Chapter 52 - Good morning

I awoke to the morning sun and chirping birds, pulling me gently from the haziness of my sleep. Unwilling to wake, I snuggled deeper into my duvet, pulling it over my face. Contrary to my wish to sleep longer, my eyes were no longer heavy from sleep, seemingly ready to meet the day.

Slowly and reluctantly, I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the yellowish light seeping through the window blind. The second was a man, with his eyes glued to me. 

"Good morning," he greeted, a charming smile appeared on his face.

Surprised, I hid behind my duvet, "W-why are you staring?" A cluster of thoughts crowded my mind. How do I look? Did I drool? Did I do something weird in my sleep? Why was he staring at me so early in the morning? Since when did I start to become so conscious of him?

"Don't you know that one's eyes are always attracted to beauty?" he let out a chuckle, "How can I not stare at you then?"

"Y-you should've stared at those paintings on the wall, not me," I mumbled, still hiding. I hurriedly rubbed my eyes and wiped my mouth, just in case.

"Stop hiding," he pulled the duvet down, "You look beautiful, as always."

Striped away from the duvet, a hiccup escaped my lips, "W-well, you look handsome as well," I replied. I took a peek at Luke, finding him sending me an amused smile. I snatched the duvet from his hand, again, hiding. 

Why am I so embarrassed? I was never like this before. Besides when he did something that embarrasses me, I was never shy around him. What was the difference? Feeling his weight no longer on the bed, I peeked outside my duvet to see him pouring a glass of water. 

"Here, drink this," he offered me the glass. I sat up, accepting the glass in my hand. "What do you want for breakfast?" he asked as he sits by the side of my bed, his hand gently tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear.

"Anything is fine," I replied before gulping down the water. He nodded after my answer and took the bell on the bedside table, ringing it two times. Soon after, a knock came from the door. 

"Do you need anything, sir?" asked a man. 

"Bring me two servings of breakfast," went the order. He raised the bell, showing it to me, "If you have anything you need, just ring this bell. The servants will hear you and come at once," he explained to which I nod. 

I pulled out of my duvet, wanting to have a little visit to the bathroom, "Where are you going?" he asked, his hand stopping me from going.

"To the bathroom," I said, placing my feet on the ground. Luke stood up, ready to carry me to my destination. "Don't," I pushed his shoulder lightly, "I think my legs are a little better now."

I stood up, my legs still a little weak but a lot better than the day before. Walking two steps away from the bed, I smiled, "Look, I can walk now." I glanced at Luke who stood behind, "You don't need to carry me anymore."

"Is that a good thing?" he asked, laughing. 

"Of course, you—ack!" I tripped on my own legs, almost falling flat on the ground when Luke grabbed my arm just before I fall. 

"Careful," he said. He held out his arm, placing my hand upon it, "Hold on to me."

I uttered a little thank you, then proceed to walk while holding his arm as a support. As we were walking, I noticed the veins bulging on his arm, and also how big his hand was. Was it always this big? His hand was almost twice bigger than mine. I must have not paid him much attention looking at how I didn't even notice these little details when I had been given plenty of warm hugs from inside those arms.

I released my grip when we arrived, sending him another 'thank you' before going inside the bathroom. I walked over to the sink, rinsing my face from the remains of my sleep. I wiped the foggy mirror in front of me, immediately seeing my own reflection on it upon clearing.

The words Luke gave me were as sweet as honey, words that I rarely hear if not from him. It seemed like those sweet words coming from his mouth just rolled so easily out of him that it made me wonder, did he perhaps have a lot of experience with women?

I never took a liking to my appearance, after hearing so many condescending words coming from people. There was a time that I thought the reason my dad hated me so much was not only because I killed my mom, but also because of how I look. I was let hidden in the attic, to avoid being a disgrace to his name. What would people think if they knew that the daughter of the wealthy Quinn's family was nothing like other young girls my age, so beautiful and refined? I was far from them, an ugly duckling. 

But years later, I realized that my father was a crazy man. It was in his nature to torture me when he was not fond of something, or just when he felt like doing it. To him, I was not a daughter, but a tool for him to appease his anger or even his boredom. 

Whenever Luke told me that I'm beautiful, that I'm a precious person, I wonder was it the truth that he was saying or was it a lie? Was I so fooled and blinded by the words of the people who hated me that I couldn't see my worth? 

Praises were so nice to hear, why couldn't people say them more often to each other? Why would people say bad things to others that will only sadden them? Was it, perhaps, for them to feel better about themselves? If so, then the world must be so messed up. 

I have to thank Luke for always making me feel better about myself. Despite being shy when listening to his compliments, I have to admit I liked the feeling that I got when hearing them. It was far better than hearing the curses and mockery that I used to hear from people. Even if it was a lie, then maybe it would be better for me to know the beautiful lie rather than the ugly truth.

Truths are, sometimes, scary to know. 

I walked out of the bathroom, finding Luke beckoning me to come to the table where breakfast was served. When I sat down, Luke placed a jacket over my shoulders.

"Wear this, it's cold," he said before settling down in front of me.

I took a spoon and ate the warm breakfast in front of me, pleased to have such quality food to warm the body. I glanced at Luke, also pleased to see him enjoying his food. It must have been days since he last ate properly, knowing that he was so worried about me. 

"Why are we in Gordom?" I asked, curious to know the reason why we were staying in someone else's house. 

"Did you know where you were taken to?" he questioned and I shook my head, "Well, it was a place far from our home and Gordom is closer so I decided to stop by here to treat your wounds."

"Whose house is this?"

"Kiel's," he replied, taking a sip of his soup, "Do you remember him? You met him back in the annual party."

By Kiel, did he mean Mr. Cassius? He was the one who escorted me back to the house after I was attacked by a rogue. I remembered Luke saying that he was his closest friend. He must be kind enough to allow me to stay in his home for so many days. 

"Yes, I remember him," I nodded, also taking a sip from my soup, "Is he also a werewolf?"

"No, he is a vampire," he denied, "The king, at that."

I coughed out my soup, surprised by the newly acquired information. A vampire king? It seemed that I have been meeting with all sorts of people without knowing. Looking back, that must be why he was so composed when seeing a dead wolf back then. I thought he was just weird, turns out he was a vampire. 

"Then why did he come to the party? Didn't you say that it was a party to deepen the relationship of your people? By people, didn't you mean werewolves?" 

"It is for werewolves," he explained, "I invited him as the representative of the vampires, to show the people that we shared a good relationship with them."

My mouth formed into an 'O' shape after understanding his explanation. It must be really important for them to form a good relationship, or else, the world would be a blood bath if there comes a day where they confront each other, considering their outstanding abilities.

"Do you want to take a look around the house?" he offered, "We can take a little walk after we finish breakfast if you want."

I pondered for a bit, thinking about which would be better between staying inside or going outside. It would feel stuffy if I stayed inside for too long, but the weather's too cold to go outside. "But it's too cold," I said. 

"I can always warm you up," he replied, not forgetting to send me a wink.

After all, like I said, winter was the season where people would share each other's warmth, right?