"Can...I ask you a question?" She heard herself ask. Her voice was shaky and small, like she was scared even to ask him that. But of course, she was. Her eyes anxiously gazed at him as she waited for his reply.
She wasn't sure if she should be asking questions right now, but she couldn't stop herself anymore. She had tried to keep calm, but it seems something was eating up a hole in her chest with each second she stopped herself from asking.
She had always been the less inquisitive one in the family, but no one could blame her now if she wanted to pry for some information. Her mother had tossed her here with no prior information, no manual to guide her. So how was she supposed to survive the coming days with this stranger if she didn't know anything?
She had to know what was requested of her in this so-called marriage that she had unfortunately been thrown in. She was aware that many marriages between aristocratic families like hers were sometimes for shows and company benefits. Maybe this was the reason why Elle had made a break for it when she could. That girl had always had a mind of her own, taking drastic decisions with no care of how others felt. How she wished she could be that bold and careless.
She anxiously held her breath as she waited for him to give her a reply, but his face remained as still as ever, and this made her anxiety grow worse, before he finally gave her a compliant nod.
With deliberate slowness, She turned around to face him fully, her heart dancing to a different rhythm as she looked at him.
Dale patiently waited for her to ask whatever question she had. He could see the fear lingering in her eyes as she hesitated by each second. He eased the look on his face and also turned to face her squarely while he silently waited for her to speak up.
"I'm a bit scared." She honestly replied. She figured she had to admit that she was frightened at the mere sight of the man who was now her 'husband', so how was she supposed to ask him the questions that taunted her?
Dale's lips curved up when he heard her honest words. He had noticed these fears of hers since she walked into that wedding hall. It was good to know that she was one scared bunny who was true to herself.
"You don't have to be scared." He said in a deep and masculine voice that resounded deeply in her ears.
"Elleanor, I won't bite." He spoke softly and paused. "I'm your husband, after all." He added in an attempt to calm her, but little did he know those very words unsettled her more. Her eyes slightly widened at the sound of the word 'husband.'
"Ask me, Elleanor", He urged. His voice was so compelling she felt her lips quiver as she anxiously stared at him.
Neveah drew in a shaky breath to calm herself. She could feel her heart thump as the question she was about to ask pricked on her lips. She had to be calm and strong, and he had said he wasn't going to hurt her, right?
She didn't know if she should take his words for it; she had only just met the man. But there was something about how he was staring at her that made her want to believe that he might really not hurt her even though her logical senses told her not to trust him. Still, somehow her body betrayed her as her shoulders slightly slopped, and her heart rate slowed down by a certain degree.
"Are you...really as they say you are?" She naively asked. Her Inquisitive eyes piercing at his as though she was could get her answers from them.
Dale was slightly surprised when he heard her question. He had not expected that to be the question she badly wanted to ask, but he liked it. Another thing he was currently beginning to enjoy was the way she was now staring at him like she had not been reeking of fear seconds ago.
His lips amusedly turned upward as he stared at her, "And what do people say I am, Elleanor." He asked in a dangerously gentle tone, his head slowly leaning forward.
With her eyes now darting back and forth, she hesitantly replied, " A brother....slayer, a...devil." Neveah could now feel her heart race once again, this time far worse than it had been before she opened her mouth. Her breath felt bated as she watched him slowly lean closer towards her. Her heart skid when she heard a deep chuckle rumble out of the depth of his chest. And sweet heaven, why had his face looked too appealing when he smiled.
Neveah was quickly pulled out of her thoughts when he spoke up, "Would you believe me if I said I'm not the devil?"
"So you're not?" That question came out almost as low as a whisper.
She caught her breath when he raised his hand towards her face. Her heart thumped hard, and she flinched when his cold fingers touched her left cheek, "Oh Elle, be rest assured I'm not the devil."
"Then who are you?"