With her garden boots and a pair of secateurs on her small hands, the young woman peeked from behind the rose bushes to see what the count is up to.
She pretends to polish the plants while looking at him.
The count was sitting on the nearby garden patio. On the table was an intricate marble teapot and a few cups, beside it, was a plate of steaming chocolate croissants and the count's favorite novel.
His stare was static, as if he was lost in a deep thought.
"Is he alright?" Asty asked herself.
The count suddenly yanked his head to the side, abruptly looking at her direction. Their eyes matched for a split second before Asty decided to look away and focus on her jo
Asty was stealing glances at the count who was casually making a cup of coffee with nothing on his body but a light, blue robe. She would shut her eyes tightly whenever the count would swivel his body to move. She didn't want to him to catch her staring at his unclothed body. She averted her eyes because the count's body was glorious. Her eyes couldn't stop fawning over how he looked extremely attractive with his coal-black hair— wet but parted to the sides. It also seemed that the count had visited a parlor and got an undercut, which perfectly suited him. She wanted to ask him about something, but her mind would always get the wrong idea and twist the words that she had already scripted in her mind. Chaol finally finishes making his coffee and casually sat on the kitchen counters, staring at her. Asty felt those blue piercing look strike her again. She honestly did not know what is wrong with the count, as he al
The human waited patiently in the living room for Chaol to arrive. It was already quarter to ten before Asty could hear the faint creaking of the rusty gates outside. She flinched upon hearing them and played with her fingers. The door opened, revealing three dark silhouettes. It was Owl, Yvonne, and of course, their master- Chaol. Their shoulders were slumped and it was evident in their eyes that they were beyond exhausted. The maid emerged from the corridors, carrying a tray of beverages in her hands. Owl took the glass and drank every single drop of it in one giant gulp. Yvonne continuously chugged onto the juice as if it was beer. Meanwhile, Chaol reached out to the glass and sipped it modestly without a rush. "You guys looked like you've crossed the desert." Asty croaked as she rested her chin on the couch's backrest. "There was absolu
Asthenosthene remained awake the whole night.With her knees compressed to her chest, her mind wrestled upon Chaol's final words before they left the living room.'They caught him and scorched him.'Her stomach churned as she kept her palms to her stomach from disgorging what she had eaten for dinner. She could feel her fingers trembling in fear, and no matter how she tried to calm herself- she just couldn't.The thought was unfathomable.That gardener. Who was he?There was a knock on Asty's door. She gasped in surprise"I'm c
"He was human? Then that's even much more worse!" Asty held on her breath and looked at him with determined eyes. "Imagine, taking the lives of your own kind! It's ludicrous, isn't it? Sometimes it makes me feel ashamed of being human. How in the world would someone have the heart to do that?"She places her palms on her mouth and clenched her fists. She couldn't help it. She was too engrossed at the thought of how humans were also merciless to their own kind.She imagined the torment of the gardener. He must have felt so betrayed to die at the hands of someone that was supposed to protect him."Do you believe in divine retribution?" Chaol asked her."I don't know," she replied to him. "But a part of me believes so, the part of me doesn't, it is probably because I haven't seen it yet.""The divine retribution is real. I'm sure that they got what they deserved. Killing someone isn't s
"Here is your cup of hot chocolate."Lana places the cup on the table to which Asty was facing. She smiled at her and chuckled. "Thank you very much, Lana!""Of course." she took a seat beside her and then looked through the window. "It's going to be chilly tonight.""Mhmm."It was finally the start of winter. From the inside, they could see the snow falling gently onto the soft ground, creating a massive coat of ice. The trees were covered in snow, and not even a single leaf hanging from its branches. The windows were starting to freeze, creating an intricate shape of frosted snowflakes on the clear panes.They breathed in. They could feel the coldness of the air inside the
They were gathered around the fireplace, with blankets all over them. On the wide table were a few bowls of chips and steaming chocolate drinks. They were watching a movie on the television. The movie was not very refined to the count's liking, therefore, he only took glances of it while munching on the snacks. He wasn't supposed to watch the movie with them, however, the group was already occupying the fireplace- which he intended to go, because his room was too cold. Lana, Yvonne, and Asty were cramped in the other side of the couch, blankets covering them together. They were too focused to even look away. They were watching a horror movie. As the grotesque, silvery creatures appeared on the sleek screen, the girls would cover their eyes altogether with their pillows. Chaol heaved a sigh. He didn't und
The count continued to stare at her for the rest of the night. Her body has finally taken the effects of the medicine and has been doing quite well since the upheaval she has suffered from a few hours ago. Chaol was finally beginning to feel sleepy as well, so he decided that maybe it was finally time to stop and slip under the blankets with her.He slowly took the space beside her and pulled her close towards him, making sure that Asty was completely secured in his arms. Chaol slowly closed his eyes and dozed off.A few hours later, the feverish young woman slowly opened her eyes only to see herself snuggling in the arms of Chaol. Her cheeks immediately reddened, she lifted her head to confirm if she was in her bedroom, but then realizes that it was in a completely different set-up than hers. She then recalls the moments earlier and panicked.She had just invited herself inside his room shamelessly!Her h
"How are you feeling?" Chaol sat beside her and inspected her keenly. The woman's color was starting to get a bit lively than last night'sAsty smiled at him and placed the tray beside the desk. "I want to go out already.""No will do." Chaol firmly replied to her and crossed his arms. "You better take the whole day off and rest, it would appear to me that you can't quite stand yet.""I'll become more sicker if I stay in bed." she pouted at him."It is still very cold outside your room. I don't suppose your fever would go down if it's freezing outside, yes?"She sighed. "I guess you're right." she lets her back fall on the mattress with a soft plop. "I feel very lonely inside