Far from a Fairytale

The silence in the hall was deafening.

After the initial shock, everyone started chattering, wondering why the famous captain of Demon City's guardians was choosing a random dormant man as her mate.

Vince froze. The silver-haired lady wanted him to be her mate, so that meant he would be her husband, right? That's what Fiona had said!

"Are you serious, Raine? You are going to take this…" Scarlett looked at Vince with belittlement and smiled, trailing off as if she didn't want to say the word, "as your mate?"

"I don't see anything wrong with him. Why not?" Raine answered with nonchalance, despite knowing what the vampire was implying.

"Choosing a man as a lady's mate is a higher bid than choosing him as a slave, and it is a rule in the Selection that the gentleman will be given to the lady who picks him as a mate if another lady wants him as a slave. I hope you don't mind me winning against you today, Scarlett."

Raine smiled with eerie coldness, giving Vince chills as he watched her. Earlier, he had admired her ethereal beauty and how she exuded a demure and innocent vibe, but it seemed she wasn't as simple as she appeared.

Raine turned to the announcer, whose lips were parted.

"Do you have anything to say, Kirk?"

Kirk snapped back to reality and offered the lady a cautious smile.

"As you all heard, Lady Raine wants to take Vince Rosen as her mate! As per the rules of the Selection, the gentleman will be given to her. Isn't this great news? I think we can expect a marking ceremony in Demon City soon! Haha!"

Marking ceremony? Vince's forehead creased slightly. Was that their term for a wedding? He internally groaned. How he wished he had the old Vince's memories so he wouldn't look like a newborn fool in this world. It would have helped him a lot.

Scarlett glared at Raine, and though she didn't like it, she accepted her defeat and walked out, feeling the heat of embarrassment rising to her cheeks.

'It was so embarrassing, damnnnnn! That man up there must be looking at me and laughing at me in his mind! Why did I even do that? I only wanted to poke fun at that annoying silver-haired girl! I just want to disappear! I am the pride of Vampire City, why did I even put myself in a situation like that? So foolish!'

Meanwhile, Raine walked toward Vince. She stopped in front of him, and Vince almost took a step back when she reached out for him.

Her soft knuckles caressed his jaw, a gesture that was quick yet sensual. A smile formed on her supple pink lips, which turned into a playful smirk.

"Look at you," she whispered, just loud enough for the two of them to hear, "getting so lucky because of me. Aren't you happy to be chosen as my mate, Mr. Rosen?"

Her voice was sweet and seductive, yet it still sounded innocent.

It was then that Vince realized the silver-haired lady in front of him was dangerous. With their proximity, he could see it in the glint of her eyes. The wickedness was masked by innocence, but upon closer inspection, you could see the danger lurking beneath her sweet facade.

Vince was staring into the woman's eyes when, suddenly, he saw them flicker to red for a second. His lips parted slightly in surprise.

Raine turned to the announcer. "Good job, Kirk. I'll take him out of here now."

Kirk bowed deeply. "Of course, my lady."

Raine looked at Vince, still with a smirk plastered on her face.

"Follow me."

The silver-haired lady walked toward the curtained area beneath the balcony where the city chiefs sat, but Vince didn't follow her right away.

He looked around the hall, searching for the cat with bat wings. Fiona had told him earlier that she would be around the corner. He had so many questions, and he felt like she was the perfect one to answer them. Besides, wasn't she addressing him as her master? That meant she was some sort of servant of his.

'Where on earth is that sassy cat? I have a bad feeling about this silver-haired lady. She looked sane at first glance, but after observing her little gestures, she seems a little less sane than I thought. And those eyes—they turned red, didn't they? Do demon eyes turn red too?'

"Are you just going to stand there like a fool, darling?"

Vince jolted when he heard a cool voice and felt warm breath on his nape.

"Come on, don't make me spend another second here," she whispered coldly, and Vince felt a shiver run down his spine as cold air suddenly enveloped his body.

When he no longer felt the lady's presence behind him, Vince softly hissed and started walking toward where the silver-haired woman had vanished.

'Does she have a dual personality?' Vince couldn't help but wonder. She was very sweet one moment and cold the next.

Outside the hall, Vince found himself walking down a long corridor, a few steps behind the silver-haired lady.

They were just quietly walking until she broke the silence.

"You must feel ecstatic. Do you find it unbelievable that I chose you to be my mate?"

Her voice was relaxed and sweet, as if coated with honey. She didn't look at him, though.

"I bet you do. Anyway, starting today, you'll be living with me in my manor. I'll think about the marking ceremony once I get to know more about you."

Vince's steps halted.

Sensing that he had stopped walking, Raine also stopped.

"Why me?"

The serious question made Raine smirk. She spun on her heel to face the man, who was looking at her with a stoic expression.

"Why you, hmm," she hummed, her eyes narrowing mischievously.

She closed the distance between them. They were the only people in the long corridor.

"It's because I fell in love with you at first sight."

Vince's eyes widened slightly because she said those words with a serious face.

But then, suddenly, she started laughing.

"You didn't expect me to say that, did you?" She shook her head. She had stopped laughing, but a teasing smile remained on her lips. "That's for fairy tale books, but this world is far from a fairy tale, my dear Vince."

Then her smile faded, leaving only wickedness in her eyes.

"I know you are not from this world. You are the person I've been looking for, Vince Rosen."