'I see, so he's totally blind.'
'Should I lead him to the conclusion I want to tell him, or should I say it directly?' she thought while watching him bite his lower lip.
"My lady, does your silence mean yes?"
"No, I'm not bothered one bit, but you are. Face me alright."
He complied and tilted his head towards her. "You're really not bothered when you look at me?"
She eyed him from head to toe, her face stoic. "I already told you I'm not."
"But I'm hideous," he said, fully aware that besides his eyes, he's also badly disfigured, unfit, frail, and powerless.
"Hideous?" Sonia's tone peaked as her face paled with disbelief. There are indeed traces of fading scars on his face, lots of them, but if you don't look too close, they're almost non-existent. "But you're handsome."
"I... I am? I see," he said, not fully convinced, but he did not want to doubt her either. At least not in the physical aspect she's referring to. "I guess the physicians and healers Ferdinand brought did well in curing my face."
"Has no one told you that before?"
He shook his head. "I always heard compliments from childhood till my early twenties, but for the past decade, I haven't."
She nodded habitually. "Your full name is Zachary Edmund Nhylle, right?"
He nodded twice. The corners of his lips creased upwards as soon as Sonia said his name.
"May I call you Zach instead of Zachary or Edmund?" she asked, making his eyes widen.
"You're bestowing me a nickname?" He pondered deeply and replied. "We're not married but alright, my lady."
"Are spouses the only ones who are supposed to give nicknames to each other?" she asked, testing his belief and culture. After all, everything he said could still be a lie.
"Are you uneducated? Or are you too young to know?" he said, so she zipped her mouth.
"Wedded couples bless each other with a nickname on their first night," he said, which made her stiffen.
"I shouldn't have asked. I'll call you Zachary then. Is that ok?"
"No, you already gave me a nickname, so stick to it," he said. His voice was still gentle, but commanding, making her realize how intimidating and oppressive his presence is. Because of this, Sonia unconsciously straightened her back and relaxed her shoulders.
She has met a lot of men and women like him, but his presence demands absolute obedience. 'Is it because he's a noble and not an entrepreneur?' she asked while continuing to observe him.
"Zach, can you tell me about the farthest distance you can travel with a teleportation matrix?" she said in a lower tone. Her expression akin to untapped water.
"Say it again, my name," he said. His voice was so male, it sent a spark in her but her expression remained stoic.
"Zach?"
He nodded as his facial expression softened. "One more."
"Answer my question first."
"Pardon me my lady. I got too excited. The strongest mages can teleport two people up to three countries close to each other."
"That's the limit?"
"My name." He pouted, making her pupils dilate.
"Zach, is that the limit?"
"Yes, my lady," he said with enthusiasm. After all, it had been years since he last responded to his name being called by another.
"Are you sure?"
"Well, hundred years ago, divine objects could transport people to another continent."
Zach crossed his legs but still sat upright. 'Did I perhaps travel farther than I thought? Come to think of it, it's odd she doesn't recognize me. Shezernien's guardians are well known across the seas. Unless she lives in an isolated territory or doesn't care about current issues, she should've heard of me at least once. Besides, she seems unfamiliar with common knowledge.'
"Are there methods that are of a bigger scale? Something that can let people go beyond their world."
"Beyond their world..." he repeated. His heartbeat skyrocketed as a hunch formed in his mind. "Why do you keep asking about that instead of something else, my lady?"
"Because it matters to both of us." She stepped off the bed and tucked her chains away while he remained silent, occupied by his thoughts.
He opened his mouth to say something and closed it before opening it again. "Do you not know about Phaar and Shezernien because they do not exist here?" he asked, hoping she would say no.
"Yes, they don't. Zach, things like teleportation matrix do not exist here. We use ships, planes, and cars to go to another place."
"Then that means I'm no longer in the place I'm familiar with." He closed his eyes in surrender, not even knowing what did the things she mentioned look like.
For a long time, he didn't move, but he jolted when she cleaned the wounds on his wrist and lower lip.
"For earlier, I'm sorry." Sonia looked at his sullen face. His dark eye bags were prominent against his sunken cheeks. While his parched lips blended well with his pale skin.
'He do not look confused or resistant, but he seems exhausted,' she thought.
Sonia proceeded to treat his lip and wrist. Then she looked at his right hand covered with splotchy red marks and blisters popped and injured repeatedly.
'His skin and flesh are a mess. I better leave this to a doctor. His fingers were probably burnt recently, but why is his hand in this state? Did he perhaps harm himself? Or was he treated poorly in his state?'
Sonia cleaned the dried blood with extra care and placed the kit aside.
"For earlier, I'm sorry," she repeated. "How do you want me to make up for it?"
"Hug..." he said, dazed. "Uh no, my lady, just give me a few pats on the back."
Sonia looked at him once more. He's unstable. Other than that, he seemed broken. The exact image she often saw in the mirror whenever she looked at herself during the last year of her high school days.
Within a few seconds, she enveloped him in the warmth he had been yearning for years. Being hugged by her just felt so warm, so good, and so comforting that he wanted to cry.
But he couldn't, because once he got a taste of what he desired, greed overcame him. He wanted more, and he wanted it to last longer, so he wrapped his hands on her waist and pulled her closer, but it wasn't enough.
He pulled her to him more, till her softness fully embraced him, till he was drowning in her scent and all he could think of was her heartbeat reverberating in his body.
"My lady..." he said in a possessive manner. His shadow taking over in the moment.
"Name, tell me your name." He leaned in and rested his head on her shoulder.
"Sonia, I'm Sonia Gale," she said with hesitation after hearing how desperate he was.
"Sonia, what a beautiful name." He brushed her long, loose curls and twirled it in his hand. "Soft," he said. His mellow voice now devoid of warmth and emotion.
"My little Sonia, ah you feel so good, so warm. I want more of you," he whispered as he caressed her back, making her push him away.
"Miss Sonia, is something wrong?" he asked wide-eyed. His lips parted slightly with surprise.
"Zach?"
"Yes, Miss Sonia?" He tilted his head to the side. His voice tender and his expression that of a sinless angel.
"For a moment, it felt like I was holding another being," she said. Her body hairs still standing on edge. 'It felt like I just held someone from the depths of hell,' Sonia thought as she remained still although she wanted to run away.
"But miss Sonia, I'm the only one you hugged."
"Won't you hold me anymore?" Zach's shadow asked before biting his lower lip.
"I won't." She stepped off the bed and walked towards the restroom.
"But Miss Sonia violated me earlier. You caressed and kissed me repeatedly while grinding your hips against me. You were desperate."
Wide eyed, she stopped in her tracks and looked back.
"You told me you'll make up for your wrong doing but you just pushed me away so roughly. Miss Sonia... are you really sorry?"
"I am. If that hug wasn't enough for you, I'll make up for it in another way."
Sonia entered the bathroom and breathed deeply. "Just what is he?" she said. Her body trembling as she leaned on a wall.
'He felt like death. I couldn't even bear to stay with him for a moment longer.'
Once her body stopped trembling, Sonia washed her face and looked at the mirror. 'Luckily, I didn't drink his blood, otherwise, the consequences will be dire.'
She took a white towel and dabbed it lightly on her face. 'Treating his wound and apologizing was a good move. His impression of me might not be at rock bottom.'
'As expected, brother's teaching was right. It's indeed best to treat people you don't know with kindness.'
An angelic smile spread across Sonia's doll-like face. 'He's certainly dangerous but if I could tame and manipulate him, he might become beneficial to me. Since teleportation matrices exist in his world, there's a high chance that magic does too, and the fact that he's still the marquis in his weakened state only means he has skills that can be taken advantage of.'
'He seemed weak now but I still don't know the extent of his abilities. Should I take him in and tame him so I could manipulate him later if he possesses a skill that can benefit me?'
Sonia slapped her face with both hands. "Ugh, that's no good. What am I thinking?"
'But what if I earn a lot from using him?'
'No, I don't manipulate people, unless necessary. It's against my principles. Besides, I already have enough money.'
Sonia frowned at her reflection in the mirror. 'Why is my thought process slowly becoming this way? If this continues, I might start acting the way I think.'