A/N: And so, here's the second chapter (already).

I don't own Elsword nor its characters.

The salon was as big as one would expect from an old castle. Even though four big chandeliers were hanging from the high ceiling, illuminating even the last corner of the room, it still had some kind of dark aura enveloping it. Probably because of the wine red wallpaper, the ebony wood panels covering the bottom half of the walls, the ample dark-purple curtains at each side of the wooden windows or the stone decorations invading the place. It was as enchanting as it could be.

Ara felt entranced. Her heart was beating rapidly, pumping in her chest as she walked around the crowded salon. She watched all the people gathered, all of them with fine dresses and elegant suits, dignified and beautiful men and women chatting in closed groups with wine glasses in their hands, some of them dancing gracefully to the ballroom music. It was almost like watching a scene inside of a book, like an outsider. There was no way she would dare to speak to any of those people. Instead, she roamed around the room, walking carefully as if not to break the spell the castle had casted upon her.

She spotted her friends, they were talking to their host near the entrance of the salon. Ara had left them behind when they entered the room, captivated by its atmosphere she walked absentmindedly until realizing she was alone. Her gaze settled on the white haired man in front of the group. Add Kim was his name? She stared almost without noticing. It wasn't as much because of his handsome features and elegant way of standing, the grace with which he moved, as it was for the charm he shared with his castle. They were standing by the other side of the room, she was watching them through the crowd that separated them. And then it happened, his eyes landed on hers and he stared back with a penetrating gaze, a smile curving his lips slightly.

Ara found herself unable of averting her eyes, she held his look for seconds that felt like eternity, as everything, all the movement, seemed to slow down. She felt her heart come to a stop, her chest tightening almost painfully. A tall man walked past the group, covering her sight and, once he passed, she found Add looking back at the people he was chatting with, her friends, as if what she had just seen were just a mere illusion. Flustered, she turned around and walked aimlessly through the salon, wanting to avoid the encounter with his eyes. She felt moved, bewildered, everything was so surreal and yet the accelerated pumping in her chest was the most certain thing she had ever felt, echoing inside her head loudly.

She found a quiet corner, away from all the commotion, and leaned her back against the wall, bringing a hand to her chest and breathing deeply, trying to calm herself down. Sensing someone standing in front of her, she looked up and a gasp escaped her lips unwillingly. "Sir Kim?" she muttered, suddenly out of breath, and their eyes met once again.

The song that had been playing in the turntable stopped, followed smoothly by the next. But even that single second of silence was noticed by her, accompanying her brief shock in a frozen moment. The enigmatic air surrounding him made it impossible for her to look away.

"Miss? I don't think I know your name yet, but you seem to know mine. How unfair" he spoke with a soft, yet deep voice that seemed to make the air vibrate with his words. She looked at him dumbfounded for several seconds, entranced by those eyes unwilling to leave hers. Just when a husky chuckle was emitted by him she regained her composure, standing straight.

"My name is Ara, Ara Haan. It's a pleasure to finally meet you" she said courteously, presenting herself as she bowed just slightly. When their gazes were leveled once again, she smiled faintly. "It was quite the surprise to discover that the sender of that letter was the owner of such famous castle" she added, widening her smile. She just hoped that the wild beating of her heart wasn't audible enough to be heard by him.

She received a short chuckle in response. "Is it so unlikely? Though I must say, I'm not really accustomed to such a place just yet" he replied, his tone becoming lower by the end of the phrase. Ara tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh, you moved here recently?" she asked. Hadn't Aisha said that the last member of the family that owned the castle had died? What was he doing here, if that was the case?

Add looked at her for several seconds, letting a heavy silence surround them. She was sure of seeing a dark expression cross his face for a moment. Then, just like that, it was gone. "Certainly" he answered curtly. "But it is a rather long story, Miss Ara. Would it be okay if I referred it to you some other time?" he added. She suddenly had the sensation of having said something inappropriate, of meddling in something she shouldn't have, a sensitive subject.

"Of course. Please excuse my intromission, I wasn't trying to be nosy" she hurriedly apologized. This new aura surrounding him was making her extremely uncomfortable. Inside of her lingered the feeling of having made a terrible mistake. But to her surprise, he smiled charmingly at her again.

"Excuse me, where are my manners? Would you like a glass of wine, Miss Ara?" he asked her as he turned to a tall piece of furniture that displayed several sets of glasses and different bottles. He filled two of them with red wine, offering one to her with a smile before she could mutter a response. She received it with a small bow of her head and a smile, sipping on its content as she watched him close the bottle and put it back on its place, then turn back to face her.

They stared at each other intently, examining each other. Ara was way too entranced by his presence to speak a single word, trying hard to make her breathing steady. He didn't seem to be eager to make small chat either, instead, he seemed to be extremely attentive to something. Add lowered his eyes, his lips parted just slightly, but she noticed. Was he staring at her chest? No, her neck. She brought a hand to said place instinctively.

"Is something the matter?" she asked with a soft voice, seeking his eyes. The male looked at her as if in a trance, through her. "Sir Kim?" she insisted, placing a hand on his arm softly, without thinking, immediately taking it back.

"Would you like to dance, Ara?" he asked her, snapping out of whatever it was that had him trapped somewhere else for a second, glancing down at her with his usual smile as if nothing had happened. And nothing did, and yet she had this alarming sensation, caught in the mystery that never seemed to leave him. He held his hand out for her to take and she reached for it, still out of her mind. The moment her hand touched his fingers she felt an electrifying sensation. He was extremely cold, and still her skin felt like it was going to melt under his touch.

He guided her by the hand to a wide space of the salon, where various couples were already dancing to the music. They didn't stop until they had reached the center, and he smiled down at her with a charm that took her breath away. He had magic to him, there was no doubt for her. Add placed his hand firmly at the lower part of her back, letting her hand rest delicately on his. At the same time, she placed her other hand on his shoulder.

He was the first one to move, rocking across the dance floor swiftly and gracefully, guiding her perfectly with his soft, expert movements. Ara let herself be moved around, following his lead. She, who had never attended a ball like that before, felt as if they were floating over the floor. All she could feel was his hand in her back and under hers, with their cold touch, the burning sensation on her skin where he touched her, her throbbing heart threatening to leave her body, that penetrating gaze that refused to leave her eyes. Enchanting her, mesmerizing her to no end while the crowd around them disappeared completely.

She was glad of not having the obligation to talk, because no words came to her mind. Anything she could have said would break the spell around them, the only thing she wanted that exact moment was to get lost forever, lost under his soft grip and the magic of his eyes. How could a complete stranger have such strong power over her? It overwhelmed her.

Song after song, he guided her delicately through the slow rhythm of the music, never leaving her, never letting her eyes leave his intense stare. There was a serious, stoic expression on his face that was as charming, if not more, as his smiling face. And just like the people that melted around them, under the strength of the mystical atmosphere they projected, the time escaped from their hands as well.

Ara found herself next to her friends once again, after he had left her with nothing more than a smile when the music stopped playing. For some reason, she felt disheartened.

"I'm grateful for your attendance, everyone. Thank you for sharing with me your lovely presence and I hope you enjoyed this evening to your heart's content. Sadly, it's time for us to say goodbye. Please make sure to come back some other time" the host announced, speaking loudly for everyone in the salon to hear. Disappointed sounds could be heard across the room as well as mixed words of courtesy. Ara and her friends started to leave when she heard a familiar voice call to her.

"Miss Haan? Can I have a word with you?" she heard, turning around to find Add in front of her. Her body reacted immediately to the encounter, deafening her ears with the sound of her beating heart.

"It was a lovely evening, Sir Add, thank you for having us" she said with a small bow. He smiled, pleased.

"I'm glad you were able to enjoy yourself" he started. Falling silent, he stared at her intently for a long moment, letting her melt under his eyes. "Could I ask a favor from you?" he added after a while, closing the distance between them slowly.

A chill ran down through her spine and she stared back at him, expectant. "Of course, if it's under my power to do so" she replied with a smile. "What is it?" she added before biting down on her lower lip softly.

"Would you stay a little bit longer?".

A/N: I'll take this chance to reply to the reviews of the last chapter.

GirlyTurtle: Thanks a lot for pointing that out. I did check the chapter again before publishing it, but I must have missed it. I re-read it again and god, I used it an awful lot. They sure look at people a lot. I made the corrections and edited the first chapter with them. I hope it's okay now, thanks again for your feedback!

InsanePurpleLove Of course there are going to be more chapters! I don't plan on ditching this story.

And yeah, vampire Add is a concept that i've always loved...I had to write about it lol.

Thanks for your reviews and feedback!

I hope you enjoy!

(By the way, should I upload the new chapters as soon as I finish them? or should I wait a certain amount of time?

Because I already feel like I uploaded the second one too soon x( )