Kissing Hellfire: Marry Me, Evil Lord
Chapter 194: Beneath the Portrait

Chapter 194: Beneath the Portrait

Nothing had changed on the ship since Lauren last saw it. Everything was arranged as she remembered. She glided through the huge hall, eyes alert and observant, trying to find pieces of an unknown puzzle in every corner she laid her eyes on. Alec walked by her side, doing the same. He, too, was intent on finding something relevant to Lauren’s condition that would lead them to the solution to their problem.

When they found nothing peculiar in the hall, they went to other places. To the storage rooms, checking everything they saw, then to the cabins. As the time passed, Lauren didn’t realize it had been hours since they arrived. Alec asked if she was famished or exhausted, but she said she could still function well. They didn’t have time to waste.

Looking at the weird paintings in the long hallway of the cabin area, she wondered what the odds were that Eleanor was wrong. Maybe there weren’t any clues in the ship as she thought. After all, Eleanor had never been on this ship. Though, why would she bet against Eleanor when she was a highly skilled priestess who saw glimpses of the future? She even saw her walking around this ship years ago, which really happened.

What could she do anyway? She could do nothing but trust that Eleanor was right, that she would find the answers she had been looking for somewhere in here.

All of a sudden, Lauren recalled the portrait she saw the last time. Alec called when she suddenly ran toward the cabin where the portrait was but she didn’t answer and just went straight inside the cabin. When she got inside, the door closed before Alec could enter.

"Open the door, Lauren!" She heard him from the other side so she tried to open it but it wouldn’t.

"I’m trying but I cannot!"

The last time everything was perfectly fine. She got inside the cabin and Alec followed her. But she remembered that he told her that this cabin had always been locked every time he visited. It only opened to her. Could it be that the answers lie in this very room?

She stopped trying to open the door and walked toward the end of the room where the huge old portrait could be seen. After what Eleanor told her, she was certain that this portrait was of the great priestess and her husband. Back then, she thought that the husband had created this spellbound ship for his wife. Alec, however, had malicious assumptions. He was thinking that the man was married to someone else and having an affair with the woman, so he created the ship to spend their rendezvous in here. Neither of them got it right.

Meanwhile, Alec who was left outside the door groaned in frustration when he wasn’t able to burn the door with his blue flames. It was the first time he couldn’t burn something with his fire. Blue flames were the most disastrous power, and yet he couldn’t burn the door, which meant the spell holding the ship wasn’t made of any ordinary magic. It was very strong and he was suddenly worried now that Lauren was out of his sight. He had never met that priestess named Eleanor but as much as he wanted to trust her as much as Lauren does, he couldn’t help his worries.

"Dammit!" He cursed out loud and started calling Lauren, "How are you doing inside? Is everything alright? Answer, Lauren!" he demanded, his voice frantic.

"I am fine, Alec! Just wait for me outside!" Lauren answered, her eyes never leaving the portrait.

After staring at it for about one minute, she pushed her hands forward, her fingertips brushing the canvas softly.

A gentle gush of wind hit her face, making her close her eyes.

When she opened her eyes, she gasped when she did not find herself in the cabin she remembered. She was in the middle of a meadow.

There was no portrait, no ship, no sea.

She looked above and felt the soft sunlight hitting her face and the warmth was comforting.

"What is this?"

This was certainly not a dream. She didn’t remember sleeping nor did she have a fainting spell. She was standing in front of the portrait a few moments ago, she was sure of that.

"Perhaps an illusion?" she asked herself as she tried to think of anything that would support her assumption.

She did read something about people who could create illusions through their paintings. The portrait must have held an illusion and it brought her inside when she touched it.

Was this what Eleanor meant? Would she find the clues inside the portrait’s illusion?

But this illusion... it seemed so real. The sound of the rustle of the wind, the birds chirping, the warm sunlight, even the movements of the leaves. Well, she heard illusions were supposed to feel very real, but she had never been to an illusion like this one.

Beyond the meadow was a lake and a huge evergreen tree stood near it, casting shadows on the benches below. There, she saw a man. Lauren was surprised at first, but when she got near the benches, she had a clearer view of the man’s face and that was when realization dawned on her.

It was the man in the portrait. The husband of the great priestess.

A few meters away from the man, she stopped. Did the great priestess create this illusion when her husband died so she could keep him somehow? Was creating an illusion of a person even possible? And it’s still here even after a thousand years. That said something about the priestess’ powers. She must have been really great, and it was a waste that she had to perish so early.

The man turned to her and her lips parted. She thought he wouldn’t see her, but when she saw the wonder in his bright brown eyes, she proved herself wrong. He could see her very clearly.

"Who are you? Where is Luciana?"

Luciana.

Eleanor didn’t mention the great priestess’ name but Lauren believed that must be the name. She could not speak a word, though. She looked at the man in awe, someone who lived a thousand years ago and she could hardly believe that this was all an illusion.

The man was handsome. He had better looks than half of the men she encountered. In human age, he could be in his early thirties. She also noticed how bright his brown eyes were—they were almost amber. He had a light and gentle demeanor, and she believed if she was born in his generation, she would find him husband material. He was exactly someone who looked very kind and considerate. Someone who would rather sit in the meadows for hours than witness bloodshed.

"Miss? Are you feeling sick?" The man asked again and Lauren snapped out of her reverie.

She smiled at the concern in his tone. "No, I’m fine."

"Did Luciana send you? Will she not be able to come?" He asked gently, but the disappointment was evident in his solemn eyes.

The emotions showing on his face were so true that for a second Lauren doubted if she was still in the portrait’s illusion.

She cleared her throat. "Yes, she did send me. She wanted me to relay a message to you. She could not come... for some reason," she paused halfway because she couldn’t think of a reason why Luciana wouldn’t be able to come. After all, she didn’t know the great priestess personally.

"Oh," he nodded, a glint of understanding crossing his orbs. Then he smiled wryly. "Thank you for relaying the message."

"Do you meet here often? If you don’t mind my asking." Lauren looked around, wondering if this place was in Evardin or another kingdom. From what she knew, the great priestess was born in Evardin and she spent most of her years there, but it was said she loved traveling from one land to another. Eleanor also didn’t mention a specific place so she figured it was irrelevant.

"Yes, this is her favorite place," the man replied with a smile. He faced the lake ahead of them, his smile never leaving his face as if he were reminiscing a beautiful memory.

"It must have become your favorite place too."

The man nodded. "Yes. I have grown to love everything she loves. I guess that happens when you love someone with all your being," he chuckled.

Lauren stayed silent for what felt like a long minute. She looked around, her eyes searching for clues, but she could not decipher what exactly she was searching for. She could not even explain how come this man was an illusion when he talked like a real person—someone breathing, someone with emotions. But that was the point of illusion, right? To fool one’s eye.

"Do you not mind waiting for her for too long? What if she is not coming back?"

The man turned to her, his lips curling into a sad smile.

"I will wait no matter how long it takes, and I know she will come back. She always does."