Lover and the Beauty Beast

Chapter 7 She's No Charmer

Every day, well, every night, Liesel grew tired of her relationship with Theo. He always found a way to make her feel worse, or to make her feel unsecure about herself. She was growing annoyed and mad about it. And she would absolutely do something about it. In the morning, she grew happy and intent to see Hunter. The only way to make Theo feel unsecure was through him. And if she had somethung planned, it was to make a relationship with Hunter, just to see Theo do actuall math on hiw to solve his problem.

She would invite Hunter all around, she would start to laugh and smile around him. Letting just a bit if her wall down. And every time she did so, her heart grew less cold. Her meetings with Hunter seemed to eager her, make her anxious to know if he was having as much as fun as she. Because if not, she thought she would very sad about it. At the moment, lunch was over and before Liesel could go to her room to fetch an umbrella to go out in the bright yet harsh sunny mid day, she felt an arm go through her own.

"Hunter! How nice to see you," she said warmly. He smiled back, giving a gentle squeeze to her arm.

"My Queen," he said. "How are you today? I couldn't quite catch you this morning, or last evening." His tone was low, kind of grave he couldn't spend the night with her. But, it wasn't her fault, she is still trying to get Theo to marry her, so she could go back to being beautiful. She needed him to marry her. Walking out the palace's doors, they enjoyed the fresh air and nice hot sun.

The birds were singing and the workers worked in armong, all with smiles about their lips and eyes. She felt a pang of happiness go through her.

"My apologies, dear Hunter," she said, a little embarrased about her own whereabouts. She hadn't yet told him about Theo, and she was going go, maybe to get him to maybe ... talk to Theo? No. that's a bad idea, girl, what are you thinking? "The truth is," she sighed. "I'm a little confused with what to do with my curse. I need to marry to break it, and, so far, I've got nothing in mind to do." Hunter reconsidered that, looking a bit thoughtful.

"Well, are you in love with someone?" He asked. "That helps."

"No, I am not in love with anyone," she said with a laugh. He joined her laughter. "What about you? Are you in love with anyone?" He looked far away ahead, smiling a little.

"I was engaged," he said in a little whisper. "I had to admit, it was not what I wanted. Like, at all." He laughed. "But, she was too kind and I noticed at the very end, that ... she was more than just a courageous woman: a soldier." Liesel looked at him, slightly wishing she was the woman he was talking about just now.

"It turned she didn't want to be with me so much as get a ride to get to her early home town. I was very surprised and stunned, its not every day you meet someone like that. But, I gave it to her, the ride, and told her I hadn't wanted to marry her either. We split ways and, well, here I am."

"What a tale," she murmured. "Well, maybe you'll find the woman you are supposed fo marry. Soon." Liesel actually wanted him to feel happy. Even if it meant him leaving her for a girl like he'd just described. Or Wendy. She had seen him talk very much every time with Wendy. "Maybe ... maybe you should consider Wendy?"

"Wendy," he echoed.

"Yes," they sat near a bench by the gates, where Hunter had sat with, apparently, Liesel every few nights in a row. "She is a very beautiful, courageous and smart and kind young woman."

"Yes, well, you are all those things, too, you know?" He said, looking deeply into her eyes. With Hunter, she could feel safe, calmed, even ... even beutiful. She didn't feel selfcounsious about her marks and skin and all that. "I mean, yes, at first you almost tried to scare me, you didn't, by the way. But you wanted to look threatening, but you didn't succeed. Because you are Everything of threatening. You are just...you."