Chapter 5
So I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Lindsay, don't be scared! I'm coming to save you!"
With a splash, I jumped straight into Obsidian Pond.
As the water closed in around me, a memory flashed through my mind. Back when I was five, someone tied up my hands and weighed down my feet with heavy stones, then tossed me straight into Obsidian Pond.
A wave of terror crashed over me. I was paralyzed, like I was under a spell, unable to struggle. All I could do was stare as the water swallowed me up.
The water rose above my head, and as I watched the daylight slip further and further away, I wanted to scream, but not a sound came out.
Just then, a dark figure plunged from above, and in the next instant, a pair of strong arms hauled me out of the water.
"If you're so afraid of water, why'd you jump in?" Esteban said.
Light flooded my vision and I gulped in air.
I vaguely remembered. It was Esteban who dove in to save me that year too. But when his hand accidentally brushed against my chest, I didn't hesitate. I landed a slap right across his face.
Ever since then, our rivalry only got worse. We were basically sworn enemies after that.
"If I hadn't jumped in, what if your beloved woman accused me of pushing her into the water?" I shot back.
Esteban's face turned stormy.
He hauled me out of the water first, then went back to fish Lindsay out.
I knew full well. With all those officials around, there was no way he could just leave me in the water.
It didn't matter if I was terrified of water or couldn't swim. There was no way I was going to die here.
When Lindsay was finally dragged out, she was so mad she could've shattered her teeth. Just as Esteban was about to put her down, she went limp and "fainted" right into his arms, clinging to his neck for dear life. He couldn't get her off no matter what.
What a vicious woman.
Even now, she was still helping me mess with Esteban.
"Why don't you take the Queen back to her quarters for me?" I suggested.
Esteban's face grew even darker, but he didn't dare pry Lindsay off him in front of everyone.
The officials in the Hall of Dominion were sly as foxes. They kept their eyes down, pretending they hadn't seen a thing.
I could only let out a dry laugh at them.
News from Esteban's side reached me before I even got back to the Hall of Dominion.
"Regent's orders. Drain Obsidian Pond!"
Just because Lindsay took a dip, and he was going to this extreme?
I had nearly drowned here three times, and did he ever hear me whining about it?
"Drain the Obsidian Pond!" Esteban barked.
At the sound of Esteban's order, Lindsay finally fluttered her eyes open. "Esteban, was it really you who saved me?" she asked, her voice soft.
Esteban didn't reply. He just stared pointedly at her hands.
Lindsay's face turned crimson, and she instantly released her grip from around his neck.
Esteban set her down, and Lindsay wrapped her arms around herself, dripping wet, totally embarrassed and pissed off. "Stop staring at me!" she snapped.
Esteban turned away and said, "Anything you wanna tell me?"
Lindsay suddenly started crying. "His Majesty wants to kill me, Esteban. I'm freaking out! What do I do?"
"It wasn't him!" Esteban said.
"What?" Lindsay stared at him, stunned.
"If he wanted you dead, he wouldn't bother with any tricks," Esteban said.
Lindsay's eyes went wide in shock.
It hit her like a bolt from the blue. Lindsay just stood there, completely floored.
"And as for that day during the coup. Sure, he might've tried to poison me, but he'd never use that kind of stuff on me!" Esteban said.
Lindsay turned pale as a sheet.
Esteban was never one to tolerate any bullshit.
"Lindsay, what exactly are you playing at? You were the one who called off the engagement, and now you're pulling this stunt?" Esteban said.
Before Esteban could finish his sentence, Lindsay suddenly lunged and hugged him from behind.
As a legendary war god, Esteban had been drilled since he was a kid to deal with sneak attacks from behind.
But right now, the person grabbing him wasn't an enemy. She was even scarier than any foe he'd ever faced.
So, this classic ironclad straight guy reacted on instinct: he flipped her over his shoulder, twisted her arms behind her back, and locked her down hard on the cold floor.
She was slammed down and pinned to the floor, totally immobilized.
She never imagined that swallowing her pride to give Esteban a chance would end up with her in this ridiculous situation.
Just as she was about to start cursing him out, Esteban suddenly pulled her clothes aside.
When she felt Esteban's intense gaze on her, Lindsay's heart thudded wildly in her chest.
"Esteban..." she murmured.
"You're not..." Esteban said, his voice trailing off, uncertain.
"What?" Lindsay stared at him, bewildered.
"It wasn't you! The one in the tent that day wasn't you!" Esteban snapped.
Esteban leapt back a good ten feet, like Lindsay was radioactive.
Lindsay felt humiliated all over again. Her anger fizzled out, replaced by cold humiliation.
She didn't care about shame anymore and yelled, "It was me! What gives you the right to say it wasn't? Esteban, you did it, so just admit it!"
Esteban was the kind of guy even I couldn't handle, like hell Lindsay could ever make him back down.
Esteban's eyes went cold. "Who was she? I'm only asking once."
Back at the Hall of Dominion, I was soaking myself in the hot tub when, out of nowhere, my heart skipped a beat.
"You think Lindsay's gonna finally bag Esteban today?" I asked, half-joking, half-curious.