Challenger of Fate

Chapter 8

Azalea woke up to the blinding sun rays that spilled in through the crack in her curtain, forming a pool of gold onto her bed and bedroom floor. A smile bloomed on her lips as she savored the comfort of her bed before the events of yesterday slammed into her, jolting her fully awake. Rubbing the grain of sleep from her eyes, she sat up all dazed and dreadful of the events that are yet to come.

She turned her head and squinted at the curtain, at the chirping birds beyond it. Azalea wished to have been as carefree of the world, to not be aware of the dangers lying ahead, and only live in the moment. Peace. Utter peace that would've been. Alas, if she wanted these birds to continue chirping in peace, she'd have to sacrifice her own and stop the monster and his war.

                                       ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 🌺*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Stepping back into her room after leaving her relaxing bathing tub behind, Azalea stiffened. A silver cart was rolled up next to her bed, the tray atop it filled with delicious-smelling pastries and sweet-looking porridge. An ewer of freshly squeezed orange juice was placed at the corner of the tray. It wasn't the sudden appearance of breakfast that shocked her though, it was the figure that now sat at the edge of her bed, smiling up at her.

"I believe you're resting well, Azalea," Sebastian greeted her, and her blood ran cold.

Do not act differently around him either, he gets suspicious very easily, Azar's words came back to her before she forced a smile.

"My chambers are very comfortable," she said, walking up to him before she wrapped her arms around his neck. She tried not to cringe as her lips brushed against his cheek. A deep chuckle escaped him as he ran his own fingers down her arm.

"I'm glad they are," he said, gently grabbing her wrist and leading her to sit across from him on the bed. "I wished to save you the trouble of coming to the dining room, so I brought breakfast to your room."

Her stomach growled as her eyes hungrily roved over the food on the platter before her. She groaned, not lifting her eyes from her food, "Thank you, I'm starving."

She grabbed the juice first and tipped the glass over her lips, chugging it down. Placing the now empty glass down, she reached for a rolled-up, custard-filled pastry next, moaning at the sweetness of it.

Sebastian smiled at her as she chewed on her food, "you have a little something..." he trailed off, brushing a spot on his own lips with his thumb.

She stopped chewing and tried to ask where with a muffled voice before feeling for it around her own lips.

"The other side," he laughed, reaching for her lips with his own finger, but stopped halfway. Instead, he scooted closer and leaned over, kissing her—licking the custard from the corner of her lips. She expected to recoil at his touch, to feel disgusted.

But she only stared at him dumbfounded, her heart racing.

He manipulated you. Lied to you. The voice inside her scolded, but Azalea heard none of it as she stared into the violet eyes that she hadn't realized how deeply she had fallen for. The butterflies she thought to have crushed yesterday came back to haunt her.

Azalea shook out of her trance and swallowed her pastry. This was not going to stop her from proceeding to see his downfall, but it would make the process more difficult. However, with or without feelings, she would stop him, she vowed that much to herself. A vow that she intended to keep.

Avoiding the crème-filled pastries, she went for the bowl of porridge.

"It would've been much easier for you to have shared breakfast with me than just sit there and watch me gobble up a whole platter of food by myself,"