Zethan’s body stilled, his hands hovering in mid-air.
He was silent—in fact, the word had co as a surprise to him, sothing he had least expected.
From the way he fell silent, Lilia realized she must have caught him off guard. He was so still, it was almost unnatural—like a statue carved in perfect detail. The stillness, combined with the silence, began to worry her.
She spoke softly, her voice calm but hesitant.
"I don’t think I am... but what if I get pregnant?" She paused, uncertain. "Will my child be a vampire too?"
The mont those words left her lips, Zethan gently cupped her face with both hands, careful not to smudge the light makeup she had applied earlier.
"Tell , wife," he said calmly, "do you feel any signs?"
Zethan instinctively glanced down, scanning her body through the dress she wore.
"I don’t think so. There’s no sign," she replied quietly.
Zethan remained silent for a mont, then spoke softly, "On our way ho, we’ll check to confirm."
Lilia looked at him, sensing a shift in his deanor. Why did he seem so worried? Was it wrong for a human to carry a vampire’s child?
She didn’t say anything more. Instead, she nodded silently.
They both stood there in comfortable silence. In fact, Lilia was surprised. Normally, after a conversation like this, the silence would feel suffocating—cold. But recently, she realized it had beco sothing different: warm, soothing, like his presence alone was all she needed. She didn’t even feel the urge to make sure he was still there. She just stared at him, admiring him.
Zethan turned to look at Lilia. She quickly turned her face away.
"Oh wife, do you love what you see?" he asked with a teasing edge.
Lilia turned to him, playing along. "Yes, honey. The view of this elevator is quite sothing. I must say, the architect did a great job."
Zethan chuckled, his gaze lingering on her. Her face flushed slightly.
"Oh really?" he asked, his voice calm.
"Yes, honey. What else do you think I’d be admiring?" she teased back.
"... your one and only husband," he smirked.
"Oh really?" Lilia replied, lips curling into a playful smile. "How about you admire , your one and only wifey?" she added, biting her lip slowly and giving him a wink.
Zethan froze. His brain short-circuited, lips parting slightly. Did his wife just—?
PING!
The elevator chid. Lilia stepped forward, gently wrapping her arm around his. They moved together with effortless grace.
As they stepped out, the hallway buzzed with lively chatter. Eyes turned toward them, and the crowd instinctively parted. The soft sounds of violin and piano filled the air, giving the space a graceful, refined ambiance.
Lilia walked along with Zethan with a flawless smile, and Zethan leaned in, whispering, "You made the wrong move trying to seduce here, wifey."
Lilia giggled. So people turned, clearly curious about what this power couple was whispering about. Even those who had stepped back already seed to be pushed farther by an unseen force—the sheer aura Zethan emitted. If not for Lilia, whose warm presence gently balanced his overwhelming dominance, chaos might have broken out.
ZETHAN LYALL.
Everyone knew that na. And now, most of the curious eyes were glued to the woman beside him. Mr. Zethan, who rarely spoke, was smiling. Just what kind of spell had this woman cast on him?
Lilia and Zethan sat down in their seats with quiet grace.
Imdiately after the couple had settled into their seats, a man arrived, pushing a perfectly arranged rolling table. He moved with practiced grace, stopping right in front of them. Without saying a word, he carefully handed a glass to Zethan, making sure their hands didn’t brush—clearly a policy he was well-trained in. Then, with equal care, he handed a glass of apple juice to Lilia, who accepted it with a small nod of thanks.
The man’s head remained bowed as he backed away silently. Lilia noticed the other waiters were doing the sa for the rest of the guests, all moving in synchronized silence.
Then the music stopped. The lights dimd.
A large open area at the center of the hall was suddenly bathed in a gentle light, standing out against the darkness. Extravagant chairs circled the space. Lilia noticed couples returning to their seats quickly. It was ti for the introduction.
As everyone settled, a calm silence swept through the room. Then, out of nowhere, the music started again—this ti with a sharp, fast-paced rhythm. The piano moved like a chant from a horror film, frantic and eerie, with the violin heightening the tension in the room. Lilia instinctively reached for Zethan’s hand. He took it, placing it gently on his lap. When she turned to look at him, she saw sothing rare—he was smiling.
Suddenly, the hall went completely dark. The silence was almost suffocating.
A single spotlight lit up the center of the room. A lady stepped into it, wearing a ball gown—a soft pink color that caught the light beautifully. Her hair was slightly disheveled, her expression confused, as though she were lost. Lilia couldn’t help but admire her acting.
Then another spotlight turned on.
A tall man appeared, holding a single shoe in his hand—clearly ant to be the woman’s. His movents were hurried, searching, desperate. He, too, looked lost. Then, suddenly, they bumped into each other and fell back.
The crowd laughed softly, a rich, elegant wave of amusent rippling through the hall.
The man stood quickly, dusting off his shirt. With dramatic flair, he licked his thumb, swept his hair back, and extended his hand toward the woman.
"My falling star, are you alright?" he asked smoothly.
The lady smiled sweetly—then imdiately stomped on his foot. The man winced, and she snatched her shoe from his hand.
"You’re the falling star, idiot."
The crowd laughed again, louder this ti. Lilia giggled, genuinely entertained. She had never seen anything quite like this.
She turned to Zethan. Predictably, he looked uninterested—but then he turned to her and saw her laughing. She offered him her glass, which he accepted, and that one mont seed to light up his entire expression.
"Honey... that—" she began.
"Was so hilarious," Lilia finished, still laughing.
Zethan smiled—not because of the show, but because of her. Her laughter, her happiness... it made him feel whole. If she loved this performance, then he could easily hire these actors to perform privately, just for her. That was how far he was willing to go for his wife.
Then, the dramatic horror-style music faded away. The man gently took the woman’s hand, kissed it, and a soft, romantic lody began to play. Slowly, the two began to dance, their movents perfectly tid, elegant and graceful.
CLAP CLAP CLAP.
A gentle round of applause echoed through the hall as the main lights returned, bathing everything in warm brightness once again. The two continued dancing, now simply setting the tone.
Zethan turned when he heard Lilia speak.
"Oh, sweetheart, are you lost?"
His head snapped around. Who was she calling sweetheart? But wait—wasn’t that the na he had given her? Why was she calling soone else that?
To his surprise, he saw a little boy. The child was dressed in a suit as well, his eyes watery and on the verge of tears. He couldn’t have been more than five years old. Lilia gently held his hand.
"Yes, Miss Beauty... I can’t find my momma and dadda," the boy sniffled.
Lilia leaned down and pulled him close, settling him on her lap.
Zethan’s face darkened, a frown forming on his lips.
"You don’t have to worry, dear," Lilia said sweetly. "You’ll find them. You know what I do when I get lost? I take a deep breath and look around."
The boy inhaled deeply and exhaled, a smile forming.
"I feel a lot better, Miss Beauty."
Lilia smiled at the adorable nickna he had given her.
"Miss Beauty, you’re very, very pretty," the boy added.
She giggled softly at his cuteness, pinching his cheek gently.
"Her title is Mrs., not Miss," Zethan corrected coldly.
The young boy turned to look at him with wide brown eyes, then glanced back at Lilia.
"Miss Beauty, who is this big fella?"
Zethan’s eyes widened.
"Big fella?"
To his surprise, Lilia giggled, and the boy burst into laughter, like it was so hilarious joke.
Zethan couldn’t believe his wife. This little boy had just called him big fella, and here she was, laughing along with him.
As if that wasn’t enough, the boy added,
"Is he your older brother?"
Zethan’s frown deepened. He finally spoke, his voice tight as though restraining himself.
"No, I’m not her older brother..."
"Oh my, Zethan, it seems you’re not very good with kids," Lilia said calmly. "How are you going to take care of our quadruplets then?"
Zethan froze.
"Oh yes I am! See?" he said, reaching out to touch the boy’s hand.
But the boy quickly pulled away.
"Miss Beauty, this big fella is so scary," he whimpered, hugging Lilia tightly and resting his head on her chest.
Zethan’s body tensed. He clenched his fists, his jaw working furiously.
"You don’t have to worry," the boy added bravely. "When I grow up, I’ll marry you and protect you from people like him."
Reviews
All reviews (0)