บท 5: Chapter 5 - Melting the Ice
The next morning when I opened my eyes the first thing that came to my sight was the gorgeous sleeping face of lord Xavier. How could a man look so elegant in his sleep, I wondered. He was smelling like fresh citrus, even in the morning.
Shortly, I noticed our posture. His face was just inches apart from mine. My head was resting on his arm. Our bodies were entangled, mostly because I ended up making him my body pillow. My face reddened like a beet.
I swiftly freed my body from his grip. He was holding me close by grabbing my waist with his other free hand.
I came out from the bed-chamber. The maids were awaiting us already. I could not wait to take a bath in the moon suite again.
The maids were continuously giggling. They probably got a wrong idea about last night, considering how the lord was still sleeping. I heard that he was an early bird.
"My Lady," Lydia, the daughter of the marquise, gave me a piece of unpleasant news. "Lady Evelyn has sent her butler to the palace. She has sent an invitation for the lady to attend her tea party."
I was surprised. Why would she want me at her tea party? Lydia also informed me that the butler denied leaving without meeting the luna. I was too eager to enter into the moon suite, hence without much thinking, I permitted whatever he was creating the drama for.
When I came out of the moon suite, I saw a handsome young man in a suit waiting outside.
"Morning, My Lady," the man bowed gracefully. "I am Cassius, the butler of Lady Evelyn. My lady has sent me to deliver this invitation to you. I was particularly ordered not to leave until making sure that the luna has read the invitation," he said politely.
But I could already tell that the man was not as naive as he appeared. He was a quick-witted man. He made sure to provoke me. Asking an Empress to read the invitation right in front of him was such an audacity. Yet, it would turn into a double-edged sword for me if I were to create trouble with the alpha princess's butler on my first day. A butler is definitely on a different level from the maids.
"The trouble was unnecessary. I have accepted the invitation," I replied shortly, giving him a flat expression.
"My Lady, I was asked to return with an official response," he said politely. But his aura was threatening.
I was about to leave when he again requested the same thing. His bold actions were already enough to trigger me.
But I was groomed my entire life to be the perfect Empress. I knew such courage was not coming only because he had lady Evelyn on his back. That man had purely devoted his soul to the princess and was prepared to even lose his life for her. Appreciation of my vampire abilities, I could already observe deep into his soul.
I gave him a chilling glare and replied calmly, " An Empress's words are absolute. Surely, Lady Evelyn is aware of it. I have let her butler meet me personally. Isn't this enough? I have to attend the Lord's breakfast. You may take your leave," I replied boldly and ignored if he had anything else to say.
But he chose not to drag that longer. He bowed quietly, but I could tell that he was infuriated by how he clenched his fists.
The maids lead me to the garden where the table was set. Xavier was already waiting for me. The moment he saw me, he gave me his precious smile. He really had the best smile owning those dimples. My heart skipped a beat.
"My Lady, it took you a while," he said.
Watching him smile, I remembered about the previous night and how he deceived me mischievously. My cheeks had turned red.
"Cassius, the butler of lady Evelyn, was here, My Lord," I said while taking my seat in front of him. The smell of the freshly brewed tea was all over the place. I tried to act naturally in front of him.
He seemed a little lost hearing that. Suddenly my heart started aching again. I lost my appetite seeing him getting lost in his thoughts. Every time I would mention his former mate, he would act differently. It was an obvious indication to me that he was still in love with Lady Evelyn.
But he surprisingly studied me for a while and asked, "Lady Alessandra, did that man see you like this?"
"Pardon?" I was confused by his unexpected question.
"Did Lady Alessandra have this appearance when that man came? Wet hair, white gown, and this enchanted perfume?" he asked again. I was lost for words by his out-of-the-blue question. But without waiting for my reply, he continued, " I should have been the one to observe my lady's beauty on our first morning."
He was now complaining like a child. As if someone else opened his new toy and played with it before him. His pouting cheeks were similar to the dumplings on our table.
I had no idea why he was so exasperated at such a thing. Even though I was his wife, he did not love me. He did not even express any interest in me the previous night. There was no reason for him to care for such matters.
"Lady Evelyn had asked him to wait for me. She has invited me for a tea party," I replied.
"Hmm? Is that so? It is quite unlike Evelyn. But even though she is a bit short-tempered, she is not a bad girl,'' he said.
I was feeling a tightness in my chest again. Surely hearing my husband bragging about his ex was the last thing I would ever want to do on that surreal morning in the garden.
We couldn't get to finish our tea. A guard appeared and informed Xavier that a few wolf villages were attacked earlier that morning. Since vampires and the wolves had formed peace, they were not suspecting it to be the vampires yet. But considering the damage, it was not a work of mere rogues. Xavier had to leave to inspect the situation.
"My apologies, Lady Alessandra. The elders will come to meet you today. I should have been by your side. But my people need me," he said with guilt on his face. I could tell that he wanted to stay by my side. That was really very thoughtful of him. But I could also see the anxiety in his eyes for his people.
"The responsibilities towards your people come first, My lord. I will be fine on my own," I replied politely, assuring him.
I could feel the warmth in his eyes after hearing that from me. He was expecting such a response. Shortly, he took his leave.
I still stayed in the garden after he left. Meeting the elders was already a pain. And on top of that Lady Evelyn had shoved her tea party. I was already feeling exhausted just by imagining all these. I was continuously sighing, sitting by the fountain. I had ordered the maids to leave me alone for a while.
"Why the long face, Princess?" Edrik asked. I was startled. I was so lost in my thoughts that I did not even notice his presence.
"Nothing grave, Prince Edrik. I was just a bit stressed. Did you not leave with lord Xavier?" I asked him back.
"Brother asked me to stay behind. He said he would take care of things. Probably my brother doesn't trust me," he said bitterly.
"I do not think of it that way, Prince Edrik. I think he is just concerned since you are still so young," I replied, smiling while trying to brush off the topic.
"But I can be a man too if Lady Alessandra wants," he came closer to me and said in a tiny voice.
He put his index finger on my hair unexpectedly, near my neck, and twirled them around his finger. He started to play with my hair. Even though he was younger, he was just as good-looking as his brother. I started to feel uneasy about his closeness.
I felt a bit awkward by his sudden approach. It was not long since I met him. He was indeed like a little brother to me. But at times, he would attempt to get intimate with me unnecessarily.
Younger males always tend to act tough, thinking I laughed it off, while gently removing his hand from my body.
"Sure, Prince Edrik. You are already manly enough. But no matter how old you grow, you are always a child to your family," I said, smiling. "And since you are now my brother-in-law, you can think of me as your family as well."
"Family?" He suddenly broke into laughter for a moment. Then asked naturally, "Heard that lady Evelyn invited you for a tea party?"
"Ah-yes. She sent her butler," I replied shortly. I had forgotten the stress for a moment. It hit me hard again.
"Please, be careful of Lady Evelyn, Princess. Since she is my brother's former mate, she is still sensitive about it. Brother had to break up with her because of the marriage. But the wolves can get very possessive for a long time, Princess" he typically warned me about Lady Evelyn.
My face darkened. It was obvious that Xavier loved Evelyn. Then why did he have to bring up this topic? Now my heart would not stop aching for the day.
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