Chapter 78: Shameless in Silk
She held her breath as she waited for his reply. She watched his smile slowly fade, little by little, and her heart began to waver. But before her mind could take a negative turn, she heard him say, "Yes....I did."
Hearing his answer filled with so much sincerity and honesty leaving her stunned for a moment, but then he brushed his lips against her cheek, "Now answer my question."
Her toes curled into the mattress as her face blazed red and answered in a small, trembling whisper, "Yes.."
"Yes, what?" he asked in his deep seductive voice as his hand traveled down from her hair to down to her neck before it curled around it lightly, feeling her racing pulse. "Say it, Eve," he commanded.
’Oh lord, he actually wants me to say the whole thing out loud?’ she asked herself. Her breathing became more erratic as she felt his hot hand wrap around her neck. She saw how he watched her like a predator waiting for its prey to step willingly into his lair. But she said to herself, ’I should be honest with him as well.’
"I-I missed–" before she could complete her sentence, a loud growl erupted from her stomach, making both of them painfully aware of its urgent demand.
Evelyn wished the ground would split open and swallow her whole, while Ivan slowly released her neck and said with a low chuckle, "It seems like your stomach has more to say than you at the moment."
Eve just covered her face in her hands, mortified, but Ivan pried them open with ease and said, "Don’t think you’re saved, we will continue this later," to which she swallowed hard.
He sighed softly before rising swiftly to pull on a rope fixed to the side of the bed. Evelyn hastily pulled her nightgown into place and gently got up to lean against the headboard. Only then did she notice her new surroundings. Her eyes darted around to take in the massive, luxurious room that was bigger than any room in the academy or her room in the Kingdom of Luminear.
She noticed cream-colored walls adorned with intricate carvings in the same shade. The room had five massive floor-to-ceiling windows, draped with wine-colored velvet curtains, though the fifth opened onto an expansive balcony overlooking the vastness of the sea. Near the door stood a set of cream coloured couches and armchairs arranged over a beautiful dark red Persian carpet, beside a large fireplace. When her eyes moved to the bed, she saw it was enormous, large enough to fit at least six people, draped in wine-colored fabric. With two massive crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the sconces glowing at intervals along the walls gave a soft warm glow to the entire space.
While she was taking in every detail of the chamber, Ivan walked to the door, opened it slightly, and spoke in a low voice as though giving instructions to someone outside. When he closed it, his gaze shifted to her, drawing her eyes back to him. That’s when she noticed his casual attire, a satin black robe that revealed the sculpted lines of his sturdy chest, paired with loose pajama pants. Even dressed so simply, he still carried an air of effortless regality.
Her gaze lingered on him longer than intended, and when her eyes moved back to his, he arched an elegant brow at her in question. Gathering herself, she finally asked, "Where am I? I assume this is not the academy?"
The corner of his lip curled up into a faint smile. "No, it definitely isn’t the academy."
He crossed the room with unhurried grace, where the couch was, and poured himself a glass of red liquid from a crystal jug that was placed on the table. He then settled into an armchair with lazy elegance. His eyes fixed on her as he said, "We are in Dracoria Palace."
Eve, who was watching his every move, suddenly raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Dracoria Palace?" she repeated. Her gaze then flickered toward the only door that was not covered by the curtain, through which she could see that it was already dark outside, and she asked, "Then, what about the academy? How long have I been here?"
The more questions crowded her mind, the more her thoughts spiraled. "Wait! The academy! I had left a note for Cece, she must be worried sick, and there were darkrots on the academy grounds... and the note–" she was about to continue when she was interrupted by a soft knock to the door.
Ivan, who continued to sip the liquid from his glass while keeping his calm gaze fixed on her, answered, "Come in."
The door opened and a man entered in crisp clothing, pushing a mini trolley with several covered dishes. He bowed respectfully, "Your Highness, I have brought dinner."
"Set it here, Arthur," Ivan instructed before tilting his head toward Eve, "Would you like me to carry you here or would you prefer to stay in bed and have your dinner?" he asked unabashedly.
Arthur, who was in the middle of setting the dishes on the table, nearly let a plate slip from his hand on hearing Ivan. Meanwhile, Evelyn was left momentarily agape at his shamelessness in front of the butler.
She quickly recovered and fixed him with a light glare. "I can walk by myself, thank you." Ignoring him, who clearly seemed to be enjoying himself, she pushed the blanket aside and carefully got up so as not to aggravate her bruised stomach again.
Ivan, on the other hand, felt quite amused to be glared at by the princess, who looked all the more adorable being flustered like this.
Arthur was dumbfounded at the mysterious lady’s refusal of the prince’s generous offer, where any other woman would have leaped at such an opportunity. Yet here this lady not only denied the prince but also spoke back in a way no one ever dared. For a fleeting moment, Arthur wondered if she truly understood who she was speaking to. Though extremely curious to know her identity, he pretended he hadn’t heard a word. Once done, he bowed with impeccable formality and announced, "Dinner is served."
Ivan waved his hand dismissively, Arthur gave him another respectful bow, and then to Evelyn, who was slowly making her way to the couch. He then retreated quickly as though eager to escape the couple in the room.
The moment the door shut, Evelyn let out a soft breath and then hissed at Ivan softly, "Do you always say such indecent things in front of your staff?"
Ivan, who was swirling the glass lazily in his hand, replied, "Only when I enjoy watching someone squirm." His eyes moved over her deliberately, making her blush to the point she averted her gaze and muttered, "Shameless."
This earned her another chuckle, and he then said softly, "Come, sit. You need to eat."
When she sat down, Ivan set his glass aside and personally served her everything. Each dish was light, easily digestible, and highly nutritious, just as the doctor recommended. She was touched by the gesture and uttered softly, "Thank you."
He nodded and went back to the red liquid in the glass. When she started to have her soup, she asked, "Are you not going to eat?"
He tilted his glass at her and said, "This is all I need right now."
And she understood that it was blood he was having and not wine. She gave him a slight nod in acknowledgement and then continued with her meal.
After some time, she asked again, "So..you didn’t answer my question."
"Hm. Too many questions, where do you want me to begin?" he asked casually.
Eve realised that she did ask too many questions at once, so she took a minute to gather her thoughts and finally spoke, "How about you start with how I ended up here in the palace and not in the academy?"
"You are here because I brought you here."
"Why?" she asked.
His expressions became serious, and he responded, "Because it is too dangerous for you to be back in the academy at the moment." He paused briefly before adding, "Don’t worry, headmaster, Cece and Damien have already been informed by my men that you won’t be there for a couple of days."
She stopped eating and asked, "Do you mean that I’ll continue to stay here in the palace for the time being?"
"Yes," he replied. "You’ll remain here until the physician says you’re fit to leave. And you need to be here because you may have to appear in court for everything you have witnessed and gone through back in Welfort."
"Welfort? Isn’t that town far away from here? Is that...where they took me?" Her eyes widened in surprise at how far they managed to take her away. Then another thought struck her, and she added, "Wait, how long has it been since the...incident?"
"A couple of hours, I brought you here to the palace by noon today. After that, you were asleep for too long as your body was completely exhausted. It’s almost nine o’clock at night now, if you’re wondering."
