Viscount Dean And His Gift
All morning, Elora had barely been able to keep her eyes away from the tree. She’d returned to her chambers, had her bath, thrown herself into a simple dress, and had returned to the courtyard almost immediately to watch the tree, as if scared it might disappear without a trace.
“My Lady, would you like to have some snacks?” Hula whispered behind her. With a nod, she turned away from Zireya and Lilith and began to walk out of the courtyard. Only a few steps away from the kitchen, she paused in the hallway when she saw Adam walking in the opposite direction. Her eyes instantly lit up and she stood on her tiptoes, eyes searching behind him. But instead of her husband as she’d expected, an unfamiliar man strided beside him. Her face fell. Surely, she’d been expecting the Prince.
“Your highness.” Adam dipped his head in a tiny bow.
“Lord Adam.”
“You must be on your way from the courtyard. This is Viscount Dean,” he introduced the tall man beside him. “He is a very close subordinate of his highness.”
“Pleasure, your highness.” The man curtly tilted his head down for a second. Elora nodded and glanced behind Adam again, as if waiting for her husband to pop out of nowhere. But If both Adam and Draven were in the mansion, shouldn’t that mean that the prince… was he perhaps hiding from her? Did he not want to see her? She gently bit her lower lip.
“I have to deliver a message, excuse me,” Adam announced. With that, he offered another bow before walking past the princess. Elora was about to walk past the Viscount when he held out a bouquet she didn’t realize he’d been holding.
“It would be a disrespect to see your grace for the first time without bringing a gift. All the way from Yvlies.”
She glanced at the roses in his hands and her lips parted. Truly, they were real flowers.
“Yvlies?”
“Yes, My Lady. And they’re freshly plucked too. Don't be afraid. I’m a good friend of His Highness.”
Gazing upward, she examined him. He stood tall in a red coat and on the right lower side, a sheathed sword was tucked. Compared to the Prince, he was a little older.
“I appreciate.” She slowly accepted the medium-sized bouquet and brought it closer to her face. “It’s pretty,” her voice dripped with honey and excitement. ‘Finally a flower in Elyria,’ she thought and wished it would at least grow if planted. But she knew it was almost impossible in Elyria.
“Compared to your resplendence, it pales.”
“You flatter me.” She held the flower closer to her chest.
“I see you're heading to the kitchen. Let me walk you, My Lady.”
He stepped aside for Elora and then he started to walk beside her. They took a turn on the hallway that led to the kitchen and after a while of silence, Viscount Dean began.
“Tell me, is everyone in Elyria treating you fairly? Most especially the Prince.”
She stared at him for a second, her brow furrowing as she wondered what he meant. “The prince has been nice to me.”
“Ahh.” He nodded. “It’s a good thing to hear. And I’m glad to see how well you relate to the vampires here. The nobles and the servants of nobles have been trained for years not to get tempted by the smell of humans. That explains it.”
It explained the reason why no servant had attempted to harm Elora. The servants and every noble in Elyria were trained to control their urges except of course there is a wound.
“If you ever feel bored in the second prince’s mansion, my mansion is always open. I do have a colourful artificial field and paintings if you love to paint.”
That seemed to catch the attention of the Princess as she again strained her neck to glance up at the man before her in curiosity. “You…you do paint?”
“I do. You seem to have an interest in painting. It’s not surprising, seeing that you look like a painting yourself.”
Elora couldn’t help the blush that stained her cheeks and she held the bouquet a little tighter.
“You’re too kind, Viscount Dean.”
“There’s no need to be formal. His highness calls me Dean. It will be splendid if you call me just that.”
She was taken aback a bit. ‘The Viscount was friendly.’ She noted. He didn’t have a dangerous aura like the other vampire nobles she’d met. He didn’t make her shoulder tense and she actually was able to relax in his presence.
“If…if you insist.”
She saw a smile spread across his face after a pleased nod. The viscount locked his hands together behind his back and continued. “If you don’t mind, would you mind telling me what kind of paintings you do?”
“It’s been a long time since I last painted. Although I do love painting animals and…and flowers.”
“We have quite a lot in common, My Lady. Animals and flowers are my domain.”
“That’s really nice to hear.”
“And I believe I have the right brushes for your delicate fingers. I also do have a few pets for visualisation.”
They arrived at the kitchen and Elora stepped in with the Viscount behind her. The few servants in the large place lowered their heads in greeting and continued their business. Scanning the kitchen for a vase, she spoke. “Your house sounds interesting, Viscount Dean… I mean Dean.”
“It is. My mother made all the setup. Her choices are beyond basic.”
A servant brought a filled vase to her and placed it on the table before her. One by one, she laid the blooms into the vase, arranging them carefully. As she reached forward to adjust a stem, she felt his hand reach out to her hair.
She jerked backward immediately.
“Forgive me. I was only just trying to get the leaf out of your hair.”
She touched the side of her hair. “Leaf…where?”
“I’ll help.”
He rounded the table and strode to stand only a few inches away from her. Gently, he plucked the leaf off her hair but before he could step backward, the door of the kitchen flung open and a figure stormed in.
“Viscount Dean. What do you think you’re doing?”
He stepped backward and swiveled, releasing a breath when he realized it was Draven.