Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Chapter 18- My little painter

MAIA'S POV

A week had passed since Neal informed Lucius about Pamela's arrival. Unfortunately, Lucius had not stopped over in the room to check up on me. Well, not when I was awake. I think he would secretly visit me at night when I was already asleep.

I had already finished reading "The Moon Goddess's daughter". It was so beautiful that I decided to draw based on what I understood. I took out a piece of paper and a pencil as I sat on the sofa.

I drew a beautiful wolf with a girl in the background with the story in my head. For the first time, I was actually proud of what I drew. I made a mental note to ask Neal if there was a way I could get a picture frame or a blank canvas, perhaps so that I could transfer my drawing somewhere else. If I could not get out of this room or the castle, I might as well request for art supplies that would keep me busy.

I placed the drawing on the bedside table with the pen on top and went to bed. Since I wanted to try out my theory about Lucius visiting me at night, I wanted to stay up and wait for him. As I lay there in bed, I talked to Avi to stay awake while waiting.

'Avi, do you think he really visits us at night?' I asked.

'If he doesn't, then how do you explain the faint smell of his scent every morning?' She asked in return.

'Hmmm. It makes sense, but why do you think Lucius never visits us when we are awake?' I asked.

'I don't know, Maia. You know that he is the only one who can answer your questions. Not me,' she replied.

'I know that, Avi. If only he were around, I would have asked him,' I said.

'Don't worry. I know Lucius will come,' Avi replied.

'Maybe he is busy with Pamela,' I said.

'Stop overthinking, Maia. Remember what Neal said? There's more to what he portrays. You just need to trust him,' she replied.

'Trust needs to be earned, Avi. So far, he has not done anything yet that makes me want to trust him,' I spat.

'Give him a chance, Maia,' she suggested.

'Well, I can't give a chance to someone who isn't around, can I?' I implied.

I started to feel sleepy and dozed off, but it seemed like he was not going to come. I let out a sigh and comfortably laid as I snuggled closer to the pillow I hugged when I slept.

"Hello, my little painter." I heard a voice in my head.

I must have been really missing him so much that I started hearing him in my head, and I could even feel the sparks as if they were real.

Wait! Sparks?

I shot my eyes open and saw Lucius sitting on the bed.

"Hi," I whispered.

"Did I wake you up?" He asked.

I shook my head and replied, "No."

He chuckled, and it sounded so damn sexy.

I sat up and leaned on the headrest.

"Where have you been?" l asked, rubbing my eyes.

"I have been very busy with a lot of things. I'm sorry," he replied.

"With Pamela?" I asked, looking down at my hands.

He held my chin and lifted it so that I was looking at him.

"I know that you have a lot of questions in your head, but there are some things that I need to take care of first before I can answer them. All I ask is for you to trust me. I promise that I will answer all your questions at the right time," he said.

Staring into his eyes got me hypnotized. His eyes were like the starry sky.

"You should go back to sleep. It's already late," he said.

He moved the blanket and waited for me to lay down. Once I was laying down, he tucked me in for the night.

"Sleep tight, my little painter," he said, kissing me on the forehead.

The sparks that erupted all over my body were like a lullaby that put me back to sleep. Lucius must have waited for me to fall asleep before he left.

When I woke up, I was in a good mood. I might not have gotten the answers to my questions, but at least I got to see him and talk to him, even for a short time.

I sat up on the bed with my back on the headrest and a smile on my face. I was about to get out of bed when I noticed something in the corner of the room near the window-a blank canvas set up and a long table full of art supplies. The little artist in me jumped out of bed in excitement. I couldn't believe my eyes!

There were many paints, canvases, papers, brushes, and more. I went back to the bedside table to get the drawing I made last night but saw that it was gone. Instead, there was a letter.

THE LETTER

Good morning, my little painter!

I hope you liked the mini surprise I prepared for you. I'm really sorry for not being able to visit you for quite some time. I promise to make it up to you soon.

By the way, if you were looking for that painting of yours, a big, bad wolf stole it.

Have a great and colorful day, my little painter.

END OF THE LETTER

My heart skipped a beat as I read his letter.

'I told you he cares for you,' Avi said.

'I guess he does,' I replied as I stared at the little art corner I had.

My excitement got the best out of me. I immediately went to the bathroom to do my morning routine. Afterward, I sat on the stool in front of a blank canvas and started painting the forest outside my window.

When I heard a knock on the door, I cheerfully answered it.

"You seem to be in a good mood," Emily commented.

"I definitely am, Emily. Do you see all these? This is every painter's dream. Can you imagine how many paintings I can do in a day? Perhaps, I should do a portrait of you. What do you say?" I said.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid that I don't really have any free time," she replied.

"Don't worry. I got you," I said with a smile on my face.

I continued painting the forest while Emily was setting the table. After a couple of minutes, she called me to have breakfast.

"Please, eat now. The toast is delicious when it's hot," she said.

"Coming. Let me just finish this one last detail for the forest," I replied.

I felt Emily behind me as she watched me paint.

"You really love painting, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes, I really do. It helps me with stress and overthinking," I replied.

Once I was done, I put down my palette mixer and paintbrush on the table.

"It's not yet done, but what do you think?" l asked, looking at her reaction.

"It's very beautiful. I wish I could paint like that," she said.

"Don't worry. I can teach you if you want," I replied.

She thanked me for the offer and reminded me about my breakfast later. While I was eating, I couldn't help but get excited about going back to painting.

As the whole day went by, I spent it all in front of a blank canvas. I painted how the forest looked like during the day and sunset.