Adeline gingerly touched the necklace. The tiny, pink rose trapped a glass droplet, shaped like a tear, reminded her of exactly who she was. This necklace used to stand for something else, but the meaning was long gone. She wrapped her hand upon the glass, cold to the touch, but filled with life.

“It suits you,” Elias gently murmured.

His chest lightly rumbled whenever he spoke. She was close enough to feel that, but not hear his heart—If he even had one in the first place…

“A little flower to suit a tiny Rose,” he teased. “All alone in this world, without friends or family.”

Adeline ignored the play-on of her surname. Instead, she remained fixated on the necklace. Sometimes, it was warm.

A long, long time ago, Adeline would touch it, and all of her problems would go away. Now, she knew the small rose within the glass was fake. It did not die, no matter how many years went by.

“You said you were there to witness the birth of the first Princess of Kastrem,” she softly whispered. “T-then how old does that make you?”

Elias raised a brow. His fingers gently ran over her collarbone, tracing circles upon her smooth, creamy skin.

“I don’t think you’d like the answer.”

“I-I still want to know…”

Elias smirked. “Ever the curious one, aren’t you?”

Adeline nodded.

Elias reached behind her head. His finger found the pins that held the small bun together. With the flick of his hand, her hair came undone, as everything cascaded down.

“You don’t have to know.” Elias brought her hair over her shoulders, covering her delectable neck.

“But—”

“It’s getting late,” Elias deadpanned. “Young girls like you should be in bed.”

Adeline was grateful he didn’t make another snide remark. Though, she was confused as to why he was playing with her hair. He was arranging it, but to his irritation, strands of it were caught by his enormous ruby ring. His eyes narrowed in frustration.

“Here, let me h-help,” Adeline stumbled out.

Adeline gingerly lifted her hand and slowly, but surely, detangled her hair from it. She suppressed the pain and pretended it wasn’t there.

Soon, his ring was no longer caught in her irritating, straw-colored hair. It had the texture of one too.

Adeline despised how unruly her hair was sometimes. It behaved with a mind of its own, wild and a mess whenever she woke up.

“C-can you lend me a car to return home?” she asked in a small voice, hoping he wasn’t cynical enough to let her walk the long road.

“Home?” he echoed in a sharpened voice.

Adeline nodded her head. “Yes, the Marden Estate on the outskirts of the city—”

“This is your new home from now on, Adeline.”

Adeline was startled. She looked up instantly, her lips parting. She took a step back, even though there was nowhere to go.

“But… but…”

“Dresses, jewels, shoes, you will have everything you need.”

Adeline’s grip tightened on her necklace. She didn’t like to complain or make her unhappiness known. He brought out the worst in her. She felt an argument rise in her throat.

“Besides,” Elias sharply stated, whilst calmly smiling down at her, revealing the storm in his eyes. “It’s well into midnight. You’ll disturb everyone in the Marden estate if you return home.”

Adeline let out a shaky breath. How could he smile so serenely with such wild eyes? Her words must’ve irked him, but certainly, not to this extent…? He looked like he was ready to kill someone, but slow, and painfully. The air around them became clipped just as the temperature lowered.

“E-Elias,” she squeaked out.

“Yes, darling?”

“Y-you’re scaring me.”

“That sounds like a personal problem,” he mused.

When she shrank away from him, he dropped his smile.

“Come, little doe,” he softly murmured. “I’ll take you to your room.”

Adeline reluctantly nodded her head. He brushed past her, his arm briefly touching her bare shoulders. Elias didn’t wait for her. He started walking as he pleased.

Elias was walking quicker than normal. He was not happy with her comment, though he found himself foolish for being upset. This was supposed to be her home two years ago, the second she became of age.

“W-wait for me…” Adeline quickened her ace. She was practically jogging to catch up to him.

She winced in pain. Her high heels were crushing her feet. She paused for a second, wondering if it would be possible to take off her shoes. All these years of being trained in annoying shoes equated to nothing. It still hurts.

Aunt Eleanor would’ve thrown a fit if she saw Adeline take off her heels before a man.

Holding back a complaint, Adeline continued trudging forward. Maybe it was the pain blinding her, but he had slowed down a bit. More like, he’d pause every few seconds to observe the window, most likely making sure his guards were wide-awake.

“My Grandmother can walk faster than you,” Elias murmured.

“Your Grandmother?” Adeline echoed.

Adeline wondered what kind of woman his Grandmother was. Adeline had never met hers. Supposedly, the older woman wanted nothing to do with her mother’s family. As a result, the previous Rose Matriarch and Patriarch never once shown their faces around the family.

“You won’t like her, she’s ruthless,” Elias murmured.

Before she could ask more, he sharply turned towards her. “Your room.”

Adeline blinked. Once. Twice. “Pardon?”

Adeline glanced over her shoulder. His room was just a door down. He could come to her room as he pleased. But if he had any respect for her, he wouldn’t. Knowing his nature, he would already be waiting for her inside the room.

Before she could say anything, Elias pushed the doorknob down. In the dusk of the night, her white doors were beautiful. She reluctantly stepped inside, her lips parting. This place was larger than her room in the enormous Rose estate!

“Two rooms are serving as your closets and a connected bathroom,” he informed her.

Elias gestured for her to step inside. Adeline warily looked at him.

“What?” he said. “Afraid I’ll lock you in?”

She nodded.

“Smart girl.”

Elias walked in first, flickering on the lights for her. He blinked a bit, the sudden brightness blinding him. But she did not mind. Stepping into the room with great hesitation, Adeline surveyed her room. Immediately, her attention was upon the grand windows near her bed.

“Don’t tell me you’ll watch me from there again,” she pointed to the large windows. The curtains were drawn back, revealing the lack of a balcony. Hopefully, for the best.

“I won’t,” he said, his voice laced with amusement. “I’ll be watching from the hole in the wall.”

Adeline swiveled around, gaping at his audacity. Her heart lurched. She abhorred the idea of being watched. If she couldn’t feel safe in her own room, there would be no way for her to sleep.

“T-that’s a joke, right?” Adeline mumbled.

Elias grabbed her shoulders, pulling her close. He grinned down at her, his sharp fangs glinting under the light.

“No.”

“Elias…”

“Look, there’s a hole right there,” Elias pointed to the window.

“But that’s not a hole…”

“I know what a hole is, darling.”

Adeline felt like he meant something else.

“Isn’t a window a hole in the wall?” he added on.

Adeline held back a sigh. He was always toying with her. Was it because her reaction was entertaining? Or was he that sadistic? She believed it was the latter. It had to be.

There were too many sinister rumors surrounding Elias for her to believe his teasing was out of entertainment. She had heard the terrifying tales, that were whispered to children so that they’d behaved.

“W-why do you like to watch me from my window?”

“Someone has to make sure you don’t pass away in your sleep.”

“B-but I’m young.”

Elias never planned to watch her sleep. Last night was a one-time occurrence to make sure she goes home early, and no one foolishly followed her home. Even if she had that useless bodyguard with her, there would not be enough time for that fool to react.

“You never know,” Elias softly murmured. He reached out and pinched her cheek, earning a yelp from her.

Adeline subconsciously touched the spot, but her hand grazed his knuckles instead. His touch was icy cold. Oddly enough, it was comforting, for he quelled the heat of her body.

“The maids will come soon to prepare you for sleep.”

Adeline slowly nodded.

“I’ll come later to tuck you into bed.”

Adeline’s head snapped up faster than he could blink. His taunting grin widened, reaching his eyes. She felt like his good features were going to waste. If he was going to be so creepy, he might as well look the part. Instead, he looked like a dark prince in shining armor, ready to steal the Princess instead of reducing her from the tower.

“O-one day, you’re going t-to give me a heart attack,” she whispered.

Elias hummed in response. He dropped his hands and adjusted her hair again. He was irritated by physics. He had just fixed her hair a few minutes ago, but the momentum of walking had sent the strands behind her shoulders. As much as he enjoyed seeing her neck, he worried for her health.

She was a human. They were as frail as could be. A single paper cut was enough for her to bleed.

“Your Majesty,” a pair of voices greeted him. Stoic yet polite, they bowed before their ruler.

Elias nodded in his head. He fixed her necklace, so that it sat perfectly in between her collarbone. A smile graced his face when she glanced at the necklace. Her lips curled into a rare smile that softened her demure stare.

“Don’t miss me too much,” he snickered.

“A-as if I will…”

Elias laughed. Sure she wouldn’t. He turned around and walked off, knowing she was in good hands. The second he left the door, the smile dropped. He silently stalked down the hallway. He had a woman to visit. She was getting out of hand again.