Lucia’s eyes twitched upon hearing what Daniel had said. She wanted to argue that a woman shouldn’t be asured alone by beauty, but she remained silent.
"I would love to see more, but I’m exhausted today. Maybe I should go ho now," Lucia excused herself and untangled Daniel’s arm around her. She faked a yawn to show she was serious.
"Oh! Sure, but it’s already late. Perhaps you can stay here for tonight. There’s nothing wrong with it since we’ll be sharing a room sooner or later," Daniel explained, taking Lucia’s hands again.
Lucia wanted to disagree but felt terrible shivers crawling at the back of her spine. The thought of sleeping with Daniel made her want to gag in disgust.
"Are you okay?" Daniel asked upon seeing an unhappy expression on Lucia’s face. He expected her to jump in excitent at his offer.
"Oh... umm," Lucia cleared her throat as she composed herself. "That would be lovely," she replied, showing her widest smile.
"I know you’ll like it," Daniel said. He grabbed Lucia’s arm, dragged her towards him, and kissed her forehead.
Lucia flinched in surprise. The urge to push Daniel away was strong, but she held it in. She closed her eyes and bit her lips as she endured it. She felt it was the longest ti before Daniel moved away.
"Let take you to your room," Daniel smiled lovingly.
"Oh, I can do it myself. I don’t want to trouble you since you might be busy and have other things to do," Lucia excused, and she saw Daniel’s smile drop.
"You don’t want to spend a little more ti with ?" Daniel pouted, and his expression showed that he was hurt.
Lucia panicked a little. "No, no. That’s not what I ant. I’m just concerned that you’ll be overworked yourself. I don’t want you to get sick," she said in a fake concern.
However, Daniel was swayed by it. "Okay, if you say so. I’ll follow," he replied and pinched Lucia’s cheeks. "Your room has your na written on it. So you won’t get lost."
"Okay, thank you. Have a good rest, Daniel," Lucia smiled, grabbing his hand and pressing them softly.
That gesture alone made Daniel’s heart skip a beat. "Su-su-sure!" he stepped back and quickly left the room.
"Huh? What’s wrong with him?" Lucia asked while shaking her head. She couldn’t understand why Daniel reacted that way just by a simple gesture.
Lucia’s eyes returned to the portraits and looked at them individually. She was amazed by the artist’s ability to capture every single detail and wondered if she could do it, too. She didn’t realize she had spent a few minutes inside the room before she realized it.
"I should go find my room," Lucia whispered as she closed the door behind her and ventured into the mansion.
Lucia walked through the mansion’s grand hallways, her footsteps echoing softly against the polished marble floors.
The flickering light of wall-mounted lanterns illuminated the ornate decor with intricate tapestries, gilded mirrors, and statues that seed almost alive in their craftsmanship.
Despite the beauty around Lucia, she felt a heavy unease pressing against her chest.
"This house always gives the creeps," Lucia murmured as she hugged herself. She had forgotten how eerie the atmosphere was, especially when alone.
The hallway seed endless, each turn revealing another stretch of doors and corridors. Lucia’s fingers grazed the wall for reassurance as her eyes scanned the plaques by each door, searching for her na.
"Lucia..." she whispered to herself, a mix of nervousness and frustration in her voice. "How big is this place? Does it really need this many rooms? I forgot to ask where it was located, at least!"
After a few minutes, Lucia finally spotted a door with a small, delicate naplate engraved with her na in an elegant script.
Relief washed over Lucia, though it was short-lived. The sight of her na here, etched in permanence, gave her a chilling reminder of Daniel’s expectations of her.
"Did he just do this in advance?" Lucia whispered, tracing her fingers over the engraving of her na. Goosebumps appeared on her arm, but she shook it off. She felt tense but couldn’t point out the exact reason as there were many reasons she could list.
Lucia hesitated at the door, her hand hovering over the ornate handle. The thought of stepping into a room ant to bind her further to Daniel made her stomach churn. "I should keep up the act—for now," she whispered. Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle and pushed the door open.
Inside, the room was stunning. A grand canopy bed with sheer, flowing curtains dominated the space, the bedspread embroidered with gold threads.
A vanity with an intricately carved fra stood by the window, overlooking the darkened gardens outside.
Bookshelves lined one wall, filled with volus Lucia had never seen before. Everything scread luxury, but it felt more like a gilded cage to her.
"Woah... This is a nice room but a bit ridiculous!" Lucia muttered, her voice trembling slightly. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, exhaling deeply.
As Lucia stepped further inside, she noticed a small envelope on the vanity. Daniel’s handwriting had written her na on it. Curious but wary, she picked it up and opened it.
Inside was a short note:
Dearest Lucia,
I hope you find your room comfortable. This is just a glimpse of the life we will share together. Rest well, my love.
Tomorrow, our journey truly begins.
- Daniel
Lucia let the note fall onto the vanity, her expression hardening.
"A journey?" Lucia scoffed, her voice low but sharp. "I’ll make sure to have a good journey through your cris, Daniel."
Lucia rolled her eyes as anger rose inside her after rembering Daniel’s inhumane business. She walked over to the window and pushed it open, letting the cool night air fill the room and calm herself.
Staring out at the moonlit gardens, Lucia’s mind raced. "My plan progressed a lot... but Gastone, where are you?"
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