SOMETHING COLD ON HER LIPS

Darkon had his hand on the armchair when the door opened and Silvarena hurried into the room. 

"Where is the tea?" Asked Darkon as he saw her hurry towards him.

"Something important came up and I had to forfeit that. Where is, Father?"

"He had gone to take a bath," Darkon responded. "What came up?"

"You are going to like it, my Lord. Something that needs your tender attention as a gentleman you're going to be." Silvarena chuckled. "Gabriella and her sister had a serious fight. One that left bruises on their faces. So right now, Gabriella is in the garden having tears in her eyes. I believe it's time to give her a little comfort, one that will melt her heart slowly."

"Exactly, what I want," Darkon muttered, walking straight to the mirror.

Silvarena watched as he adjusted his looks before he gently placed a kiss on her forehead, "I will see you later." Silvarena nodded as she felt the gentle touch of his lips before he departed from her.

As the door closed behind him, she could feel sadness clouding her mind.

Just as Darkon stepped foot into the garden, the air was filled with the gentle breeze, the whispers soft and soothing, carrying the sweet scent of blooming flowers. The leaves rustled softly, their gentle susurration a calming background hum. The temperature was cool, bringing a comfortable respite from the day's warmth.

Staring up ahead, he searched the area with his eyes until his gaze fell on her seated on a bench, the flowers surrounding her grace. 

She looked calm, vulnerable, totally different from what he knew her for. Her hair was now smoothly combed down, falling on her face to her shoulders and the gentle evening breeze getting the taste of her endearing skin. 

She looked too different, too calm, and in no doubt innocent in a way that annoyed him, in the way that made his heart wreck now, striking him with the painful memories, the memories of his loving sister. It had also been in their garden like this where they had sat when Mother came running towards them. 

He could remember the panic in her eyes when she had curdled them, urging them to pray for their father the Demon King who had left for war. In the war, the King of Horndragon had betrayed his friend. The war that wickedness prevailed.

He could remember the argument that morning between his father and mother before he left them and never returned alive.

"Your Majesty, please listen to me. Please trust me, at least for the sake of your children. They still need you, your Majesty, as their King and Father." His mother had gone so far as to use them to persuade their father to retreat from the fight. The King of Horndragon had convinced his father that the war was for peacekeeping.

"Please, Evelyn listen to me. I love you and my children so much and that is why I am doing this. So long as I live, I will never allow anyone to dare hurt you and my children. This sacrifice will be for our benefit. All I ever want is for me to live knowing that my children will grow up safe. That they will grow up in peace. Even if I am no more, I will know that my son will be ascending the throne in good hands. We need peace, Evelyn between the kingdoms. And is only when the kings come together and accept peace will there be peace."

"I understand you, your Majesty, but this is not the perfect time for that. The Kings cannot be trusted. Their heart is still filled with greed, especially King Tristan Gibson, he cannot be trusted."

"I'm sorry wife, but it is too late to retreat now. King Tristan and his kingdom had put his trust in me. They had not betrayed me and I must not betray them." Father had said but never knew what was coming.

Now why does she look so innocent when even their blood flowed with wickedness? Why does she look so innocent when they shed so much innocent blood?

His chest heaved, anger getting the best of him. Darkon knew he was losing it just staring at her calm features, but he must let his anger fade away right now. He took a deep long breath, calming his head, and he began to take a step forward towards her. 

"My...My Lord," Someone suddenly distracted him. He took a quick turn and his eyes landed on a lady holding a wet towel and ice in a bowl. Darkon's brows twitched in question.

"I am Priscilla, Princess Gabriella's handmaid."

Darkon nodded. "I'm Darkon, the Marquess..."

"Oh, don't worry about the introduction. I know you are the Marquess's son, Lord Darkon." She nodded. Priscilla smiled and took a glance at his face. He was truly very handsome. "Oh, it seems you want to talk to the princess?"

Darkon nodded again and saw the lady stare down looking anxious. Strange how his cold demeanour made people feel anxious and scared of themselves. He attempted to come up with something to cover up for his sudden appearance in the garden. "I was just taking a tour around. It's a coincidence I saw the princess here,"

She nodded still wearing the smile on her face. "I will say nature led you to the right place." Said Priscilla as she looked up at the distance where Gabriella was looking up into the sky. An anxious smile appeared on her face. 

"I can see you want to take that to the princess," Darkon said, pointing to what she held.

"Yes, yes," Priscilla said with a vigorous nod.

"Why don't you let me take care of that for you? I'm sure you also have a lot of things to do. Like...laundry?" Darkon spoke gently to the woman.

Hearing this, a smile crept up Priscilla's face, hiding her mischievous smile. "Thank you so much, my Lord." She lowered her head, handing the towel and the bowl over to him. "I need to prepare chamomile tea for her, I will be back in a few minutes." 

Darkon nodded. He could sense the smile she hid as she hurried out. Staring at the towel and bowl in his hand, he turned towards the princess's direction, taking some steps forward again.

Meanwhile, Gabriella was gazing up at the sky. Staring sadly at the sun as it disappeared into the sky and was startled by the abrupt appearance of someone in the garden, prompting her to turn sharply. Her gaze landed on his as he moved gently towards her. Again, his presence suddenly brought chills to her body. Unintentionally, she stood, staring at him with her mouth unconsciously left agape.

"I can see you are alone." He said from the distance. 

Gabriella nodded, watching him move closer.

"Are you alright, my Princess?" He placed the towel and bowl of ice on the bench. "You look sad,"

Gabriella shook her head, "I...I am alright." She stuttered.

"It seems you have forgotten that you cannot lie to me. You could not lie to me when you look sad at that time we were younger, it is not now that you can succeed." 

Gabriella smiled recalling that she was a big failure when it came to lying to him even in their childhood days. "I'm surprised to see you here in the garden. I thought you would be resting after the long journey and the party that followed."

"There will be a lot of time to rest later. For now, I want to be with my friend."

She smiled and then felt his hand on her shoulder as he slowly lowered her back to the bench. "Since we are here, then I will use this opportunity to apologize. I'm sorry I was unable to defend you in front of those people. Your Stepmother and her daughter."

"Stepmother?" Gabriella smirked. "It will sound better when you call her the mistress."

"The mistress," He repeated. "Oh, I think it does sound better," He said, understanding the joke. He made a laugh. She laughed too, as if she was forced to. Yes, she was, because the sadness was still in her heart.

"You don't have to apologize, my Lord." She told him. "Instead I'm grateful,"

"Grateful? Why?"

"Because you caught me when I fell," She said in a low tone making Darkon's gaze fall on her. He didn't know how to reply, so he just nodded, smiled, and looked away.

Gabriella smiled inwardly. It felt as if something flickered in her stomach at the moment. She became quiet too. Her attention stayed fixed on him as he sat next to her. He turned and faced her, took in a deep, refreshing breath in a way that made her smile.

All of a sudden, his hand reached up to her hair, taking her by surprise. 

She caught his hand, stopping his intentions.

"I heard what happened after you left the party. Let me help you. Please." He offered sweetly, almost in a whisper.

 "How did you find out?"

"I felt sad when you left in such a manner. I couldn't help it, I couldn't stay, so I left the party too. I waited to see you but didn't, so I decided to take a tour around, then I met your handmaid surprised to see her with this," He pointed at the ice and towel. "I had to ask her what happened, though it took heavens for her to reveal it to me." He lied.

He reached for her hair again. She allowed him to take the strands backward, revealing the mark of the bruise on her face. Since he knew, there was no point in hiding it anymore. She felt so ashamed of herself allowing him to see that which was caused by a fight with her sister.

Did Vanessa get the chance to speak with him? She wanted to ask. But what would he think if she asked such a question? Oh, she had to forget about it. She swallowed hard instead.

Darkon took the ice from the bowl and wrapped it in the towel. Gently, he began to press it on her face. 

She stayed calm, allowing him to treat her.

His gaze seized her again, those blue hues seemed to capture and reflect in the shimmering of the evening sun rays shining directly at his face. His expression shifted subtly, a hint of his cold demeanour mingling with her nervous, beating heart. He was undeniably handsome.

"I miss my old friend." He suddenly whispered almost close to her ears. At this moment, these soft-spoken words sent a shiver down her spine. 

The breeze suddenly blew, bringing his scent into her nostrils. She felt his thumb brush across her skin as he continued to massage her face with the ice. His eyes swept all over her in a measured inspection, making her skin tingle, and her cheeks flustering red. "There are a lot of stories to share." She stuttered.

Suddenly, he leaned forward, closer to her face, taking her by surprise again.

Gabriella felt her breath cut, her cheeks hot, taken aback as his breath closely fanned her face. 

He was leaning in, so close that she became shocked. She wanted to shift but he instantly captured her face with his hands. "Just stay calm," He whispered and continued to lean in further.

Gabriella wanted to speak yet nothing came out of her mouth. It felt as if his hot breath on her face strangled her words.

She felt hot, bothered, anxious, and... 'Wha–What in the world was he doing?!' She screamed inwardly as she felt something cold touch her lips gently.

★★★

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