Sienna knew who he was talking about. It was the man her family had accused of defiling her just days before her eighteenth birthday, tarnishing her purity and causing her powers to vanish.
In a world filled with unexplainable forces, where many people clung to superstitions, the story seemed all too believable. After all, it had originated from the Roselei family, who hailed from one of the oldest royal families in the history of witches.
When one held such power, it was easy to manipulate the truth.
The folktale of the witch goddess Azura added to the story's credibility. It was said that Azura, once a powerless witch, had been granted unparalleled abilities by the goddess of purity due to her pure heart.
However, Sienna felt like Lemiel was doubting the story considering how she asked her earlier if she lost her powers or if she never had them from the beginning.
"Your question earlier implied your doubts in my story…so I thought you did not believe it," she said without thinking. She immediately regretted it, but it was too late to take her words back. She only swallowed and clutched the sides of her skirt.
The vampire's eyes narrowed slightly. His lips pulled up as he explained, "I was trying to be playful, princess. You seemed quite tense, I thought a little humor might help lighten the mood."
Sienna couldn't believe her ears. He joked about it to lighten the mood? What if her family's story was true? The joke would have hurt her deeply. A woman's suffering must not be taken lightly. And yet this man thought it was a good joke. What kind of person was he?
"If it offended you, I offer my sincerest apologies," Lemiel said with an apologetic tone and expression, but it didn't reach his cold eyes.
Deep down, Lemiel had his doubts, but at the same time, he could not be certain. The likelihood of such a twist in the witch princess's story was also one of the things that intrigued him and led him to this marriage along with his dark motivations.
There was something about the woman that he couldn't quite place, and it kept him intrigued. But as much as Lemiel was known for his unconventional entertainment, he easily got bored, and once he had gotten his curiosity satisfied, he would drop anything without a second thought, just like a kid who throws his toys when boredom strikes.
And at the moment, the young witch princess was the center of his attention, but who knows when that would change?
"He…" Sienna began, her voice soft and low, just like a murmur. She kept it that way in fear that her voice might shake, "did not successfully take my chastity." The mere mention of the word caused her breath to get caught in her throat, but she continued, "H-he only attempted...and touched me in some places." She was breathing so heavily now.
Lemiel's gaze bore into her, his eyes turning darker with every word she said.
Worry marred Sienna's face, fearing that the vampire had detected her deception. Apart from the gruesome deeds she had heard about him, she also heard that he was cunning and smart.
Although he harbored doubts about Sienna's story, Lemiel acknowledged the possibility of its truth. With vampires sitting atop the hierarchy, they were territorial in nature, prideful, and possessive.
They didn't want their possessions being taken away by anyone, or being simply touched, and Lemiel was no exception. In fact, it was what he found the most irksome. No matter how useless his things were, there was no one else to hold them but him.
And for Lemiel, Sienna belonged to him now, his newly acquired possession at his disposal.
The thought of her being touched by anyone made his blood boil. It would have been lovely if he had killed the man himself after making him taste hell in his hands, but the Azure clan had taken the matters into their own hands before the news reached him.
"Where?" Lemiel probed, his index finger still under Sienna's small chin, and he could feel her dainty skin at the tip of his finger.
Sienna knew there was no backing down now. She had decided to contribute to her family's lies, and the best course of action was to continue down that path.
She could not bear the consequences of her family's schemes being exposed to the Von Amstels. She could accept it if she was the only one to suffer. But not her innocent clansmen.