Chapter 94: Lessons In Temptation
King Solan’s eyebrows furrowed, and he turned his cold blue eyes on the man, "What do you mean by not being sighted? It’s the weekend, perhaps she must be asleep or stepped out into the city like the last time."
Gideon cleared his throat before replying, "Yes, Your Majesty, maybe that might be a possibility. However, the princess used to have all her meals in the academy’s dining hall. But since Friday, she has not been seen stepping out of her room at all."
"Was she sick?" he asked in his cold voice.
"There have been no reports regarding her falling ill. The last time she had visited the infirmary was when she was injured in her physical examination, but the healers took care of her injury."
The King turned his cold eyes back to the garden and spoke in a quiet voice, "Find out where she is, Gideon."
Gideon bowed his head and replied, "Right away, Your Majesty," and took his leave.
Solan held a vacant look on his face, but there was a storm brewing inside him. He clenched his jaw, but apart from that, his face revealed nothing.
...
Back in Dracoria Palace, the clock had just struck five when the door creaked open and Ivan stepped quietly into his room. His molten red eyes scanned the space, finding everything untouched until his gaze landed on the couch, only to find it empty. His eyes drifted to the table where he found a delicate figure resting her head on an open book, with a quill still loosely held in her hand. Padding forward in silence to close the distance between them, and saw her eyes closed, her faint breaths slipping past her slightly parted lips.
As evening fell, the sun had begun to set, casting an orange glow across the room with no candles lit, leaving parts of it cloaked in shadow.
His eyes softened as he wondered if he had given her too much work while she was still recovering. After all, it had only been yesterday when her bruises healed with the help of the potion, but perhaps her body was still getting used to her powers that were now unrestrained. He got down on his knees and lightly brushed the back of his fingers against her cheeks, gently pushing the strands of hair away from her exquisite face.
She didn’t wake up with his feather-light touch, but her eyebrows scrunched up a little at his tender ministrations. He noticed that little involuntary reaction and thought she looked so fragile and defenceless at the moment and silently asked himself, ’Can she really be considered as my weakness?’
No...he would never let that happen or even consider it a possibility. After all, yes, he was attracted to her in an inexplicable way, but did that mean he would allow anyone to become his weakness? He thought not...yet he did not want to risk it, because in the back of his mind, he was beginning to realise just how dangerous Evelyn was for him. She was already capable of stirring emotions in him. The more time he spent with her, the more he felt he was falling deeper into a siren’s trap, lured by her sweet, melodious voice, calling to him.
Lost in his thoughts, he leaned over the table and rested his head near hers; his burning gaze remained fixed on her. He remained still for a while as he whispered, "What kind of a creature are you?" He brushed his fingers against her smooth cheek once again, only for her lush lashes to flutter softly against her cheeks before slowly opening to reveal her vivid blue orbs.
Eve had been working on her potion formulas when her eyes started to turn heavy, and she didn’t realise when she had drifted off to sleep. Only when she felt his presence in her deep slumber, she opened her eyes to see his ruby-red eyes gazing at her as if he were dazed.
None of them moved or made any attempts to get up from their positions. After some time, she heard him speak in a low, deep voice, "Had a good nap?" all while he continued to brush his fingers against her cheek.
She blinked innocently as colour rose to her cheeks before finally sitting up, embarrassed at having been caught slacking off. "I wasn’t planning on it," she replied softly.
Ivan also rose, settling onto the carpet as he leaned his back against the sofa behind him, "I can see how diligently you’ve been studying. Seems like you love the idea of being punished," he spoke in a lazy manner while arching a brow at her.
"I wasn’t slacking; I actually finished everything you gave me." Her gaze shifted to the last unfinished formula she had been stuck on. "I was actually waiting for you because I wanted to ask about this part."
Ivan continued to study her with intrigue before a small smile started to form on his lips. Without a word, he extended his hand towards her. Eve suddenly grew hyper-aware of his presence, looked at his hand in confusion, and, unsure of what he meant, she placed her hand in his.
Ivan’s smile widened, and he curled his fingers around hers, only to pull her towards him until she landed on his lap with her back pressed firmly against his chest. She gasped when she felt him lean down, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck, and whispered, "I meant hand me your notebook, Eve."
It took her a moment to register that he had been asking for her notebook, not her hand. Realisation struck her as her face turned crimson at her foolishly placing her hand into his.
"Oh!" she exclaimed softly as she tried to wiggle off his lap. But his arms tightened around her, one resting above her chest, while the other circled around her curvy, small waist to hold her in place.
She felt his warm breath on the shell of her ear, followed by his deep, teasing voice, "Don’t run away, I don’t mind teaching you this way." He dipped his head to her neck again, inhaling her scent as if he meant to memorize it.
Eve’s heart shuddered at his simple actions, and she breathed, "I don’t think I can learn anything this way." She felt him smile against her neck before hearing his low murmur, "And how would you know that....unless you’ve tried, my Eve?"
He listened to the quickened beat of her heart and then instructed, "Pick up your notebook and place it in front of me. Let me see where you were stuck."
"You cannot be serious," she gasped in disbelief.
"I am very serious," he replied smoothly. "Now do as I say, we don’t want to be late to meet my father, do we?"
"Of course not!" she exclaimed, suddenly realising she was yet to get ready for dinner.
"The faster you bring the notebook to me, the sooner you’ll be released to get ready," he murmured in a low voice against her neck, sending goosebumps racing over her skin. She thought to herself that he really knew how to bully her.
But even though she knew he was only teasing her, a giddy warmth bubbled inside her. Knowing how stubborn he could be once he made up his mind, she released a shaky breath before reaching forward to grab her notebook and the quill from the table. She folded her legs up so that she could rest her book across her knees, while Ivan finally raised his head and placed his chin on her shoulder, his eyes lowered to the unfinished formula.
"I see where you are struggling." He unfolded his right arm from her shoulder and took the quill from her hand, and began writing in the notebook while explaining the equation. Eve did her best not to react to his closeness to her and tried to concentrate on what he was explaining, but try she might, it was impossible not to feel the butterflies in her stomach with every brush of his fingers against her stomach where he held her.
He suddenly paused and leaned in to look at her flushed face and asked in an unsure voice, "Are you listening?"
She didn’t dare to turn her head with him so close, so she simply nodded, "Mm-hm."
He stared at her for a moment longer before a small smirk curved his lip. "Really? Then why don’t I give you a little equation to solve based on what I just explained?"
Eve licked her lips before replying, "But won’t we get late if I try to solve it now?"
"I don’t think it should take you much time if you really understood what I just explained," he retorted.
She gulped as a slight panic rose within her. Biting her lip softly, she finally looked at him and admitted in a low voice, "The truth is...I couldn’t concentrate properly because you have been distracting me."
