Chapter 36 Want to Have Her All to Oneself
Kane's POV
Evelyn's beauty was even more breathtaking than I had imagined.
When she stood before me, wearing that ivory white dress and the fire opal jewelry set I had personally prepared for her, I lost control of my expression for a moment. I wondered if she noticed my daze.
White suited her perfectly.
That pure white was like all the light in the world concentrated on her alone. That vivid red was like flame against the pure white, bringing her whole being to life.
And she herself was completely unaware.
When she asked how I had prepared everything so quickly, she seemed to notice my gaze was too direct and instinctively tugged at her dress.
I moved closer to her, almost crossing a line, wanting to confirm she was really right in front of me.
She asked why I had paired us together. I had to tell her the truth. We were close enough that I could smell the faint scent of roses on her.
I deliberately talked more, and sure enough, she relaxed quite a bit. Then she actually reached her hand out to me without any hesitation.
Without a moment's doubt, I took her hand and let her link arms with me as we walked forward together.
Her hand was soft and cool, a stark contrast to my warmth.
"Let's go!"
I led her out of the Starflame Tower dormitory. The corridor leading to the outdoor ball venue was already crowded with students.
The moment Evelyn and I appeared, the atmosphere shifted.
People who had been chatting in small groups turned their eyes toward us in unison, with whispered discussions swirling around us.
In those gazes, there was amazement, jealousy, curiosity, and... greed.
I noticed quite a few guys staring at Evelyn. Their eyes roamed over her without restraint, from her face to her neck, then to that fitted dress.
I knew all too well what those looks meant. A fire burned inside me, and I could barely suppress my possessiveness.
I didn't like anyone looking at her that way. I wanted to hide her away, hide her somewhere only I knew about.
She could only be mine.
I tried to push the thoughts away, afraid of scaring Evelyn.
But right now my body was more honest than my mind. I casually pulled her closer to me, using my body to block those stares.
"Kane, look! There are so many lanterns over there!"
Evelyn seemed to have an automatic filtering ability. She didn't pay attention to the surrounding gazes at all, but happily pointed at the magical lanterns hanging over the distant lawn, her eyes full of delight.
Those lanterns floated in mid-air, emitting a soft warm glow that decorated the entire outdoor ball venue like a dream.
"Yes." I followed her gaze and responded flatly.
"Kane, look over there! There's a fountain too!"
She tugged at me, pointing to the huge fountain not far away.
The fountain's water jets rose and fell with the rhythm of the music. Countless glowing petals floated on the water surface. The scene was breathtaking.
"Very pretty." My answer was perfunctory; my gaze was already fixed on her.
She probably didn't know that all the beautiful scenery around us couldn't compare to how she looked.
We walked to the center area of the ball venue.
Many people had already gathered here. Everyone was either looking for their dance partners or discussing the clues on their dresses.
"Oh my god, look at that girl who's always with the Phoenix Clan freak. Is she really that pretty?"
"Wait... that jewelry set she's wearing is so gorgeous, isn't it?"
"These two are together all the time. What do you think their relationship is?"
The discussions around us gradually grew louder, with everyone's eyes on us.
I heard people talking about Evelyn, and the nasty comments ignited flames of anger in my heart.
My glare could have silenced them.
If Evelyn weren't by my side, I probably would have already rushed out to make those people shut up.
"Kane, what's wrong?"
Evelyn looked around at the people, then asked me with some confusion.
"Nothing, just heard them saying you look beautiful!" I looked down at her, trying hard to change my tone so I wouldn't scare her.
I saw Evelyn get a bit shy, which put my mind at ease. It seemed she wasn't affected by those other people at all.
Seeing her happy expression, the anger in my heart dissipated somewhat.
"Kane, let's take a photo!"
She took out her phone that was hanging from her wrist. The phone charm was a string of moon-white and pearl-white beads that matched her dress perfectly. She said excitedly.
"Take a photo?" I was somewhat resistant. I really disliked being watched in public places, and even more disliked the act of taking photos.
"Yes! The scenery here is so beautiful, and... and don't our outfits match really well today?" She held up her phone, looking at me expectantly.
Looking at those eyes full of anticipation, I really couldn't bring myself to refuse.
"Alright."
I sighed helplessly and let her pull me to find a good angle.
She chose the fountain as a background, then had me stand beside her.
"Kane, smile a little! Don't be so serious all the time, like you really don't want to take photos with me."
She teased while adjusting the phone’s angle.
I quickly explained that I didn't not want to take photos with her, then saw her put down the phone and reach toward my face, pinching my cheeks, trying to arrange my face into a smile.
"Okay, okay, keep that smile, don't move!"
Before I could tell her to stop, I saw her pick up her phone again and press the shutter button on us.
"Click."
The moment the flash went off, I saw her smiling brilliantly, her eyes sparkling.
"How is it? Did it turn out well?"
I felt a bit unnatural, still not used to the feeling of a camera pointed at me.
"It's done! With my excellent photography skills, look!"
She held up her phone, letting me look at the photo with her.
In the photo, she wore the white dress and red fire opal jewelry, smiling with her eyes curved into crescents. I stood beside her, and although my expression was still somewhat cold, the tenderness in my eyes as I looked at her couldn't be hidden.
The background was the brilliant fountain and a sky full of stars.
So this is how I appear when I look at her?
This was the first time I'd seen myself like this. She really did take a good photo.
"Very nice." I said honestly.
"See, I told you my photography skills are quite good."
She said somewhat proudly, happily flipping through the photos.
"Let's go."
I walked forward side by side with her. Tonight’s ball hadn’t officially begun, but no matter how partners were eventually assigned, she could only be my dance partner.
I wouldn't let anyone get close to her.