There was a knock on the door and Wilber announced his arrival, bringing their dinner with him. Melva was relieved to see the butler coming inside as she was getting uncomfortable from having to hold a conversation with the Duke. The tension and the suspense in the air were too much and she felt like she was unable to breathe.
While Wilber was setting the table in the chamber to prepare the dinner, Vance was climbing off his bed. However, his legs were much too weak to support the weight of his body, so he ended up collapsing as his feet touched the ground. He grumbled irritatedly under his breath about him having no strength before he lifted up his head and glared at Melva, who was still sitting on the chair next to the bed. She had not moved even after witnessing the Duke fall over.
Wilber was showing his back to them, busy preparing their table for dinner, so Vance had to call for him if he wanted his help. Even if it was only for a short time, Melva could guess how prideful Vance was. He must not like to show his weakness to his servants, hence his overbearing demeanour. That left him only with the option of asking Melva for help.
"What are you waiting for?" hissed Vance impatiently.
"What is it, Your Grace? Is something the matter?" whispered Melva, feigning ignorance. She enjoyed watching the Duke struggle because it was well deserved.
Vance spoke spitefully through gritted teeth. "What else? Help me up!"
"Are you asking for help? I did not hear you say please."
"Alright. Please," muttered Vance in a defeated manner, dropping his gaze in embarrassment.
Pleased that she won the banter, Melva finally crouched down next to the Duke and held the man's hand, which had already turned cold again. Vance let out a deep sigh of relief the longer she held his hand, seemingly because of her touch taking effect on his body. Was that why he had no other choice but to ask her for help? The butler wouldn't be able to give him the strength and the warmth he needed.
The realisation that Melva could easily kill him by depriving him of her touch surprised her greatly. This whole time in Ichorhold she had been thinking how to counter the demon, even going as far as learning how to fight. However, it never occurred in her mind that it was as easy as that. She completely had him in her grasp and she could take him down whenever she wanted.
But of course, it was not that simple. This man was a Duke of this country—only one rank below the King. He was someone who had so much power in his hand. Committing treason against the Duke would surely result in endangering Ichorhold's safety.
For now, knowing that she was not utterly helpless raised her hopes, and it was enough for the time being until she found a way to break off the contract without risking the whole townspeople. A way to keep Ichorhold safe from demons without having to provide a young woman on every blood moon to be their captive. It seemed impossible and too much to ask, but she refused to give up just yet.
Vance regained the power in his legs and stood up, retracting his hand from Melva's hold to walk ahead towards the table and take a seat on one of the empty chairs, as though nothing had happened. Recovering from her bewilderment, Melva approached the table and took the other empty chair in front of him. Wilber was already finished with setting the table as he stood by near the wall, watching them from afar.
"Leave us," ordered Vance curtly.
Wilber nodded his head politely before taking his leave and probably staying near the entrance, in case the Duke needed him for anything else. He had arranged their meal neatly on the table, along with all the plates, glasses, cutlery, napkins, and even the highly unnecessary candles and flowers. Anyone unfamiliar with them who saw their table would think they were on an intimate dinner date, which obviously was not the case for them.
Melva was rather appalled that the werewolf also ate human food like her. She saw their plates were both filled with the same dish—delicious-looking beef and mashed potatoes. However, what was served in his glass was suspicious. The liquid was so red that at one glance, one might mistook it for wine. She knew it was certainly not, because the fluid was too thick to be one. If the rumours were true, then it should be human blood.
Vance went ahead of her and started eating the beef like any other humans did. It was such an astonishing sight to see—a contradiction to her belief. She had not realised she had been staring at the werewolf eating beef until he spoke to her.
"It is not poisoned. I can assure you," said Vance without sparing her a glance, but she was sure he knew she had been staring at him.
Melva felt the heat rising to her face at the misunderstanding. The Duke thought she was accusing them of attempting to poison her food. That certainly wouldn't bode well for her. "That is not what I was thinking."
"What were you thinking then?" demanded Vance curiously as he put down his cutlery, his blue glowing eyes now staring into hers.
There was no harm in telling him what was in her mind, so she decided to do so to satisfy her curiosity and save herself at the same time. "Never have I thought a werewolf would eat the same food as a human."
"Such a curious woman," mused Vance in interest. "Is it not better for you that I eat human food? Would you rather have me feed on your flesh?"
Melva urgently dismissed the idea for fear of her life. "Forgive me, Your Grace. Please forget what I said. It was just my foolish thought."
"I don't dislike it. It is good to be distrustful and curious. It will keep you alive. Who knows if someone you trust will betray you one day." Vance's expression was devoid of emotions, but she could hear the lament in his tone of voice.
'Did someone betray him in the past?' thought Melva. Asking the question would be impolite, so she kept the thought to herself. It could also be interpreted as a warning for her, so it would be wiser not to provoke the Duke.
She settled for nodding gratefully in response. "Thank you for the advice. I will make sure to keep it in mind."
"Good. Now eat before the food gets cold. I am sure it is to your liking," said Vance, urging her to eat.
Picking up the cutlery, Melva began to slice the beef to a small piece before putting it into her mouth. She couldn't help the satisfied hum coming out from her lips. The taste was nothing like any food she had ever eaten. She had had beef back in Ichorhold, but it was never this highly pleasant in taste. The cook in the manor was much too gifted.
"It is indeed delicious, Your Grace," praised Melva sincerely.
Vance seemed pleased by her compliment. Apparently, she had massaged his ego. The man was so prideful that he was glad to be complimented. "Just say the word and I will have more delivered to you."
The impression she had from his words was daunting. It was as if he had the intention to raise her for slaughter by feeding her food like she was some livestock. The awful idea sent chills down her spine. It was very disturbing and unsettling.
"I appreciate the offer, but I think the food on this table is more than enough," rejected Melva politely as she tried to shake off her bad thoughts.
"If you say so," said Vance shortly before picking up his cutlery and returning to eating.
Silence fell upon them as they were both finishing their food. It was unnervingly quiet, aside from the occasional sound of the metal clanking against the plate. Melva took a quick glance at the Duke, curious of what he had in mind and what he wanted from her. If it was only her touch that he wanted, he could simply come to her whenever he needed. This dinner was unnecessary.
Melva was sure he wouldn't harm her as she was the only person who was capable of keeping him alive and well. However, there was no such thing as freedom for her. He had her in shackles. He could use the townspeople to intimidate her again and again.
The moment she disobeyed him, he could use the contract to arrest them for treason or worse, encourage the other demons to feast on them. In other words, she was not in danger, but the townspeople were if she refused to comply. She had no choice but to play along with him in whatever game he was playing.
Vance seemed like he wanted to ask her something, but contemplated doing so. He had a frown on his face, looking very deep in thought. Whatever he was going to ask her must be a difficult question to answer.
"Will you spend the night in my chamber?" asked Vance after a long consideration, taking Melva by surprise.