Sylvia immediately jumped out of the bed. She didn't want to acknowledge anything and she wanted to wash this shame off of her body.

"Damn it. This is all the stupid wine's fault. I am having these crazy nightmares because of that damned fellow and the tricks he played!" She was sure of it.

He must have added something to the food or the wine. Otherwise, why would her sane mind suddenly go crazy!

She had gone to bed yesterday night immediately after returning back from that unsettling dinner, only to wake up to this insane dream. What the hell was happening to her?

She looked outside her window to see the rain pouring down with a vengeance. Tonight was colder than usual. At least, Sylvia hoped that it would be.

She changed her mind about the bath to clean herself up and decided to head out instead. She threw on a dress and wore a pair of boots before stepping outside the castle doors.

She had seen a couple of guards but no one cared to stop her and so she continued and strolled out to the castle grounds.

Drops and drops of freezing cold water hit her body, drenching her completely.

However, she didn't feel cold. She found it rather comforting.

She hugged her arms tightly and let out a deep sigh before continuing to wander in the cold, alone in the darkness of the night.

After a while, her heart and mind finally cooled down and the last memory of the man's touches evaporated from her body, though the memory still lingered in her brain.

Sylvia didn't know what was happening to her. Was this really just the effect of the wine? She was no longer sure.

As she waltzed amidst the dense canopy of trees, a couple of silhouettes perked up and quickly dashed over to her.

A black panther with sharp purple eyes and a crimson tiger stood in front of her, licking her hands like pet dogs.

Sylvia giggled, her sour mood finally cheering up.

She played with the beasts for a bit and then ran along with them, dashing wildly in the acres of forest surrounding the castle.

The run was freeing, the burdens of her heart and her mind a little lighter. Time quickly passed by and before she knew it, it was already dawn.

Sylvia was soaking wet and the cold had mildly started to creep in. Not to mention she was ravenously hungry.

So she decided to head back in, now that she had somehow managed to erase the traces of the weirdest night and the dream that she had.

It was not that Sylvia had never had dreams like this before. It was only natural for a young woman to have these feelings and she was no exception.

Once… what felt like a lifetime ago… There was a boy in her neighborhood whom she was somewhat fond of and many a time, she had dreamed about him and her holding hands and even kissing.

But those were all fleeting chaste memories when compared to the sinful night that she just had.

Just the mere thought of it made her gulp.

She couldn't understand why her stupid and foolish heart would be attracted so intensely to that hateful brute.

There was nothing good about him. Nothing genuine about him. The man was sly from top to bottom and everything from his mouth was a lie.

As she was mulling over things inwardly, once again a vague pang of need arose in her body as the thought of the devil gripped her mind.

FUCK! Sylvia shook her head vigorously. Not again!

But to make matters worse, just as she stepped into the courtyard to return back to her room, she heard voices and she turned to see the devil and his two henchmen sitting around a table and drinking tea.

As her blue eyes gazed at his distant figure, her skin broke into a dozen small bumps, and her heart treacherously skipped a beat.

In that single moment, his gaze flickered to meet hers and she instantly froze, making the man's lips curl upwards.

"You are up early." The man's seductive lips muttered sending a shiver down Sylvia's spine.

She remembered the things that those lips had done to her last night in her dream. She could still feel them raining down kisses and mischievous love bites on her tender skin and her words got stuck in her throat.

She simply nodded in reply.

She then nodded again, greeting the knight Theodore and the stable keeper Leol who were also sitting near him.

Weirdly their presence or their thoughts didn't seem to bother her at all. She hadn't even noticed them at first.

So was it just the devil who had this inexplicable hold over her? But why? Sylvia shuddered.

Her thoughts started getting jumbled up and she couldn't think clearly once again, an insatiable need slowly rising in her heart.

She instantly turned on her heels and dashed away, once again fleeing from the beast in front of her.

"What did you do to her, man?" Leol asked, clicking his tongue and giving Mikel a look as if he already knew the answer.

"Your highness… It's best not to bully her anymore. It is dangerous." Theo reminded him, adding his 2 silvers.

Though both Leol and Theodore were close to Mikel, they both had different mannerisms and preferred ways of interaction when it came to the Prince.

While Leol didn't bother with formalities, Theodore always conversed in a strictly professional manner even when they were alone.

He was a more disciplined and structured man, which Mikel often made fun of.

And as these two looked at him as if he was guilty, Mikel blankly stared back at them. He knew that these jerks wouldn't believe him even if he explained it to them.

In fact, he himself didn't know what he had done to make the girl flee at the mere sight of him!