At the sound of those words, Avelina went dormant, her brain trying to process what she had just heard.
"M-marry you?" she stuttered in a low voice that was barely audible in the night.
"Yes." Draven gave a nod.
"Don't you want to? Are you going to say no?" he asked with his right brow raised in a questioning manner.
Avelina blinked nervously and raised her beautiful hazel eyes.
"M-master—"
"If you truly desire to live, I do not see a reason for you to say no. Besides, would it be better for you to live as a servant rather than marry me?" Draven's expression turned serious, seeming a bit irritated.
Avelina stared at him and lowered her head.
"I-I am thinking..."
She gazed at the floor and tightly bit her lower lip.
It may sound foolish, but she would rather work as a servant than marry this man!
He was a freakin vampire, a devilish being! She is a human and must not have anything to do with vampires.
Although vampires and humans coexist, that doesn't mean that they aren't enemies.
They only chose to coexist for the sake of peace, but regardless, none dared cross each other's paths.
Humans knew it was useless to fight against them, as they would only end up being effaced from the face of the earth. The vampires themselves do not have the guts to fight the humans, for the humans have their own way of battling and exterminating them! If both parties choose to bring it on, none would probably survive, and everything would turn out futile in the end.
So, how can she, a human, marry a vampire?
Wouldn't that be a taboo? Won't she be a disappointment to the human race?
But looking at the worst side of this, if she said no, he would bite her, drink her blood, and kill her.
It is the only way she has refused to die. She would rather have a jalopy hit her and send her to her grave.
If she was going to die, she would never allow her life to be taken by a vampire.
A whiff of exasperated breath fled her nose, and she tightly clenched her hands that were pressed to the floor, unable to come to a decision.
Draven watched her quietly and said softly, "Say something, Avelina. I do not have all the time you may need to think this over."
"I don't know what to do." Avelina lifted her head, meeting his gaze.
Draven pursed his lips, his patience fading bit by bit.
"You have the answer, but you are simply avoiding it for a very obvious reason. Your life or me, Avelina? It's up to you."
He tiredly rested his chin on his arms that were wrapped around his bent knees and intently began to stare at her.
Avelina gulped anxiously. "I…" she paused, not able to complete her word.
"Do you mind telling me why you want me to marry you?" she abruptly threw such a bold question, wanting to have a bit of an idea before proceeding with any decision.
I mean, there were lots of pretty female vampires that he could go for, so why her? There must be a reason behind it!
"Hmm?" Draven scrunched his brow, thoroughly perplexed.
That was not at all what he had expected from her!
Avelina watched him intently, her fingers nervously tapping the floor, as she was determined to find out what the reason was.
"It's simple," Draven said. "I have a lot of brothers, and of course, we are fighting for a huge inheritance, which is very important to us as a royal family. To be qualified, we must have a wife and mine…" He paused.
"...She is dead. So, you need not worry. I am not asking you to marry me because I desire you or anything. I don't fancy you, be rest assured about that. I only need you to be my wife for three months. After that, I will set you free. Take it as a way to obtain your freedom and return to the type of life you may have wanted other than being a hostage."
This was not the answer Avelina saw coming, although she couldn't really say she had any expectations.
She knelt still, lost in thought.
His reason doesn't seem awful. She had, in fact, expected worse. Working as a servant wouldn't be so bad considering she had been a slave for a year of her life, but she was worried.
Within this huge mansion, being a servant would be different, and as a human amid vampires, her survival rate was at twenty percent out of a hundred—that is until she ends up bitten by one of them.
Hit by reality, her options were limited and the obvious choice was squatting down right in front of her.
She will be set free after three months as long as she cooperates and behaves. It's just three months!
Any choice other than this would be utter stupidity.
Avelina took a deep breath and looked at him with tiny bits of pain sparkling in her eyes. "I agree. I will…marry you."
"Good choice!" Draven grabbed her dirty right hand.
"I can't throw us a huge wedding like you humans do. Well, I could, but I do not have the time to do so now, so, we'll have to do it the old ways. Like this!"
He glanced around the room and stood up to his feet. He made his way to the table and pulled the drawer open.
He searched through it and grabbed a red thread, then returned to her and squatted once again.
"We tie this to the ring finger."
As he wrapped it around her ring finger to make a knot, Avelina quietly watched him, fascinated by what she was witnessing.
Draven handed the other end of the thread to her and instructed, "Now you do the same."
Avelina slowly took the thread and carefully tied it to his finger the very same way he did it.
"Good." Draven stuffed his left hand into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a small box.
He opened it, revealing two sets of rings. He put the ring on her finger and wore his as well, not bothering to ask her to do it.
He asked, "Are you alright with marrying me, Avelina?"
"No, I am not okay with marrying you, master. I am doing this for the sake of my freedom," Avelina replied honestly, trying to hide her frustration.
Draven concurred with her words. "Good. We are both doing it for the sake of our goals."
With the use of his teeth, he cut the red thread, separating them. He gently grabbed her hand and delivered a soft kiss on the dorsal.
"From today onwards, you are my wife, and your name is Avelina Delgaard, the third lady of the royal family."