Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Daran Carver

I was shocked and angry when I saw her coming down from the room wearing that dress.

"What is this? What clothes were you wearing?"

Her appearance in that dress made me completely lose my appetite. I wanted to throw all the lunch dishes that Loko had served at that moment.

How presumptuous! She dared to take things I'd been trying to eliminate all this time but always failed.

"Sorry," the girl stammered. "But I don't know what to wear? You… have taken the only clothes I have. And I didn't find any clothes besides this old dress that fit me in your wardrobe. I thought I could use it since I saw you kept it in a box and forgot about it long ago."

She… actually answered my question? I'm so annoyed. What did she say? Forgotten? She said the dress was just a forgotten item? How can I forget all the disappointments and heartache I've experienced?

The dress is a reminder not to make the same mistake a second time. And now, she wears it in front of me.

Good grief! She really looks so beautiful and perfect in that dress. Damn it! How could that be? But I still hate it. I mean, I hate that dress.

"I'll take this shirt off if you give me a replacement."

Loko came out of the kitchen in a hurry. He stood between me and the girl and bowed to me with a face full of regret.

"This is all my carelessness, Sir. I should have prepared a change of clothes for Miss Jonea earlier."

"No, Sir. It's not your fault."

I couldn't believe what I saw and heard. That girl defended and protected Loko?

Seeing that, I got even more annoyed. She didn't even know Loko. But defending him like that?

I already wanted to spit out all my rants. But, suddenly, Loko dragged the girl away from me and brought her back to the room.

I am trying to figure out what those two are up to. I made sure Loko had to serve that girl, and he served me. After all, that girl is a valuable asset that I bought at a very high price.

After waiting about fifteen minutes, they returned to the dining room.

I just stood by the window, looking out over the backyard. I don't want to be seen waiting for them. Loko greeted me and said that he would reheat the lunch, which was almost cold.

"No need!" I said. "You don't have to work twice reheating these foods. I also don't have that much time to wait for you until you finish heating it."

"How about you, Miss Jonea?" asked Loko. "Do I need to reheat the food?"

Then, I turned around and saw that the girl had already changed. This time, she was already wearing the right clothes. Sleeveless red knee-length dress. It looks very harmonious with her red hair colour, which looks so bright. Yes, it's actually an exaggeration. But the red colour can disguise her pale skin.

I saw the girl shake her head, and Loko pulled a chair for her to sit down. The girl was utterly unaffected by my presence. She didn't look intimidated, either. She is herself and knows how to enjoy what is given to her.

Exciting girl, I thought. We'll see how far she can survive with that confidence?

I returned to the dining table. I sat at the head of the table, and she sat in the chair to my right. The other seats are empty. Loko only serves food right in front of our table.

Loko looks so busy serving the girl. He even cut up steaks for her. Loko looked excited as if his master had switched from me to that girl.

I just stared at Loko with a pair of cold eyes to tell and remind him who his master was.

Loko left us both in the dining room. I'm still not interested in touching my food. I just kept looking at the girl.

I don't know what she's thinking right now. However, she has a lot of questions.

I don't think she's an ordinary girl. Her gestures and behaviour show that she is a very classy girl. She sat quietly with her back straight in the chair. She had not touched the steak at all. She instead took a glass of berry juice that Loko served.

"We will not poison you. You don't need to hesitate to finish your lunch."

The girl glances at me over the top of her glass. "I don't think so. I don't even care if you poison me, though."

She managed to piss me off.

"Just say whatever it is! I don't like playing riddles with you. I'm being kind right now. So, I will definitely answer all your questions. Think of it as a welcome gift."

"I saw three squirrels in the bathroom."

"Squirrels?" I raised my almost knit eyebrows. "Oh, you mean the Jeverics? They must greet you. They are usually interested in something new."

The girl seemed genuinely interested in these treacherous squirrels. She put her glass back down and turned to me. It was the first time she looked me in the eye after the previous incident in the bathroom.

"Is it true that you are simultaneously a Lycan King and a wizard?"

"Ah," I said. "So you still doubt me?"

I linked both hands on the table. I brought my face closer to the girl. And she still didn't budge.

I raised my right hand and touched the girl's ear. I snapped my fingers. Her bright red and tacky-looking hair returned to its original colour at that moment.

As it turns out, she has jet-black hair that looks so pretty and suits her skin tone very well.

I caught a glimpse of her startled but then pulled herself together. She returned to show her cold and flat face to me.

"Then what do you mean by the bride?"

"Bride is bride, my Little Squirrel," I answered firmly. "Is there another meaning?"

I saw she really didn't show any reaction anymore. It was as if she was challenging me–who could endure showing a cold, expressionless face to each other longer.

She picked up a fork and started stuffing the steak into her mouth.

"Red moon blood is something rare. I'm lucky today to get you."

"What does the blood of the red moon mean?"

Slightly intriguing question. I wonder if she's asking that question to test me or if she really wants to know.

I put my chin on top of my linked hands. My elbows rest on the table. I looked at the girl from my seat. She pretended to enjoy her steak.

"Red moon blood, think of her like a queen bee. You, I mean those with the blood of the red moon like you, can attract everything and capture everything. Especially for jeverics, fairies and other supernatural beings."

She still didn't react.

"Your blood is also beneficial for the other party. Your holy blood can grant extraordinary powers to anyone who can possess it. Especially the werewolf and lycan clans."

I watched the girl fail to put the steak in her mouth. She put the fork back on the plate.

"You are like the queen bee or the magnet of this earth. Is anyone trying to approach and get you? But with a note that you must have been resurrected. As long as the wolf soul within you hasn't awakened, your blood will be useless."

"I still don't understand. What benefits do you mean? Aren't you a Lycan King? You're a wizard too? What else do you want from my holy blood?"

How can I answer that question? I couldn't reveal my darkest secret in front of my potential prey.