"You can't leave this place," Lorien said with a wide smile.
The girl's eyes widened. Did she hear that correctly?
"What did you just say?"
Lorien's smile vanished in an instant. He had chosen the wrong words.
"I mean, we can't leave this place. Not you, not me, not Lucian. None of us in this old castle can leave."
"Then how did your brothers manage to save me?"
Lorien shrugged. "I don't know."
Rosella shifted her gaze to Lucian. The dark-purple-haired man did the same. "I don't know either."
Rosella frowned. Something like that didn't seem possible. Or maybe this was just their way of keeping her here. She decided to nod obediently. At least they wouldn't suspect her.
"Then, get some rest. We're leaving," Lucian said. The older one turned to him with clear displeasure.
"Why? I want to stay here longer."
"You'll make our guest uncomfortable."
"The only comfort in this world is standing next to me," Lorien said shamelessly.
Rosella almost laughed at the absurdity of his words, but Lucian clearly had no intention of arguing. He grabbed Lorien and dragged him out of the room.
Lorien pouted in resignation. Before disappearing beyond the doorway, he waved at Rosella, who remained sitting on the bed in silence.
Left alone, Rosella fell deep into thought. She got up and approached the window. The sky outside was dim—perhaps it was cloudy. Below, a field of crimson roses stretched out before her. It seemed that her room overlooked a garden.
A breathtakingly beautiful garden. She could see parts of the castle's white stone walls, adorned with intricate carvings. Her slender fingers reached for the window latch, unlocking it effortlessly before pushing it open.
A soft breeze swept in, carrying the fragrance of roses. Her long, dark hair fluttered.
Far in the distance, someone was watching her every move.
"You're here, Kian!"
Lorien appeared, running toward a tall figure.
The man called Kian turned, his gaze shifting from Rosella to his two brothers, who arrived with contrasting expressions.
"Is she doing alright?" Kian asked, eyes drifting back to the girl in the window.
Lorien, curious, squinted at Rosella from afar. Placing a hand over his forehead in a mock salute, he grinned.
"I already knew she was beautiful, but she's even more radiant when she smiles," he mused.
Lucian, standing beside Kian, scoffed. "You can see her from here, so why bother asking?"
Kian didn't answer. His gaze remained fixed on Rosella as she reached for a rose outside the window.
"Why did you send us to meet her instead of going yourself?" Lorien asked, still in the same posture.
"Because you two are the least intimidating ones here."
"What kind of nonsense is that?" Lorien protested.
Lucian only sighed in annoyance.
"Speaking of which, shouldn't we feed her?" Lucian said after a brief silence.
Kian and Lorien both stiffened, realizing the crucial detail they had overlooked.
"What do humans eat?" Lorien asked, bewildered. Living in seclusion for so long had made human habits a distant memory.
Lucian pondered for a moment. "I heard they used to eat meat."
"Fruits are edible too," he quickly added.
Lorien raised a hand confidently. "I can create food with my illusions!"
"Illusions can't be eaten," Kian deadpanned.
Lorien pouted again.
"I'll inform the others to prepare something," Lucian decided, vanishing in a swirl of dark mist.
Lorien sighed dramatically before standing. "Ah, I should go too. Kian, don't forget to give our guest something to drink."
Kian turned his gaze toward him. "Why me? You can do it yourself."
"Come on, she's your guest. I have urgent matters to attend to." Without another word, Lorien disappeared into a cloud of violet mist.
Kian exhaled, watching as Rosella retreated from the window. With three steps backward, his body faded into the shadows.
—
Rosella felt refreshed after washing up. As she explored the spacious bedroom—four times larger than her room at the vampire hunter's base—she discovered a set of clothes in her size.
As if someone had prepared them in advance.
Speaking of clothes… Rosella realized she was already wearing a new outfit—a white gown. She had no idea where her old clothes had gone. But the real question was: How did they change her clothes?
A chilling thought crept into her mind. She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself. They wouldn't have undressed me themselves, right?
No, no. She shook her head. Surely there were servants or female acquaintances who helped. Yes, that had to be it.
Rosella forced herself to believe that, pushing away any suspicions about the people who had saved her.
Her hazel eyes landed on something peculiar—a glass of water resting on the nightstand.
"Did Lorien leave this here?" she wondered aloud.
"I should thank him later."
Without a second thought, she drank it.
A cool sensation spread down her throat, easing her thirst. But it wasn't enough. She was still parched, and a single glass of water wouldn't satisfy her.
"They won't mind if I go to the kitchen for more, right?"
—
"A human, here?"
A man with grayish-black hair dropped a lifeless deer from his shoulder, letting it thud onto the stone floor. His breath was heavy as his eyes darted toward his brothers.
Beside him, a blue-black-haired man was equally stunned. "Why is a human here?"
"Kian saved her," Lucian answered.
The gray-haired man snapped his gaze to their eldest brother. "Why did you save a human?"
Kian remained silent. His expression was unreadable.
"Why won't you answer?"
"Calm yourself, Elio," Lucian warned as Elio's voice rose in volume.
Elio scowled. "Get rid of her."
"We can't," Lucian said again.
"Why not?"
Lucian hesitated before answering.
"Because that girl… she's cursed too."