“If my words offended Your Highness, I apologize,” Alora stated, keeping a respectful distance between them.
Magnus gently drew her closer by taking her hand, their faces coming closer together. “I’m not inclined to forgive you this time. Please me, and only then will I consider forgiving you,” he whispered, his breath brushing against her lips.
Alora’s throat tightened as her eyelids fluttered nervously.
“How can I do that?” Alora mumbled and she averted her gaze from him.
Magnus used his index finger to pull her chin in his direction. “Kiss me,” he said.
“What?” Instantly Alora’s eyes widened and she refused by shaking her head. “How could Your Highness demand something like that?” Her heart pounded against her chest in nervousness.
“Your cheeks are flushed red,” Magnus said.
Alora touched her cheeks instantly. “No, they aren’t. Your Highness shan’t lie,” she murmured and promptly moved away from him.
Magnus smiled to see her reaction. He leaned closer to her and rested his chin on her shoulder. Alora tightly clutched her dress when she felt his long, cold fingers brushing her neck. “The blood in your veins is inviting me,” he whispered in her ear.
“But His Highness said that he doesn’t wish to drink from me anymore,” Alora said while gathering her courage.
“Yes, I did,” Magnus accepted. “I told the reason too,” he added.
“Cecilia said that Your Highness reached late at the palace because you were drinking someone’s blood,” Alora stated.
“Yes, but my thirst is still not quenched,” Magnus replied. His fingers were still caressing Alora’s neck. “Your heart… I can hear its beats,” he whispered in her ear.
Alora quickly turned to him. Using her hands on his chest, she pushed him away without fearing the consequences. “Don’t do that. It’s wrong,” she said with lots of courage.
“What did I do?” Magnus amusedly inquired.
“Your Highness is suddenly acting strange. It’s not what I think of him,” Alora said.
“And what have you thought of me?” Magnus questioned with a grin.
For Alora, it was difficult to say it aloud. She lowered her gaze while fiddling with her fingers. “I’ve never been close to any man. And it’s not good. I hope Your Highness understands me,” she stated.
“I didn’t understand what you said,” Magnus acted naive this time.
Alora lifted her eyes and bit her bottom lip. “Good night, Your Highness,” she said.
Alora was pulled by her arm this time. Magnus’s red eyes lingered on her lips. “I don’t wish to let you go now. Stay here,” Magnus said. “You said you liked talking with me. And for some reason, I love hearing your innocent talks,” he remarked and flicked her forehead before reclining on the sofa.
“Your Highness, do you not miss your family?” Alora asked a question which brought a frown on his forehead. “I heard you’ve been living for a long time. You must have witnessed a lot of things during this period,” she said with inquisitiveness.
“Yes, I don’t miss my family,” Magnus truthfully answered her.
“Why?” Alora queried.
“What do you mean by why? If you live a long life, you usually don’t care,” Magnus stated.
“Oh. It must be tiring for living so long,” Alora said.
“Tiring!?” Magnus chuckled at her statement. “It’s kind of fun,” he asserted.
“How can it be fun? You never grow old. You cannot for relationship with anyone. You are supposed to live alone for a long duration,” Alora explained. “I suddenly got another question for Your Highness,” she said with a curious gaze.
“Hmm?”
“Why did His Highness not get married yet?” Alora questioned.
“Because I didn’t find anyone attractive,” Magnus replied.
“That’s a lie,” Alora said while squinting her eyes. “Our Kingdom has a lots of beautiful women,” she said. Her eyes fell upon a portrait, which was of Magnus. “Was that recently commissioned?”
She quickly left the sofa and went toward it. Her head raised high as she found the portrait to be real. “Your Highness truly exudes the regal aura,” Alora remarked.
“That was made around hundred of years ago. I have lost my interest in commissioning my portraits,” Magnus informed her.
She tilted her head in astonishment as Magnus was standing next to her. “Because my mother insisted, I had to do sit for hours for this,” he muttered, recalling the memory.
“His Highness hasn’t aged at all in these hundred years,” Alora said with an admiration for him. “It seems this portrait was commissioned a few days back,” she stated. The beautiful smile graced on her lips made her look enchanting.
“If not for the blindfold, I’m sure men would have been crazy to be with you,” Magnus suddenly remarked.
Alora looked puzzled to hear his statement. “What does His Highness mean?” she inquired.
“You are beautiful,” Magnus answered.
Alora stopped blinking to hear him for a moment. Apart from her mother, she never heard such a compliment from anyone. When his fingers flicked in front of her eyes, Alora finally blinked.
From the pad of his finger he traced Alora’s face and stopped it under her chin. “Because you are beautiful, you have such eyes, I believe,” he said in a low voice.
Alora’s fingers curled as a strange engulfed her. A feeling she never experienced before. She kept staring into the Prince’s eyes since she wanted to hear more from him.
His hand were now on his head as he patted it. “Beautiful people are always blessed with something special, so you are.” Magnus smiled a little and noticed the tears in her eyes.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.