~~~{──────────
Dining Room
Third Prince Chambers, Wyfkeep Castle.
Wyfellon, Wyfn-Garde.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}~~~
The dark couple reached their private dining chamber shoulder to shoulder, the maids quickly finished setting the dining and rushed out, and as they sat, Alaric found himself watching his wife eat. Every movement of her hands, the delicate way she chewed, the flick of her tongue tasting each bite—it was a strange thing to watch someone eat so beautifully.
To him, it was a form of art, something intimate and unseen by the rest of the world, something that carried a weight of comfort that he could only observe from the outside. Her silent enjoyment satisfied him.
The soft sunlight lightening the room casted soft shadows across Salviana's face as she brought a spoonful of food to her lips, pausing slightly as if tasting something unexpected.
"This tastes like..." Salviana trailed off, her brows furrowing in thought.
Alaric's ears perked up. "Like what?"
She glanced at him, choosing to ignore the question.
Why was he asking? So he could tease her for not liking the castle's food? No, thank you.
But he persisted, his plate now completely forgotten. "What does it taste like?"
"I don't like how it tastes," she said instead, her tone dismissive.
He nodded patiently. "Okay, but what does it taste like?"
She frowned and side-eyed him, as if he were insane. "Eat it and find out for yourself," she snapped.
His lips thinned, "I... I can't—I don't..." but then he trailed off, stumbling over his words.
After a few tense and confusing seconds Salviana's eyes widened in realization. "You can't taste food?!"
Her outburst made him wince slightly, but he nodded, his expression calm. "I've never tasted any food." he confided.
Something flickered in her eyes before he could catch it. "Oh heavens, that is sad," she muttered.
She drpped her spoon and pinned him with her healthy green gaze, "Not even candy floss, sweets, cakes, bread, or milk?" she asked dramatically.
Alaric scrunched his face in distaste. "Those sound like foods I wouldn't like, even if I could taste them." he let out.
She scoffed picking her spoon back up. "What do you know?"
He sighed dramatically. "What do I know?" he mumbled, clearly entertained by her dramatic flair. His almost-pouty expression made him look unexpectedly boyish, despite his usual intimidating presence, pleasing Salviana.
"You're almost adorable," she blurted out.
"Adorable? I'm a monster, Fiery," he replied, raising a brow.
She shook her head. "Dangerous, yes, but being a monster is debatable." she said through a mouthful.
He blinked, speechless for a moment, and then a faint blush crept onto his pale skin, making him look warm for once. Salviana had to resist the urge to reach out and touch him, fascinated by how human he looked in that moment.
'Her husband blushes' she mused with a smile.
"What do you taste then, if not food?" she asked, her voice softer.
He lifted his dark gaze, his eyes lingered on the pulsing vein in her neck, moved to her eyes before trailing back down to her plate. She noticed his gaze and instinctively held her breath, feeling the intimacy of the moment.
"Blood," he said simply.
"How does it taste?" she asked, now breathless from only the conversation.
"How long can you go without it?" she added, sitting up straighter as curiosity overtook her restraint.
"Is blood enough for you? Do you ever long for food?"
She fired question after question, her eagerness spilling out all at once. Alaric held her gaze, his dark eyes burning into hers, as he seemed to consider how to answer her.
He narrowed his eyes. "You're going to have to give me something in return for every question you ask about me." somehow the way he said it sounded like sin and something darker.
Her heart skipped a beat. "Something? Something like what?"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What I pick will vary each time."
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "I have a list." she pointed out, She has thought about his being since the second he told her he was a vampire.
He smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously, and that smirk made her stomach flutter in a painful way. "I have a list of things I hunger to do to you, too." he confessed.
Her eyes widened at his bold words.
Was he serious? Was he teasing? The question burned in her mind, but she didn't dare ask. She felt a cold touch on her nose, snapping her head to her husband's perfectly chiseled jaw.
Alaric had tapped her nose playfully, bringing her back to reality. He's noticed that she gets distracted easily and gets lost in thought, but he'd always be here to bring her back.
"Do we have a deal?" he asked, his voice low.
"Whenever I ask you a question, and you answer, I have to do something for you?" she clarified.
He nodded. "Exactly, Fiery-Wife."
She bit her lip, considering, and then grinned. "I agree!"
Overly excited, she jumped right in. "How many times do you drink? What exactly do you drink from? How do you drink? Where do you—"
He cut her off, a chuckle escaping his lips. "You can only ask two questions a day," he said, setting the rule with a raised brow. "So you'd better think carefully and make sure those are the questions you want."
Salviana groaned, her excitement deflating. "That's not fair!" she pouted.
Alaric laughed softly, leaning back with that same teasing smile. "It's fair enough for me."
Alaric observed Salviana as she pouted. It was endearing, even though she clearly didn't want him to know that. His lips quirked up, entertained by the way her emotions were so easy to read.
"One last question for today," he reminded her, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed in an air of superiority, as though amused by her curiosity.
"When was the first one?"
"Just earlier," he replied making her pin him with a gaze, "You didn't answer," she reminded him.
His eyes almost squint from his smile, "I did, I can't taste food," he said.
Her pout was so adorable that a part of his iced heart chipped and melted, "That was before the rule!" she whined.
He nodded but quickly gave an answer to another one of her previous many questions, "I can taste blood," he informed.
Salviana narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine. I'll make this one count." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, her red hair tumbling over her shoulder. Alaric's gaze unconsciously followed the strands as they shimmered under the light.
He wanted to touch them.