"What are you doing!?" Eve hissed.
"Carrying you?"
"Put me down!" she demanded, irritated at his sudden actions. First, she did not need saving. Second, how dare he carry her without her permission? And third… What was with this speed?
Everything around her turned to a blur until he came to an abrupt halt. Strangely enough, she did not feel any whip-like snap that she felt when Lucius carried her in the past.
To her surprise, however, the sensation came just as she thought about it.
The abrupt stop had taken its toll on her stomach. It was simply too much for her body to bear.
She retched and before she could stop herself, expelled vomit towards the Prince.
"Ugh…"
Realizing what just happened, Eve's eyes grew wide with shock and horror. Her face turned pale as she stared at the mess that stained both her and the Prince's clothes.
"I—"
"Well that was unexpected," Prince Maximilian Knight flashed his teeth as he smiled like a silly boy. She quickly stumbled back. The sight of a vampire's straight teeth isn't exactly something that she would like to see after what happened...
"I did not mean to do that—I apologize," she blurted out, her voice tinged with embarrassment. "I can... "
"Can't you just use your magic to clean it?" he asked, still smiling.
She could. Of course, she could do that. However… "Vampires hate magic." They were weak against it.
Max shrugged in response. Then he started removing his coat, revealing his clean undershirt. However, it seems that taking his coat off was not enough as he started removing his undershirt too. Eve's hand shot out on impulse, grabbing his hand to stop him from showing his body.
Startled by her own impulsive action, Eve quickly realized that she was now holding his hand and released her grip, her cheeks turned hot.
Although, he did not seem upset but rather curious about her actions. He stared at her, a quizzical expression plastered on his face. It was as if he was waiting for her to explain.
"I— I will clean it." Was there a need for him to remove his undershirt? Obviously, she did not voice this out.
"Using magic?" he lifted an eyebrow.
"Does that bother you?" she asked.
"Not as much as I seemed to bother you."
"Pardon me?" she frowned. "No, I— I just thought that a Prince like you should not expose yourself to the mess."
"I see…" he nodded. "It was tailored by an expert."
Eve stared at the black coat. While she was still far from her strength in the past, she now has the capability to clean stained clothes. She then took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart.
"Induat puritas, lapsus pollutus avertat." The air turned chilly as if a sudden gust of cold wind had swept through the room. A tingling sensation prickled across their skin as the stains on their clothes began to fade as if it was never there in the first place.
The marks dissolve into nothingness.
The clothes were restored to their original state, without a single blemish.
"Let purity be clothed, stains be banished," he translated the language as he examined his coat. "How wonderful."
Eve pursed her lips. The language of the sorcerers was esoteric and known to only a select few. Yet he seemed to understand it effortlessly. Not many people possessed such a skill, even the Emperor of Humans, Emperor Ronaldo would not be able to translate the language.
"Impressive," she uttered. Even Lucius, who had already lived a very long life, did not understand the language.
"Not many people can understand the language of sorcerers," Eve added.
"It's a fascination of mine," he said. "I always find mystical things... very attractive," he gave her a meaningful gaze.
Now that she had cleaned the stains and managed to compose herself, she examined the room that she was in and quickly realized that she was in a small dining room with… human food.
"I anticipated you'd be famished from all that running," he explained while pulling out a chair, motioning for her to sit on it.
"Thank you…" she responded, catching the intended meaning behind his words. "But why take me here?" she asked without taking the seat.
"To celebrate our friendship."
"What friendship?" She was just running away from a spawn and this man took her to celebrate their friendship?
The smile on his face vanished. Then he took a step towards her and the next thing she knew, he was already standing in front of her. "Are we not... friends?"
"I do not think so."
"Genuine friendship involves knowing and safeguarding each other's secrets. Am I wrong?"
"Well— That's an unconventional way to phrase it."
"Then isn't that something we would want to celebrate?"
Not really, she wanted to respond but she quickly thought of her plan. Instead of arguing with him about the matter, she lifted her lips and stared straight into his eyes.
"You know my secret but I do not seem to remember knowing yours, Your Highness."
The changes in her demeanor caught him off guard, he studied her face for a few seconds before he smirked. "The fact that I knew your secret is already something that could get me killed. Isn't it?"
Eve's lips twitched. Her curiosity piqued, she felt a strong urge to discover what information he had about her.
"Well, if that does not satisfy you, let me tell you another one." He didn't wait for her to respond as he closed in on her face, causing her to instinctively lean back, almost losing her balance. However, he was quick to support her back, holding her in place as he whispered. "I enjoy magic and fireworks. Especially the fireworks made out of magic."
Eve frowned. She had anticipated a profound secret, but hearing something like this didn't surprise her.
What a peculiar vampire, she thought inwardly.
...
So, the latest chapters of Rosie's games is talking about Eve's Continent! I was so excited while making the maps. If you put them side by side, they are actually connected. Hehehehe.