<<<
a few days later.
another day came around, and it was another day that the storm had been raging on outside.
that morning, he woke up earlier than usual. taehyun and him were playing chess while he waited for her to wake up so he could bother her for fun. this had been routine so far, but time couldn't go quicker.
"she's asleep right now," taehyun informed. in a few more moves he could checkmate him, "as dead as she can get."
"really?" beomgyu suspected, narrowing his eyes at the candle who had lied to him once before.
"really—wake her up now and she might actually eat you."
a chill went down his spine. he guessed he had to wait until she woke up.
when taehyun beat him twice and left him a bit bitter—and with nothing to do, he wandered down the halls. he had seen the ballroom with its tall walls and grand chandelier above. it was large and empty save for the armchair by one of the thick curtained windows.
there was something... he thought, trying to remember what it was. something to do...
mid step, he froze. then he made his way to the forbidden brown door.
one would think that this was a horrible idea and that he should have been afraid—but after winning at the hand to hand fight they had a couple nights ago about the dragons and more importantly winning, he decided that if she were to try and eat him, he'd be at least able to put up a good fight. with that thought, they were at an even one on one. not that he was keeping track or anything..
trying the doorknob, it was locked as he had predicted it would be. for a moment, he was disappointed before he spotted the glint of a silver key not well hidden under the bottom of the carpet in front of the door. he made a face—she's an idiot, he thought.
double checking the hallways for her or anyone else, he slipped in and closed it behind him as quietly as he could—just how it had been.
the room was badly lit and the curtains were drawn tight. not an ounce of light came from the windows. in fact, it would have been pitch dark if it wasn't for the glowing rose encased in glass on a stand in the middle of the room.
he went closer. the glow was unearthly—magic, even. it was beautiful, but he didn't fail to notice that it was nearly dead. dried and shriveled petals had piled underneath it.
nevertheless, he knew that it was important—he felt that it was important.
so he stepped away, careful and cautious. light spilled into the room as he drew back the curtains. a plume of dust threw him into a coughing fit that he tried to stifle to be quiet.
in the corner, he caught sight of a frame covered by a white sheet. a part of it peeked through. it was a painting, he realized. but before he could-
the door swung open, startling him. ryujin stood in the doorway, glaring. he offered a sheepish smile.
"no means yes to you, doesn't it," she glowered.
his hand reached to grab the sheet and she gasped.
"don't."
"promise not to eat me then."
a sigh left her.
"i promise not to eat you."
for a moment there, she thought he would back away from it. a devilish smile crossed his face as he pulled the sheet off the painting, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.
in bold lines and rich colors, he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. her coal black hair framed her tan face and she was wearing a royal type of blue dress with flowing sleeves that fell off her shoulders like water. a lovely angel, he thought, but somewhat like a warrior at the same time.
her gaze was strong set and there was an aura to her that seemed... like if you were to hit her, she'd hit back twice as hard. looking at her, she seemed to remind him of someone he couldn't put a name to.
she visibly winced when the sheet fell to the ground. what was going to happen next? was she going to have to explain everything?
watching his expression, she found herself wondering why in the world was she curious.
at least on the outside, he was blank.
it was silent in the room until he broke it.
"who's that?" he finally asked—and honestly completely unlike him: "she's beautiful."
but not more so than you.
panic coursed through him. even though he only thought it and hadn't said it out loud. a light pink tinged his cheeks, but luckily enough, it was hidden by the dimness of the room. what was he thinking? he was crazy—she was a beast for crying out loud. she could have him for dinner; in fact, she could have had others for dinner!
... but she's still fun to be with.
would he ever admit this out loud—not a chance.
once the intense shock subsided, and when he looked to her wondering why she didn't reply, she dramatically tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking into an imaginary distance for a long second:
"thanks," she said, a grin forming on her face from what was about to come.
a moment passed.
nonononono. he flushed completely red in an instant.
"i take that back-"
"you can't. it's already out there."
"you're lying!" he accused, flustered.
"am not!" she retorted, about to start laughing at him.
she did say that she wasn't always a beast. the more seconds that passed, the hotter his face felt.
a bark of laughter left her and he shot her his most menacing glare. it had no effect, apparently—besides making her laugh harder.
"what's wrong with you?" she wheezed, "that was a nice thing to say?!"
he cringed harder than he ever had before—quick, he thought.
"wha-what about that rose, huh?" he blurted, changing the subject and gesturing to the flower, "what is it? some sort of magic?"
it was a success; the tides have turned.
"uh—it's nothing. just a thing my brother gave me," she lied, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles on her burnt orange skirt, "obviously, it's really important and i didn't want you breaking it."
"you're lying."
"i'm not."
"yes, you are," he repeated, is eyes narrowed in suspicion. what was she hiding? "i can tell."
he really couldn't, to be honest.
"fine" she relented, "it's what keeps this place hidden from people. how you found it, i don't know. but it protects the house from anyone who might hunt me down."
it's fortunate that she's good at lying in pressing situations. she's actually done this many times so it's not a big surprise that he believes her.
feeling saint-like, she decided to let the whole compliment thing slip—although she felt the need to tease him about it later.