Marriage Alliance With The Lycan Monarch-Chapter 224: The Princess & The Warlock [Part 1]

• DIANA •

I tossed breadcrumbs into the water, and the Koi fish were lured, bright scales flashing with every paddle of fin. Their little nibbles left bubbles on the surface.

When will Eloise wake up?

I get that she needed the rest, but it was taking too much time. I prayed to the goddess that she and the baby were healthy.

"I hope she’ll wake up soon," I mumbled under my breath. It wasn’t the same without her usual nagging attitude. I giggled, thinking of what she would say when she sees me sulking; she would certainly pick on me for it.

"Quite the hobby you have there."

"Hobby? This is just me tolerating boredom. The sun is so hot that I might as well melt, but what to do? Feeding the fish is a great way to pass the time."

A shadow cast above me, and I lifted my chin to look; a dark umbrella blocked the sun away.

"Then you shouldn’t spend too much time under the sun, you’ll hurt your beautiful skin."

I whipped my head to the man behind me. It was Corvin Graves. Why is he so tall? My neck hurts just by looking at him.

I grimaced. "I thought you were my handmaid."

"Is your handmaid a man?"

"Sometimes I cannot tell."

He chuckled. "Your sense of humor is fascinating."

I turned to him fully, eyeing him from head to toe. "What are you doing here? I thought you left."

"I gave your brother a card."

"A card?" I mumbled until I recalled it, the one that had his name written with violet ink.

"As long as he has it, I can come here at will."

"Why? I thought you had already done your business and left?"

This is good. Maybe I can find a way to lure him to our side. Drevon might be acting all tough and mighty like he usually does, but this was different. Dealing with warlocks wasn’t like the snowblood he fought in war.

Snowbloods and lycans matched strength to a certain degree, but warlocks? They were an entirely crafty foe.

"You intrigue me, lovely lady."

Corvin’s reply pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"I said you intrigue me."

I did not hear wrong then. I flapped open my fan to hide my blush.

"I beg your pardon?" I tried to act offended.

"At the ball, I had a concealing magic on, only the Mother of the Endless was supposed to see me, and yet you did."

"Maybe I’m more aware of my surroundings than anyone is."

"Hmm..."

"My entire life, I have been a ghost, so it’s easy to spot one."

"A ghost..." he mumbled like he was thinking about that word. "What is a ghost to you?"

"Certainly not about vengeful spirits..." I walked, and he followed, still holding up the umbrella for me. "You exist and yet you do not."

"Almost the same for my kind. We only show ourselves when there is a profit in it."

"You show yourself now, what do you stand to gain, Corvin?"

He suddenly stopped. I really wish I could see his face and tell what kind of expression he had on right now.

"Why do you wear a mask?" I asked bluntly.

"Doesn’t your books tell you why?" he asked, amused.

"No..."

"We wear masks from the moment we’re born."

"Goddess! It must be depressing."

He sneered. "It’s the highest of honors for me."

"So has anyone ever seen your face?"

"No."

Without hesitation, I stretched my hand to his mask, but he stopped me by grabbing my wrist.

"A bold creature you are."

"Why? Is it a hideous face that lies beneath?"

"Depends on what you assume is hideous."

"I’m curious to know now."

"A warlock’s face is sacred and cannot be seen by the warlocks or even an outsider."

I scowled. "Outsider?"

He tipped his head. "Are you not?"

I snatched my wrist away and pinned him with a glare before walking ahead.

"Do my words offend you?"

"Stop following me!"

"There is no shade. You haven’t answered my question."

"Why would you need an answer from an outsider?"

"I did offend you."

I twirled abruptly and pointed my fan at him. "You have a hidden agenda. You’re just as shrewd as any warlock."

"Do I?"

"My brother says a warlock always does."

He pushed the fan aside and said. "Maybe I do... but if there is one certain thing, it is that I have finished what I came to do. I only remain because my curiosity got the better of me."

"Curiously is like a curse, isn’t it?"

"A curse to know all? It has a nice ring to it."

"Then stay and quench my curiosity, and I do so with yours."

"Is that an offer?"

"Is it enough to make you stay a bit longer?"

He leaned down to me, and this close, I could see a violet glow from one slit. Does the other not have color?

"It’ll do just fine." He raised five fingers. "Five questions from you and then five from me. Deal?" He showed me his palm.

To compromise?

I raised my hand and pressed my palm against his. I tried to ignore how small my hands were, so I curled my fingers into his.

Unexplainable sparks flew like a surge of lightning mixed with heat. I wonder if he could feel this bizarre sensation. Maybe his delayed action proved that he did, too.

"Deal."

Was he smiling right now? The glow was brighter.

"First question. Who is Corvin Graves?"

"I believe you already know the answer."

"No, tell me who you are, not what others know."

There was a pause from him, but he eventually responded. "I was once a High Warlock of the Order; you could say I was one of the important figures. I had everything anyone could only dream of. I stood at the pinnacle of all things, staring down at the lesser with brass."

Sounds like a fulfilling life to me.