27 Maunir's Castle I

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JeonJa

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The first thing I felt before fully arising for the day was warmth, a tenderness in the air I had not felt in a long time. And my body was relaxed, no pain, no remorse, no hurt, no damage, I was fully revitalized, somehow.

Shifting, I felt the silky sheets rubbing against my bare skin, it felt kind of arousing, since the scent surrounding me was a mix of musk and spice, my strange visitor's trademark.

I felt myself flush just thinking about him, my Michi. His eyes and his hands had been all over me, tracing my every curve with adoration and lust. A heavy combination.

But with that thought, a sudden dread mixed into my happiness. What if he had just left me, what if I was just another victim of his, I didn't know him and had yet to know his real name.

I knew Michi wasn't what he was called, he had just decided that on whim.

Opening my eyes, I turned slightly to see the empty space next to me; splaying my hands over it, I could still feel the warmth on it, so I concluded he had left me just a while back. Although, it would have been better if he had waited for me to wake up first.

Sighing, I looked around the bright room to just be sure about it, and I wasn't let down, my instinct was right, he had left me. And that wasn't a good sign. Not at all.

A rush of emotions pushed on me, like 'Was I not good enough?', 'Was I too arrogant?', 'Did I hurt him somehow?', 'Was he just playing with me?'

There was no way to deny the fact that he did seemed suspicious, it was blatant enough even to my nonplussed state. But then I decided to ignore that little fact.

I didn't love him yet, I couldn't, so what was I fussing about? It was a romantic get-together, I concluded, and nothing else…

Who was I kidding... I was drawn to him without doubt, and that was since the minute I first saw him. There was something about him that attracted me towards him, like a moth to the flames. And whatever it was, I wanted to find it out, even if the flames ended up burned me.

What we did yesterday hadn't went too far, I was still a virgin, but neither had he marked me. And he had seen me naked up close, touched me as if I was his property, his eyes had told me how much he was involved in it... just like me.

Sitting up on my bed, I looked at the refreshing scene outside through the slightly parted windows, with a dilemma debating inside my head. Whether to avoid him from now or just let it be as it was. And both were a difficult option to choose from.

Avoiding him would only hurt me emotionally and not avoiding him would also, since the emotions he evoked in me were scary, plain dangerous to approach. It brought back the suppressed memories of my dead family, and my guilt over it that I was not able to completely eradicate.

Rubbing my face with my palms, I stood up and looked down at my body, it was unmarked and healed. Not even a hickey covered my neck or chest. Well I was a werewolf hybrid, from a race which had superior healing abilities, so it wasn't a shock to see myself this flawless, but I pondered if it wasn't just me who did the healing... anyway, I walked to the bathroom to get ready, my stomach was calling out to food again, I knew I had skipped dinner yesterday, I had been too busy to sit and eat.

I did remember waking up in the middle of the night, my nightmare doing a good job, I had felt restless, but then soft hands started combing my hair gently. I had also heard a lullaby being sung to me, thought I don't remember it much. The affection with which Michi had treated me during one of my nightmares had melted me further, inspiring sleep to consume me again.

I smiled now, wondering if that wasn't just a dream but reality.

I didn't know what to think of this situation, it was confusing and too delicate to just decide upon. Time was what it needed, because with time, a lot of things could go wrong, or maybe change for the good...?

After a while I was ready to go, wearing a loose pine green shirt and black trousers. It was the only set that fit me, the rest were either too small or too big. And from the smell of it I could point out which set belonged to whom if I got to meet its owner. They were all loaned clothes, borrowed from the occupants who currently must occupy the house.

And I decided that my size must be a problem, since I was visiting this place for the first time.

Because seeing the expensive interior, I knew the owner wouldn't just give me borrowed clothes, he would at least buy me something better. And from the looks of it I was in some kind of a palace like Wang's, so my theory was well rested.

Whatever. It was a good thing it kept me away from thinking about Michi too much, I had enough to think about anyway.

Like, where the heck was I? At Min's?

Had to see.

So leaving my room I walked out to find myself in a hallway, with several doors on three sides and a set of windows on one, mine was just one of the many doorways.

The hallway didn't have much of a clutter around or neither any such decorative pieces, it only held a very low hanging chandelier and a good amount of intricate carvings and lacing on the walls and arched ceiling.

Soft light from the windows highlighted the floored tiles, stating that it was an old building, probably bought a century back.

My fair share of travels had taught me the value of time and art. I could easily tell which work was from where or when, it was a silent hobby of mine. I liked to appreciate such creativity.

My footsteps echoed as I walked out the hall, opening the giant heavy door to make way for another section to explore.

It was a huge gathering space, filled with sittings and fireplaces. But no one was around it for me to talk to, it was all too peaceful.

Even with my sharper hearing ability, I couldn't hear a thing. Had they gone somewhere.

It took me a while but I did find my way around the gathering hall, going next to a beautiful room filled with a long dining table and heavy chandeliers.

Just by looking at the curtain I could see how much it would have cost, must be more than a town's total net worth.

"Talk about being rich, this palace is very old."

Time passed and I roamed around the huge space not seeing anyone. Not even maids or butlers were around. What was going on?

Down the stairs I reached the small back entrance and decided to look around outside.

I was just very curious to see where exactly I was.

Reaching outside I set myself on the trimmed lawn and was left speechless to see a huge castle sitting right up in front of the hilly range covered with thick woods. The castle had slanted roof and grey stone walls which made its frame.

It was a very interesting specimen to see. A work of brilliance.

Wondering where the rest could be, I took my time to search for them, and saw a big arena kind of structural magnificence just behind the castle, between the hilly range of woods and the castle yard.

It looked very old and very run down, like it would crumble anytime, but I knew better. Structures like these looked old but had a rather strong foundation and joinery details. Thus it was safe to go inside. And even from far I could hear the loud shouts and calls, as if a gladiator's trial had been set.

Well it was an arena, so gladiators might really be there.

Good luck JeonJa, I encouraged myself and entered the arena confidently, crossing the columns and the rubble. I could smell the scent of fresh blood in the air and I hoped someone wasn't dying, it would make my day even more questionable.

Finally reaching the opening, I found myself staring at a huge arena with an open amphitheater surrounded by shallow siting arrangement.