Rihannan looked at him with questioning eyes.

Afraid of his mother?

What did he mean by that?

Im not sure I follow she trailed off.

When a persons mind is traumatized beyond repair, theyre left with extreme methods. And thats when youre given two choices take your own life or take the lives of others.

Rihannans face hardened. She was reminded of her past choices.

Killing ones own self is a sacrifice itself, but when that trauma and anger is directed towards others, it doesnt end with one sacrifice. What follows is a terribly horrid and endless cycle of death. Sometimes, the person who you think is incapable of doing it might Igor bit his lip and choked on his words, Anyway, well never know the result of ones action till its all over.

Purple eyes looked at her like it was peering through her soul, asking her which side she had chosen. Those purple eyes seemed to know that she had chosen the first, that she had taken her own life because she was mentally incapable of living on. But she found it hard to predict which category Igor belonged to. He was cold, brutally cold, but it was difficult to imagine him as a tyrant who slaughtered countless innocent lives in cold blood.

If you hold hate, especially for those you hold affection for, its bound to grow until it can no longer be contained. Thats thats why Im afraid of her, of my mother, he sighed lowly, I know Im saying too much and you may not understand, but I just wanted to let you know.

So you do have something you fear, Rihannan laughed bitterly and looked at him, When we were young, I thought you were strong, like you had nothing to fear. Thats what went through my mind.

No, youre wrong. Ive always been afraid, he gave a bitter smile, There were always people who sought after my title, who wanted to replace me, and a mother who thought of me as a tool to be moved around like a mere chess piece. If I werent her only son, Id already be used and abandoned long ago.

Its true that shes different from other mothers, but it doesnt mean that shes not willing to spare you, her only son.

Igor chuckled wryly. Maybe so but everyone loves to play king the most when playing chess. If the king dies, the games over. I know my mother was kind to you. I know. But sometimes the cruelest person is your closest kin. You are my mothers goddaughter, thats true, but youll soon be my wife. Please keep that in mind. Dont judge her by her appearance alone. She can be the cruelest person

Rihannan looked at him for a moment and said, Ill believe you but Igor you were probably lonely.

His eyes widened slightly. He never thought of himself as one.

Lonely? Me?

You said you never had anyone to rely on. No one. And Im sure Basil has his limits. It would be strange not to fall in the pits of loneliness.

Rihannan knew well what it was like to be shunned by your own blood. Even she was made victim of it without knowing. Igors frustrations must have grown while she was torn and stuck in the middle of him and his mothers conflict.

You think youll never feel loneliness, that loneliness isnt what youre feeling as other thoughts and feelings plague your heart and mind. And then you realize everything all too late and what it was all along was loneliness, Rihannan said.

Were much more alike than we thought, Igor. Dont you think so? Why couldnt we be like this before? What happened to us?

Like Rihannan, Igor longed and yearned for his mothers love in the same way she yearned for the love of her father.

Like Rihannan, he was just as lonely and broken as her.

Had she known, would things have ended differently? Had she tried more, would she have known that there was more than meets the eye?

Youre right, Igor smiled bitterly, I mustve been lonely

His voice rang, interrupting her deep thoughts.

I thought it was important that I grab hold of power but some things were missing. Maybe it is as you said, maybe it is loneliness. I have power now, but

Igor reached out and held onto her hand. He looked into her blue eyes, eyes that he could drown in, eyes that hold specks of sunlight, of depth and raw emotion, and eyes that could freeze him in a trance.

Rihannan, Im placing all my trust in you will you trust me?

Unable to understand his intention, she was at loss for words.

Youll believe me? Trust me? It hasnt been long since weve met. How can you readily trust me?

Igor had never believed in her during their marriage. But now, when theyve just met, how can he allow himself to trust her?

***

Were much more alike than we thought, Igor. Dont you think so? Why couldnt we be like this before? What happened to us?

TN: Haha this was Igors thoughts essentially during his POV arc.

He should have looked into her past. Maybe hed realize sooner that there was more than meets the eye. They were so far apart. He believed one thing and she thought another. If only he had communicated with her maybe things would be different.

Igors POV. Chapter 70