By the ti we got back to the castle, the sun had fully set. Damon helped climb down the horse, before leading inside.
"What do you want to eat, my love? Mutton, chicken, or sothing spicy?" Damon asked while gently caressing my hand.
I smiled at him. "I really don’t mind, as long as it can fill my tummy."
"Hmm... My love must have all the best food, and that is not an option." He said pulling to the dining room.
Before long, the table was filled with different delicacies, and my throat bobbed up and down. There was roasted peacock, at pie, spiced wine, rice, bread, cheese, and stew.
"Damon, is that a peacock?" I was a little taken aback.
"Yes, and it is the finest of them all." He added with a prideful smirk, his eyes shimring as he grabbed a fork and knife, chopping the at into smaller pieces.
’How could anyone bear to kill these beauties not to talk about eating them?’ I puckered my lips.
"You don’t want it." Damon briefly stopped chopping the at.
Although I believed it was wrong to roast these beauties, they are delicacies after all, it would be a waste not to have a taste.
"I’ll reluctantly have a taste. After all, they are beauties." I said taking a piece from the at Damon had chopped.
The mont the at landed in my mouth, the tenderness and delicate rich texture made close my eyes, then the juicy taste burst in my mouth like a firework. My eyes opened wide like a saucepan.
"They taste so good, even better than chickens," I said gobbling more inside my mouth.
"Of course they do, after all, they are all birds. You don’t need to call them beauties, they still end up roasted and cooked. The only thing important about them is the rarity and of course the taste, and it is only suitable for my love." Damon winked at , as he took a bite from the peacock.
I was still chewing, savoring the taste, when Damon leaned back in his chair. I felt his gaze before I really noticed it, calm and steady, the kind that made my fingers curl a little tighter around the at without aning to.
"Ember," he said, casually, as the thought had just crossed his mind, "would you like to see the human world soti?"
My hand stopped.
The food hovered close to my lips, forgotten, as my breath caught sowhere in my chest. For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to the sound of my pulse and the weight of his words. The ring on my finger felt heavier all of a sudden. The engagent, the food, and now this. It felt like he had read my to-do list. ’Did he? No way right?’
I looked at him, but my thoughts were already far away. Faces surfaced without warning, my parents, the buzzing city life, the freedom... a life I once belonged to before everything changed. My chest tightened, sharp and aching, as I had pressed on a bruise that never healed.
And then reality slipped in quietly.
Ti was not sothing I had in abundance. Traveling there would take days, maybe longer, and I did not know if my body would allow it. I did not know if I would co back the sa. The fear settled quietly in my stomach, heavy and unwelco.
I bit my lower lip, forcing myself to think clearly. Damon was watching closely now, his expression unreadable but attentive, as if he already sensed my hesitation.
"I would love to," I finally said, my voice light and cheerful, even when my heart felt tight. "After the war is resolved."
The words left my mouth smoothly, like I had already rehearsed them in advance.
Damon’s eyes narrowed faintly, not in anger, but in sothing closer to concern. He studied my face for a second longer, as if trying to read between the lines. Then he nodded slowly.
"After the war," he repeated calmly.
Relief washed over , even if it was mixed with guilt. We returned to eating after that, speaking of lighter things, the conversation drifting back to food and small jokes.
Later that evening, after the castle had grown quieter and the halls were bathed in dim torchlight, I slipped out of our room. Damon was occupied with pack matters, and I did not want to disturb him.
I had heard that Seraphina had woken up.
The thought alone filled with cautious hope. If anyone could help find a way to remove the bracelet, it would be her. I moved quickly through the corridors, my steps light and silent, my mind already forming questions I wanted to ask.
As I turned toward the path leading to the room she was staying in, a familiar figure stepped into my way.
Irene.
She stood there with her hands folded neatly in front of her, her dark hair falling smoothly over her shoulders. Her expression was different from before. Gone was the sharpness and in its place was sothing that almost looked like pity.
A frown settled on my forehead, I never liked her nor did I want to speak with her, so I decided to pass by her without acknowledging her.
"Miss Ember," she said softly, blocking my path completely. "I need your help."
Sothing about her tone made my frown deepen. Irene had never needed help from anyone, especially not . I studied her carefully, my instincts whispering warnings in the back of my mind.
"What is it?" I asked cautiously. "Is Seraphina alright?"
She did not answer.
Instead, she turned and began walking, glancing over her shoulder as if expecting to follow. "Co with , I will explain."
My unease grew stronger. I did not move imdiately, watching her back as she took a few more steps forward. "Irene," I said firmly. "If sothing is wrong, you need to tell now."
She stopped but did not turn around.
"You need to trust ," she replied quietly. "I cannot speak of it here."
Every instinct scread that this was a bad idea. Still, curiosity and concern pushed forward. I followed her at a careful distance as she led away from the castle and toward the side of the forest.
The air grew cooler as the trees closed in around us, their shadows stretching long and dark across the ground. The sounds of the castle faded until all I could hear was the soft crunch of leaves beneath our feet.
"Irene," I said again, my voice lower now. "Where are we going?"
She finally turned to face , her eyes dark and unreadable. "Sowhere we will not be interrupted."
Reviews
All reviews (0)