Irina C, i'm glad i made you laugh :)
Oh, peggy, i'm only starting. i honestly have so many angsty scenarios in my head. i'm planning some serious opening up, but first, Rose has to do some more stupid stuff
pipigrin 2, now i cannot get that image of Ivan out of my head. i promise to give him good moments with Rose
CHAPTER 7 - Oh, that was a good comeback
Rose's POV
Until Lissa told me her name, I didn't know who Ivan's aunt was. I mean, I knew her name and a whole lot about her, I've heard it before, but I didn't know they were this close, and that she is actually Anton's sister. Among Moroi, family ties are thrown left and right without any actual blood link, and that's another thing I could never make sense of in our world.
Ekaterina Zeklos was never married. Not because she didn't want to, but because she wasn't allowed to. She made it very clear that she doesn't want a man in her life, and the men around her made it just as clear that she will never be allowed to have what she desires.
Her preferences aside, the fact that she ruled our kind for about a year didn't make her more likeable to those men either. An ambitious young woman, she was the former King's counselor, and when he died unexpectedly, she took his place until the Council could decide who they wanted to rule the next generation. Of course, I wasn't there to witness it, but all the people I ever met, and all the stories I heard, say that it was a great year for everyone. Well, not everyone. The twelve lowlifes from the Council weren't too happy about her vision and did their best to take her off the throne, even though it took them one year to come to the consensus of choosing the current King.
After they got rid of her, this Randall Ivashkov piece of shit messed up everything she tried to change, dragging us back to where we were before. You see, we're living in the 21st century, but that happens mostly on the outside of our world. People's lives and mindsets are evolving rapidly over the boundaries of our kind, but our greatest leaders only took the bits they liked from the outside world, and denied the rest. These men have been so afraid of change, and in consequence, we're still behaving like 200 years ago in a lot of ways. But tradition is shit, I am telling it to you, for I am living it first hand and it sucks for everyone else but twelve people.
Only the fact that she was the only woman to ever sit on that throne all by herself makes her a complete badass in my eyes. Considering the other things Lissa told me about her, things that didn't make their way into the Dhampirs' stories that I heard until now, can I say I aspire to be like her?
On the other hand, Ivan asked me not to piss her off and Lissa warned me she is to be feared, but I am truly excited to meet her. Knowing she has a different way of thinking, who knows, maybe we could get along. I am sure she would understand me.
Dimitri's POV
Rose pretends she is not anxious as I am taking her toward the salon, and she's doing a relatively good job at hiding it, but it's the little things that give her away. She keeps on arranging the skirts of her dress, she passes her fingers through her hair, uselessly trying to put her bangs behind her ears, she takes deep breaths in and while exhaling, she sighs, and if I saw it right, when she's not fumbling, she's trembling a little.
It is rather uncommon to see her act in such a way, as she always passes as confident, and I can only hope that Ivan's aunt will show her good side today. I hope she shows Rose a little mercy, despite being up to date with all the things she has done since she arrived here. Or maybe she will not. After all, she is the kind of woman who doesn't beat around the bush. And at the end of the day, that may be a good thing because I think Ekaterina Zeklos is the only one left who can talk some sense into Rose before it is too late for her.
I am more than curious to see how this meeting will unfold, thanks to their fiery personalities. Will it end in arson? Because I just have this feeling…
Rose goes inside the salon to meet Ekaterina, and I remain at the door, close enough to hear it all. The perks of the job, right?
And it seems like my intuition was right. It all goes wrong from the first second Rose closed the door behind her.
"Good afternoon, Lady Zeklos. It is nice-"
"You cannot possibly share any blood with my nephew."
Another reason for this alliance: Rose's family will get bigger and it will no longer be threatened by extinction with only her and her father to hold the quorum of the Yilmazs. She and Ivan share enough blood for the union to be fruitful for everyone. Except for them, of course.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Have you taken a look at yourself?"
"I do. Every day. I do own a mirror." That's not good, Rose already got defensive. She has reasons to, I can't deny that, but still.
"And have you seen the other Moroi women of our family? Hell, even other Moroi women, ever."
"I did. But I am totally missing your point."
"Didn't you think to make a little comparison?"
"No. I didn't deem it important."
"Then let me do it for you. You're chubby. Close to fat, if I ponder things better. Height-wise, you're okay, even though that could have been better, too. But I hope you know that it will not compensate for your weight for too long. And you're too brunette. Maybe you should get your hair dyed in a lighter shade to match our family better. And something's off with your skin too. You're too… I'd dare say bronzed, but that's impossible."
Hearing her say such things, I want to run away myself. I heard that Moroi women are mean to each other, but to put someone down like this the first second you see them, is rather cruel.
"Well, maybe I spent too many weeks on end in the sun," comes Rose's response, with a hint of annoyance. But what Moroi would willingly do such a thing? "Oh, or you know, I'm half Turkish! That could be my problem," she's mocking Ekaterina and if there is one thing she loathes, is just that. She kind of asked for it, but still. I don't even know whose side to be on on this.
"Your brother looked better than you."
"Well, unlike him, I drew the short end of the stick in genetics, and I resemble my fucker of a dad." Oh, Rose. Stop. "I mean, not every one of us is pageant material, so excuse me for hurting your eyes with my presence."
"You're a Moroi, for goodness sake, and everything is wrong about you. Look-wise, people will not identify with you. And I am not talking about your heritage, so stop being pissed about that. Your father never had that problem. On the other hand, you resemble a Dhampir more than your kind and-"
"And is that such a horrific thing?"
Of course, Ekaterina doesn't like to be interrupted either, so she just speaks over Rose.
"The way you conduct yourself lacks elegance entirely. And don't get me started on all the stupid things you've done since you came here! Do you call that royalty behavior?"
"I guess so. I mean, don't royals just do whatever the fuck they want?"
"It's not! No one will ever see you as their Queen if you continue to-"
"Good! Because I don't want to be their Queen! I wish people fucking got that!"
She storms out of the room, and stumbles over me. Looking into my eyes, she knows I heard it all. I try giving her a compassionate smile, but it just makes it all worse.
As she wants to walk away, I follow.
"Would you please leave me alone? I am just going to my fucking room, I don't need you to hold my hand until I get there."
"You know, that language of yours will not help you at all! A Queen should act educated and respectful!" Ivan's aunt yells after her from inside the room.
"Oh, fuck you," she mumbles and goes on her way. I decide not to follow.
That was… disastrous.
If Rose didn't like this encounter, I am sure she will loathe what's to happen this evening.
I can even picture what she is going to think when she hears about it.
A party! A fucking party! And my presence is mandatory, the big Lady Zeklos ordered! She said that she wanted to see how I act in public. Oh, I will show her what a great impression I can make. She will get a first-hand experience of what I can offer. If Belikov thought yesterday I acted out, he shall brace himself for tonight because I'm going to give my best.
Of course, I am not citing her word by word, but I still fear the worst will happen.
And by the way she looks when she gets out of her room later in the day, I suppose I nailed her inner monologue.
Instead of the usual ponytail, she let her hair down, maybe so that everyone would see how much Ivan and her don't share the same blood. He is blond and she is close to brunette, and the contrast is more than obvious with her hair cascading over the shoulders. All the Moroi are ill-looking pale, but as Ekaterina observed, there's something more to Rose than her natural skin color, and against the color of her dress, it is even more evident.
The color isn't a problem. I am grateful she is wearing her family's color and not the red dresses they had designed for her ruling. That would have been a statement, to wear the color of the Queen when she's not yet one, and I am glad she didn't think of it. But there is something wrong with the dress nonetheless. Everyone at the event will be dressed in some traditional, fancy and unrevealing outfit, as the customs demand when someone like Ekaterina Zeklos invites you to a party, but I knew Rose will not do such a thing. She is wearing exactly the opposite.
I liked seeing her try this dress on, but from that to her wearing it to such an event, I can already imagine the fuss and trouble it will cause. First, it's the length. Rose's dress stops just above the knees, not over them. Then, it's the fanciness. There is no glamour to the material of the dress, no lace, no satin, no precious stone, nothing. She opted for leather, a material that yes, does justice to her body, but god, it is not the place to do that. And talking about not being revealing, well… her dress shows plenty. It is a one-shoulder dress, and the back is bare. Combined with the way the leather hugs her curves… need I say more?
Ekaterina will have a heart attack when she sees Rose. I am only anticipating more things happening after that, and I will not be able to do anything about it than watch as it unfolds. After all, I am Rose's guardian, and I cannot intervene in the matters of the Moroi.
I could try to talk to her, but it will only make her do things just in spite of me, so I make sure that on our way to the place Miss Zeklos choose for her party, I don't say a word, even though my brain is screaming at me to do something. Rose seems to be okay with that too, as she doesn't try to start any conversation. Looking at her from time to time, I would dare say she is anxious about something, and I am wondering if she is regretting her choice. But it is way too late to change anything now.
When we arrive, Ekaterina is waiting for us, probably expecting as well for Rose to do such a thing with her outfit. I waited for a fight to start between the two of them, but Rose is completely silent as she gets scolded. This is new, I have to admit, and it only adds to my worry about her.
Besides Rose's silence, it surprises me too that Ekaterina doesn't oblige her to get changed.
"Nothing snappy to say back?" Ivan's aunt teases when she gets no reaction from Rose, just her apathetic stare. "Fine, let's go. It's already late and people are waiting to meet you. God help us with that."
But I need to know what's wrong with Rose, so as Ekaterina is leading the way, I lean closer to her.
"Are you feeling alright, Princess?" I made sure she fed and ate today, so this is no dizziness. Is there something else I missed?
She looks up at me, obviously distressed.
"I don't think I do so well in crowds," she confesses in a moment of vulnerability.
Oh, Rose. She loathes being here. And considering I know how many people got invited… this won't be an easy night.
"That's something I didn't expect," Ivan's aunt comments. She heard us. But why is she so hard on Rose? I know she is always fair and harsh, but this is too much even from her.
"Why is that?" Rose answers back for the first time.
"Because you seem the type to love attention."
I see how Rose's eyes light up at that comment, and I know an idea sparked in her head. She already got herself to look in a way that would irritate Ivan's aunt, but what does she plan to do next? Nothing good, I am sure. Can I hope that her previous anxiety will prevent her from taking action?
It is preventing her, in some ways. For starters, she doesn't dance, despite a lot of men asking her to. In fact, she refuses to interact with anyone that wants to strike up a conversation. That's not a good move. She has to meet everyone, it's why she's here in the first place.
Ekaterina goes to her and tries to remedy this with another scolding, but it only makes things worse. I see it in Rose's eyes she plans to do something stupid once again. And she does it soon enough, changing her behavior 180 degrees.
She starts to talk to everyone, but acts bad-mannered. She shakes hands with the men she meets, not letting them kiss her hand as it's customary, she interrupts conversations she wasn't part of just to say the most random, unnecessary things, she is talking either too loud or too soft, or she goes to groups of people and just sits there, in silence, making everyone feel awkward.
When I was a second away from moving from my post and going to her, the dinner is announced and I can only wonder how that would go.
Badly. It goes just as badly. Even worse.
At Ekaterina's toast, she didn't raise her glass, she started eating before the host, and compared to all women here, she filled her plate with a considerable amount of food. I'll be surprised if she doesn't get sick from all that food. I need to be honest: except for my colleagues, I've never seen anyone eat like that. Especially not a Moroi. Not that I'd see anything wrong with that, but the rest of the people at the table do.
That's not all. She slouches, eats with her mouth open and chews loudly, puts her elbows on the table, and makes a real show of slurping while drinking. Every little thing she shouldn't be doing, she does it obnoxiously. The only thing I can be thankful for is that no one offered her alcohol because god knows what she would be capable of if she got more uninhibited.
And all I can do is stay glued to a wall, at the back of the room, and watch her, unable to do anything to stop it. What is she thinking? She will make her situation so hard. Stop it, Rose. Stop it already.
When she gets bored of sitting at the table, she doesn't excuse herself, she just gets up, again, before the host lets it be known they're allowed.
By some herd effect, though, some other guests follow and at last, even Ekaterina gets up and they all come back into the big salon. In there, her behavior with the other guests is the same, treating everyone with the littlest respect she possibly can. The only persons she is nice to are the servants and the guardians, to which she now goes to talk. Of course, these actions of hers bring out so much murmuring. No one ever pays attention to us, so how dare she acknowledge our existence here?
She seems to have fun with them, though, showing her charismatic side. I only wish she would come my way, so that I could tell her to stop acting this way. She is so close to me, if only she'd come! I wonder if it's worth for me to leave my post and go to her.
But she walks away.
As she is on her way to switch guardians, she thinks it would be fun to interrupt another conversation.
This time, Blake Lazar responds to her. He is the first to do so, from the too many she disrespected tonight.
"You surely make a lot of noise for someone who says nothing."
"Thank you, dear, but I've been called worse things by way better people."
Wesley Drozdov whispers to Blake something about Rose being on her period and that being the reason she is so moody. I wish I could be allowed to pick Rose up and just go out the door. But I am not.
Of course, if I heard it, she heard it too. And she is not going to stay silent about it.
"Is that so? Then I have a proposition for you."
"Oh, Princess, I'm flattered that you'd choose me to spare you of it for 9 months, but I wouldn't like to spoil my family's genes."
She laughs. "You're kidding me? Your family tree must be a circle. I don't want that in my genes."
Oh, that was a good comeback. But it is wrong. So wrong.
"What?" more people chuckle when he shows he didn't get it.
"My point exactly, dear."
"You should see your righteous place, girl," Wesley's father intervenes. "Otherwise, someone will make sure to put you in it. And I must say it would be my greatest pleasure to be the one to do that."
"Well, as this someone said earlier," she wiggles her hand in Wesley's direction. "I may have gotten up today in a pool of my own blood. Do you plan to end your day the same? Just try to put me in my place, old man, and see where that takes you."
That's it. I cannot listen to this anymore. Damned be my post, damned be the consequences and everything else, I have to get her out of here.
In no time I am close to her and get a hold of her elbow, dragging her away from the group. I make sure to whisper in her ear, so that the others wouldn't hear. I switch to Turkish, just to be sure.
"You are one insult away from starting a feud, so stop. The Drozdovs are known to be a very spiteful family and no one needs to have them as enemies. Especially the Queen."
"His son started it!"
"And you should end it. Be the bigger person."
"I don't want to be the bigger person. Didn't you hear Ekaterina tell me I'm too short?"
"Stop it with the irony. And you have to stop this."
"Who's going to stop me if I don't want to?" she changes to English, just so that the others would hear she has no plan of backing down.
"I will."
She squints her eyes at me. "You wouldn't dare."
I would.
But Drozdov senior is here looking for trouble, wanting to fuel the fire.
"What, you think that if your guardian is here I will hesitate to put you in your place?"
Oh, how I would put him to the ground!
"I don't need my guardian. I can break your nose myself."
And she prepares to do just that. She takes a step toward him, he takes one toward her too, and I want to put myself in between them, but I guess I was so concerned about putting some sense into Rose that I didn't see Ekaterina around.
Lady Zeklos doesn't try to make it a nice thing, dragging Rose out of the room.
I follow.
The door of the grand room closes behind them, but I am sure that if you get close enough to it, you can hear plenty. Ekaterina is loud enough and curious people gathered around, I'm sure. The hallway has a good acoustic too.
"You are the most unmannered girl I've ever seen in my life! Weren't you born a princess? What did you do all your life? Hanged around and watched the leaves fall? Did apes raise you? Didn't your mother teach you anything, young lady?"
Rose is speechless. She gets like that each time anyone mentions her family. Lissa told me to be careful about it and I made it a priority to never bring that up. After all, she lost her mother, which would be hard on anyone. And with everyone bringing it up constantly, I can only imagine how she's feeling.
"I am talking to you! Answer me! What? Are you mute now after all the horrible things you said out there? Is this how your parents taught you to respect your elders? To threaten to punch them?! This is how your parents taught you to behave in public? I bet they are very proud of you right now! Your poor mother would roll over in her grave if she knew what you're doing here! Out of your selfishness, you ruined everything! Why aren't you saying anything? Talk!"
But there is no answer.
Rose just gets out of there. Of course, everyone is watching us as the door is closing on its own. There are a lot of people and she is pushing her way through them.
Ivan's aunt wants to go after Rose, angry that she was ignored, but I stop her.
"Lady Zeklos, please, let me go after her."
I know so damned well it is not my place to do such a thing, especially with someone like her, but only god knows what Rose would be capable of doing if she gets pushed too far. She already was.
"Go. And don't bring her back. I don't want to see that girl again tonight."
I thank god she let me go, and I rush outside through the same door she used. But where is she now?
It takes me a second to spot her. Did she get so far so fast? In those heels? She's already outside!
"Princess, wait!" I run toward her, but she keeps on walking away. "Princess!"
"Stop calling me that! Don't you see I'm not a princess? I'm not…" She stopped to turn and yell, and I finally catch up to her. "Haven't you heard what she said? I mean, you heard it all. And you out of all people have the right to believe what she said. You can confirm it to her. Go ahead and do it!"
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't call you Rose with so many people around. That was our deal, wasn't it? They would get the wrong impression."
"Oh, yeah, because people's impressions are what we value most. You're afraid I might fuck up your reputation?"
"I didn't mean it to come out like that. Your reputation might suffer if they think we are… friendly."
"Why? You're a ladies' man and I shouldn't be associated with you? It wouldn't surprise me because I've heard plenty about Ivan. Why wouldn't his best friend be the same?"
"It's not like that. I'm a guardian and-"
"Oh, so it's that shitty taboo of a Moroi being friendly with their guardian, right? It would give the wrong impression. You're afraid people would think we fancy each other?" I open my mouth, but I don't know how to respond. "But you're the type to be married with your work, right? Why would they think such a thing?"
"How did we get from talking about what happened to talking about me?"
She shrugs and goes sit on a bench nearby. I follow her, but I don't sit.
"I guess I'm quite good at changing the subject when it comes to talking about myself." I guess I could entertain her with that for now. "So? Was I right?"
"I like my work." I have to like it. The other choices I have aren't going to help my family.
"All the rules, and the orders. You like that too?"
"I like structure." It keeps my mind in check. It keeps me in check.
"Still, I bet you'd prefer being out there, fighting Strigoi rather than listening to the order of taking care of me. I mean, dealing with the enemy seems easier than dealing with me."
"Sometimes you have to do what you've been asked to."
"I see." She looks down and clutches the edge of her dress with her fingers.
Fuck. "Rose, I didn't mean to-"
"Can we go back to the house? Or do I have to embarrass myself some more in there after Ivan's aunt dragged me out of the room?" She smiles. "What do people think about that, huh?"
"We can go back."
"Good."
In the car, we have been silent for a while before she speaks.
"Dimitri?"
"Yes?"
"I guess you were right. I apologized to you in vain the other night. I didn't change a thing. I only made it worse."
"You're still young. You have the time to learn and mend things." She'll have to. She'll learn to live with it all. All the power moves, all the favors, all the fakeness. It comes with the responsibility of the crown.
She laughs. "It's funny how we're young for some things, but too old for others. Why do I get a pass for my young age for doing something this stupid, and guardians way younger than me have to fight-" she swallows her words and looks out the window. "I shouldn't have talked about something I know nothing about."
But she's one of the few people I know who does talk about it. About the unfairness of it. Most Moroi would advocate for lowering the age for sending Dhampirs out there. Not her.
We spend some more time in silence.
"Rose?"
"Yes?"
"I didn't mean to offend you earlier. I didn't mean to imply that-"
"That it isn't a burden to spend time with me and all my bullshit? Don't worry. I am not holding it against you. I know I'm complicated. And very stupid at times."
"I don't think you're a burden."
"But I am not a nice company."
"I've heard I'm not that either." She smiles a little. "Can you promise me something?"
"What?"
"If you decide to punch someone, at least make sure they're not too important."
She gives me a wider smile this time. "Noted. Next time, I promise to ask you first."
Why do I feel there will actually be a next time?
Rose's POV
As soon as I got back, I've gotten the same speech from Ivan's father, Lissa told me it would have been better if I haven't done what I did, and Dimitri… well, the disappointment he looked at me with when he came to stop me was enough of a scolding.
In the morning, I don't feel like getting out of my room. I just lie in bed, cuddling a pillow, watching the plate with breakfast that's on the nightstand. I'm sick to my stomach. Last night was a disaster and I'm the only one to blame. I don't know what demon possessed me to do what I did, but some part of me doesn't regret it. The other part of me, the Rose that remembers I was raised by Abe and Janine, knows I would have upset them with my behavior. And people keep on twisting that knife, always bringing up my parents and how disappointed they'd be in me and… they would be.
I wish they were here. I miss them so much.
Ivan comes by and sits next to me in bed, but I am with my back turned to him, not bearing the thought of seeing how mad he is. I know he is watching me, I feel his stare on me, but I cannot turn around.
"Rose. I know you're not sleeping."
What would be the point in pretending? I turn to the other side and face him, at last, but I only dare look at him with my peripheral vision.
When I don't see any anger in his eyes, for whatever reason, I feel mine starting to fill with tears. I hide my face into the pillow I didn't let go of, and try to put myself back together. I refuse to let these tears impress him in any way to go easy on me. I deserve a hell of an admonishment and I will take it.
But again, it doesn't come. So I ask for it.
"Please stop looking at me like that. Scold me already and be done with it."
"I've heard what happened with Ekaterina. Here, and at the party too."
"Dimitri gave you the report?" At least he would have given him an accurate one. He's good with the facts.
"Not really. I've heard a lot of things from many other people, and yes, I asked him, but he told me I should better hear it from you. So, here I am. Tell me your side of the story."
I get up to my butt and lose the pillow. My back is straight and I feel my extremities heavy.
"I don't need your pity. I'd rather have you yell at me." I'm used to that. I've done stupid shit all my life. Nothing of this magnitude, but stupid nonetheless.
"Look, Rose. I know we don't know each other that well, and that we haven't gotten along since you came here, but… I'm worried for you. Really worried. We're all worried for you." And by that I think he's referring to Dimitri and Lissa too.
"I don't need any of you to be worried for me. There's nothing wrong with me."
"Please, talk to me about it." I shake my head. "Rose, come on. You're trembling."
He reaches for my hand, but I pull it away.
"Goddamnit, stop! I don't need you to care for me! I don't need you to pretend you give a damn! I don't need anyone to give a damn! I can be alright on my own, got it?!"
"Fine." He lifts his hands in defense. "I see you're still upset. And if I made it any worse, I'm sorry. But if when you calm down you need someone to talk to, please don't hesitate to look for me. I'll listen, I promise."
And all I could think about for the rest of the day were his words. They are worried about me. Is there something wrong with me? If so, can he tell me what it is, for I can't pinpoint it. I mean, yeah, I act like this, but why?
That's why, in the middle of the night, I am in front of Ivan's door, pondering if I should knock. It is so late, after all. I would be disturbing him.
I want to leave, but Dimitri comes from around the corner, passing onto the hallway toward his room, and when he gets behind me, he knocks on the door, above my head.
"Hey, I-"
He continues on his way and rounds the other corner.
When I turn around, I see a sleepy Ivan standing in front of the opened door.
"Rose. Hi."
"Hi."
"Come in, please." he moves to the side while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"No. I just… I'm sorry I came so late, but…" but I wouldn't have had the courage to do this in the morning. "I just wanted to say that… I was mad. At your aunt. At myself the most. And I… I shouldn't have said what I said to you. I was taking it on you and it wasn't fair. You did nothing wrong. You didn't even scold me, for fuck's sake. And I… I am here to apologize."
He smiles. "I appreciate that. Now, come inside. Let's talk."
"I don't know what to say."
"Start with what happened. Then, we'll see."
I give in and enter. Truth be told, I need someone to listen and he so kindly offered himself to do it.
In the morning, I wake up in his bed. He is still sleeping on the little sofa in the room.
We didn't speak much after I said my side of the story and got my fair share of disapproving looks from him for the horrible things I said and done at the party.
We went to sleep, and because I was too tired to drag my ass back to my room, I agreed, on some terms, to remain in his.
It is a nice room. Much bigger than mine, of course, but I like mine more.
Wanting to see more of it, as the first time I was in here I was preoccupied with murderous thoughts, I turn to one side and my eyes fall on the clock on the nightstand.
"Fuck."
I'm fucked. It's so late. Everyone in the house is already awake!
"I don't mind if that's the first word that comes to your mind when you see me." My eyes drift to him and he smiles at me. "But let's make a thing clear. You were referring to the verb, weren't you?"
I get up to my butt, already outraged by what he's implying.
"I'm going to stab you in the neck one day, you know that, right?" Looking at me, he smiles once more. "What's with that face now?"
"Is that my T-shirt?"
"Ivan…" I roll my eyes.
He gets up too. "Sorry, I couldn't stop myself. But I don't mind, you know? It doesn't look bad on you."
"You're unbelievable. I shouldn't have agreed to stay here. If you think that what happened last night will change anything, it didn't. Even if people will think we-"
Oh, good lord! I need to get out of here before some servants come. I cannot be seen by anyone.
I get out of bed and get my dirty T-shirt off the floor. He and his damned idea to have a snack and my idiotic self to agree and to be that stupid to get myself dirty! I should have kept my T-shirt and pants on, damned be the stains.
"Will I see your pretty face at breakfast?" he continues to speak with that tone, but I am too preoccupied with other things than to give a snappy answer.
"Like I'd have a choice not to be there."
I rush out of the room and I thank god there is no one in the hallway. I start running. The faster I get to my room, the better.
Everything was going well until I turned the corner and bumped into Dimitri.
He catches me by my shoulders.
"Hey, where's the rush…" his voice dies as he looks at me and realizes what I'm wearing.
I didn't have this on when he saw me last night. Also, I was wearing my pants, not carrying them.
"It's not… not what you think…"
His hands let go of my shoulders and he steps to one side, making room for me to pass.
"It is none of my business, Princess."
Perfect. It is enough that he thinks we slept together. What if he thinks to tell someone else? Fuck!
I know I cannot explain it, so I rush inside my room and get ready for breakfast. I need to go meet Ivan and ask him to assure everyone we're not fucking. I don't care about his reputation, he needs to tell everyone we're not involved in that way.
But when I storm into the dining room, it's not Ivan I meet. It's his aunt.
I turn around on my heels and want to go back to where I came from.
"Rosemarie, come here."
"It's Rose. And I'm not staying."
"Sit."
I take my admiration back. I loathe this woman.
i have a little question: do you guys think this is moving too slow? i know that waiting 2 weeks for a rather shortish chapter (compared to the ones i delivered in the other fics) isn't optimal, but i am mostly wondering if you're enjoying the pace of the story so far. i don't know, it didn't seem right to me for them to get close so fast, after all, they just met, and to be honest, i am still planning a lot of tension to build up until a passionate moment to happen, but i wouldn't want you to get bored of the story either :) i hope my question makes sense
but all in all, as always, i'm sending lots of love your way and i hope you have an amazing week ahead!