Chapter 76: A Vow Beyond Time
They greeted him with a bow, but Ivan spoke first, "Examine her thoroughly and let me know what you find."
He then turned to the maids, "Wait for your turn outside."
"Yes, Your Highness," they replied in unison, and went out without lifting their heads, although they were very curious to see who the mysterious woman was.
The royal physician, Harold, was a centuries-old vampire with white hair and a long beard, who walked towards Evelyn and began his examination under Ivan’s watchful eyes.
After some time, Harold straightened and met the prince’s sharp gaze, "Your Highness, her pulse is low; it seems she has overexerted herself and lost consciousness because of it. She also seems to suffer some physical injuries, for which the bruises on her body remain. I will concoct a potion to restore her stamina once she wakes up, and provide some ointment to be applied to the bruised areas."
Ivan listened to every word carefully before asking, "Anything else?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Harold continued with a serious expression. "I sense a very powerful essence within her. Should she be triggered by any incident, she may lose control of her powers, potentially endangering her own life. I recommend that she remain in a calm environment for a couple of days. No strenuous activity and eat nourishing food."
Ivan gave him a curt nod, "Send the medicine as soon as possible and make sure not a word leaves this chamber. You may leave."
"Certainly, Your Highness," Harold replied with a bow before withdrawing.
Soon after, the maid stepped in, and Ivan instructed them to clean and change Evelyn’s clothes. He turned to step out for a smoke, but paused midway. His icy cold gaze fell upon them, and his voice cut through the air like steel. "If I find so much as a single scratch on her....or if either of you dare to take even a drop of her blood, I will separate your heads from your bodies and have them hanged in the town for all to see."
His chilling threat made the maids tremble under the weight of his words, and they felt their knees go weak. They bowed deeply as they stammered, "W-We w-would never, Y-Your Highness."
"Good, now hurry up, I’ll be right here,"
With that, he stepped out onto the balcony of his chambers, leaning against the railing, he drew a cigarette from his pack and lit it. As he took a puff, his gaze drifted to the ships leaving the docks, their sail catching light over the simmering seawater. Though his eyes were fixed outward, his keen senses tracked every movement inside the room.
Even though Dracoria Palace was his home, Ivan had seen all kinds of people in the world, making him learn from a very young age that anybody could betray you when tempted by greed. For that very reason, he trusted no one, except a few.
After some time, the maids finished their task and were dismissed, but only after receiving another threat from Ivan to ensure not to speak a single word about Evelyn to anyone.
Once alone in the room, his gaze shifted back to Evelyn, who now lay dressed in a clean white silk gown, her body carefully tended to, leaving only a bruise on her cheek. Her soft brown locks had been combed and splayed over the dark linens of his bed.
Staring at her for a second longer, he moved to draw the curtains of his room, blocking out every trace of sunlight. His footsteps then padded beside the bed and opened the adjoining door to his dressing chamber and a bathroom.
After finishing his bath, he emerged wearing only a luxurious black robe that revealed his well-defined chest muscles and loose pajama pants and gently lay on the bed beside her.
His molten red eyes turned to her once more, noticing the distance between them. This would be the second time he would be sharing a bed with her, but unlike the last time, he moved closer, gathered her gently into his arms, and closed his eyes to rest alongside her.
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Somewhere in the realm where memories and subconscious desires come to life, two souls seemed to intertwine, in the same world, witnessing the same scene unfold before their eyes:
A woman with beautiful, long, golden hair laced her delicate fingers through the firm grasp of a man with raven-black hair that touched his shoulders.
The woman led the man towards the edge of a cliff, where the beautiful meadow ended and the horizon stretched wide. The sunset painted the sky in shades of pink and orange as she spoke in a soft, ethereal voice, "It is so peaceful here." Turning to the tall, mysterious man beside her, she asked, "Don’t you think so?"
"Hm.." the man replied softly, but his gaze was fixed on her, not at the scenic beauty in front of him.
"I wish it would always remain this peaceful, so I could live with you here..always.." She stepped closer to him, only for him to wrap his arms around her slender waist, pulling her closer to him.
"We will," he said in a deep magnetic voice, "I promise you that."
Bathing in the amber glow of the sunset, she slid her arm around his strong neck and whispered, "Will you always stay with me?"
"Always," he replied without hesitation.
"Will you always love me the way you do?" she asked, her face inching closer to his.
He lowered his head until his forehead touched hers, his voice dropping to a tender murmur. "Always...my love."
"And what if we are to leave this world one day?" she whispered, her voice trembled with a certain sadness.
His arms tightened ever so slightly around her, as though anchoring her to him. "Then I will follow you to the very ends of time and promise to find you again, for every breath I take belongs only to you. Even if you become a grain of salt in the vast ocean, I will always find you," he whispered back in a beautiful vow that reached beyond time itself.
He then cupped her cheeks tenderly, "Because you are the other half of my soul."
"Yes..and you’re mine.." With that, she closed the distance between them, sealing their promises in a passionate kiss.
In that instant, the world around them glowed with golden light, swallowing the meadow, the cliff, and the heartfelt scene of two lovers getting lost in each other’s embrace.
And then, slowly, Evelyn’s lashes fluttered, her golden eyes opened to the dark chamber around her. A single tear slid down her cheek, as though carrying the remnants of that otherworldly vision.
Overwhelmed by the soulful scene she had just relived in her slumber, Evelyn remained still for a while as she stared into the darkness that surrounded her. As awareness slowly returned to her, she felt her body wrapped in something warm and solid. Turning her gaze to her side, her golden eyes met a familiar pair of molten orange ones that watched her with unwavering intensity. He slowly raised his hand and wiped away the tears that had escaped her shining orbs.
Evelyn, who was stunned to find Ivan beside her, didn’t utter a word to question anything, as she found herself too lost in his deep, burning eyes. When she felt him tenderly caress her cheek, she leaned into his touch. Wordlessly, they drifted closer to each other, as if still under the spell of the heartfelt dream they had just shared, until their lips were only inches apart.
As they were about to close the distance between their lips, Evelyn shifted her torso to turn towards him, but winced at the sudden sharp pain shot through her stomach. She let out a hiss, making them both snap back to reality.
With a flick of his fingers, every candle in the room lit up. Ivan sat up on the bed, his gaze sharpened with concern, "What’s wrong?"
Eve curled up on the bed, her face twisted in pain as she whispered faintly, "My stomach..."
"Let me see..." Ivan asked urgently, pulling the blanket to check.
Alarm flared in Evelyn’s eyes, and she squeaked, "No!" Her hand shot out to hold his hand in a tight grip, which was about to lift her gown. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
Ivan paused in his action, and his lips pressed into a hard line at her sudden refusal. After letting a few seconds pass....he sighed and asked in a low, tense voice, "Did... did they hurt you there?"
Evelyn’s golden eyes dimmed back into clear blue, and silence fell over them again as she recalled how one of them had punched her in her stomach.
She averted her gaze in embarrassment and gave a small nod to his question. Ivan felt his blood boil at her confirmation. He shut his blazing orange eyes and inhaled deeply in an attempt to rein in the anger that refused to calm.
When he didn’t speak, Eve’s gaze shifted back to him. She could see the storm raging behind his silence as he struggled to control his wrath that seemed so palpable in the air. So she gently rubbed her thumb across the hand she still held and spoke softly, "I’m alright. Please....don’t be angry."
