Thank you for 1k views! Again sorry that I haven't been updating frequently, exams are my priority right now but I promise in my free time I will work on uploading chapters :)
She was in a good mood, the best she had been in quite a long time. She didn't have any worries or inhibitions, she felt safe and happy here with Nathaniel by her side. The girl simply ate as The Lord took sips from his glass, and although they were sat in silence she was enjoying herself with the delicious food and wonderful view of the kingdom the restaurant had to offer.
Once again, Olivia's glass became empty and within seconds a familiar waiter walked up to their table to refill the cup. Lord Nathaniel clenched his jaw as he watched the waiter pour the wine until it reached the very top of the glass. Olivia was on her third glass tonight since they arrived.
The girl enthusiastically picked up her glass once the waiter left, sipping on the bitter liquid before resuming to eating the fish and chips she had ordered.
"I think that's enough for tonight Olivia." The Lord spoke as he pushed aside her glass so that it was further away from her.
Nathaniel could observe that she didn't seem to have a very high tolerance to alcohol as the girl was already acting drowsy and sluggish. Olivia shrugged, placing her fork back down onto the plate and staring out the glass window. Assuming that she was finished with her meal, Nathaniel called for the waiter to bring the cheque.
He grabbed his wallet from his pocket, placing the cash on the table as servants came and took away their plates. Standing up from his chair, he brushed out the wrinkles from his shirt and walked towards Olivia to intertwine his hand with hers. He lead her outside of the restaurant where the carriage that brought them was waiting to take them back to the castle. Olivia almost tripped on one of the stone steps, but luckily he was holding her hand so she wouldn't suffer an accident.
She a hard time walking straight and was holding onto his shoulder the whole time until they entered the carriage. Nathaniel shook his head as he smiled to himself, although it was nice having her close he had to be extra cautious of her safety.
Once they were sat in the carriage Olivia felt more tired as she felt the softness of the couch. Nathaniel signalled for the driver to go, and as the carriage moved Olivia became sleepier and sleepier. She let out a quiet yawn, closing her eyes as she leaned her head on Nathaniel's shoulder. She couldn't contain her smile as she rested on his arm, It was even more comfortable than she had expected.
This was Olivia's first time being drunk, and it had given her a rush of confidence and boldness. She would be freaking out if she was this close to The Lord, but she was so tired she didn't care. Lord Nathaniel felt his heart race once the human girl placed her soft head on his shoulder, he became completely stiff, afraid that any movement would wake her up. He too closed his eyes, listening to her heart beating softly in her chest.
He wanted this moment to never end, but unfortunately not too long after the carriage had eventually arrived at the castle. He groaned to himself once the carriage stopped, quickly snapping his mouth shut and checking if the girl was still asleep. As the driver opened the carriage door, Nathaniel shot him a glare warning him not to wake her up. The driver quickly understood, leaving the door open as he carefully retreated allowing them to step out.
As slowly as possible, Nathaniel shifted in his seat and placed his right arm under her legs while the other one was placed behind her back. Humans were fragile beings, but he had to be extra careful with this one. He had to be gentle and slow as if handling the delicate wings of a butterfly.
The girl murmured quietly as he stood up, grabbing onto his collar for support. She was still slightly awake, but Nathaniel still didn't want to disturb her. Now carrying her in his arms, he began to walk inside the castle and up the carpeted staircase.
He pushed open her bedroom door with his elbow, walking to her bed and bending down slowly to place her onto the soft mattress . It was a cold night, so he pulled out the blanket from underneath and tucked her in. Once he was done, he watched her for a few seconds before leaning down again and planting a tender kiss on her smooth forehead.
"Goodnight Olivia." He spoke softly as stroked her hair.
He stood up, ready to now leave but was stopped when he felt something grab his hand. He raised an eyebrow as he turned around to see Olivia with her eyes still closed. She gave a lopsided smile as she wrapped both her hands around his arm, snuggling against him as Lord Nathaniel smiled in amusement. He sat down on the edge of her bed facing her as she continued holding onto him.
"Thank you for dinner." She spoke drowsily as she opened her eyes slightly and grinned at him. "I like it when it's just you and me."
Nathaniel pursed his lips upon hearing her words, unable to contain the sheer happiness they brought him. His smile soon faded once he remembered that Olivia was drunk, she didn't know what she was saying nor could she mean it. Sincere or not, he leaned in closer to her.
"Me too."
He stroked her hair for a few seconds before standing up to leave, assuming that was all she had to say. However, that was not the case as she still held onto him preventing him from leaving.
She looked up at him, still lying in her bed as she pouted out her lips childishly. He frowned seeing her now changed expression. What could she possibly be sad about?
"Why didn't you tell me your cousin and uncle were coming to the castle today?"
His expression hardened once she spoke. His uncle had informed him a few days prior that they would be visiting for a quick meeting, and after what happened at the midwinter ball he had to ensure they wouldn't see Olivia at the castle again.
"Who told you that?" He furrowed.
"You were with Lady Sophia." She sulked as she let go of his arm, completely ignoring his question.
He invited Lady Sophia, so his uncle wouldn't be suspicious of the human girl and their relationship. Nathaniel had even given strict orders to the castle staff to make sure she was not aware of this, he even made Louis responsible for keeping her away from them and distracting her the whole day. He would make sure to find and punish who was the cause of this slip-up.
"Why wasn't I invited?" She turned away from him, now lying on her side.
"It's best you stay away from my family." He muttered sadly.
He wasn't sure if she heard what he said, or if she was even listening, but either way, she wouldn't nor would she ever understand that he was simply trying to protect her.
Although Olivia was still hurt, she changed the topic as a smile crept onto her face.
"I also talked to your cousin Sebastian again!" She said in drunken enthusiasm.
His eyes widened as the veins from his neck became prominent.
"You did what?" Nathaniel growled as he tightened his fists.
His reaction did not frighten Olivia, in fact when she turned to see him fuming with anger she broke into uncontrollable laughter. Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, although he was still enraged the girl's behaviour left him puzzled.
"You look funny when you're angry." She chuckled as she placed her hand over her mouth.
That was certainly the first time anyone had told him that, but regardless he brushed it off.
"Olivia tell me what happened right now." He demanded.
Olivia didn't reply, instead, she placed her hand under her head and slowly began to close her eyes. Nathaniel was starting to become impatient, he warned her about Sebastian and here she was smiling about it.
He shook her shoulder trying to wake her up but the girl was completely asleep.
"Unbelievable." He whispered to himself in disbelief.
A devious smirk then grew on his face.
"Fine, I'll let you sleep, but tomorrow you're going to have to do a lot of explaining sweetheart."
***
The next morning Olivia woke up feeling rather strange, the effects of alcohol had worn off but she did have a slight headache. After taking a quick refreshing shower, she then started to head downstairs to find Louis. She hadn't seen him since yesterday, and although she didn't remember much of last night she still wanted to catch up with him.
She froze once she reached the grand staircase, there she saw Louis and The Lord engaged in a conversation. Louis was the first to notice her presence, when he turned to her he frowned which she found to be unusual. Nathaniel then turned to her, his face remaining emotionless.
"Oh good, you're awake." He spoke casually. "I need to talk to you."
Although he seemed calm, it only worried her more as his calmness was only unsettling. She fiddled with her hands as she walked down the stairs and followed him. She looked behind to see Louis grimace.
"Good Luck" He mouthed in silence.
The Lord stopped as they turned a corner, crossing his arms as he turned around to face her. He wasted no time, immediately cutting to the chase.
"Who told you my cousin was in the castle yesterday?"
Olivia bit her lip nervously, she had hoped it was anything else but this. Of course, in this situation, she had no other choice than to tell the truth as even the slightest of lies would be caught by him.
"Nobody told me... I bumped into him in a corridor." She replied.
"Did you talk to him?"
"Only for a short while."
Nathaniel was beyond pissed, clenching his jaw tightly at her words. It seemed like every time he told her not to do something she would do it. He let out an exasperated sigh before speaking.
"Olivia I told you not to talk to him."
"I know." She quickly defended herself. "I didn't mean to! I just bumped into him and I had no idea he would be here."
She looked at him pleadingly, hoping he would understand. His shoulders relaxed as his face softened, and she took this as a good sign.
"It's alright It's not your fault." He reassured her.
She smiled in relief.
"What did you talk to him about?" He crossed his arms as he raised an eyebrow curiously.
If she told him the truth, how she told Sebastian she believed he was innocent, she knew he wouldn't exactly be happy about it. She told herself to tell nothing but the truth, but maybe just this once if she kept a straight face she could get away with it.
"Not much, we just said hello and that was it."
He narrowed his eyes, observing her carefully as she took deep breathes trying to stay as relaxed as possible.
"It still could've been dangerous, Sebastion is sick in the head and he could've easily hurt you."
She felt sick to her stomach, simply imagining herself dying the way that poor girl Amelia did. The Lord felt guilty for scaring her, but he had to make sure she knew that his cousin wasn't someone to be trusted.
"I'll make sure something like this won't happen ever again." He spoke as he looked sideways.
She chewed on her bottom lip, keeping her gaze on the floor.
"You can go now."
She let out a sigh of relief, quickly walking out of that hallway. She did not look back, but she could still feel his gaze watching her.
"Oh god, what if he knows I lied to him." She whispered under her breath.
It was only one small and harmless lie, yet it was already starting to eat away at her.
Entering the kitchen, she sat at the table where she would usually be served breakfast every morning. Louis was also in the kitchen, but she paid no attention to him. As she sat, she inhaled deep breathes to try and calm herself down.
"I see you've survived Nathan's wrath again, what did you tell him this time?" Louis asked.
"Nothing, because I did nothing wrong."
"Well, that's awfully boring."
She did not respond, staying silent as she waited for her food.
When Olivia's aunt was murdered, she was buried in a nearby graveyard not too far from Lord Nathaniel's castle. Since Aunt Caroline's death, Olivia couldn't bring herself to visit her grave. It was simply too painful, every time she thought about it she would break down into tears.
Today would be different, after all, it was Aunt Caroline's birthday and she would feel guilty for not visiting. Olivia asked her brother Anthony if he would go with her, and they agreed to meet at dusk to walk to the grave site together.
Of course, they would need permission from Lord Nathaniel before they could go. Although he said it was dangerous for her to leave the castle, she hoped he would make an exception for her dead aunt. She asked her brother if he could be the one to ask The Lord for permission, and he agreed with no questions.
Fortunately, Lord Nathaniel said yes and so she and her brother got dressed and prepared themselves to leave the castle. Before departing, Olivia carefully picked a few flowers from the garden to put on her aunt's grave. Once they met at the entrance of the castle, Olivia and Anthony strolled along the path that lead to the grave.
They eventually arrive after a five-minute walk, and Olivia was trying her best to contain her tears. She had to be strong, at least for her aunt. Placing the bundle of freshly cut roses onto the grave, Olivia smiled sadly.
"Here you go Aunt Caroline, I know how much you liked roses." She muttered, breaking down into tears at the end of her sentence.
Anthony stood next to her with his arm wrapped around to comfort her as he frowned at their aunt's grave.
They stood there for some time, Olivia crying silently as she wiped her face with her sleeve. Anthony too was saddened by the absence of their aunt, but since he was a human turned vampire his emotions were more concealed now. The melancholic sky darkened as the clouds began to huddle, an obvious harbinger for an inevitable storm.
"Let's go back now before it rains."
They began to rush back to the castle as droplets of water began to fall from the gloomy sky, slowly becoming bigger and more intense. Once they were indoors, the rain had transformed into a tempestuous storm as the wind eddied in the sky.
The wind growled in fury as a sudden bolt of lightning cracked, illuminating the dark clouds. The flash was followed by a late thunderous roar, catching Olivia off guard as she flinched in her seat.
Anthony had to leave to attend to some matters, and she was now alone as she sat in the lounge area. She was sitting on a velvet couch, holding onto her knees nervously next to a warm fireplace as she listened to the rain.
"Looks like it's going to be a long night." The Lord spoke as he leaned on a window sill casually.
She was startled by his voice, originally thinking she was the only one present in the room. Olivia got up from the couch, on the table were a bunch of leftover roses that she picked for her aunt's grave. Not wanting such beautiful flowers to go to waste, she grabbed them to go place them in a fresh vase before they would start withering away.
She felt a sharp prick, causing her to jerk her hand and lose grip of the flowers. She winced at the sudden pain as she looked down to see blood dripping down from her finger, creating a small pool of blood next to the roses that were now on the floor. Quickly turning around, the girl was about to go get a paper towel but stopped when she saw a familiar figure.
Lord Nathaniel was stood right in front of her. His eyes were different, his irises were a much darker shade of red, almost completely black, and his pupils had dilated. She was about to hide her hand behind her back, but as if he read her mind he grabbed her wrist.
She bit her lip anxiously and looked up to meet his eyes, but they were not looking back at her, instead, they were transfixed by the blood on her finger as he stood completely still. Her eyes widened in horror, she was stuck in a room with a vampire and she was bleeding.
Her fear began to intensify, he wasn't letting go of her arm and he seemed to be completely entranced by her wound. He wasn't himself, she wanted to run for it but was afraid it would only trigger his predatory instincts.
She held her breath as he pulled her hand to his mouth, parting his lips as he placed her finger in his mouth. She watched with unblinking eyes, her face flushing as she felt his tongue on her finger. After what felt like an eternity for Olivia, he finally pulled away and she was shocked to see that the cut on her finger was completely gone.
"Don't you know better than to bleed in front of a vampire?" He scowled as he wiped his mouth with his thumb.
"I-I'm sorry I-I didn't notice the thorns." She stuttered, still confused by what had just happened.
"Of course you didn't."
She chewed on her bottom lip in embarrassment, why did she always have to be such a klutz? Olivia let out a quiet squeal as a large lightning bolt blasted right outside the window, lighting up the entire room for a few seconds. A low grumble from the sky followed, causing the floor to rumble Olivia quivered in fear. Nathaniel did not flinch the entire time, he instead seemed concerned.
"Afraid of thunder?" He raised an eyebrow watching as her face grew pale.
She nodded timidly keeping her gaze on the floor.
"You have nothing to be afraid of, you're perfectly safe here." He spoke as he pulled the curtains to cover the large windows.
As he did, Olivia picked up the roses from the floor, making sure not to touch the thorns this time. She bundled them up and placed them in an empty vase that was sat on the fireplace.
"I'm hosting another ball in a few days."
Olivia froze as she listened with intent.
"Other Lords will be there, luckily my cousin Sebastian won't be attending."
She watched the flames dance in the fireplace, feeling a presence next to her.
"I want you to be there, as my plus one." He spoke, now standing by her side as he watched the fireplace with her.
Her brows drew together, turning to look up at him. The last ball she attended made him angry, she thought it was clear he didn't want her to attend such events anymore.
"Are you being serious?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" He frowned as he looked back at her.
"Well..." She began. "After The Midwinter Ball, I thought you made it clear you didn't want me to be attending any formal balls."
She looked away from him, trying to hide her dejected face.
"I'm sorry If I left that impression on you." He said guiltily. "I promise you'll be welcome at this one, and there will be fewer guests."
Now facing him, she gave a forced smile.
"The offer sounds wonderful Nathan, it really does but... I think it would be best if you take someone else like Lady Sophia instead."
He opened his mouth to speak but she continued speaking.
"I don't think The Lords and Ladies there will be too happy seeing a human attending the same ball as them."
"Olivia I want you to be there." He placed his hand on her shoulder, enunciating the "you".
"Everything else I'll handle, I promise it will be fun."
She felt giddy as her face flushed a bright red, feeling her heart flutter as he spoke. His words made her heart melt with delight, knowing that he wanted her to attend and not Lady Sophia. Was he implying he preferred her company? She was nowhere as beautiful as Lady Sophia, perhaps he was only inviting her because she had other plans.
She had forgotten they were in the middle of a conversation, she was so caught up in her own thoughts she felt embarrassed when she was brought back to reality. They were standing dangerously close to each other, the tension was so thick you could practically cut it with a knife.
The girl cleared her throat nervously before she spoke. "Then I shall go."
He grinned, showing a glimpse of his pearly white fangs as his entire face lit up with joy.
"Great, the ball will be in 3 days."