Chapter 7: The Anxiety (Part 3)

Chapter 7: The Anxiety (Part 3)

A few moments later, Selena returned to the garden, where the injured boy hid. Each of her hands carries a big plate of desserts combines with Jeremiah’s most favorite dish, the cheesecake.

“You come at last!” Jeremiah cheerfully smiled when he looked that his friend had arrived.

Selena sat beside him, offering the boy, who leaned on the hard bushes, the dish. “Eat this and get well.” 

Jeremiah gladly retrieved the plate. “Cheesecake, finally…” 

He devoured all the dish on the plate gluttonously, like he was starving for years. It tore her apart to see that her best friend not only tortured but also not well fed.

“Do they feed you?” she pried.

Jeremiah stopped munching his food for a second, he just stared Selena with a sad look, then returns to eat without saying anything. 

At that moment she realizes how hard Jeremiah’s life is, but he never complains to her about it and always pretends to be happy whenever they meet.

“After you reach 18 let's go to Liannon to search for your mate… I think you can live happily outside Blackfrost.”

 Jeremiah doesn’t answer; his mouth is busy chewing the food. He just shakes his head to signify that he agrees with her idea.  

“Slow down, you may choke yourself.” Selena chuckles, while holding the other plate. “I still have another one for you.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Jeremiah smiles, his eyes were aiming to the plate in her hand but soon diverted on Selena’s flower-shaped diamond ring that she’s wearing on her finger.

“That sapphire ring is beautiful, Selena. Did he propose to you yesterday?” he asked while eating from the other plate.

Selena surprised that Jeremiah notices her engagement ring. “You are the first one who notices. At the party, all eyes were on the Brothers so…” Selena pauses; she realizes that Jeremiah’s facial expression change when she mentioned the brothers. “Yes, we’re engaged,” she quickly answers and switches the topic at the same time.

“Congratulation Selena, I am really happy for you.”

“Aw… Jemmy thank you.” She smiles happily while looking at Jeremiah eating all of his meals and cleans out the plate with his tongue.  

Jeremiah burps after finishing both plates in less than five minutes. He seems very content. “Now that my mana has been replenished, I can finally heal myself.” He closes his eyes while chanting the spell, his body suddenly illuminates white light.

She can feel the warmth that emits from the lights, “It never bores me to see you perform magic.” She amazed at how quick the white magic heal Jeremiah’s wound.

Jeremiah sneers at her, he about to say something but a sudden voice of a man roars from somewhere inside the garden, prevents him to say any further.  

“Selena! Where are you?”  

“Shoot, its Timothy!” Selena gawked, she quickly cupped her mouth with her hands to muffles her voice so Timothy would not find them. “I told him not to follow me, why he didn’t listen!”

“You should go after him, Selena.” Jeremiah murmured. 

“Are you sure?”

Jeremiah nodded, “My wounds are now healed, thanks to you.”

“Okay then, let us meet tomorrow in my labs, I’ll bring your more cookies… in a real lunch box.” 

He smirks when remembers Selena’s flashy bra that not only functioned to hold her breast but also to keep her snacks.

Selena takes the empty plates that lie beside her, “See you, Jemmy,” she waves her hand and then goes to meet her mate.

Jeremiah replies by waving back at her. “See you tomorrow.” 

‘What should I do next?’ he thinks all the possibility that he has, ‘If I go to servant quarter now, I will probably meet Mrs. Seige and she will punish me because I skip the food transfer task…’

All of sudden, Jeremiah sees two servants throw some leftover food to the nearby trashcan.

He smiles.

‘If I am going to be punished, I just need to reserve more mana for healing after the punishment.’

When the servants left and returned to ballroom, Jeremiah swiftly approached the trashcan, opened the lid, and checked what was inside. He could find pieces of meets, cakes, and some fresh salads.

‘Let’s the buffet begins!’ Jeremiah began to rummage the trashcan and was eating edaciously what’s inside without feeling disgust.

***

Late in the evening, when the party is almost over, Jayden Blackfrost was having a conversation with Derald Redwulf, his royal adviser in the corner of the room. You can see the anxiety is written all over his face, while his adviser, who stands next to him, looks bumbling.  

“Are you sure all the invitees have arrived?” Jayden asks sternly, his eyes glaring straight on Derald’s. 

“I am afraid yes your majesty, I have introduced you all the invited royal alphas.” Derald answers with his face looks down, he is afraid to stare Jayden on the eye. “Is your majesty feeling your soulmate’s presence among the guests?” he falters. 

“No, not at all…” He scans the room once again, trying to feel a special scent from the guests. Unfortunately, none of their scents are special to him.

‘I can’t believe it; I have failed eight times to search for my mate. From all the women in this room, none of them is my mate!’ Jayden clenched his fist. 

He saw his brother Aiden is taking a break from the dance and eating near the serving table. Jayden curious about him and decides to pry.

“How about you, brother, any luck?”

Aiden sighs in disappointment, “Probably not tonight, but with these beautiful women and delicious meals, isn’t it a great night brother?” 

Jayden did not reply. ‘I know he’s lying and pretend nothing was wrong. Aiden liked to act cool to hide his frustration.’

Carson comes near and greets his brothers. “I think I have enough for tonight.” He crossed his arms on his chest. “I am going to hit the barrack and train some more. Jayden, you want to join me?”

Jayden shrugs, “Probably next time my brother.” He then took a glass of wine from the tray that that one of the servants brought.  

“So did you find the one?” Aiden asks Carson with a teasing wink.

“Unfortunately, no.” Carson replied, he got pissed with the question and walks away, “Well if you are looking for me, you know where to find me.” He adds before he leaves the room. 

Jayden can see his second brother is also depress, ‘Unlike Aiden, Carson is like a blank canvas. He cannot hide his emotion.’

It is almost midnight and the guests begin to bid a farewell to the King. Jayden and Aiden just stand near the serving table in silence, looking at the guests who are leaving one by one.  

“I think, I will take a walk for a while and having more wine.” Jayden breaks the silence and takes a bottle of red wine from the serving table.  

However, Lady Theresa Scarlet, the eldest princess of the Green-garden Kingdom in the east, approaches Jayden with seducing motion, “My King, why do you look so sad? Probably a dance will cheer you up?”  

  

Lady Scarlet actually had a huge crush on Jayden even though she knew that he wasn’t her mate. This was her second matchmaking party in Blackfrost castle and she wasn’t even invited. The invitation actually intends for her younger sister who just reach eighteen this year, but she insisted to accompany her sister and traveled far north only to meet the man of her dream.  

Jayden sighed. “I am sorry my lady, but I preferred to be alone at the moment.” He declined politely, while was giving a signal to Aiden to take care of the young princess. Aiden replies with a nod.

Jayden cannot stand the fragrance used by Lady Theresa or Green-garden people in general and always sneezes whenever they are nearby, ‘They are all smell like pollens to me.’

“Probably my youngest brother will entertain you my lady; he is the best dancer among the three of us,” Jayden says, trying hard not to cringe in front of the lady.

“My lady, if I may.” Aiden takes the lady’s hand politely and led her to the dance floor. 

***

With a bottle of wine in his hand, Jayden exits the ballroom in disappointment. The guards, who are standing at the door, spontaneously bow to him when he passes by. He is about to return to his chamber, but he stops halfway. Instead, he decides to stroll inside the garden to soothe the anxiety that rages in his heart.  

‘Fresh air probably will calm me.’

But it didn’t. 

He just keeps walking through the garden while drinking half of the bottle in one gulp. Sadly, it didn’t help him to calm his nerves. He realizes now that his anxiousness already grows into a depression. 

He stops briefly when he sees a couple who sits on the garden bench while holding each other hand. He recognizes one of them is Timothy Whitewood, the son of Harold Whitewood, who recently met his soulmate easily

in his workplace.

’Lucky bastard!’ Jayden swears in jealousy as he passes them unnoticed.   

He goes along around the garden while drinking the bottle dry. Until he hears someone rummage the trashcan. He recognizes the beggarly person who’s currently eating from it. 

‘So this is where the slacking servant goes, eh.’ He approached the boy slowly from behind.

As he was getting closer, the memory of his father’s burned cadaver suddenly flashed through his mind. He clenched his fist as the taste of vengeance havoc in his heart.

‘One single mistake, Jeremiah…’

Jayden let the bottle slipped from his hand and it breaks on the ground.

‘And I swear in my father’s name….’

Jeremiah, who currently munching the garbage, ignores the sound of the broken glass; he is completely clueless about the grave danger that lies behind. 

‘I will have your head.’

Yes, there were methods used by the Blackfrost brothers to relieve their anxiety. Jayden for example used a glass of wine to prevent his anxiety grows into depression. But when it doesn’t help, he needs other methods to alter his feeling, even though it may cause pain… to someone else….

***