Caleb walks into the Vatore estate with Primrose still in his arms, finally allowing exhaustion to take over her. Tonight proves to be difficult for her as she is physically and mentally drained from everything that has happened until now. Butler Richard greets them but the young lord is in a hurry to bring his raven head to rest, knowing she deserves it the most. The wise butler is confused at his lord's hastiness, it is only when Lilith and Kian tell him what happened that he finally understands the situation.

"It seems like House Cents are willing to sacrifice the alliance to push Lord Caleb into a marriage."

"Not only that, she was willing to eliminate Primrose using the heiress of House Bloodhaven." Kian chimes in, irritated at the audacity "She even made it seem like it was her fault that Seraphina Bloodhaven got hurt."

"She even claimed that my brother can have more than one mate and even went as far as to ensure that Seraphina should be the Lady of the House instead of Primrose if he chose that route." Lilith huffs angrily "Who does she think she is? Caleb is a noble man, he would never think about that!"

Butler Richard pours out two cups of tea infused with the plasma leaves, the remedy proves to be a good combat for stress and tension, and give them to the young couple.

"Ultimately, it is Lord Caleb's decision to maintain or break the alliance relationship with House Cents. Although, it might be difficult, considering the long-standing history of two houses."

"She is definitely using that as an excuse to push this marriage onto Caleb. And the Bloodhaven family is too happy to accept her aid, thinking that they can send their daughter to be his bride."

However, Lilith remembers how bravely Primrose fought for herself and her brother and recalls the story, piquing Butler Richard's interest. He never thought that the young mage had such courage to attend the party, not to mention the ruckus that had happened.

When he suggests his lord bring a date, he assumes that Caleb would be the one who protects her from start to finish, but now, hearing that Primrose had put herself in danger makes him realize where her loyalty stays. If his lord got hurt because of her, then he would…

"Richard, you know that Caleb loves Primrose a lot, don't you?" Lilith speaks up, breaking his train of thought. When she receives a nod, she continues "I know your unwavering loyalty to House Vatore and will do everything to protect it. However, you should also know Caleb can do everything for her."

"What are you suggesting, my lady?"

"Extend that loyalty to Primrose too. She is part of our family now, even if she is just a human." The younger Vatore looks at him "With your support, Caleb will triumph."

There is a knowing look on Butler Richard's face. While there is no doubt in his loyalty to House Vatore, the way he demonstrates that can cause quite an uproar within the family. If he deems someone to be an obstacle to the success of Caleb and House Vatore, he will not hesitate to take action to ensure that the individual will disappear forever. A loyalist with questionable morals.

When Primrose first comes to this place, Lilith already picks up the hostile vibe coming from their butler. While he seems to be a kind and wise man, his eyes always guard with doubt whenever he looks at the young mage. But he is good at hiding it, allowing her to be comfortable while staying at the Vatore estate. However, that doesn't mean that they can not pick up the subtle prejudice he has for her.

Butler Richard is someone who is willing to get his hands dirty if it means protecting and reserving House Vatore's future, and that also includes Primrose…

While Lilith wishes that it would never happen, she can not shake off the ambient feeling that Richard would lay his hands on the young mage if something ill happened to Caleb…

"My lady, I am mindful of how I perceive this romantic relationship between Lord Caleb and his mate, and I will try my best to ensure that Lady Primrose feels welcome in our family. However, you must understand that respect is earned, not asking for." he fixes his glasses, still exuding a calm and collected manner "If you excuse me, I need to go and tend the rose garden."

Lilith sighs at his response, knowing that is what she gets for trying to convince the man to do something does not want to. Kian smiles amusingly at the conversation before taking a seat next to his wife, comforting her by planting a kiss on her palm and reassuring her that everything will be okay.

He has been through the same treatment with Butler Richard, especially during his first few months staying at the Vatore Estate. It was during wartime and everyone was tensed at the idea that the son of the enemy was a part of their army. Richard was not as kind as he is right now and the man would never let him out of his sight, fearing that Kian would post a threat to house Vatore. Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months, Kian showed nothing but loyalty to Caleb and love to Lilith, which slowly earned him the respect of Butler Richard. He didn't have to do anything much but just be there and support the Vatore siblings.

If he can do it, so can Primrose.

After her display of affection and loyalty at House Cents's party, it is only a matter of time for Butler Richard to consider her as part of the Vatore family.

"I wish that is the case, Kian." Lilith sighs "Maybe I'm just worried too much."

"You are, my dear. Why don't we take a rest? We all deserve a good sleep now."

Lilith smiles fondly at her husband's affectionate gesture and accepts his hand as he guides them back to their quarter.

While Lilith and Kian are enjoying a good rest after what happened, Caleb takes Primrose to his quarter instead of leaving her in the guest bedroom. Ever since they left the party, she has stayed close to him, finding solace in his embrace and almost too nervous whenever he lets go, even at the slightest. The revelation that her life is at stake makes her even more uncomfortable with what their future holds.

It is undeniable that her affection for Caleb only grows stronger each day past by, despite what they are doing is rekindling the past flame. However, the more her feelings grow, the more obstacles she sees in her way.

Back then, everything was easy. She didn't know about his past, his heritage, or his duties as head of House Vatore. Primrose only knew him as Caleb Vatore, someone who ventured to Glimmerbrook in order to save his friend, Inna. Their connection was simple, a moonlit stroll, a fun conversation, a pat on the shoulder, a lingering gaze, and all of the simplest way one could convey their feelings for one another.

When she first accepts him back into her life, she has an assumption that everything will be the same as they were in the past.

But now, things are different. They are different…

What she sees today is only the first of many challenges they have to face. Primrose believes in their connection and the feelings they have for each other, but is it enough for them to withstand the ongoing struggle? Will she have enough courage to keep going?

The raven head knows that she asks for this. The moment she accepts to be his date to this party, everything changes between them. She sees the dark side of this whimsical, vampiric world. She sees prejudice against their own kind, particularly Kian and Lilith's issue. She sees how one can throw away their dignity just for a position of power.

And then, there is Inna Cents…

Even her name tastes like a toxin in her mouth…

Why the brunette hates her so much, Primrose never understands. That woman had harbored vile intentions towards her years before this party happened, that was what Inna told her. By the scope of how things are happening, she knows that the brunette will continue to push Caleb into a political marriage.

Noblemen and what they can do for power, she feels sick just thinking about it.

Her parents have warned her about this and now, Primrose is glad that her father didn't sugarcoat the situation and told her what she should expect if she continues on this path. Edward's words, while cruel and heartwrenching, shone a light on the turmoil of Caleb's world and told her to brace herself for anything that came her way. Now to see everything with her eyes, the raven head finally understands why her parents are opposing this.

But no matter how big the obstacle is on their way, Primrose can not let Caleb go, she can't…

"Beloved…"

Caleb's warm voice pulls her out of her thoughts as she looks at him, realizing that they are outside on the balcony of his bedroom. From here, she can see the full view of Forgotten Hollow at night, with dimmed streetlights and a mysterious mist veil wrapped around the town.

"I'm sorry…"

"For what?" Primrose already knows the answer, but she chooses to ask instead.

"For putting you in this mess. For putting you in danger." his hold only tightens as Caleb rests his chin on top of her head "I should not have brought you here with me."

She stays silent, letting his words sink into her mind. Sooner or later, they will have to face this, whether it is Inna's malicious plan, Seraphina's quest for Caleb's heart, or those noble vampires desperately trying to get his attention.

"Do you regret it?" she asks, onyx eyes turning to somewhere that she can not grasp "Do you regret coming back to me?"

If he did not pursue her, none of this would happen.

If he did not pursue her, he would marry a vampire maiden, just like his people wanted.

But Caleb wants nothing of that sort. He wants her, he wants Primrose.

"The only thing that I regret was how I let you go in the past. No matter what happens, even if this world is falling apart, I will never let go of this hand again."

Lacing their fingers together, Caleb plants a kiss on top of her head, soothing her fear and his anxiety as well. He knows that the world they are living in is difficult and they have to navigate their way out of this together. It is sad to acknowledge that their path to the future is nothing but blood and thorns, that their love is faced with criticisms from his kind, and that there are people out there like Inna who are willing to get rid of Primrose just for him to marry a full-blood vampire.

This prejudice against her is strong and it will never go away. No matter how hard she tries to win over the favor of his people, there will still be individuals who see her as a threat to their world and his family. Caleb never wants that to happen, but he doesn't have the power to stop them. So the only thing he knows how to do is to protect her with everything he has. To shield Primrose from the pain, to love her with every fiber of his being, to ensure she has a future she deserves, that is all he can do.

Bringing her into this world is his mistake, but he loves her so much to let her go again…

"Hold me?"

Caleb obliges, with no hesitation, he holds her close and gently presses on her back, feeling more of the warmth radiating from a human body. This small stature houses the biggest, most beautiful heart he has ever seen in his life. Sweet and kind, yet fierce to the point she is willing to put herself in danger to protect her ideal. An idealistic maiden with a heart of gold, that is her strength but also her weakness. Her heart, big yet frail, is easy to break if something bad happens.

And he vows to never let it break again…

"Come what may?"

"Come what may, beloved…"

Planting a kiss on her forehead, Caleb caresses her soft cheek gently. Primrose has fallen asleep and instead of bringing her back to the guest bedroom, he lays her down on his bed and tugs the water mage in. Watching her peaceful slumber reminds him of the fragility of her human existence, which is so different from his vampiric world. She has been through enough today and deserves a good night's sleep.

Caleb, however, has something he must do first…

Walking to the study room, he is welcomed by Butler Richard, who is enjoying himself a nice cup of plasma tea.

"My lord, you're back at last."

"Quit the jesting, Richard." shaking his head amusingly, he accepts a cup from his trusted confidant, taking a sip "How is the investigation I ask you to do?"

"Ah yes, here is the report so far." placing a document file on the table, he continues "It actually links to a human trafficking case within the mortal world."

"Human trafficking?"

The file contains pictures of victims, transcripts of interviews, and monetary transactions that link back to House Bloodhaven. The human trafficking ring is filled with intermediaries and carefully organized making it very difficult to pinpoint the involved parties. Butler Richard informs that while it is not explicit, the paper trail is suspicious enough to raise serious concerns.

However, they need more evidence to build a concrete case. While it is safe to say that House Bloodhaven is involved in this ring, pinning a crime on them while not having enough evidence proves to be a hasty act. The accusation will bring disastrous consequences not only to house Vatore but also to Primrose herself, considering how Seraphina just got herself humiliated after losing a duel.

"Continue the investigation, Richard. No room for error, we must find out the root of this ring and why House Bloodhaven is involved in this." Caleb ponders his thoughts and continues "Do another investigation on House Cents to see if they are involved in this."

"Do you suspect them?"

"House Bloodhaven is one of House Cents allies so that possibility cannot be ruled out. If Inna and her family are truly part of this trafficking ring, then we have a much bigger problem at hand." taking a sip of his tea, the young lord sighs "I will ask Lilith to look into this when she goes to work, the more clues we have, the better."

Butler Richard nods in agreement. With Lilith's career as a defense attorney, it will shine a light on this case faster. He then thinks about the human mate of Caleb and how he doesn't seem to worry about her. Is he planning something else?

"My lord, what about Primrose Emberlynn?"

"I will keep an eye on her myself. I don't entrust her safety to anyone."

"That is a reckless decision, my lord. I hope that you will reconsider…"

Leaning back against his chair, Caleb shakes his head. Besides Marlin, Lumera, and his family, he can not trust anyone when it comes to Primrose's safety. Her well-being is hanging by the threat the moment she steps into his life and she may be the potential target of this elaborate trafficking ring. On top of that, there are her family and friends who can also be in danger if House Cents and/or House Bloodhaven know her inner circle.

Tousling his hair, Caleb exhales. He should not have announced her name with such pride like that, knowing how well-known the Emberlynn family is in the supernatural world.

"Damn it…"

"My lord, before things become more serious, I would like to ask you to not invest too much in this human girl of yours."

The moment those words escape his lips, Caleb's eyes open, bloody red as he glares at his butler.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It is only for your safety, my lord." Butler Richard doesn't faze at the pressure coming from his master "And for the best of House Vatore."

The tea cup is set on a small plate with a loud clanking sound. Cold and crisp, the sound cuts through the awkward air between him and the wise advisor like a sharp knife. Caleb turns to his butler, red eyes still visible, and speaks with an authoritative voice.

"This is the only time I say this to you, Richard. Primrose is one of us, my mate, my bride, and the future Lady of House Vatore. You will respect her."

Touching the armrest of his chair, the tension between the two men rises. One who pledges his unwavering loyalty to the Vatore family, even if it means to eliminate everything that stands in their way. The other holds an unconditional love for his woman and is willing to sacrifice his life for her safety.

Butler Richard sighs, backing down from his proposition. If he can not persuade his lord to give up on that human, the best way to approach this is to make her feel like she does not belong in this world. But Caleb sees through him, his plan to downplay the importance of the raven head in this family

"No matter what happens, Richard, I will not let her go, even when it's Primrose who chooses to leave."

The butler flinches at his words, knitting his brows and nodding in response.