X. Name

"Sit down? I guess you don't love your life anymore! How impolite! Just because I married you, now you are getting big-headed and dare to order me to sit down?! What animal do you think I am!  Uh...”  Illarion suddenly realized something, especially when Amanda screamed the same thing again, but this time, the white hand pointed at the black cat that was now sitting pretty licking its front paws.

“That cat's name-,” Illarion stopped his questioning sentence.

A teary-eyed Amanda looked at the man in fear. “I-I'm sorry I-I'm really sorry, Your Highness.  But I gave the cat a name long before I knew your name. I'm really sorry….” Amanda still said the word 'sorry' a thousand times while prostrating with a trembling body, while beside her, the cat was still innocently licking its black hairy body.

Illarion was stunned to realize what was happening, he almost ended his marriage this time by being killed by a cat. The man then laughed and Amanda was stunned as if amazed by that crisp laugh. It was not the disdainful, hateful laugh like the Black Prince had shown at the start of their meeting, this laugh was different, like that of a child getting his favorite candy.

Seeing Amanda looking at him, Illarion's laughter vanished immediately. He returned to his default mode, cold gaze and expressionless face.

“You lied again. You must have named him like that on purpose!” the Black Prince protested.  "Why do I sound like sulking?" asked Illarion to himself, feeling disgusted by his tone of voice.

For some reason, Amanda's fear seemed to have halved after seeing the laughter of the man with black eyes in front of her. The girl shook her head vigorously. "No! You can ask-" Amanda's hand pointed at the cat beside her, "this cat!"

Illarion's eyebrow rose one side which made him more handsome. "Hey, you think I'm stupid?  How could I possibly ask a cat?  What kind of presumptuous person would name his pet Illa-”

“Meow!”  the cat cried as it stared at Illarion for a moment, then returned to its busy licking its pale pink paws.

“Rion-”

“Meow!”

“Illarion.”

“Meow!” This time, the cat's full attention was on Illarion. The cat's blue eyes fearlessly met the Dark Prince's beady gaze.

"Hey you, shut up!"  Illarion ordered frustrated as his every word was interrupted by the fat black cat.  They – the cat and Illarion – looked at each other.

Illarion exhaled harshly. "So, his name really is Illa-"

“Meow!”

“SHUT UP! I know your name is Illarion!” The next second, after Illarion screamed his own name, the cat immediately wrapped itself around the Black Prince's legs, making the man with the same name as the cat want to stroke this thick black furry creature with delight.

“Illarion, come here...” Amanda ordered softly. Afraid of having her pet cat simply beheaded with the dagger still gripped tightly in Illarion's hand.

Illarion wanted to prevent the cat from walking slowly towards Amanda. He was really tickled to pet and hold the fat cat. After rubbing its body against Amanda's arm, the cat ran into the bushes behind Amanda and disappeared into the night. Now only the distant sounds of crickets and owls filled the silent space between Illarion and Amanda.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?"  asked Amanda, standing up from where she had fallen.

Illarion, who was putting his dagger back in the pouch on his wrist, stared back at the girl with an incomprehensible look.

Amanda explained with body language while pointing at her own nose with the intention of asking how Illarion's nose had been scratched by the cat.

"Ah!" Illarion understood as he touched his nose. Only a thin scratch but there was blood on it.  He didn't even feel it at all, of course the injuries on the battlefield were much worse than this.

"If you don't mind, let me treat it..." Amanda offered with a worried face mixed with guilt, after all, the cat was the cause of the man's injury.

And somehow, the girl's expression tickled Illarion's heart. "Yeah, you must treat me," said Illarion coldly and then turned towards the main building.  He had only taken a few steps when Amanda called out to the handsome man timidly.

“Y-Your Highness, it's headed this way...” Amanda explained, pointing at the old castle covered in rose bushes. Illarion frowned at the castle, if the main building of the Broke family's residence was like a haunted castle, then the castle where Amanda lived could definitely be where the 'king' of ghosts lived. The building was absolutely terrible.

Illarion walked slowly following Amanda. They headed towards the castle without speaking.  Arriving in front of the castle, the girl unlocked and pushed open the large wooden door that became the main entrance to the castle.

KRIETTT!!!

The ear-piercing squeak of rust came from the castle door hinges that had never been oiled.  Amanda swiftly lit the oil lamps attached to the walls of the castle. The flickering firelight made the shadows of those walking down the hall dance.

‘Why does this girl live in this castle instead of the main building of her family's house?’ A question flashed through the Black Prince's mind.

"Where are the servants?"  Illarion asked, glancing at the gloomy-looking interior of the building.

Amanda turned to Illarion, but her eyes were fixed on the floor below him. "They're taking a rest," Amanda answered, still bowing her head.

Illarion smiled slyly. ‘Can't they educate the maids properly? How can the maids put their heads on the pillow before the master goes to sleep?’  Various questions popped up in Illarion Black's mind.

Amanda motioned for Illarion to sit in a large chair facing the fire. The pale-skinned girl also lit the oil lamp and the fireplace in the room. Dispelling the darkness that filled the room which turned out to be filled with ancient and non-uniform furniture. Like the emerald green sofa while the other chairs were red and dark brown. On either side of the fireplace were large windows covered with patched curtains, but somehow, they looked pretty and classic.

The light of the full moon that passed between the bars of the large window, made the atmosphere calm and reassuring. An atmosphere that Illarion Black had rarely had the last few years.

When Amanda left to go get something, Illarion glanced around the room. Her black eyes caught the small painting frame above the fireplace. Painting of a husband and wife with a white-haired child smiling broadly on his wife's lap. Illarion realized the man in the photo was the head of the Broke family but the woman beside him was not the mistress of the house he had met at his wedding. ‘What a happy family. She always seems to be lucky in life,’ muttered the Black Prince. ‘Except when she has to marry me…,’ he continued to himself with a sad face.

Trak.

Amanda placed hot tea and herbs on the table, reminding Illarion that she was not alone in the room anymore.

"Your family?"  asked Illarion as he put the picture frame back in its place.

"Yeah…" Amanda nodded slowly.

Illarion sat back in the big brown chair, crossing his legs. His gaze fell on the teacup and saucer that contained the medicinal liquid.

"Can I clean the wound first, Your Highness?"  she asked.

Illarion nodded and the silver-haired girl gently wiped the scratch on the Black Prince's nose.  Amanda's purple eyes caught the other scars on Illarion's face. Like a sharp incision wound on his left cheek, forehead, and right jaw, it's not too visible because the scar only left a thin mark on the handsome man's face. Except for the scar above his right eye, there was a deep cut that bisected the man's thick eyebrows.

Illarion scanned what Amanda was looking at. “That's an old wound. The first time I jumped into the battlefield. It's too deep that it's hard to heal,” explained Illarion.

“Ah ...,” Amanda muttered nervously when she realized that the Black Prince knew that she was studying the handsome man's face. Amanda then immersed the sterile cloth into a cup filled with red liquid on the table. And when she was about to apply the reddish colored cloth to the end, her hand was held by the big man.

"What's that?"  asked Illarion coldly.

“M-medicine,” Amanda stuttered.

Illarion squinted at the sterile cloth barely an inch from the tip of his nose. "Show me it's not poison."