Sienna stood frozen, her heart skipping a beat at Lemiel's words. Could he be serious? Did he genuinely expect her to address him in such a way?
Seeing the surprise on Sienna's face, amusement danced in Lemiel's eyes, and he lowered his gaze to her figure, which was clad in a delicate sleeveless dress that left little to the imagination. His eyes darkened for a moment before returning to meet her gaze.
"Are you hesitant to give it a try? Don't be shy," he coaxed, a crooked smile playing on his lips.
Sienna had never felt so mortified in her life. She may not have had much exposure to the outside world, but she possessed enough knowledge to understand that referring to your husband as 'master' was far from a term of endearment.
Her chest heaved as she swallowed hard, desperately searching Lemiel's expression for any sign that he might not be serious.
"Is it so odd to you as a term of endearment?" he inquired as she hesitated. "It's how I want my wife to address me, though."
In society's eyes, submissive wives were what husbands desired, conforming to traditional expectations. Sienna's mother had imparted these values to her before her wedding, and though she recognized their truth, the rebellious part of her disagreed with them. Why should wives comply with their husband's every demand without a question? In doing so, they would become no more than puppets.
But the world had always been unfair. As much as she wanted to voice her discomfort, she feared that she might displease Lemiel and it would lead to more problems in their marriage, which she believed was best avoided.
Lemiel saw through the woman, and her wary expression only added more to the glint of mischief in his eyes.
"I'm only joking," he broke, and Sienna felt relieved, "You are my wife, not my servant, so why would you address me as such?" he gave her a sheepish smile that told her he would have been entertained to hear her say it.
Sienna was aware that the most powerful families, especially the elite vampires, were used to getting whatever they desired. She had heard so many things about Lemiel, and although she was surprised by his demand, she had already expected to be thrown under his dominance.
"I see," she murmured softly, her skin tingling under the intense gaze of the elite vampire, as if he were poised to steal her soul and plunge it into eternal darkness.
"I thought your family had prepared the best for our wedding, but your castle prepared low-quality blood, it seems. It tastes rather bland," came another note of discontent from the vampire, making Sienna's heart leap.
Yet she tried to keep herself from shattering and gripped her sanity with an iron grip, "My apologies if the blood prepared by our servants was not up to your liking. They must have overlooked it, considering none of them are vampires and don't know how to identify high-quality blood from one of low quality."
"I figured that out," he nodded and stared at her in such a way a predator would to his prey. "In that case, won't you offer a sip to this unsatisfied husband of yours?"
Sienna felt her heart almost jump out of her ribcage. At the back of her mind, she saw this coming, but she ignored it and prayed they wouldn't go in that direction. Should she deny him? But would he even accept a no?
This pureblooded vampire hailed from nobility and royalty, rumored to be a man who regarded everyone else as beneath him. She had overheard the maids gossiping once, claiming that Lemiel had made headlines months ago when he had severed the arm of an earl's son during a soirée because the young man had denied him a glass of his blood.
She hadn't witnessed the incident, but the mere thought of such a gruesome scene made her feel lightheaded.
"You…want my blood?"
"If you don't mind," the vampire responded with a devilish grin, flashing his perfect set of teeth, and Sienna turned cold at the sight of his sharp fangs that seemed eager to find flesh to sink into.