Honest in Lies

When they arrived back at the manor, Piera was the first one to rush out and greet her. “Candy I thought you were dead, oh, what happened?”

Charles rushed out after her, his face slightly flushed. “What was it?” he asked Gaspard.

“A werewolf. He tortured her.” He said darkly.

Piera’s eyes turned to Candy’s. “He did…” her hand ran over the pink flesh on her neck. Something sparked in her eyes and she lifted Candy’s shirt up, to reveal the still fresh slit on her stomach, the large rectangular scars from her stripped skin. “I’m going to kill him,” she hissed vehemently.

“I already did.” Gaspard said.

“Candy? Candy is that you?” it was Eloise who bolted from the door next, followed by Pepinot, Theo and Eric. Eloise seemed to have died over again once she saw that it was indeed Candy.

Gaspard pushed everyone back mentally by standing protectively in front of her. “Everyone…Candy is a part of this family, and you will treat her like she is. Whether she’s a werewolf, vampire, both or human…she’s a part of me.” his hand found her.

“We already discussed this son,” Pepinot said. “We agreed that we treated her wrongly off the start, and apologize, that is if she’ll accept it.”

Candy paused, her mental state shaken up from having her skin stripped from her as well as many other painful expeditions. “I accept.”

Piera smiled before hugging her delicately again. Gaspard cleared his throat. “If I could, I’d like some privacy with Candy.”

Piera’s eyes perked up and she looked to Charles. “We need to talk, too.”

“Alright.” They left.

“I think it’s an appropriate setting that we enjoy a nice dinner.” Pepinot said, courting Eloise away.

“Bar?” Theo said to Eric.

“Bar it is.”

Now it was just Gaspard and Candy standing outside. They moved inside, into the foyer, standing. “They care about you.” Was all he said.

“I know.”

“They want me to be happy.”

“So do I.”

“Then….never mind.” In random spite, she noticed Gaspard become nervous.

“Gaspard?” she said softly. “What is it?”

“Uhm,” hands shuffled through his hair. “Nothing. I’m just blubbering.” He moved into the living room, before heading up the stairs; Candy following him intently.

She laughed. “You’re being ridiculous. What is it? Gaspard,” she said, her hand clasping over his wrist.

Gaspard turned around and kissed her with the romantic notions behind it. His hands cupped her chin softly, tasting of her skin and a soft touch of blood. The kiss was light and full of love that he had. He pulled away, his forehead resting on hers before he moved again.
“Gaspard, what’s going on?” she said following him into his room.

“Nothing, I was just blubbering.” Now he was rummaging through several of his drawers, his face still crawling with heated flush. “Just blubbering is all love.”

Love. He had never called her that. Something was up. Slowly, she walked to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to meet her eyes through the mirror. “Gaspard, what is it?”

“I just love you so much. I’m crazy about you, I can’t control it. When I first saw you out in the forest, I thought; she’s the most naturally beautiful thing to ever exist. I was so sure that I was going to die, and then you came along and took me into your home. My thoughts about you were moving through my head so fast I couldn’t think straight. All I know and kept thinking was how did I get so lucky to meet you? Why do I even deserve to be in her presence when I’m such a horrible person? And then you gave me your blood, and I knew we were both so far in our heads that we were blinded. But for the first time in so long, I realized I didn’t care.” He swallowed, looking down before meeting her eyes again. “And I realized that I would never be the same without you. I wanted to keep you as pure and as human as I could, while somehow in a crazy way explaining my world to you. And then, I almost killed you.

“I realized that you were too involved with me, and I was ruining your life. And then you were changed because I was selfish with you. I wanted to push you away to save you but you wouldn’t let me. Candy, my love for you is so strong, I felt like I was dying when you were gone. I thought you were dead and I blamed myself. My life without you is like no life at all. It’s like what I lived like before I met you. I was just walking without a purpose, living without a meaning.” His hand cradled hers. “And then I met you and it finally felt like my life had meaning. Like I didn’t have to be afraid of spending eternity alone. That I didn’t have to condemn myself like my sister had. Because now I know that I don’t. Because I love you and can’t imagine a life without you.”

Candy fell on her knees beside him, wrapping her arms around him. “Gaspard where is this coming from?”

“I could have lost you the last two days, and I realized…I didn’t want to.”

Candy smiled, tears brimming her eyes. “It’s beautiful.”

“I’m not done.”

There was more? Candy furrowed her eyebrows, waiting for him to continue speaking. Instead though, he reached into his drawer he had recently been digging through. Curled in his hand was a black velvet box. It took her a moment to realize what he was doing but when she did her eyes grew wide. Was he about to do what she was thinking? Candy wasn’t prepared for this, not even in the least. She looked horrid with her scars and unwashed body.

Apparently, it didn’t matter. Gaspard turned to her, swallowing so that his Adams apple bobbed up and down. “Candy, Candy Katheleen, will you marry me?”

He popped the box open, to reveal a princess cut stone in the center; supported by criss crossing diamonds. It was undoubtedly beautiful. A hand went over her mouth; the tears that had been hanging back fell now, overwhelming her. It was all happening so fast. She was being asked to marriage, before she had a chance to breathe from being rescued. So many thoughts were running through her head, thoughts she couldn’t decipher fast enough it seemed. She barely knew Gaspard personally, or much about him as a whole. But she did love him, with all the love one could muster from their heart. They had all eternity to get to know each other. Why shouldn’t she saw yes?

With blubbery lips and tear streaked face she nodded her head. “Yes, yes of course I’ll marry you.”