The kitchen had quieted again, the only sounds left were the ticking of the antique wall clock and the soft clinks of silverware left untouched on the table. The boy sat with his legs casually crossed, elbows resting on the wooden surface between them, and his crimson eyes shimmered with amusement under the moonlight.
He tilted his head slightly, a spark of mischief dancing in his gaze.
"Lady Rina," he said suddenly, with a grin that could only be described as *dangerously playful*, "tell me—what are you planning to do on your first night with your husband Jean?"
Rina froze.
The question sliced through the comfortable air like a dagger.
Her golden eyes widened, blinking twice as if unsure she'd heard him right.
The boy's expression was anything but apologetic. In fact, his grin widened, lips parting to reveal perfect teeth. His voice was light, teasing—his only crime: enjoying her reactions.
"Will you share the same room?" he added. "The same bed?"
Rina's face flushed crimson, and her brows furrowed in deep, sharp offense.
"E-Excuse me?" she sputtered, clearly appalled.
"No way! That jerk—he's lucky if I let him breathe in the same *castle*, let alone the same room!" she snapped.
She leaned forward, her fingers curling into fists on the table.
"I will *never* sleep in the same bed with someone like him. Never ever! Even if it's just a political marriage—what am I, a trophy? A gift to be wrapped and handed over like some object?!"
The boy leaned back slightly in his chair, resting his chin lazily against the palm of his gloved hand. His elbow remained firmly on the table, and his crimson eyes peered at her from behind thick, black lashes.
He looked perfectly at ease.
Almost too at ease.
The smile on his lips hadn't moved—it stayed curled, soft and elegant, as if carved there by moonlight itself.
And he let her go on.
Rina did not disappoint.
"Honestly, the idea of being stuck with that monster makes me sick! What kind of man is he even?! All I know is his name and that he's a *Roché*! And let's be honest—that's enough of a red flag already!"
She was pacing now, rising from her chair, her words tumbling out like embers from a wildfire.
"I bet he's one of those stuck-up noble boys, all pride and no brain! Probably fat too. Greasy. Wears too much cologne. Or worse—*doesn't* wear any! And I *swear*, if he so much as tries to touch me—"
She made a slicing motion with her hand.
The boy watched her, lips twitching.
Not in offense.
Not in anger.
But in the kind of quiet joy you only see in someone who hasn't laughed in years—and suddenly remembered what joy felt like.
Something about her energy. Her passion. Her total unfiltered chaos.
It was… warm.
So warm it hurt a little.
His red eyes flickered again, glowing faintly in the soft silver light.
He said nothing.
Just listened.
She didn't notice the way his gaze had softened. How his usual ghostly composure cracked just slightly to reveal something… human underneath. A memory of what it was like to feel alive.
He'd been called a monster.
A devil.
A shadow.
But right now… he felt like none of those things.
And all the while, Rina kept ranting.
Oblivious. Furious. Glorious.
"And if he even *thinks* I'll sit beside him at a banquet? Ha! I'll freeze the wine in his cup and set his robes on fire. Let him know what *hell* really feels like."
The boy chuckled softly under his breath.
Rina didn't hear him.
She was too caught up in her storm.
He watched her, leaning a bit closer now. His breath was slow and quiet. His lips still curled in that faint, polite smile. His long lashes blinked slowly over eyes like garnets in moonlight.
He reached for his empty teacup, turning it in his fingers.
The leather of his glove creaked gently.
He was enjoying this.
All of it.
Not out of cruelty—but because in this bizarre little corner of the night, on a quiet table in a haunted kitchen… he felt something real. Something *alive.*
Her fire.
Her fight.
Her refusal.
And she had no idea who he was.
Not a clue.
She cursed him, and it made him want to laugh.
She hated him, and it made him feel… human.
......
heat: Thank you very much to everyone who commented in the comments section and thank you all guys but guys I told you that I cannot put pictures of the characters in my novels because I need to contract with an editor and if I contract with an editor the chapters will be paid and when I contract he will ask me to write more than 2000 words per day well this is very simple for me because one chapter has more than 2000 words so if I publish the chapter it will be expensive and I publish my novel for the reader to enjoy because maybe later I will contract but now I want you to enjoy reading the novel as well I just want energy stones this is all I want from you now I am not like the rest of the writers who write strange novels full of harem girls and women and lusts in order to increase the number of views of his novel in order to get money from the readers I see this as something disgusting frankly of course this is my opinion and you are free to criticize and I respect the opinion of everyone 🐦🔥