Chapter 111: Walking Disaster
What followed next was an almost inevitable chain of events: Ivan lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a light, lingering kiss upon it, his eyes holding hers with a mixture of mischief and devotion that left everyone watching utterly captivated.
People who were walking along the corridor collided left and right, tumbling tragically on the floor. Some sipping on their beverage spat it out spectacularly, sending coffee and tea flying in slow motion. Others tripped over their own heels, landing flat on the floor with a dramatic flair, while the rest felt their eyes roll out of their sockets at the sight of an icy vampire prince escorting the ethereal lumen princess. The chain reaction spread like wildfire, turning the entire corridor into a comedy of chaos.
Meanwhile, Evelyn maintained a neutral façade, though inwardly she worried at the sight of an unusually high number of casualties around her. ’Had people truly lost their marbles? Or was this just a universal punishment for being unlucky enough to witness this sight? She thought. Ivan remained unaffected as if the corridor had magically cleared itself in his presence.
He glanced at her, noting how the sunset cast a soft orange hue across her beautiful features, just like the colour of his eyes when he used his fire powers.
Feeling his gaze on her, she met his eyes and asked softly, "Everything alright?"
"Hm," he replied, perfectly unfazed, as if the chaos of collapsing people was just background music to their stroll.
"Well, well, well..that’s quite an uproar you both have caused. Looking at all these walking disaster, I must say I’m thoroughly entertained," Damien’s lazy voice rang out, making them break their eye contact as they turned to see him standing there with a wide grin on his face.
"We?" Evelyn asked innocently. "I thought it’s really unfortunate with the number of all these small accidents happening around us. Though I understand how we are responsible for it?"
Damien chuckled at his sister or sister in law’s innocence, "Oh, you are far too innocent for this world, Evelyn," he said, making her tilt her head in mild confusion.
She blinked and said, "I don-"
Before she could finish, another familiar voice rang out, "Princess Evelyn!"
Eve looked behind Damien and spotted Oliver walking towards her. He stopped before them and his brown eyes softened as he bowed, "Your Highness, I hadn’t seen you around over the weekend or in today’s classes, so I was wondering how you were doing."
Eve gave him a slight nod, "Lord Oliver, good to see you. I actually...had some work that required me to step out over the weekends."
"I see," Oliver’s eyes shifted to the towering figure standing next to Evelyn. Ivan’s molten red gaze met his, cold and unwelcoming.
"Your Highness," Oliver still greeted Ivan with a slight bow, and then glanced down at their intertwined hands. Surprise flickered across his eyes. ’Ah, so the prince finally made his move,’ he thought, a soft smile curved at the corner of his lips, thinking that it was a good thing he had noticed the chemistry between them earlier, before he went too far in pursuing her.
He returned his gaze back to Evelyn and noticed her eyes shining with genuine happiness....for the first time, he had seen her like this. As long as she was happy, he resolved to step aside and support her quietly from the side.
He then asked Evelyn, "I hope all is well now, Your Highness?
"Yes, it is now. Thank you for asking." Eve replied.
"Well then, I’ll see you around then." He bowed to both of them again and turned to leave, not before noticing another student walk straight into a tree in the courtyard while staring at Ivan and Evelyn’s intertwined hands.
Damien, who rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Honestly, people really need to get a grip around here," as he watched the poor student now trying to soothe the huge bump forming on his forehead.
He then turned back to the couple and said, "Why don’t we have some tea, since it’s already evening?"
"I wouldn’t mind," Eve replied, turning her expectant eyes to Ivan. He gave her a nod, "Alright."
Damien clapped his hands together, "Ah, splendid! I really hope the dining hall is as empty as possible because it seems you two are bringing natural calamity everywhere today."
As he spoke, another student dropped her books on the floor, eyes wide as she watched the couple pass by.
Damien smirked, waving a hand dramatically. "And another victim falls...congratulations, lovebirds, I see your love story comes with collateral damage."
Evelyn just pursed her lips while Ivan continued walking, utterly unbothered.
Once they left, they didn’t realise that the woman who had dropped her book was none other than Leah, the same redhead woman who had rubbed beast attraction potion on Evelyn’s sleeve during their physical examination.
As she stared at Ivan holding Evelyn’s hand in shock, all the memories of that day came flooding back: the dozens of wolves that had attacked her, the jacket that had hit her out of nowhere. She had been heavily injured during the incident, and even as a vampire, it had taken her almost a week to recover in the infirmary. She had only managed to escape by using the red stone to forfeit the examination. Since she hadn’t returned to her room until Friday evening, she hadn’t seen Evelyn all weekend, leading her to believe that her plan to have Evelyn eliminated had succeeded.
It shocked her to the core, to say the least, when she saw Evelyn not only in perfect shape but holding Ivan’s hand as if they were a couple, something Prince Ivan had never done with any woman before.
Fury burned in her chest, thinking it should have been her, not Evelyn! She felt like tearing Evelyn apart piece by piece as she continued to stare at her retreating back.
Just when they were about to turn the corner, Leah saw Ivan shift his gaze to her. His eyes flared bright red as he glared at her in warning, making her tremble before she collapsed to her knees. It lasted only for a second or so, but the immense pressure of his powers made her feel as if she was going to explode, just before he disappeared around the corner.
Ivan, walking beside Eve with a bored expression, was in reality acutely attuned to her surroundings. He was aware of every eye on her, and when they passed a certain redheaded woman, he didn’t bother to look, until he sensed immense hostility and rage directed at Eve...his Eve. Deciding to deal with her directly, he used his powers of submission to make her kneel, reminding her of her place should she dare step out of line, just as Kayla had.
Now that Eve was with him, he had become subconsciously hyper-aware of everything concerning her. His instincts screamed to protect her at all costs from any potential threat, and that was exactly what he vowed to do.
Once they were out of sight, Leah quickly grabbed her belongings and scurried away, drenched in cold sweat, still reeling from the brunt of Ivan’s formidable power. She was unaware of another pair of red eyes watching her, having witnessed the entire scene unfold. His lips twitched at the sight of the redheaded woman fleeing after the prince had dealt with her. "Guess I’ll need to keep an eye on this one," Caleb murmured under his breath before disappearing from the tree where he had perched himself.
....
After dinner, Cece and Evelyn sat together in Evelyn’s room, where Evelyn was recounting how she and Ivan had finally ended up together. When she finished, she fell silent.
Cece noticed the shift in her demeanor, asked gently, "If things went well between you two, then why do I sense that something is bothering you?"
Evelyn lowered her gaze, "It’s just that, even though we know that we like each other and want to be with each other, somehow what the minister said in court keeps echoing in my head....that I am....I am-"
"Temporary?" Cece softly completed her sentence.
"Yes," Eve whispered. "Even though deep down, I know that one day I might have to return to my kingdom and we may have to end this, it still makes me wonder...does Ivan see me as someone temporary?"
"Evelyn, if you ask me, none of us truly know what the future holds, so why not live in the present? What I do know is that you are the only woman who’s made Ivan care to this extent in a very long time." Cece’s voice became solemn as she went on, "In fact, he has never cared for anyone since his mother passed away...apart from his father, Damien, and me to some extent, along with my family."
"I’ve heard about the Queen passing away when he was young, but the public record only states that it was an accident. Do you know how it actually happened?" Eve asked.
Cece shook her head softly, "I’m sorry, Evelyn, but it is not my truth to share. What happened scarred Ivan so deeply that he completely changed. That little boy turned cold and distant after the incident, and that’s how we’ve known him ever since. Maybe one day he’ll tell you himself, but I wouldn’t keep my hopes up, as it is one thing he never talks about. As if he’s blocked that part of his memory."
