Chapter 354: Breakfast I.
Maria.
A throbbing headache greeted me the moment I opened my eyes.
I groaned softly and squeezed my eyes shut again, hoping the pain would ease, but it only seemed to intensify. Taking a deep breath, I slowly forced my eyes open.
The first thing I saw was Vincent.
He was seated comfortably in a chair directly across from my bed, staring at me with an annoyingly cheerful expression plastered across his face. The moment our eyes met, his smile widened into something almost sheepish.
"Morning, my queen!" he greeted happily.
I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt and immediately looked away from him.
Of all the things I wanted to wake up to, Vincent’s face certainly wasn’t one of them.
"It’s too early, Vincent," I muttered irritably as I pushed myself into a sitting position. "What exactly do you want again?"
He stared at me for a moment before letting out a small sigh.
"I missed the way you used to smile at me, Maria," he said softly.
I resisted the urge to groan.
"But it’s okay," he continued, taking a deep breath. "One day, I’ll make you do that willingly."
A scoff escaped my lips before I could stop it. "Is that what you came to tell me the moment I wake up?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
His confidence was honestly exhausting.
"Of course not!" he replied immediately, his gaze shifting away from me and settled on something across the room.
Frowning, I followed the direction of his eyes.
My gaze landed on the table nearby.
The sight only confused me further.
There was something resting on it, though I couldn’t make out exactly what from where I sat.
I turned back to him with an impatient look.
"So?" I asked sharply.
The grin on his face returned instantly. "We are having breakfast with my guest, baby!" he announced happily.
I blinked.
Breakfast?
With a guest?
Before I could even process that information, he rose from his chair and walked toward the table.
"And I want you to put on these clothes," he added.
He picked up a neatly folded outfit and returned to my bedside.
Without waiting for my response, he placed the clothes directly on my lap.
The second I looked down at them, disgust twisted inside me. The outfit was clearly something he had chosen himself.
That alone was enough to make me want to reject it immediately.
My fingers curled around the fabric as I prepared to hand it right back to him.
But then something caught my eye.
I froze.
Nestled carefully among the folds of the outfit was a golden mask.
My irritation instantly gave way to curiosity.
The mask gleamed under the morning light, its golden surface reflecting faint streaks of sunlight that filtered into the room.
I stared at it for several seconds, It wasn’t just lying there by accident. It had clearly been placed with the clothes intentionally.
Slowly, I picked it up.
The cool metal brushed against my fingers as I examined it.
A frown settled on my face.
"Why is there a golden mask here?" I asked curiously.
My eyes lifted from the mask to Vincent’s face.
For the first time since waking up, I found myself genuinely interested in something he had brought.
And judging by the look on his face, he had been waiting for me to ask that very question.
"Oh, you are soon to be Lycan Princess, Maria. You need to put on a mask for security," Vincent said casually, as though what he had just said was the most normal thing in the world.
I stared at him for a moment before releasing a long, frustrated sigh.
"I am no Lycan Princess, Vincent," I said firmly.
The title alone irritated me.
Every time he called me that, it felt like he was trying to force me into a role I never asked for and never wanted.
"And I don’t want to entertain your guests as a Lycan Princess either," I added, folding my arms across my chest.
Vincent immediately burst into laughter.
The sound grated on my nerves.
"Come on, Maria," he said, shaking his head. "It’s too early." He rubbed his temples dramatically as though I was the one giving him a headache. "Let’s not start the day on a bad note."
His tone was light and playful, but I wasn’t in the mood for any of it.
"So be a good girl and get dressed," he added with a smile.
The words instantly made my blood boil.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"I am being serious, Vincent," I said slowly, emphasizing every word. "I will not entertain your guests as a Lycan Princess."
His smile faltered slightly.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the clothes and the golden mask from my lap and threw them onto the floor.
The fabric landed in a heap beside the bed while the mask clattered loudly against the ground.
Silence filled the room.
For a brief second, neither of us moved.
Then Vincent’s expression darkened and the amusement disappeared from his face completely.
"Stop being stubborn, Maria!" he yelled.
His sudden outburst made me stiffen. The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by something far colder.
"I am losing my calm," he added through clenched teeth.
I rolled my eyes.
I was beyond caring about his moods.
"Now get into the bathroom, freshen up, and get changed," he declared, his voice carrying the unmistakable tone of an order.
"We will go to the dining hall together."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"What now, Vincent?" I asked, my voice dripping with annoyance. "Are you going to force me?"
At that point, I was completely fed up.
I swung my legs off the bed and stood abruptly. The headache from earlier was still lingering, but my irritation had completely overshadowed it.
My feet hit the floor with a loud thud.
"Enough now, Vincent!" I yelled and the room echoed with my voice. "Entertain your guests yourself!"
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I glared at him and for a moment, Vincent simply stared at me.
Then, to my utter disbelief, he laughed, a slow, humorless laugh. The sound sent an uncomfortable chill through me.
"I am not giving you a choice, Maria," he said calmly and the dangerous calmness in his voice was somehow worse than his anger. "If you want to ensure Noah’s safety, then come downstairs to meet me."
My heart instantly dropped.
The mention of Noah hit me like a punch to the stomach and the anger on my face faltered.
Vincent noticed and a victorious look flashed across his features.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
Without another word, he turned around, his footsteps echoing across the room as he walked toward the door.
I stood frozen in place, my hands clenched tightly into fists.
The door opened and then closed.
And just like that, he was gone.
Leaving me alone with my anger, my frustration, and the threat he had deliberately left hanging in the air.
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