"Apologies, my Queen. I didn't mean to hurt you," he said in a shaken voice, but she didn't respond to him, as if she had not heard him.

Drayce felt a sensation he had not felt for a long time—fear. As a powerful man, he was never the kind of person to be scared, whether there be sword fights against a skilled fighter or an attack of an assassin or butting heads with influential figures in political battles. But at this moment, seeing that trembling body not responding to him, his chest was clutched with a paralyzing sense of fear.

Due to today's mistake, did everything go up like smoke? Had he gone too far this time? Did he make her loathe him? Despise him? Would she try to run away from him again?

Seren had barely started trusting him, and he seemed to have ruined whatever favorable impression he had built with her for the past several weeks. He had hurt her, and it was a despicable act that could not be easily explained or excused. He didn't know how to even begin explaining it to her.

"I really did not mean to go this far, my Queen," Drayce said as he tried to compose himself. "Allow me to check your shoulder."

Drayce sat up and reached out his hands towards Seren, but she visibly flinched before he could touch her. She did not turn around as she clutched her robe at shoulder tightly, keeping her bleeding shoulder covered.

Seren had her eyes kept tightly shut as she tried to calm her trembling body. When Drayce had just started kissing her skin, she was already scared with the kind of strange and unfamiliar sensations her body was experiencing. The intimacy in itself was already too much for her to handle, and when he bit her, she couldn't help but feel downright terrified. She could not understand her tangle of emotions,but she recognized the ones that overwhelmed her senses. Fear, terror, anxiety…

'I got too used to him, I forgot he's a scary red-eyed man.'

When he finally apologised, she didn't know how to react.

'This is how he will get comfort after hurting me. Why did he bite me? For punishment? He is comforted when I'm punished like this? Is he an animal to bite me? A demon?' Her scared self didn't dare reply to him, only wanting to keep her eyes closed, as if wishing him to be gone once she opened them again. 'I have not responded to him. Will he punish me again? Will he come and bite me again? It hurts...so badly… No one bit me like this before, not even my cat.'

Seren kept her bleeding shoulder covered, her hand clutching her night clothes tightly as if afraid the red-eyed man beside her would tore it down. She wanted to leave the bed, but she didn't move out as she was scared of angering him with any of her actions. All she thought about was how she wanted to be alone at this moment, how she had to be careful around him in the future​, or even better, not do or say anything when he was around.

Unable to get the frightened young woman to respond, Drayce could only curse himself and the part of him that he always suppressed inside him—the devil, an inseparable part of his existence.

Drayce wordlessly climbed off the bed and went towards the adjacent room. He didn't know how to deal with the situation so find it would be better to leave her alone. Once she had calmed herself, she might become more willing to listen to his explanation.

He returned to the room after having a bath and dressed himself in a new set of clothes. He found Seren still in the same position. She didn't move from the bed.

"I am leaving, my Queen. Do not forget to instruct your servants to treat you."

He waited for her to reply but she didn't turn around nor made any move indicating she heard him. Drayce could understand it was really difficult for her to trust him again so he didn't force her and simply left without another word.

Once Seren realized he was gone, she finally turned and looked at the door. Giving out a shaky sigh of relief, she sat up in the bed, one hand on her shoulder and the other trying to tame the wildly beating heart inside her chest. She took several long breaths, trying to calm herself as fast as possible before her servants entered the room.

Sherealized that there was something moist on her fingertips that were clutching her shoulder. Upon observing those fingers, she found traces of blood on it. 'It hurt really bad, but I didn't know he drew blood out of me. How dangerous he is, similar to those wolves that hurt Dusk. No wonder my heart keeps beating faster whenever he is with me and I feel strange. I should have trusted my instincts.' She shook her head to forget those strange feelings and then got out of bed.

Just in time, Eva entered the room and greeted Seren.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Have you slept well?"

Seren gave her a light nod. It surprised Seren that Marie was not with Eva as she was used to seeing them together all the time, but Seren didn't ask the reason.

"I will now prepare the bath for Your Majesty." Eva went towards the adjacent room, which had the bathroom, and returned as she gestured for Seren to enter. "Your Majesty, your bath is ready."

Seren went to the bath as Eva followed her to help her undress. The servant was yet to notice the bites on her shoulder due to being covered by her long hair, and it somehow gave Seren a bit of relief. In fact, she was kind of hoping Eva would never notice it.

Acting like her usual self, Seren sat inside the hot water tub while Eva started to help her bathe, adding scented herbs into the water before helping her wash her body.

Seren looked at Eva who was scrubbing her hand with a white washcloth, looking unbothered with her scales. Eva and Marie had been serving her ever since they left the capital of Abetha, but not even once did they show any reluctance to her being witch.

"Aren't you scared of me?" Seren asked, looking at the girl who was merely a few years older than her.

Eva kept her head lowered as she replied, "Subjects are always scared of their king and queen, but I think it will be more appropriate to use the word 'respect', Your Majesty."

"I am referring to me being a witch and those scales on my body," Seren added.

"I don't see anything to be scared of, whether it be your appearance or your personality," Eva replied and she looked at Seren. "Your Majesty, whoever you are, you are our Queen, and we serve you with all our heart."

"What if I am not your queen but an ordinary person?"

"Then we might have been friends."

"Knowing I am a witch?"

Eva nodded. "Not just me, Your Majesty. You are a kind and benevolent woman. I believe my words are shared with a lot of people. As long as you are a good person and you do not wish to bring anyone harm, regardless of status or title, people will love to be friends with you."

Seren didn't know what to say and could only think, 'Why didn't anyone in Abetha treat me like this? Why were they so scared when I never hurt them?' Then, she recalled something. 'Well, can't say never...I did hurt them, but it was not my sole fault. If they had treated me well, or no, as long as they did not despise me, I wouldn't have harmed them.'

"Your Majesty!" Eva's sudden cry pulled Seren out of her thoughts.

Seren found that Eva was no longer on the right side of the tub but behind her. Seren looked over her shoulder and saw the worry on the servant's face. "What happened, Eva?"

"N-Nothing, Your Majesty. Just… this mark and blood on your shoulder… I apologize for the sudden reaction," Eva said with a stutter. At first, she was horrified to see the queen injured, but then she was struck with a thought and later realized what it was. The worry she felt upon seeing that wound disappeared knowing what it was, and a shy blush took over the young lady's face.

Seren didn't know what to say and stayed quiet. That red-eyed man had bit her, and she indeed felt scared and angry at what he did. However, seeing Eva's reaction, she could not understand why she suddenly felt embarrassed in front of her. It made her wonder if she was turning crazy.