There was a sharp knock on the door, and I heard it all the way from the bathroom.
I frowned. Who was disturbing my 'me' time?
"My Lady?" the innkeeper's voice came through, sounding strained. "There is... a gentleman downstairs. He says he is the Captain of the Valerius House Guard. He's heard rumors of an emblem being shown..."
I froze for a second. That was fast. Too fast, but I didn't panic.
I just stood up, the water sluicing off my body, and grabbed the silk robe they'd provided. It was a deep, royal purple—the color of power, and I loved it.
"Let him wait," I called out, my voice bored and arrogant. "I'm not finished with my tea."
I needed a moment. I wasn't ready to face the real owners of the emblem yet, but then I felt it.
That familiar, low thrum in my lower abdomen and the heat flaring up my face.
'No. Not again. Not now.'
Damn it! Seriously, what kind of body was this?
It hadn't even been a day since I did it with the lion, and it was starting again.
Was I supposed to go at it for 24 hours straight?
My breath hitched as a wave of heat rolled over me, more intense than before. It felt like a physical weight, making my knees buckle. It wasn't just 'heat' anymore; it was a demand.
And then, I heard the front door of the suite creak open. Guess someone was too impatient to wait for permission before walking in.
I looked toward the doorway, my vision starting to haze. A man appeared in front of me and no matter how I looked at him, he was no 'Captain of the Guard'.
He was too tall, too handsome to be just a captain. And just looking at what he was wearing solidified my claims.
He was dressed in midnight-blue silks, with hair as white as a blizzard and eyes that held the coldness of a mountain peak.
He looked at the discarded coat on the floor, then at the emblem on the vanity, and finally at me—dripping wet and flushed with a hunger I couldn't hide.
"So," he said, his voice a low, dangerous velvet. "You're the woman who's been using my family's name to get a free bath."
"And you are?"
I didn't panic. Even with the heat pulsing under my skin like a second heartbeat, I forced my expression to go cold.
I leaned back against the edge of the marble tub, the silk robe barely draped over my shoulders, and looked at him with bored, heavy-lidded eyes.
The man standing there was like a statue carved from frost. His silver hair was perfectly slicked back, and his eyes—a piercing, judgmental grey—scanned the room before landing on me.
"The Valerius Seal," he said, his voice cold like ice. He didn't look at my body; he looked at the gold hawk on the vanity as if it were a crime scene. "Only two people in this empire carry that specific emblem. My brother and I. I have my seal with me, which means the one right you must belong to my brother."
Yeah, no sweat, Sherlock Holmes.
So, this guy was the second heir, Caelum.
"Explain how my brother's seal came into the hands of a nameless vagrant."
I let out a soft, sharp laugh and lifted my body.
I barely stood to my feet and stood before this man. I said it before, but this man was really tall compared to my size.
While his brother had the build, he had the height. And then those slit eyes… he looked like a cold reptile instead of a lion.
Well, no matter.
I listed my hand, my fingers still damp from the bath, and reached toward his face.
"Why don't you try and pry the answer out of me, huh?"
He didn't flinch. He didn't even blink.
He simply stepped back, a look of pure disgust flickering across his face. It was the look one gave to a cockroach crawling across a silk rug.
How insulting.
My hand froze in mid-air, and my smile dropped, replaced by a dark, genuine frown.
'Hmph. This one has a spine.' I thought.
I pulled my hand back and slowly adjusted the silk robe just enough to be scandalous before I pulled it tight.
I flipped my wet raven hair over my shoulder, sending a spray of water toward his expensive boots, and glared at him.
"I don't know if you came here just because of the emblem," I hissed, my voice dripping with venom, "...but don't you think it's rude to barge into a bathroom with a naked lady? Whatever your reasons are, it's still a fact that you're standing there, staring at my body while I'm vulnerable."
I thought he was a genuine statue, made of stone, but he wasn't invulnerable.
He shifted, subtly, his jaw tightening slightly, and his grey eyes flickered. His unfazed and icy expression finally dropped an inch.
He looked away, his gaze landing on a spot on the wall behind me.
I secretly grinned. 'Got you.'
He might act like a cold god, but underneath that stiff collar, he was still a man. A simpleton who lived by a code that I was currently setting on fire.
"What do you think people will think when they find out that you were found in a suite with a female? The same that's been gossiped around to be your brother's secret?" I challenged, stepping closer until I was in his personal space.
I could smell the scent of dirt and expensive ink on him; they definitely didn't align.
"Will they truly believe you came here looking for a thief?" I whispered, my voice dropping to a sultry, dangerous tone. "Or will they think that you were actually the thief... trying to steal this female's body?"
I leaned in, my damp warmth clashing with his cold aura.
"Imagine the headlines. The House of Valerius's reputation, dragged through the mud because the eldest son couldn't keep his eyes—or his feet—out of a lady's private chambers. And they can probably all guess what went on in these closed doors."
He looked back at me then, and for the first time, the disgust was replaced by something else. A spark of irritation. A spark of interest.
"Nothing like that is happening," he muttered, though he didn't move away this time.
"Oh, that's just your testimony," I said and chuckled a bit. "I'll make sure to give my side of the story extra spicy, don't worry."
I reached for his collar, brushing invisible dust lightly.
"You're a parasite," he hissed.
"Maybe," I said, my golden eyes flashing. "But I'm a very expensive one. Now, are you going to keep lecturing me, or are you going to do as I tell you to?"