Sebastian walked in and closed the door, ignoring the figure behind his desk. It was only his imagination, a mind trick. He moved towards the bathroom and discarded his clothes, stepping into the room for a bath. He walked towards the large tub filled to the top with cold water situated against the bathroom wall. He extinguished all but one of the candles, leaving only a single flickering light to dimly illuminate the room.
Descending the stairs into the tub, the water reaching his chest, he sat down on a platform and allowed the water from the tap to wash the blood off him. He was still, his calm breath whistling out of his parted lips, his eyes closed. He listened to the sound of the water rushing from the tap and splashing against him, the occasional droplet falling from his hair.
His ears perked up at the faint sound of the door shutting, and the gentle footsteps approaching the bathroom. The spike in the intruder's heartbeat gave away their identity, but he remained still.
The person seemed to contemplate their decisions as they waited by the door before finally turning and walking away. Sebastian snapped his eyes open at the sound of retreating footsteps. It was Oriana who had entered his room, and he was certain that, had she entered the bathroom, it would have been her last day alive.
He stayed in the water for a few more minutes until he was completely clean, then finally stood up and exited the tub, water dripping from his body. He retrieved a black robe from a mini closet in the bathroom, put it on, and tied the sash around his waist.
Walking into his room, he picked up a bottle of wine from his desk and opened another door leading to the balcony. As the breeze dried the water from his body and hair, he looked down at the garden below. A grin formed on his lips, remembering the woman who had walked through the same path into his dark life, a reality she was yet to discover.
In the same chambers, another figure walked towards the next room, turning the knob and stepping into the darkness. They approached a desk where a woman was sleeping, her face resting on the book she had been reading, her right hand under her cheek, her other hand spread out, and her hair sprawled across the brown desk. The lantern beside her had exhausted all its oil and extinguished itself. The figure picked up a book from the desk and opened it.
"You should never attempt to split souls. It only occurs naturally when it is fated, but now, most of us have started to use the dark side of magic, splitting souls and causing one half to blacken as a result..."
The figure closed the book, exited the room with the book in hand, and passed through the door without opening it.
The next day, Eve woke up to the sweet aroma of food and lifted her head, surprised to find she had fallen asleep while reading. It had been a long time since she had slept in such a position, and her neck ached. She turned it slightly to alleviate the discomfort.
"Good morning, milady," greeted Ester, who stood inside the room.
"Good morning, Ester," Eve replied, standing up. A trolley of dishes was positioned close to the bed.
"You missed breakfast, and His Highness asked me to bring it to your room," Ester explained.
"What time is it?" Eve questioned.
"It is past the hour of ten, milady. His Highness requests your presence in the garden after your meal," Ester conveyed, and Eve nodded before stepping into the bathroom. Her bath had already been prepared and she eased into the warm water scented with lavender.
After her bath, she stepped out wearing a petticoat and Ester served her meal on the stool beside the bed.
"Have you eaten?" Eve asked her and she shook her head.
"I can only eat when I'm done with my work," she explained. Eve took an empty plate from the trolley and served the food in it and held it towards Ester.
"Here, you can eat with me."
She understood the anguish of watching others eat without being able to partake. She had experienced the pain of watching her family eat, only to see the leftovers discarded while they subsisted on nearly tasteless porridge.
"You can lock the door so no one would come in," she suggested, seeing the maid hesitate before going to lock the door. The sight of the appeasing food was enough to make her stomach growl and she didn't want to miss the opportunity of tasting such a meal. Who knows when she would ever have to again.
"Thank you milady," she said, collecting the food from her and sitting on the ground. Eve didn't go to press her knowing she wouldn't want to cross the limits and they started eating.
After their meal, Ester helped her to wear a cream colored dress, she wrapped a brown belt around her tummy and tied the rope behind in a bow. Her hair was combed and tied in her usual bun but this time, Ester pulled out some hair from each sides of her face. She dipped the metal comb in hot water and used it to curl the hair and then added two pins to secure the bun. This way, the breeze won't blow her hair over her face in the garden. Her lady don't need colors to look beautiful, Ester thought to herself as she smiled at her through the mirror.
Eve walked out of her room in a flat brown sandals, walking down the stairs and followed a corridor to arrive outside the castle, in front of the garden. She saw Sebastian at the middle, he was wearing a turquoise shirt with the sleeves pulled to his elbow. He turned to look at her and raised a hand, beckoning her to come. Eve walked on the trimmed green grasses, feeling her heart thump as she walked closer to the handsome man who had a lazy look on his face and his his black hair moved in the wind.
Eve didn't go to take his outstretched hand but she bowed. "Good morning, your Highness."
Sebastian dropped his hand to the side and asked, "Did you fall asleep late while waiting for me last night which was why didn't wake up early?"
"No, I fell asleep while reading," Eve quickly protested against his assumptions and he smiled.
"And here I thought you were curious to know about my family."
Oh that! Eve slight raised a brow and looked at him. He was enormous, Eve thought to herself, and she had to look up to meet his gaze. Her eyes trailed to his chest, which was at her eye level, due to her height. The top buttons of his shirt were unfastened revealing the muscular chest underneath.
Realizing he was looking at her, she looked away and he start to walk. "My mother used to like a morning walk in the garden," he said, pulling Eve's attention.
"Your mother?" She asked.
"Hmmm," he turned to look at her, "You didn't think Queen Rohesia was my mother, did you?" And when she shook her head, he looked away.
"Roselani was her name."
"She was loving and kind. Too kind for this world," Though his eyes looked void of emotions, she could hear the longing in his voice.
"She was an average vampiress and the Ministers and family didn't want her as their Queen. This was when they got Rohesia married to the King." Even after giving birth to a heir.
Sebastian was merely twelve years old when he witnessed his mother being banished to a secluded part of the castle. She was stripped of her title as Queen and reduced to an ordinary woman people look down upon. Still, she always kept her smile while asking him to be polite and kind.
She fell ill after a year and despite his plea, they didn't allow the doctor to check on her. He had gone out at night to sneak in a doctor who prescribed drugs for her. Yet her health continue to deteriorate, and within three months, she became bedridden and could only consume liquid food.
"What happened to her?" Eve asked snapping him away from his thoughts and he stopped walking.
"She fell ill and while I thought it was a natural sickness, she was actually poisoned."
He grew up watching his mother die slowly day by day. As the first heir, he was still allowed entrance in the castle. On the day of her passing, he was away fighting in the war against the humans. Upon his return, leading a victorious army, he received the devastating news of his mother's death. The heartless individuals denied him the opportunity to see her face one last time before cremating her. Instead, they handed him her ashes in a clay pot. Sebastian clenched his hand at the old memory.
"Did you find the ones behind her poisoning?" Eve questioned again, she could already feel the rising air and she rubbed her hands together and looked at him. No doubt, he loved his mother.
Sebastian bent and plucked a red rose, he removed the thorn and stood back up. Raising his hand, he pushed the flower into her hair and replied,
"Yes. They are buried under your feet."