EVANIA'S POV
"Want to know what else happened that night?"
What else happened? Oh no! Did I embarrass myself?
"What... what else happened?" I asked.
"It's really bad," he said calmly.
"Bad? How bad?" I asked.
Did I vomit or drool all over him?
His fingers touched the ends of my hair, playing with the strands in his hand.
"You..."
Come on, Evania! What have you done?
"You... are... cute."
"Huh?"
He let out a soft laugh.
"I'm just teasing you, Princess."
My cheeks flushed.
"Are you serious? I thought I did something terrible to you!" I asked, hitting his chest.
It didn't hurt him one bit. In fact, he just continued laughing.
Then he grabbed both my hands with one of his and wrapped the other around my waist, pulling me closer.
I gasped.
"You did do something terrible to me. You're still doing things to me."
His voice was hoarse.
"W-What are you talking about?" I asked.
His touch burned. I felt hot all over. What was this?
"You make it very hard to control myself, Princess," he said.
Finally, he let go of my hands and adjusted my cloak, placing the hood over my head.
"Come. Let's go."
We stepped out of the carriage and walked toward the Crystal Palace. Everything was made of crystal-frozen and breathtakingly beautiful.
The king knocked softly on the door, and the butler opened it almost immediately.
"Ah, Master Theron. Please come in. We've been expecting you."
He gestured for us to enter before taking our coats.
The inside of the palace was warm.
Candles and beautiful lanterns illuminated the hallways, while golden, celestial designs decorated the walls, similar to those in Ravenscar.
We stopped in front of a large door with golden handles.
The king opened it, and we both stepped inside.
"Theron! You're here!"
A woman ran toward him and threw her arms around him.
"It's nice to see you too, Mother."
Mother?
The woman standing before me looked so young and youthful.
Then I remembered.
Vampires don't age.
"Oh, my sweet boy."
She hugged him again.
She then turned to me, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw me.
"Oh, aren't you a vision? You're so beautiful," she said, cupping my face before pulling me into a hug.
"I hope Theron isn't giving you too much trouble."
"Mother..." Theron groaned.
I chuckled.
"No, Your Highness. He isn't."
I caught him smirking to himself.
I should have said yes.
"Oh, drop the formalities, my dear. You can call me Mother, okay? We're family now."
I nodded.
Family.
The word felt...
"You two must be tired. Come, I'll show you to your room personally."
The room was on the top floor of the castle.
It was bigger than my room... even if my room were doubled.
"You two freshen up and rest. We'll have dinner when your father gets back. Bye!"
She closed the door behind her, leaving just the two of us in the room.
He began unpacking our bags.
I wanted to help him, but he told me not to worry.
Then I suddenly remembered something.
"Umm... where's my room?"
I didn't want him to waste his strength unpacking when this wasn't where I would be staying.
"This one, Princess."
I sighed in relief.
"Okay... where's your room?"
"Here as well."
Huh?
It didn't make sense.
"Wait... don't tell me we're..."
"Yes, Princess. We're sharing a room tonight."
Sharing a room?!
"But... we can't," I said, my palms already sweaty.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because I'm not ready yet."
I bit my lip, my nails unconsciously digging into my palm.
"Ready for what, Princess?" he asked.
Was he seriously asking me that?
"Ready to consummate the marriage!" I blurted, my voice slightly raised.
He looked at me with an amused expression, which was quickly replaced by a smirk.
"Princess..." he began, walking toward me with slow, unhurried strides.
My heart raced.
He leaned closer until his lips brushed against my ear.
"I said we'd share a room, not share a bed. I didn't know you were thinking about sharing a bed with me."
I turned beet red.
I was so embarrassed!
"I wasn't! I just thought... that's what you meant," I stammered, backing away until my back hit the wall.
He placed a hand above my head, trapping me.
He chuckled softly, his long hair falling over his eyes.
"I told you... I won't touch you until you tell me to. But recently, you've been making that very hard for me."
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes never leaving mine.
I looked away, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.
His hand found my chin, gently making me look up at him.
"You intoxicate me, Evania," he said, his voice hoarse.
He leaned closer.
My heart raced even faster.
At this rate, it was going to jump right out of my chest.
Our lips were only inches apart.
His eyes remained locked onto mine, as though silently asking for permission.
It was strange.
Unlike the first night we met, I wasn't afraid of him anymore.
In fact, being this close to him made me feel things I didn't understand.
Suddenly, he pulled away.
"I'll step outside so you can freshen up," he said, walking toward the door.
I nodded.
"See you at dinner."
With that, he left.
I let out a breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding.
I placed a hand over my chest.
My heart was still racing.
What was going on with me?
~~~~~
"My Lady, would you prefer the baby pink dress or the sapphire blue one?"
It was finally time for dinner with the king's parents.
I still hadn't met his father, and I was a little nervous.
"The pink one."
Lili styled my hair simply, decorating it with a few white ribbons and my favorite white hair clip.
She escorted me to the entrance of the dining hall.
Everyone was already seated, waiting for me.
I took a deep breath.
*Grace and poise,* I chanted in my head as I walked into the hall.
"Good evening, Your Majesty. Good evening, Your Highness."
I bowed to the king and queen before taking my seat beside Theron.
"Sweet Evania, my darling! I told you to drop the formalities and call me Mother," Queen Lyra said in an elated voice.
"Don't force her, Lyra," the king said with a gentle smile.
"Welcome, my child."
I smiled back.
He looked so young.
"Sooo..." Queen Lyra began,
"When are we expecting a baby?"
I choked on my lettuce.