'This slave is a high-ranked devil?! But her aura—'
"Aaa—Hngh!!!—ugh!!!"
Sevianna didn't let her continue dwelling on her thoughts. Her nails had grown longer and turned black as she swiftly grasped the maid's neck and squeezed it tightly. The air around her mirrored her rage, circulating rapidly as her hair danced with their disoriented rhythm.
Vergina's scream pierced the silence of the castle, echoing loudly for all to hear. Three figures rushed toward the source of the commotion, their hearts pounding with dread as they witnessed the unfolding scene.
"V-Vergina!"
Their hearts sank as they beheld Sevianna's red eyes. She was no ordinary slave! Pity and annoyance welled within them toward Vergina. Nobody dared intervene. Despite Gareth's prior warnings, Vergina hadn't listened, bringing this upon herself.
Sevianna didn't turn her eyes away from Vergina, but her aura intensified as she noticed their presence.
The three suddenly felt a strong force bearing down on them, their faces turning ghastly pale. Their pity shifted to vexation as they realized they wouldn't have been caught up in this situation if it weren't for Vergina. She had always been obedient before. What had given her the courage to disobey the prince's order?
The gardener and cook were too weak to withstand Sevianna's pressure. Their knees buckled, and blood seeped from their mouths.
This dangerous atmosphere was only broken by a series of hurried footsteps.
"What's happening?"
Adounis appeared around a sharp corner, his face cold, but his eyes betrayed his unease. He had felt the disturbance in the air the moment he stepped into the castle, and his mind couldn't help but overthink. He feared something had happened to Sevianna, completely forgetting that he had stationed all his secret guards at the castle to protect her and had created multiple layers of force fields— not even a fly dared to enter.
Sevianna's eyes finally shifted. She turned to face Adounis, her eyes still glowing red, her rage-filled aura continuing to form a vortex. She had no intention of letting the girl go.
Adounis found his cook and gardener on the ground, while his butler barely stood. A flash of understanding crossed his face before it turned rigid again at the sight of Sevianna's red eyes.
This time, her displeasure was more evident.
But Adounis didn't spare a glance at Vergina, who was struggling to speak. Seeing that Sevianna was unharmed, his once-panicked heart began to calm, and the tension in his face eased.
"What's wrong?" His voice softened.
Sevianna's eyes rippled. She hadn't expected his tenderness to persist, even when she held the life of one of his people in her grasp. Her vexed heart softened somewhat.
"Your Highness! I—I've been wronged!! Ack—!"
Sevianna's grip loosened for a moment, and Vergina seized the opportunity to save herself— or at least, that's what she thought. Before she could continue, Sevianna's grip tightened again. But she believed that was enough. Surely, their prince wouldn't stand by someone he'd known for only a month!
Adounis appeared oblivious to her accusations, his gaze fixed dotingly on Sevianna. "I haven't seen you for hours. Won't you at least greet me?" He tried his best to soften his voice, unintentionally drawing it out. His eyes grew larger, resembling a puppy begging for attention.
Sevianna's defenses nearly crumbled. Even her thoughts were beginning to betray her.
Sevianna: 'Yan ge! This isn't fair!' *clutches heart*
Lily: *applauds* 'I shouldn't have underestimated him!' *thumbs up*
Sevianna's hold on Vergina's neck loosened again.
Feeling her neck free once more, Vergina seized the chance to slash down with her nails on Sevianna's arm.
Red blood dripped from the slashes she had made, yet Sevianna only furrowed her brows, turning her gaze back to Vergina. Her eyes were now completely red, and as the recipient of her stare, Vergina's heart stopped.
Adounis saw the bright red liquid and felt as if his own heart had been ripped out. He hastily ran toward Sevianna, flinging Vergina to the ground with such force that a large crater formed on the floor.
He grasped Sevianna's wounded arm with trembling hands. "Go call a healer!" His own eyes glowed red with indignation. He should have thrown the maid away much earlier!
Sevianna watched his visibly worried expression, and her perpetually cold face finally cracked. It seems her heart was not dead, but she could not bring herself to trust her own emotions. She felt that familiar sensation once again in her heart, but this time, it was sweeter. Her glowing red eyes faded, returning to their pale blue color, and the air around her became tranquil.
Adounis saw Sevianna's serene expression and felt even more aggrieved. It would have been easier if she had cried. It would have been fine if she had gone berserk. But her unperturbed demeanor made him realize that such things were commonplace for her. He cautiously raised his hand to her head and patted her hair softly. Only when she didn't avoid him or slap his hand away did he sigh in relief.
"My bad. It won't happen again."
Sevianna's tranquil expression was interrupted. A faint blush colored her cheeks, and she abruptly turned away before Adounis could notice. She knew her blood had rushed to her face.
Adounis' hand froze midair, and he reluctantly withdrew it. He had wanted to continue patting her.
"Y-Your Highness." The butler hesitated, lacking the courage to continue. He had gone in search of the healer but found that he wasn't at home. All he could think about now was preserving his insignificant life. "T-the healer isn't here."
The atmosphere dropped several degrees. Adounis turned to the butler with a chilly, piercing look.
"No need. I'll be fine," Sevianna interjected.
Adounis didn't trust it—not when the blood was still dripping, showing no sign of stopping.
Sevianna sighed in exasperation at his persistent gaze. Since he was so worried, she decided to heal herself right then and there. Tiny glowing particles swirled around her hand as she spoke in the ancient tongue—"Restore and heal."
And just like that, the wound was gone.
Adounis blinked in surprise and examined her slender arm. He scrutinized it from every angle and pressed on it to check for any sign of bleeding. Nothing. There were no scars either. It only further proved that her light and dark auras were real. She had both light and dark attributes. But how?
While he examined her arm, Sevianna took pleasure internally in the fact that he was touching her arm everywhere. She wasn't satisfied with just this, of course, but she would take whatever she could get.
The three people watching this scene were also confused, but they knew better than to disrupt this peaceful moment.
They were smart, but one wasn't.
"Your Highness!" Vergina cried indignantly. Her face was a mixture of tears and blood, and she sat on her legs, looking up. She was actually a beautiful lady. However, the three spectators could no longer find pity in looking at her because of what had happened earlier. This was what devils were like—they held grudges over the smallest things and could get obsessed with peculiarities. They thought as they watched their prince and the slave.
Once Sevianna had stepped down from the carriage, they already had an inkling that their prince was obsessed. Otherwise, that severe warning would not have been issued.
Vergina was done for.
"Your Highness, that girl is neither human nor devil! We don't even know where she came from! Are you just going to let her stay here and act like a princess when she's clearly a slave?!"
Vergina had not learned her lesson. She was thoroughly vexed. She could not believe that this vixen, a stranger, could truly capture her prince's heart.
Sevianna's gaze grew colder again. But before she could act, Adounis had already sent Vergina flying with a furious wave of his hand.
His strength was displayed with just this one wave. Vergina flew into the forest, her back slamming into numerous tree trunks, breaking them until the force Adounis had used finally lessened, causing her to crash into one last tree before falling sideways.
It would be a miracle if she could still speak. She weakly opened her eyes and glared hatefully at Sevianna's silhouette standing beside the person she had always longed for.
'Why?!'
Adounis took Sevianna's hand and gestured in the air. "Take her to Father. Tell him I don't want her." He had wanted to kill her personally, but this maid was actually the daughter of the prime minister. He would take this offense and put it on the prime minister's tab.
"Sevi, do you want to kill her? If you really want to, even if she's the prime minister's daughter, just kill her. I'll take full responsibility," Adounis said earnestly, smiling at her with a pampering look.
Meanwhile, Sevianna was utterly distracted by the warmth of his palm, her attention fully immersed in their intertwined hands.
"Sevi?" Adounis called out, noticing that, despite speaking for some time, he hadn't received any response from her.
Startled, Sevianna looked at him blankly, realizing she hadn't been listening.
Adounis' heart melted when he saw her adorable, blank expression. He couldn't help but pat her head again. "My father wants to see you, so I'll be bringing you to his birthday."
He had not wanted to show her in front of others, but the events earlier had slapped him awake. Wouldn't they continue bullying her if he didn't announce to the whole world that she was his treasure? He didn't want this sort of thing to happen again. The barriers in her heart were already difficult to pass through.
Sevianna did not know the complex thoughts in his heart. She merely nodded and entered her room, as they had long since arrived outside their bedrooms.
She didn't even realize they had been walking this entire time.
After closing the door while Adounis was waving goodbye, Sevianna leaned her back against the door and closed her eyes. Numerous images flickered in her mind, all of them featuring Adounis' face.
Sevianna: 'Lily~ I think I'm falling in love all over again with Yan ge~'
Lily: 'And he still favors you just as much as before.'
Sevianna: 'It feels like he's now one step closer to Sevianna's heart. I can feel myself loosening up whenever he's around. Just a little bit more, and I can have my snuggles!'
Sevianna opened her eyes after a long while, her gaze glazed over. Then, she absentmindedly changed from her dress into a black silk nightgown.
The moon was still low, and she didn't feel sleepy yet, so she decided to stroll in the garden outside for a bit.
She would like to admit that she was dressing like this deliberately. She was definitely not trying to make someone jealous to give this love story a push—teehee~
But her plans were ruined as soon as she opened the door.
Adounis was about to knock when the door opened prematurely, his hand pausing mid-air. The girl had changed into a more revealing dress, and one of the thin straps had even slipped off her shoulder.
He blushed furiously.
"What are you wearing?!" he exclaimed, his face turning crimson.
Then he turned his head to the side and covered his mouth, his entire face—down to his neck—turning red.
Did they have telepathic communication? She was just about to tease him when he had already sent himself to her door. 'Yan ge, you're actually monitoring me, aren't you?'
Sevianna wasn't completely off the mark. Adounis was monitoring her, but rather through live reports of her actions from his subordinates, rather than directly watching her.
Sevianna's eyes glinted with mischief. She took one step forward, and he took one step back. Her eyebrows raised.
Sevianna: 'I want to jump at him. Can I?'
Lily: 'Don't! You'll scare him!'
Sevianna: 'Why would I scare him? Sevianna's a cute loli!'
Lily: *sweats* 'Because you're a wolf in sheep's clothing!'
Sevianna took another three steps, and Adounis followed by stepping three steps back. His head was still turned to the side, and his hand still covered his mouth.
There were only the two of them in the hallway, bathed in moonlight that shone through the large window. Their shadows stretched, dancing with the light.
"Look at me," Sevianna said, her voice soft.
Adounis' shoulders jerked. Her voice had stirred his heart, and his face deepened with color. He might not be able to bear much more of her teasing.
But Sevianna didn't want to stop.
"Adounis."
That was the very first time she had said his name. In his surprise, he turned to look at her, his expression a mixture of shock and joy.
"Don't turn away from me." Sevianna's face looked pained, as if she had remembered some unpleasant memory.