was the voice of a man who was out for revenge. Perhaps that was it.
"Did they by any chance offend you?" She asked softly. Sympathy was a way to one's heart, especially if the person was hardened by will for revenge.
Eugene sighed, staring out his window. The weather was indeed turning cold and seemed like the snow season was around. It was still early December.
"It was long ago, my people and I had only finished celebrating the next coronation event."
"These creatures came in the form of humans and tried to join us."
"Out of fear, we chased them away. Those people are unpredictable under the glowing moonlight and it was a full moon."
"They got mad that we chased them away and began to transform, wreaking havoc around the place."
"It was so terrible, our women and children began to scream, panicked. Everyone was at a loss for what to do."
"We tried to stop them in the way we could, but who were we? Humans against such powerful creatures, under the moonlight?"
"It was so terrible." Eugene lamented, lowering his gaze, and shaking his head. "I watched my children, my wife, my people being destroyed, torn into pieces by those monsters. I was about to be killed but some man came in the way and helped me escape."
"Next thing I knew was that I was here, in Fraco. I lived with that man as his son for a long time. When he was to hand over the governorship, he handed it to me."
Diana frowned slightly. In the slightest manner. She didn't want Eugene to know that she found his story a bit familiar.
"That must have been so hard." She commented. "I feel so bad, I feel so terrible."
"You shouldn't, you shouldn't feel any bad at all," Eugene said. "It wasn't your fault. It had nothing to do with you."
Diana nodded. "So is that why you started the army?"
"I figured out that the man who saved me was more or less a commander as well as the governor. I couldn't do that so I entrusted it into Jasyn's hand."
"I figured out that he already started this mission and before he died, he asked me to finish it for him," Eugene said. "So here I am, finishing the dream of my savior, which is to eradicate the werewolf's kind."
"You know it's very difficult to do that," Diana said. "Werewolves are everywhere, even here in Fraco."
"Oh, I'm aware," Eugene said. "And don't tell Jasyn, but when this is over, I shall also have his head cut off."
"What?!" Diana exclaimed. "That's betrayal."
Eugene laughed evilly. "Betrayal? It's not counted as betrayal when the king doesn't follow his subject, Diana."
"It's betrayal when the subject disobeys the king."
"That's a sick mentality which all you leaders need to change from," Diana said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Seriously Eugene, you shouldn't do that. Jasyn is doing so much for you and you don't know how."
"Why do you care about him now Diana? I did hear him complain that you have been giving everyone the cold shoulders for a while now." Eugene said, humming softly. "Care to explain?"
Diana stared back at him. She would rather begin her staring contest in silence for another two hours than answer his question.
How could she tell a maniac who claims to love her that two of the men he was against setting eyes on her have approached her for a relationship that required both of them to be sexually and romantically involved?
Never, she wouldn't even allow him to get a sniff of the answer. So she kept mute, slyly staring at him.
Eugene sighed and shook his head. "This is the problem I have with you, you are too secretive for your good."
"What's wrong with that?" Diana fired back.
"When you keep too many secrets, you don't know when you would begin to slip, and oftentimes other than not, you end up revealing the bigger secrets, the ones that could get you killed."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Diana inquired, unfolding her arms. Did Eugene also reveal everything which Jaysn had found out about her? If he did then she was going to make sure that Jasyn was killed before the war, based on treason.
"Calm down dear," Eugene said, chuckling. "Nobody told me anything about you. All I know, I know because I have watched you more than you know."
"I am the governor for Chrissake!"
"You shouldn't be so surprised that I know so much." He said again. "I do know that you could be a spy. It's still a suspicion but I haven't exactly been sure."
"It's too difficult to wrap the second letter the way you do and I'm afraid that Maggie will inform you that the letters had been tampered with."
"Such lovely and lively conversations you both share." He laughed softly.
Diana chuckled wryly too. "I wonder what is so funny about me being spied on. I think Fraco is a mistake. I should probably leave now, and the army as well... You know what, I should probably leave the country too."
"But what you want to know is far more than your safety," Eugene said. "Even coco is not that important when compared to the knowledge you want to acquire."
"Diana, do you know what hypocrisy is?" Eugene asked.
"Pretending to be what you are not," Diana answered, staring him in the eye. "Lacking integrity is the simplest form of hypocrisy."
She was throwing shades at him but he wasn't going to take offense, he would catch the shades, sharpen them and throw them back.
"To be put mildly," Eugene said, chuckling. "it could also mean, keeping your secret and snooping at others'."
"It could also mean, protecting your people secretly while pretending to be among the force who wants to destroy them."
Diana's face hardened. "I need to leave, Eugene. My baby needs me."
"But of course, Diana. I'm sure you're not mad at my words. Don't take them too seriously. They mean nothing."
"Of course." Diana smiled sternly, nodding once. "See you around."
She turned and left angrily. She had truly come to find out his secret. She could hear the sound of his footsteps following her and she stopped and turned to face him.
"What's the problem?"
"Oh, I just wanted to see you out, drop one more word for your thoughts."
"I don't want to hear anything else," Diana said, resuming her journey.
"Just in case you ever find this man, ensure to let him know that he's the reason I am this way. He's the cause of everything. Maybe if not for him, I wouldn't have been in the manner I am."
Diana waited to hear the name.
"Marjun Montego," Eugene said.
She scoffed. "Marjun is long dead."
"You know that," Eugene said. Diana cursed herself for speaking up.
"Even if it's his son or grandson or anyone in his lineage... I do hear of one who still lives... Ah, Calhoun Montego."
Diana felt her restraint snap and she turned rapidly to face the man who dared to mention Calhoun's name.