𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 // ꜱᴀʀᴀᴡᴀᴛ ✕ ᴛɪɴᴇ

xii

Tine

Sarawat hadn't said much since we arrived at his fief. Like a women seeing her husband off to work, he kissed me on the cheek and went to attend to his business. I was handed off to one of his men, Boss, who was in charge of showing me around.

"Do you have any questions for me before we move on, Tine?" Boss put his arms behind his back, cocking his eyebrow at me in an inquisitive manner.

I had to admit, I wasn't paying attention to a word he had spoken to me. The last thing I caught was his name. I desperately dug through my memories, had I even paid attention for a mere second.

"It's all quite self explanatory,"

He stared at me as if he could see right through my bullshit, but the corners of his lips turned up and he smiled gullibly. "Right?" He nodded and carried on with the tour. I let out a relieved breath, nodding along with the man

"I've heard many things about you." My stomach turned, does everyone at the castle know that I'm the Duke's personal whore?

My eyes widen in worry my shoulders tensed up. My reaction rose panic in the other man, he quickly jumped to my aid. "Man and I grew up with Sarawat, we are his right and left hand men. So I can assure you that no one else knows what you were brought here for, Tine."

"Ah, I appreciate it, Boss." My anxiousness settled upon hearing his comforting words.

"I was curious about a few things I was hoping you could answer for me." I cleared my throat, trying to muster up the courage to ask him what was weighing on me for as long as I had my first night with Sarawat.

"Ask away, I will answer to the best of my ability." Boss leaned on the pillar of the castle's corridor.

"I was curious as to what the Duke's condition was.."

"Hmm," Boss scratched at the stubble on his chin. "As a result of greed, all the men in the Duke's family's bloodline were cursed with the abilities of a demon, and the power of a beast."

"Isn't that more of a blessing than a curse?" Anyone would kill for such abilities, Afrandal's military is the strongest among the entire nation because of the Duke's who led it.

"It is, however, these gifts came with a price. They'd suffer insomnia, and even if they tried to sleep, they'd suffer excruciating pain."

"As if that wasn't bad on its own, all the Duke's have passed on at early ages, none of them have made it past 50."

Everything made sense now that he was able to put things into perspective. That day was such a blur. Had Sarawat told him everything, Tine wouldn't have been so reluctant from the start. However he was still hazy on what his purpose was to Sarawat.

3rd Person

The scratches of the pen's tip on the paper, echoed throughout the office. Sarawat's nerve biting stack of paper only seemed to get higher rather than lower. His hand came to a halt with the sudden thought in the back of his mind that itched to make itself known. "Man." He beckoned his subject, who stopped wiping his sword and got up.

"Have someone look into Duke Holland. I want every single detail." As the words left his mouth, it was as if a bag of weight was lifted off his shoulder, though it made only a little difference.

Man nodded and exited the room, leaving the Duke to his duties. Sarawat leaned back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. He pushed himself up from his chair, taking in the beautiful view of his garden. The sight never got old.

Tine and Boss strolled into the garden, and this caught Sarawat's eye faster than a thief could spot gold, despite many workers about.

Tine's snow white skin complimented the flower beautifully. This made Sarawat wonder if he could just build Tine a bed among the flowers, so that he could open his day with the sight of such masterpiece.