The Island's Own Space

11. Goodbye

"Do you trust me?" Bella snapped out of her own thoughts after hearing Lucaon's voice. She lifted her gaze off of the ground and saw that he was looking straight into her eyes. He was smiling, but the smile he had was sad, and Bella felt her heart clench inside her chest.

Does she trust him? The answer was obvious. Of course, she trusts him. Ever since they first met Bell, they had already trusted Lucaon. And as the time they spent together increased, her trust in him also began to grow stronger.

"Yes, I do." Without any hesitation, Bella answered.

Lucaon's smile widened at her answer, but there was still some uncertainty showing in his dark eyes.

"Then, will you leave the tribe with me?" Lucaon's question shocked Bella.

It was a question that she didn't expect at all. And it made a mess in her mind, with countless thoughts flooding in.

Would she leave the tribe with him? Bella did not know. There were so many consequences if she ever did go away with him. One of those was throwing away the only chance she might get at meeting the overseer of the island. Although she would love to go away with Lucaon, and the fact that she loves him is clear, would her love for him really help her reach her true goals?

Would her love for him help her leave the island? The mystery of the blue flames and the desire to know everything about herself? No matter how many times Bella racked her brain, she could not find any other answer than no.

Love would not help her find the answers to the questions she had or the uncountable dangers she might face in the future.

Lucaon saw the hesitation in Bella's eyes and smiled sadly. He had an idea of her situation, but he was still hoping for a different outcome than what he was thinking of.

"I guess I'm getting ahead of myself." Lucaon said so in a cheerful manner.

"No, that's not what I meant..." Bella couldn't finish her sentence. She tried to find the right words to utter, but she could not. She could not find the words that would not hurt him even more.

"It's fine. I understand. "Just promise me that you will take care of yourself and not stray too far from the tribe if you are going out, and also bring Lyca with you, alright?" Lucaon grasped Bella's shoulders and gave them a squeeze.

"Are you nagging me right now?" Bell asked while pouting, which Lucaon found cute.

He chuckled, and they became silent for a minute. before Bella felt Luciaon's hands go up from her shoulders to her face.

He cupped her face and brought it closer to his, and before Bella could do anything, Lucaon's lips were already pressed against hers. Bella flinched, but soon closed her eyes and kissed him back.

The kiss lasted for a few moments before Lucaon pulled back and stared at Bella's flushed face. He smiled and brushed her lips with his finger.

"I need to leave now before the sun rises." Lucaon said, and Bella nodded her head in agreement, but her hand on Lucaon's arm did not let go.

Noticing her actions, Lucaon took a hold of Bella's hand and took it off his arm before saying goodbye for the last time and leaving.

Bella stood there unmoving, and by the time she snapped out of her thoughts, Lucaon was long gone, and tears were already flowing down her cheeks. She wiped her tears and fixed herself before going inside the estate.

She went to find Matthias in his room, but a servant said that he was already in his office getting ready for the upcoming meeting.

And so, Bella burst into Matias' office and frightened him.

"Get me a set of clothes from your tribe." Bella demanded, her gaze full of determination.

Matias stared at her for a few moments, studying her current appearance, before sighing to himself. He already had an idea that Bella might go to him. It was because Lucaon went to say his goodbyes and told him that Bella might come later, a few minutes after he leaves.

"I guess the option of rejecting your request is off the table." Matias commented with sarcasm, but Bella did not care as she continued to have a staring contest with him.

"Alright." Matias agreed. He went to the door and opened it before ordering Aservant outside the door to get a set of clothes for Bella.

"So, now that you are doing whatever you want, I guess I should also do whatever I want. "Tell me, what the heck are you planning?" Matias went back to his desk and sat on his chair.

"I want to meet the tribe leaders and possibly the overseer, too." Bella explained briefly, but it left Matias unsatisfied with her answer.

"And?" Matias asked.

"..." Bella stayed silent at his question, which made him sigh.

"What do you even want to do that you want to meet the tribe leaders?" And meeting the overseer? "Don't you know how the overseer rarely shows himself even to us? He manages parts of the island." Matias sounded so dumbfounded at Bella and was spouting whatever came to his mind.

"The next phase of my plan is..." Bella paused and locked eyes with Matias. "It's something you would naturally know later on." Bella finished.

Matias grew even more desperate to know Bella's plans now that she had dropped that sentence. Just as he was about to express his disappointment towards her secretive attitude, a knock on the door resonated in the room.

"Come in." Matias ordered, and the servant came in with a set of clothes on her arms.

The servant gave it to Bella and left the room immediately. Bella went to the door without looking back at Matias, and she spoke.

"Don't worry. "I will not do anything to cause trouble for you." With that, Bella left the office.

Matias, who was left alone, sighed and pressed his temple before whispering, "That is not what I'm worried about." He then remembered his promise to Lucaon.