Pain & Pleasure

Part 4: Busy together

【 1799 】

"Esmeralda, dear, it's time to wake up!" Gwyneth's jolly voice rang through her chambers as she opened the pristine blinds, letting the ruthless sunrays attack the still sleeping young lady.

Little by little, Esmeralda blinked her eyes open only to close them again, due to before mentioned sunrays.

It didn't require any more effort for Gwyneth to wake Esmeralda up, because the latter remembered how she is grateful to live another day, when all could've been ended ten years ago if not one particular person.

As Gwyneth left the room, Esmeralda's thoughts wandered to the man she grew to cherish throughout the years. He was far of her reach, yes, but that didn't stop Esmeralda from nourishing her feelings towards him.

Despite the fact that she encountered him very rarely these days, she did everything to repay King Sebastian, even though she doubted that anything she did could ever match what he did for her.

Ten years she's been living here and never had she lift a finger for a hard work – except for that she demanded to do herself, because Sebastian initially planned no work for her at all, what Esmeralda couldn't accept. She didn't want to be treated a nuisance by other inhabitants of the Castle, and even more she didn't want to seem helpless in the eyes of her knight.

With hard work and persuading, she managed to gain herself duties in the garden and even in the library and Study. As a child, Esmeralda was very obedient and attentive, that's why she managed to savour every bit of information and teachings the private tutors Sebastian hired provided her.

Esmeralda sat up, blankly staring ahead of her at nothing in particular. Like this, every morning she thought of the reason why Sebastian didn't just leave her in that plain field. Why did he take her? As a child, she didn't even consider such an alternative, because she simply couldn't comprehend such cruelness. But now, when she had long before realised that there are various people in this world, she can't fully understand why she's here.

This sort of brain cudgelling rendered her no good, so eventually she came to believe that Sebastian is simply a man that has no cruelty in his heart to leave a desperate child for the mercy of ruthless nature.

Finally, she stood up and made her way towards the wardrobe, dressing herself in an isabelline linen skirt that reached almost to the ground, a white shirt with puffy sleeves and a cream leather bodice with laces in the front which she tied, moulding the fabric to her frame even more, which brought out her sharp, curvy waist.

Esmeralda flourished into an attractive and charming lady, thus it was harder to keep the men away, but she only had eyes for one.

She knew that it was impossible, but she could never bring herself to stop dreaming about him.

The girl weaved her hair into a high, messy bun that framed her face perfectly, bringing out a swan-like neck. Esmeralda was a good girl, but deep inside of her resided a piece that idly did things not really suitable for a good girl to do.

For example, flaunting her neck in a castle full of vampires.

She couldn't justify this occasional behaviour of hers, for she just felt like doing it, she felt some spark pop inside of her, some spark of mischief that Esmeralda couldn't ignore.

She closed the heavy door of her chambers and left for the garden, smiling widely to her acquaintances in the corridors.

Her pearly smile faltered as she spotted Lady Cressida Nix, a pureblood vampire who expressed her dislike towards Esmeralda immediately she laid her bloody eyes on her. Although beautiful, enchanting red eyes were only bestowed upon pureblood vampires, no one could match the rich colour of the Sebastian's ones.