Lovesick

Lovesick 4

Selene's chest heave up and down.

The sight and feeling of the blood enveloping her entire being made her stomach churn. The sweat on her forehead made her terror much more prominent.

"Are you okay now Young Miss?" A maid spoke up in a hesitant voice, staring at her mistress's pale and grim face.

Selene didn't originally paid attention to her surrounding but now that she heard a voice, she noticed that there are three maids inside her room as well as Valentine. Seeing him beside her bed made her face darken. The way his silver locks appear exactly like those from the Arslan lineage infuriated her. She almost wanted to cover it up. Or cut it off. Mess it up.

Fortunately for him, his healthy and clean image cannot be neglected. For he's still the heir of the Arslan dukedom, which stood as one of the pillar in this empire.

She stared up at him in a complex way. She dug her nails inside her palm, controlling her freezing anger. "Who allowed you to go inside?"

Valentine visibly flinched at her sharp words. He didn't anticipate that she will dislike him here. He never attempted to enter here before but he never thought that she will abhor it this much.

She may not blatantly show it but he can see the anger swirling in her peach blossom eyes. This is one of the few occasion that she expressed her feelings towards him. It was mostly calmness and indifference that no one can break.

"No one.....but I heard a scream so I thought Lady Selene was in danger." Valentine kneeled down on the floor while explaining in a lowered voice, wanting to appease her anger. Selene wanted to vent her resurging anger at him again but she's still shaken up because of her fearful nightmare, so she merely gazed at him coldly. Darting her gaze to the right to reproach the maids instead.

"You let a man inside my sleeping quarters. The extent of your carelessness astound me," The maids tremble at the sight of the Young Miss's chilling voice. They didn't really allow the man sleeping outside of their mistress's room to enter inside but he didn't regard their words and entered the premises as soon as he heard the scream inside.

"You will all be flogged early in the morning tomorrow. For the mean time, get out of my sight and scram." The maids bowed and scrambled out of the room, leaving the kneeling Valentine alone with Selene.

"You disgust me," Selene spoke as soon as the maids left them alone. The repulsion in her voice cannot be missed. Which made Valentine dislike himself for that very moment. His self loathing came flooding as he heard her words. "Never set foot in this room again, ever."

Her voice carried the heaviness of her order. Making him nod docilely. "Now go." Valentine mumbled a respectful reply and stood up, ignoring the intense feeling to grovel for forgiveness in her feet. The uneasiness in his heart made him want his mistress to just punish him in a physical way. To leave him bruises and cuts. At least she will still be with him in that way.

Closing the door and leaving the room, he sat down on the floor again, returning to his previous spot. He blinked his eyes close, to calm his inner turmoil.

Valentine remembered the raw expression in her eyes. It was a contained anger and aversion. Piercing his very being.

It pained his feelings to see such emotions towards him. But knowing that it was the very rare times that his Lady Selene revealed her feelings for him made the corner of his lips to lift up.

The feeling of pain and happiness mingled inside him. The two different emotions bonded with each other whenever Valentine's with her. It made him want to cry and laugh at the same time.

His burning emotions are all bottled up for her.

Opening his eyes, he let go of his tight hold on the object in his palm, a thin lacey hair tie was revealed. Which made his blank gaze to gradually soften. The sight of her room just made him long to stay inside more. It smells like her. The clear, neat appearance and sweet lingering floral fragrance made his heart itch.

Valentine wanted to contain that smell. And stealing the hair tie on her bedside table just felt like the right thing to do. Secretly lifting it to take a sniff. He clenched his other hand in front of his mouth to contain the moan threatening out of his lips.

Lavender....it smells like her.

Lady Selene

Lady Selene......how can I quench this thirst?

~

"Young Miss! Pardon t-this slave!"

"Have mercy Lady Selene!"

"Give their annual earnings and let them leave before this day," Selene ignored their screams of agony. Passively watching them cry and plead for mercy. For a woman of her age, one would expect that she would still be tender hearted and forgiving.

But she isn't.

"I won't tolerate a flimsy mistake like this the next time. Train them into perfection, raise the earnings if you have to. I won't accept a single mistake, I don't give second chances." The elder head butler, Philip can only heed her order. Sighing in his heart.

The young mistress has truly changed.

She used to be such a beautiful joyful girl, full of soul and light. She gives so much brightness wherever she went, others cannot help but covet her playful yet kind heart. Like a moth drawn to the dancing flames of life.

She used to be that way.

But now seeing her souless eyes passed through everything without much care aggrived him beyond words. The lost of the former Marquis and Marchioness must have deeply wounded her.

And the young masters too.

May them rest in peace and guide their remaining family into the right path. For I fear that the young masters and mistress will be consumed with rage.

Missing the joy of life and constricting them within their walls of defense.