Sienna closed her eyes for a moment, her heart unsteady. Certain images flashed in her mind, and she sucked in her breath. When she lifted her eyelids, her words were ready.
She had turned paler, and her lips parted, quivering, "H-he came from behind me all of a sudden...he pinned me to the wall...then his hands were all over me," her breathing hitched. She gulped, "I-I tried to push him away, but he was much stronger..."
Sienna stopped when she realized hot tears were streaming down her face and Lemiel's eyes had turned into a blazing, red-hot crimson that appeared too dangerous for her comfort.
But his silence demanded she continue. Fearing that she might irk him, she continued despite her trembling body.
"His hands went under my s-skirt, touching my legs up to my thighs..." Sienna squeezed her eyes shut. She was no longer telling a made-up story, but a horrifying experience that she knew would haunt her as long as she breathed. It was the most horrifying experience she had within the walls of Roselei's castle.
"H-he tried to do more, but the adrenaline rush and panic granted me enough courage to hit him with my knee..." and she ran to her bedroom where she locked herself and cried from early in the evening until dawn. She cried until she was out of tears and could no longer shed even a single drop.
She could still remember the eyes of her Uncle Ambrose burning with lust for her. His words that made her blood turn cold. The strong smell of tobacco from his breath fanning across her face as he attempted to kiss her. It was beyond traumatizing.
Sienna hurried to meet her parents the next day, but when she went to the drawing room where she was told her parents were having tea, she was greeted by a smile from her uncle who was sitting across from the Roselei couple.
The man gave her a subtle smile, a smile that reminded her of the devils from those books she had read to pass the time.
"Here she is," her Uncle Ambrose spoke before she could utter a word. "I was just telling your parents how I caught you trying to sneak out last night, dear Lucienna. I am sorry if this would earn you a punishment, but I don't want such an occurrence to go unnoticed by your parents. Please forgive me, my sweet little niece."
Upon seeing the anger and disappointment in her parents' faces, Sienna knew that whatever she had to say no longer mattered. There was no way her words would weigh heavier than her uncle's to her parents. They would not believe her.
But she still did try to tell them, hoping some miracle would happen and they would see him as their only daughter for once. But that didn't happen.
Instead, she received a twin slap from her mother, accusing her of slandering her own uncle. It wasn't only that. She was locked in her room and denied food and water for the whole day.
"Breathe." Hearing Lemiel's voice brought her senses back to the present.
She looked up at him, and her fear only grew at the sight of her red eyes staring at her like he had never been so eager for bloodshed.
Sienna panted, and it was only then that she realized she had been holding her breath for several seconds until Lemiel spoke and disrupted her reminiscence of a past event that had been haunting her for the past few weeks.
"It's a pity I cannot bring back the dead. It would have been entertaining to torture such a pest." Lemiel ran his tongue across his fang, bloodthirst gleaming in his eyes.
With his half-open lips, Sienna saw how his tongue got pricked by his sharp fang. A little blood oozed from the delicate flesh.
She breathed in and out, her chest heaving as if she had just run for a few laps in the castle gardens.
"Don't you worry, princess," he spoke ever so gently as his knuckles caressed her cheek down to her jaw, then to her voluptuous little neck, "I know a way to ease your heart from the burden you carry. I assure you, you will forget the touches of that rascal."
As his knuckles traveled down to her collarbone provocatively, Sienna started to feel lightheaded.
"After this night," he whispered against her cold cheek, his voice husky, "you will no longer remember what it felt like to be touched by him. My touch will replace his," the tip of his nose touched her skin so slightly, making her heart jolt.
He smiled boyishly as he added, "My touch will be engraved on your skin and whenever you think of a man's touch, it is only mine you will remember."