Marry me

"It's just a joke, my lady. Don't take it too seriously." Her blatant reaction made Theodore want to tease her continuously. She took his joke seriously, and that was too ... cute. The urge to mess up with her until she cried with brightly flushed cheeks was so strong that it was quite hard to hold himself back.

"So, your answer?" His deep gaze was cornering her to the edge.

A moment of silence took over as Lea had to deal with her accelerated heartbeat.

"You want me to keep you company?" She tilted her head slightly to the side as her eyes showed confusion that jumbled up with excitement.

"Yes, my lady. Are you willing to become my partner throughout the festival?" His deep and mesmerising voice was seductively convincing that she didn't dare to turn him down, but she didn't want to act foolishly by not confirming who he was.

"Should I? But I don't want to. We barely met and I don't know who you are. What if you are part of the organisation who gather women for slavery?" Of course it was just an excuse to know the identity of the young man and to make sure that he wasn't a criminal.

Despite the fact that he had a heavenly face, he was a dangerous man who could do something to her easily, so she needed a guarantee that she would come back intact without losing limbs.

"It makes sense." Theo nodded with a serious face, a deep crease was on his forehead as he racked his brains out on how to overcome this matter. "Then ... " He rummaged through his pants and took out a brooch with the crest of House Argyll, one of the most powerful noble families in Rowedna. "What about this? Duke Campbell is ... you could say, my guardian. If something bad happens to you, bring this brooch to him and name your price. He would definitely compensate you fairly and even bring me to court if necessary."

She blinked in utter shock. Duke Campbell was famous and known as a war hero and the right-hand man of the King of Rowedna. Most of the citizens knew that because the king himself had declared it on the day he ascended to the throne, and he always repeated it every year on the coronation day. That's why it was engraved on the citizens' minds.

"Ah ... and let me introduce myself. I'm Theodore, his distant relative. I'm also part of House Argyll."

She didn't see this coming. She had guessed that he might be a noble, but to think that he was a relative from a famous noble family ... she was at a loss for words. The brooch itself was a solid guarantee and she didn't have to ask further.

"What about you, my lady? May I know your name?" He attentively waited for her response.

"I ... my name's Lea," she replied with a very sweet and soft voice. She was a bit hesitant because he might know her ...

"You've got a lovely name. As lovely as you." But it turned out he didn't.

The way he flattered her was so smooth and natural as taking a breath on a day the flower bloomed. It felt refreshing, but not to the point of exaggerating, yet it still made her heart pounding loudly.

"I hope we get along well, Lea."

That smile ... that smile was a crime! She couldn't help but fall for his face deeply.

"Here, take this." He gently took her delicate hand and handed the brooch. She could feel the heat coming from his big hands that caressed on her skin. It was just a moment, but the tingling sensation remained even after they parted away.

"Before we take a stroll around the area of the festival, may I ask you something, my lady?"

Theo led Lea to sit on a bulky tree trunk shaped into an artistic chair that the craftsman put her heart into. They sat side by side comfortably, facing to the east where people were bustling back and forth, enjoying the festival to their heart's content. The night sky was so clear that Lea could see the bright silverish moon distinctly. It felt like it gave her its blessing to spend time with him longer.

"What do you want to ask? Umm ... and you don't have to address me as a lady. As you could see, I'm a ... commoner. Just called me Lea," she responded as she glanced at him.

"Hm? It's about the vampires. Why do you want to meet them so badly, Lady Lea?" He brushed off her wish to address her without courtesy. He even called her lady Lea intentionally so she couldn't ask more when he wasn't willing to do so.

"I believe ... I've never said that." She was contemplating whether or not she had said something like that, and she was sure she never mentioned wanting to meet a vampire so badly.

"Yes, but your behaviour ... I believe action speaks louder than words, lady Lea." He laughed softly when he saw her cheeks had turned like peaches. It was truly lovable as he felt so satisfied that he was the one who could make her react like that.

"You're ... mocking me." She complained as she pouted. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that her deed of following Theo was indecently improper to the point where she wanted to dig a hole.

He could have reported her to the knights on duty instead of dealing her with himself, but he chose not to. She was grateful for that, really, because it would put her into trouble if he did otherwise. He was a wise man, luckily.

"I'm just curious, my lady."

She dwelled on whether she would say it. "In the stories, they were described as affectionate creatures and the women who had been kidnapped by them said so." She explained slowly, hoping that he wouldn't mock her again and he could understand her even just a bit. "They are also good-looking and gentle and favourable," she added excitedly.

"Why are you sure about that?"

There was no sign of mockery in his eyes when she excessively praised the vampires which made her breath a sigh of relief under her breath. It seemed that he asked purely out of curiosity. "Because I've met them ... twice and even been friends with them." She unconsciously touched the nook of her neck and caressed it lightly.

He was aware of that slight movement as a faint delightful smile playfully curved on his lips.

"I see, but I heard vampires are a sickly shade of white and have scarlet blood eyes so why do you think I'm one of them?" It was true that he had not a slight resemblance to a vampire when it came to his skin and eyes. He had fair skin, but not as white as it looked like a corpse and his eyes ... It had beautiful jade-coloured eyes as if a forest resided in it.

She was lost for words - again. Except for his godly and stunning beauty, would he believe her if she said that the aura around him is a bit similar to vampires? She bet he wouldn't. It was a ridiculous statement.

"Your beauty is peerless to any human I have met." It sounded so sincere, even though she said it with a straight face.

Hearing those praise, he couldn't hide his joy that was spread on his eyes to his face. "So, it means that you want me to kidnap you as a bride?"

She stammered over his conclusion of their talk. Her mind was in chaos while he was grinning deviously. She still hadn't grasped the whole thing as he added something more thunderstruck than before.

"Do you want to be my wife, Lady Lea?"

***