The man continued to look at them suspiciously. Lucas answered the man,

"Yes, we are married. She is my wife,

" he claimed by putting his hand around Belle's waist and pulling her close to him.

Belle blushed hearing this. Though it was not true, the thought itself had a certain ring to it and she remembered the time when Lucas had spoken about the idea of him marrying her, speaking about the gown that would need to be made.

"Where is the proof?

" asked the man. He was a human who appeared to be in his early fifties.

"Proof?

" asked Belle.

The innkeeper nodded his head,

"Right, proof. I need to know you both are married to each other. Just last week a woman ran away with this man, claiming that they were married and then I find out that the woman is married to someone else,

" he shook his head in thought.

Lucas at the same time had bent down to tie the lace that had come off his shoe,

"That must have been awful,

" Belle commented,

"I don't know what proof you are expecting. We are married to each other but we don't have a child of our own yet.

"

"I want to see the ring on your hand, milady. You look rich enough along with your husband, I am sure it shouldn't be a problem. Aye?

" said the man waiting for them.

At the same time, Belle felt her hand being held by Lucas and he slipped something into her ring finger. Standing up, Lucas said,

"Dear, why don't you show your hand to him?

"

Belle had a quizzical look on her face but she did as she was asked, bringing her hand forward to show the man her finger that had a ring around her lean finger,

"What's that?

" asked the man

"That's a ring,

" said Lucas and even Belle looked down to see what Lucas had pushed onto her finger.

The man looked at Lucas as if he were an idiot, and he said,

"That's dried grass!

"

Belle wondered if that was why Lucas had bent down, making it look like he was tying his lace but when in truth he had quickly found the dried grass and had turned it into a ring of her finger's size.

"That's a symbol of love, Sir. My wife doesn't like materialistic things. She prefers a life of simplicity,

" Lucas explained to the man,

"She is a woman who is down to earth who has never had any indifference when it comes to people or things. If it weren't so, she wouldn't have picked this inn to be in. Not when the roof keeps making noise.

"

The man was still not convinced but after giving them a look, he finally said,

"It of going to be forty Nickle of coins.

" By the end of the man's word, Lucas had placed a silver coin at the surface of the counter.

"This should be enough?

" he asked to have the man nod his head readily at the sight of the silver coin.

When they had settled themselves in the room, Belle asked,

"I realised Pauline is in the town too,

" she had taken a seat at the edge of the bed, looking at Lucas who placed the trunk in the corner of the room.

"Do you want to visit her?

" asked Lucas, his eyes moving to her as he walked and sat next to her on the bed.

"Is it bad that I don't want to meet her? I feel like the emotions that I once used to possess, it is evaporating up in the air making me feel hollow.

" She didn't know why but it was as if she wasn't feeling the anguish as much as she used to feel before,

"It makes me feel like a bad person because I don't care.

"

Lucas looked at her, his eyes gauging her expression that looked nothing to be hollow,

"It is okay sometimes not to go and meet people or see things. I know you care about some people, but if their death is going to cause you grief when you have enough dealing to do, it is okay to give yourself some time. And you are not a hollow person, Belle. You're the last person- you're not going to meet her because you want to cherish her the way you have known her to be, without having to look and remember for the rest of your life on how she died.

"

Belle let out a tired exhale,

"Were you always built like this? No emotions, no attachments...

" she asked him.

"The first creation of Grims mostly lack emotions, if we do it's because we have spent more time in the land of the living that influences us.

"

Belle who was sitting near the window scrunched her face. Smelling a bad odour coming from the other side of the room,

"Do you smell that?

" she asked Lucas.

"Looks like someone died.

"

Stepping out of the room, they moved outside the inn, trying to trail the smell but the smell had disappeared,

"Do you think there's some dead body?

" asked Belle, her eyes moving to see nothing out of order.

"It wasn't a dead body. Probably one of the Grims who is walking somewhere around here,

" answered Lucas to her,

"The reapers have spread out looking for us. We will have to be careful,

" he said to her.

"Do you want to visit your friend's house?

" he asked her.

Belle pursed her lips before giving a nod,

"Do you know where he lives?

"

Lucas didn't answer her but when they reached near a dark alley, both Lucas and Belle had disappeared in thin air to appear in front of George's house. It had been quite some time since she had last been here. Both of them pushed the gates that creaked softly, letting them in and Belle's footsteps made its way quicker than Lucas.

When she reached the door, she knocked to notice the door was already open without a lock.

.

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