"Excuse me, my lady. Dinner is ready,"
August called as he gently knocked on the door.
Arabela was fast asleep, so deeply that August found it hard to wake her for dinner.
"My lady, are you awake?" he called again.
When there was no reply, August sighed and decided to let her rest. Unfortunately, Arabela would later wish he had woken her. By early morning, her hunger became too much to bear, forcing her to get up and search for the kitchen on her own—at four in the morning.
"The last thing I ate was just a bowl of instant noodles with Grandma. No wonder I'm starving," Arabela muttered as she opened her eyes.
She sat up slowly and dragged herself over to the nearby sofa. Exhausted, she leaned back, placing a hand on her growling stomach, trying to think of how to satisfy her hunger.
"Just hang in there. Morning's almost here."
But despite her words, her hunger pushed her to her feet. She made her way to the door. When she opened it, two candles lit the way, their gentle glow guiding her through the castle.
"Maybe I just need some fresh air. I can't fall back asleep like this."
As soon as she cracked the door open, the cool morning air rushed in. It didn't stop her from continuing her walk. Arabela headed for the balcony—somewhere she had wanted to visit since arriving at the castle. She placed the candleholder on the stone railing and leaned over, resting her chin in her hands. She stared out at the dark garden below.
"The air feels nice…"
But with the dim light and cloudy sky, it was hard to see much. The garden looked eerie, casting strange shadows that made her miss home even more.
"…I wonder if I'll ever make it back," she whispered.
She knew there hadn't been anyone waiting for her back home, but even that lonely world seemed better than this strange place, where she knew no one.
**Swoooosh!**
The morning breeze was far too cold for her without proper clothing. Her body shivered, rebelling as it searched for warmth.
"I should head inside. It's freezing out here. Could it be that winter is approaching in this place too?" Arabela muttered as she rubbed her hands together for warmth and made her way toward the door to her room.
She had barely taken a few steps when the air around her suddenly grew colder, much colder than before. It was a sharp, biting cold that seemed to freeze her in place. Then, something strange happened. A shadow appeared, creeping toward her from behind. Though Arabela had her back to it, she could somehow see it clearly in her mind's eye.
For a moment, she was paralyzed, unable to move. But her senses returned, and she forced herself to turn around. Yet, when she did, the shadow vanished, disappearing into the moonlight as if swallowed by the night.
"What... was that?" she whispered.
Instead of feeling afraid and fleeing, curiosity got the better of her. She moved closer to the balcony, scanning the surroundings. That's when she saw it again—the dark shadow, now lurking in the garden below. It seemed to be emerging from a bush near a large tree.
"What is that shadow?"
Intrigued, Arabela leaned over the balcony, squinting to get a better look at the shadowy figure. It slowly became clearer. She could now see it—a dark mass, faint at first, but growing more distinct as it moved closer to her without her noticing. It wasn't just a shadow; it was black smoke, rising from the ground and creeping upward, until it was level with Arabela on the balcony.
Her heart raced as she realized the smoke was deliberately approaching her. Now that it was so close, Arabela could see it clearly—within the swirling smoke were two blood-red eyes, staring straight at her. The eyes were not human. They were formed from the very smoke itself. She realized—this was no ordinary mist.
"A-What is that?!"
Panic seized her and she bolted back toward her room, her heart pounding in her chest. She ran without daring to look back, hoping the strange smoke wouldn't follow.
**Bang!**
"Hah... hah... what... was that?" she gasped, trembling as she fumbled to lock her door behind her.
Her legs felt weak beneath her. It wasn't even a long distance from the balcony to her room, yet her body felt exhausted.
"Calm down, Arabela. It must've just been a hallucination from hunger. Calm down."
She tried desperately to steady her breathing and heart rate, telling herself that she had imagined it. Somehow, she had to regain her composure.
"It's better if I just go back to sleep and wait for August to wake me for breakfast," she said to herself as she sank onto her bed.
But despite her efforts to sleep, Arabela's curiosity grew stronger than her fear. The more she thought about it, the more she needed to know what she had just seen. She got up from the bed and decided to return to the balcony, determined to uncover the truth.
"Besides, I came here to learn about this world, didn't I?" she muttered, trying to convince herself as she reached for the door handle.
But just as her hand touched the door, she heard a low, cold voice, close to her ear.
"Where are you going?"
Startled, Arabela spun around, her eyes wide in shock. There, standing at the window, was a man dressed all in black. A sword was strapped to his back, and he stood silently, watching her.
Strangely, instead of fear, she felt awe. The man before her was like a deity—his jet-black hair and sharp, dark brows contrasted against the dark cloak he wore. But the most striking feature was his piercing blue eyes.
"Oh my God, he's totally my type!" Arabela blurted out without thinking.
"What?"
The man's voice snapped her out of her daze, and she looked at him, confused.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You said something just now," he repeated.
"I said something? Wait, what did I—AH!!"
Arabela's face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly covered her face, mortified by her own words, while the man stood there, silently watching her strange behavior.
"W-who are you? Why are you in a woman's room?!"
Her embarrassment didn't stop her from questioning him, though in truth, she was just trying to change the subject. But he paid no attention to any of it. He turned around and leaned against the window of Arabela's room with arms crossed.
"I asked first, and you'll answer my question first," he said coolly.
With that, he effortlessly shifted the conversation back to the very topic Arabela had tried to steer away from. Naturally, she wasn't keen on answering.
"Question?"
She played dumb on purpose, hoping it would discourage him. To her surprise, it worked. The man's expression showed mild disinterest, as if he was already growing tired of the conversation.
"Damien," he finally said.
"Arabela Riana," she replied without hesitation.
Extending her hand toward him, Arabela intended to shake hands. But in the Western Kingdom, customs were different—no one knew what a handshake was, including the man standing before her. Damien just stared at her outstretched hand in silence.
"Hey, you're not going to ignore me, are you?"
Arabela's sharp tone did nothing to move Damien, and she quickly realized it wasn't working. Determined, she grabbed his hand and placed it in hers.
"This is called a handshake. You do it when greeting someone. Got it?"
Watching her explain with such enthusiasm, Damien almost laughed. He nodded as if he understood, though in truth, he couldn't have cared less about handshakes.
What truly amused him, though, was the rumbling sound that suddenly erupted from Arabela's stomach.
**Growwwl!**
Both of them froze, staring at each other in silence for a moment before Arabela erupted into a flustered shout, while Damien could barely contain his laughter.
"Arrgh!"
"Pfft" he laughed.
"Don't laugh!!" she said.
Arabela's face turned bright red, a fact Damien could still see clearly even in the dim light of the room. She crouched down, burying her face in embarrassment. Even when Damien finally stopped laughing, Arabela remained in place, trying to hide her shame. Her hands covered her face, and she refused to move or speak. This left Damien puzzled.
"Hey," he called out.
Once. Twice. Still, she didn't respond. He wasn't sure if he was more concerned or annoyed at this point. So, he crouched down beside her, pulling one of her hands away from her face.
"Come with me."
(Arabela's POV)
I'm so embarrassed because of this traitorous stomach. Of all the times, why did it have to growl now? And in front of this man, no less.
I don't even want to look at him—eh?!
"Hey."
When did he get so close to me? And since when did he have the nerve to grab my hand? Our faces were suddenly so close that it became impossible not to look into his eyes.
"A-what?" I stammered.
Being this near to him made my heart race. I could barely breathe under the weight of his gaze, those striking blue eyes staring right into mine. I hadn't noticed before, but his eyes were stunning.
"Come with me."
"Come where—eh!"
Without waiting for an answer, Damien pulled me up, dragging me out of my hiding spot.
I was too weak from hunger to resist, so I just let him guide me as we walked quickly out of the room.
"W-wait a minute…"
We passed through the corridors I had explored earlier with August, heading toward the exit.
"Where are you taking me?"
From the start, I could tell Damien had a different aura—a cold, intimidating presence that sent chills down my spine. As I followed him, all I could see was his broad back. I couldn't help but wonder—what if he was leading me to my doom? What if he intended to kill or torture me?
"Answer me!"
At that moment, Damien suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Oh no, I must've gone too far…
"We're here," he said, breaking my panicked thoughts.
I wanted to slap myself for overthinking. If I had known he was only bringing me here, I would've kept my mouth shut and followed quietly. Why hadn't he just told me we were heading to the kitchen?
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked.
"Because you're hungry."
He is so annoying. Why did he have to mention that again? Couldn't he have just pretended not to notice? At least pretend it didn't happen! How could he casually bring it up again like that?
"Let's just go back," I suggested.
I turned to leave, but Damien effortlessly stopped me, placing a hand on my shoulder and guiding me to one of the chairs
"Sit down and stay still."
After commanding me to sit, he disappeared into another room, hidden behind a large partition. I couldn't see him anymore, but I knew he was there.
"What's he doing now?" I mumbled to myself.
Like a servant awaiting orders from their master, I sat there, hands resting on the table, my mind wandering.
Minutes passed, and I started to wonder how much longer I'd have to wait. But soon, my patience was rewarded. A delicious smell wafted into the air, and Damien reappeared from behind the partition, carrying a steaming white bowl. For a moment, he looked like a knight in shining armor—so dashing.
"You're drooling." Damien commented with amusement.
Once again, he laughed at me. But by now, I no longer cared about anything except the contents of that bowl.
"Are you really that hungry?"
"H-huh."
Oh gods, when will this humiliation end? Damien was clearly enjoying every moment of it. I'll get you back for this one day.
Once he'd had his fill of teasing me, Damien placed the bowl in front of me before taking a seat across from me.
"Eat" he said.
The bowl was filled with hot soup, chunks of meat, and vegetables, all giving off a savory aroma that was impossible to resist.
"Did you cook this yourself?" I asked.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"I was just asking."
"Do you see anyone else here besides the two of us?" he replied, his voice sharp.
"Alright, alright. I believe you."
He really was temperamental. One moment he's laughing, and the next he's back to his cold, distant self. But despite that, I found myself oddly touched by his actions. He's... not as bad as he seems.
"And what about you?" I asked.
"What?"
"Why is there only one bowl? What about your food?"
"My stomach isn't growling."
"You…!"
His words were infuriating, but I let it slide—for the sake of the bowl in front of me.
"What are you waiting for? Eat," he ordered.
This man is absolutely infuriating. He broke into my room without permission, embarrassed me countless times, and now he's just sitting there, watching me silently with those intense eyes. Who is he?