Chapter 29

That night, Wivior came into Elvira's dream again. It was an erotic dream and was even dirtier than the previous one.

In that dream, she entered his bed chambers with only a thin silk sheet wrapped around her body. She found him lying on his bed, wearing nothing at all. A wave of excitement hit her when she laid her eyes on his bare body. The fashionable clothes he usually wore couldn't do justice to what was underneath it.

Upon noticing her arrival, he stood on his feet and walked towards her. He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her with his strong arms. He quickly carried her to the bed, and once she was on it, he ripped her clothes, further exciting her. 

They held each other skin to skin in bed. Elvira could feel every warm part of him pressed against her body, and she dug her fingers into his sturdy, muscular back. At first, Wivior looked at her with shock, but she didn't stop because she could no longer hold her desires.

The shock on Wivior's face turned into a mischievous smile, and the next moment, he covered her mouth with a passionate kiss.

"Lady Elvira!" she heard a voice accompanied by loud knocking. Upon opening her eyes, she was still under the illusion that Wivior was locking lips with her.

"It was only a dream!" Elvira said out loud.

She covered her chest with her arms and sighed. "Thank goodness I didn't go through all that. It would have been a terrible mistake!"

"Lady Elvira," yelled Jasper again. "Prince Wivior wants you to get dressed and come see him outside in the courtyard as soon as possible."

"Okay," Elvira shouted back.

"And he has asked you to dress in ordinary attire that won't catch people's eyes." Jasper's voice trembled like he was on the verge of crying.

Elvira hadn't even processed her erotic dream about Wivior yet, so she ignored Jasper's sentimental voice and got up to get dressed. She picked out an everyday brown and white dress and went outside after putting it on.

In the corridor, she found Jasper staring at a wall. His eyes were moist, as expected.

"Jasper." Elvira put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Jasper turned away upon hearing her voice and wiped his tears off with a sleeve before turning around with a freaky plastic grin. "I am good. Why? Don't I look okay?"

"I thought you were upset because I am about to leave," she said.

"Yes, I am!" His smile disappeared, his lips quivered, and his eyes filled with tears again. "I can't believe you're leaving! You're the nicest person in the castle. You're even nicer than Prince Wivior. How am I supposed to survive in this hellhole all by myself?"

She never imagined that her departure from the castle would affect him that much. However, he was young and wore his heart on his sleeve. Their short-lived friendship meant more to him than it did to her.

"Jasper," began Elvira. "You are a brave man. And I believe in you. Just remind yourself every single day and try conversing with other people. They might not be as sensitive as you, but I am sure no one here is out to get you."

"Okay," said Jasper. "But promise me we shall meet again."

Elvira dropped her gaze. "You know I can't make that promise because I don't even know if I'll survive." She knew it was her last few moments with Jasper because it would be unwise to see him again.

"I know you would survive; I have faith in that. I won't make you promise, but can I at least get a goodbye hug?" Jasper requested with puppy dog eyes.

"Sure!" as soon as that word escaped her mouth, Jasper hugged her tightly. It was the most painful hug because it felt like even her insides were getting squeezed by the pressure he was exerting on her externally. Even though the parting hug was awful, she knew he at least meant well.

"You have always believed in me," said Jasper after freeing her from his grip. "You are a good person, you know. And I believe only good things will happen to you from now on." He pulled out a small, reddish-brown pouch and handed it to her, "I think you need this more than I do."

"What is this?" asked Elvira after briefly looking at the old ordinary pouch.

"It's something to keep you safe if you ever get attacked by a witch or spirit. My mother gave this to me when I left home. She knows I am a coward, and I need some extra protection. Now, you need this more than I do. No one ever lets me leave the castle anyway," Jasper answered.

Elvira was a bit touched by that sweet gesture. "I can't take this. Do you even have more than one?"

"No, this is the only one. But please take this as a token of our friendship," Jasper insisted.

Elvira took the pouch in her hand and thanked him for it. She liked Jasper and would've taken him under her wing to teach him a thing or two if they belonged to the same species.

After that, Jasper escorted her to the courtyard, where Wivior was already present. He left as soon as the prince noticed them, leaving them both alone in that courtyard where they locked eyes in silence.

While maintaining a deep and mesmerizing gaze, Wivior walked towards her. He was dressed in an ordinary brown leather tunic but still looked equally handsome as he did in his princely attire. The sky was dim as there was still time till sunrise.

Elvira was ashamed of herself for finding him attractive. She straightened and calmed herself when she realized he didn't know that.

"Who would have known that even a plain brown dress would dazzle on someone as breathtakingly gorgeous as you," Wivior complimented her.

Elvira dropped her gaze. He had been openly flirting with her for a week, but she still wasn't sure how to respond to such remarks.

"Thanks. Do we need to leave now?" Elvira's voice had no enthusiasm.

"Yes, we need to leave soon. We can have breakfast on the way, or if you're too hungry, we can have it now," Wivior replied.

"I can wait. I am not hungry."

His eyes were fixed on her as if he were trying to read her mind. "So, did you sleep well?"

"Yes, and you?" she asked.

"The best in quite some time," he answered.

"Did you dream about something interesting? Was I in your dream?" Wivior flashed a pearly white smile.

Elvira coughed loudly. How could he possibly guess something like that? Did he use magic to enter her dream world? She wasn't even sure if a wizard could do that to a witch.

"No! Why would you say something like that?!" Elvira exclaimed.

"No reason." Wivior appeared surprised by her overreaction. "I don't know how you would feel about this, but you came into my dream tonight."

"What did you see?" Elvira asked impatiently.

"I would rather not say," he replied with a coy smile.

"Why not?" 

"For the same reason, you don't want to tell me what you saw in the dream you had of me," came his witty reply.

"You're getting it wrong, Wivior! My dream was nothing like you're imagining it to be," said Elvira.

Wivior roared with laughter. "You know, the more you defend it, the more it will make me think it was a special dream about me."

It was not funny! Elvira wanted to put an end to that conversation. She couldn't share her erotic dream with him!

"Elvira," began Wivior, dropping his flirty tone. "If it makes you this uncomfortable, I'll stop. I can see that you're shy. So I won't tell you more about the dream. However, if you ever want to say something, say it. Don't hide your feelings, thinking I would find anything you have to say inappropriate. I haven't said this before, but now I am dying to know what you think of me."

What could Elvira possibly say? That she was attracted to him but couldn't do anything about it because she was a witch! If Wivior knew how bitter her truth was, he wouldn't be full of smiles for her!

"I like you as a person, Wivior," said Elvira, and his face lit up with a charming, dimpled grin. "But I can't say anything. You know I have been so sick for the past two weeks. I am in no state to decide or declare anything. I hope you understand my situation."

"Of course," said Wivior. His voice and expressions were neutral. "Don't worry about it. That's what we're going for today."

"How long would the treatment take?" Elvira asked.

"Doctor Oliver healed a friend of mine in a month."

"Isn't the time too long? Would you be able to stay away from work for so long? Would I even get healed in a month?" she asked.

"Elvira, I am sure we'll find a cure for you soon." Wivior's voice was tender, and his wide gray eyes were staring back at her with such affection. "Don't worry about me. I won't return to work until you are free of this curse. Your well-being is my top priority, and I will do anything to save you. I give you my word."

His words gave her so much hope. His presence made her feel like that of a loved one. If things continued like that, she doubted her capacity to maintain self-control. In a month, her heart could be in deep trouble!