136: Worth the leap?

Worth the leap?

Anastasia observed Dante stop what he was doing, his demeanour shifting to one of seriousness as he turned to face her. Their eyes locked in a moment of intensity. She knew the Mother Queen prohibited her from discussing the matter, but the weight of impending doom grew too heavy for her to withhold the truth from him any longer.0

Please don't hate me, Anastasia silently prayed in her mind while feeling her heart clench. With resolve, she proceeded to express in a single breath, 

"I found out about it when I was serving the princess, and then you said you wanted to kill the woman's descendant…" 

Anastasia saw Dante's narrowed gaze, his hand rising towards her as if on the brink of snapping his fingers, and her eyes widened in response. Her lips trembled as she managed to utter, "D—Dante—"

At the sound of Dante's finger snap, her heart plummeted. However, it wasn't her who exploded, but one of the creatures who had decided to enter the room they stood in. A soft gasp escaped her lips, feeling the surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins and freezing time, leaving her with specks in her vision. 

"You should finish consuming the gift before it attracts any more of these creatures being drawn to you," Dante advised in a hushed tone, gently nudging the vial from its base towards her lips. "Drink it until the last drop."

As the potion entered her mouth and glided down her throat, she felt its chill seep into her chest, all the while maintaining unbroken eye contact with him. 

With his gaze steady on her, Dante remarked, "I was wondering when you would come clean about it."

When the vial lowered, Anastasia's heart showed no signs of stopping its frantic pace, and her widened eyes continued to stare back at Dante. He knew… He knew! His words registered in her mind. She asked him, "W—When did you find out?" 

"Before I found you at the dock," Dante retrieved the vial from her grasp. "My abilities have been linked to the Blackthorn rose for quite some time; the markings that surfaced on my hands were proof of that connection. I won't deny that there was a time when I wanted to kill you, as in the past, it would have brought me immense joy for what I had to endure."

Dante said, "My suspicion arose the day I found you next to the Blackthorn rose. When I reached the dock, I was consumed by anger, but with the ship gone and finding you again, something changed."

"My head is spinning a little," Anastasia confessed, and Dante swiftly steadied her so she wouldn't fall. Once she felt she could breathe again, she asked him, "Why didn't you tell me anything?" 

"You weren't forthcoming either. I wanted to see if you would conceal it or trust me enough to tell the truth. You've done well not heeding my grandmother's counsel; sometimes you have to follow your gut," Dante remarked with a content smile playing upon his lips. "To think that out of everyone, my half-demon self ended up being paired up with you, the very enemy I was hunting in my demon time. Our fates have been intertwined for a long time, and it was meant to end up like this. The influence of the Golden Moon has a cryptic way of affecting people, binding a demon to submit to a person in the living world." 

Anastasia felt a sense of relief as Dante's words washed over her like waves. And with every wave that touched her, her worry was carried away, leaving her feeling lighter than a feather. 

Recalling the imp, Anastasia frowned as she inquired, "Why are you looking for the imp, then?" 

"You thought I summoned him to report to me?" Dante crushed the vial he held, reducing it to dust, and saw her nod. He said, "I had other tasks in mind for him. However, he's gone missing, as I cannot sense him. It is possible that Magnus caught him, but it wouldn't make sense, considering how intent he has been on sending you away from me." 

Dante brought his hand below her chin, tipping it upward. He pressed a kiss to her lips before saying, "There seems something very alluring about kissing you, especially with the knowledge of what happened in the past and who you are. It's almost as if it's forbidden, yet fated."

"Right now, I will accept anything," Anastasia replied, her face near his, and she said, "Thank you… Thank you for not harbouring resentment, thank you for not killing me, thank you for—"

"I will kill you, little rabbit. Very slowly," Dante promised her while staring into her eyes. 

"Now, if you are feeling better, why don't you give me a hand in prying open the coffin to hell?" 

She would follow him anywhere, Anastasia thought to herself. With a nod, she placed her hands on the lid as Dante watched her. As she exerted pressure to open it, she heard something click within the coffin before the lid swung open, releasing a cloud of dust that spread throughout the room. 

Anastasia waved her hand in front of her, and after seconds, the dust finally settled. Once the air cleared, she realised that it was a regular coffin, contrary to her anticipation of finding a staircase. 

She turned to Dante and asked, "Is this how it is supposed to be?" 

"It is exactly how it is supposed to be," Dante replied, his hand enveloping hers. Lifting her hand above the coffin's surface, he explained, "It is a portal. All you need to do is touch it."

As their hands made contact with the bottom of the coffin, Anastasia sensed her surroundings shift into darkness, and a chilling sensation enveloped her before she found herself dropping onto a desolate land, her feet touching the barren ground. 

Anastasia said, "I imagined hell would be covered in flames."

"Don't be disappointed; this is another side of hell," Dante chuckled, and when Anastasia turned to look at him, she noticed he had transformed into his demon form. He whistled amid the stillness of the seemingly deserted area. Not a moment later, the sound of clopping hooves reached their ears, and a black horse came into view. Turning towards her, he offered his hand before he said,

"Let me show you the world I am from." 

pqdm.com