The Villainous Lord's Obsession

9.

The room which Karden had me taken to was large and spacious, and it had a peculiar shade of gray. It was nothing like I expected, knowing the type of person he was. 

There was color everywhere, but it was diluted into an eerie film of black. Like a just-visible cloud coating the room in a tint of shadow and dust. It reminded me of horror dramas I'd watched, or the type of dreams where I find myself looking through murky ocean water at twilight, or the feeling of staring straight into space. 

I rubbed a knuckle in my eye and when my vision refocused, and I could just make out the silhouette of the items in the room. Even the curtains were black, and had been drawn shut, stopping any light from seeping in through. Why would anyone ever want to live in a place so dark with no colors? It was not fit for normal humans to live in. And by that, I meant everyone else except Karden. 

Only he would enjoy a room as dark and sinister as this.

"This will be your room, My...Miss," the woman who brought me in said. She had short black hair that stopped along her neck, and was dressed in a plain maid gown. "The bathe is filled with water and his Lordship has ordered that you get dressed for lunch."

I scoffed. Shouldn't he have simply told me that before he left? I suppose he couldn't, because he was too busy trying to get under my nerves.

"Is this how everywhere looks?" I asked, gesturing around. "I meant the color around," I added when I noticed the confused look on the woman’s face.

"Oh, yes. His Lordship likes his castle this way."

"Well I'm going change it," I mumbled as I strode into the room.

"Did you say something, Miss?" she asked, stepping into the room as well.

"No, of course not. What is your name?"

"Sahra," she replied with a shy smile.

"You have a nice name, Sahra."

"Thank you, Miss. Will you be staying here for a day or two as well?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, are you one of his Lordship's women that come and spend a day or two then leave?" she asked, fiddling with her fingers. “Forgive me if that sounds offensive. I was just curious, because each one usually has her own particular taste. I just want to make sure that everything is to your liking. 

Ah, so he did bring women home. That was new. I never knew he did that, or to put in rightly, the author never did bother to indicate that part. Should I be surprised every time I learned something new about Karden? Obviously not, because the book I had read was not about him in particular.

"Well, I suppose you could say that. But I might be staying longer than any of them have," I said, scrunching my face as my eyes landed on the single settee and a large canopied bed by the end. There was a mirror beside the bed, and a large oak table at the center of the room.

"Are there spare curtains around in any color other than black?" I asked, walking over to the window and pulling the curtains to each side, sighing as sunlight seeped into the dimly lit room.

"You want to change them?" Sahra asked, her eyes widening.

"Can't I?"

"I didn't mean that, Miss. It's just that, no one has ever dared to change the curtains to any color other than the color his Lordship had chosen."

"Well, there's someone here who's not particularly interested in seeing black everywhere." I gave a half-shrug and smiled at the girl. "So, are there? Including the bedsheets?"

"Yes, Miss."

"Great!" I replied as I clapped my hands. "Can you change the gray sheets on the bed and those black curtains while I take my bathe? I'll like anything with a touch of red to it."

"Leave it to me, Miss," Sahra smiled. 

I suppose I wasn’t the only one who liked to see a pop of color dancing around.

"Where can I take my bathe?"

"Oh, right here, Miss." She pointed towards a door by the right end. "I have the bath water already filled in."

"Thank you."

The water, turned out to be in a wooden tub that looked like a large bowl. It was only large enough for a very small human being, and I wondered if anyone that wasn't as petite as I was, would fit in it.

I stripped off Theo's clothes and winced at the coldness that hit me. I sat in the tub, and as the hot water engulf me, I let out a satisfied sigh then leaned my back against the wooden tub and closed my eyes.

This was the first time I had been alone ever since I had come to the realization that I was in a book. And being alone, somehow, made everything take a new turn.

I still couldn't wrap my fingers around the possibility of how I had gotten here, or what i was even doing here in the first place. It made no sense that I left my life and was now living in a book. But what could have been the cause?

Obviously, there must be a reason why I got here. Was it my obsession with the book? Or my obsession with Tristram? If that was the case, shouldn't I be with him instead of Karden? Perhaps, it was my hatred that landed me here; my deep rooted hatred for the merciless villain, Karden.

But why?

I sighed, opening my eyes and eyeing the room. There was nothing of interest, except that it had the gray paint and the eerie feeling to it as well.

Sitting here wouldn't help me. I had to find a way to mingle with the people I found myself around and try to blend in. It would be hard, so hard for someone from a contemporary world to fit in in a world without any trace of technology. Aside from the fact that the way they spoke differed from what I was used to, I couldn’t imagine how they got along without the internet or even a steaming cup of espresso. 

But that was one of the important aspect of reading. I'd read lots of medieval themed books that I've lost count of. And I'd picked a thing or two on how they lived. Now was the right time to apply all I'd learnt from reading them so far, and sticking to my story of losing my memory.

Soon, I shoved all the thoughts nagging me and washed all the dirt off my body. However, when I stepped into the room, Sahra was not there. Instead, the curtains had been changed. On each side was a red - almost crimson -  colored curtain, while the middle curtain was white, complimenting the red on each side.

The sheets on the bed had been changed to a white sheet with red polka dots as well. Just seeing the pop of color around made my lips stretch into a smile.

I walked over to the bed and found a pink colored gown on it. I picked the gown up and twirled it around, wondering just how I was going to get used to wearing dresses like this around.

So, without waiting to look for any cream or lotion, since those things were obviously not available in a place like this, I dropped the cloth I had wrapped around myself and slipped into the dress.

As I stood before the mirror, I gaped at the flowing pastel pink dress with bell arms and a cinched waist I had worn. It had silver embroidery around the neck line and a belt fashioned to look like a rope tied around the waist.

I tightened the single belt attached to the dress and smiled. It fitted just perfectly. My almost flat t**s seemed to have grown on their own in the dress, pushed up by lots of padding underneath. 

I ran my hand through my wet brown hair and shook it. Most of the water in it had dried off already, but a dryer would've been better in this cold weather. However, since there was nothing I could do about it, I let it drop behind me.

I ran my hand on my pendant, which I had refused to remove even during my bath and smiled at it. At least, I had something of mine from home.

When I looked into the mirror again, it felt as though I had always belonged to this part of the world. The small stud on my nose glowed, and I couldn't help but smile again.

I nearly stumbled and fell on my back when the door was suddenly thrown open forcefully and Karden stepped in.

"Ah, you look better now," he said as he strode into the room.

"You should have enough decency to knock before stepping into a lady's room!" I snapped. "Can't you do that at least?"

"Well, everything here is mine. I can do whatever I want to," he said with a shrug. He had changed his clothes, which meant he had also showered as well. He wore a cream colored breeches and a black tunic. The three buttons at the top were left unbuttoned, and I could see the working of his jaw from where I stood. His hair fell to his face, creating a mysterious spooky aura around him. It was wet, and so it hung lazily.

"Everything except me," I said, walking past him towards the settee. "Need I remind you that you just gave the room to me, as per, your intended?"

"Does that mean you agree to marry me?"

"Wait, what?" My eyes widened in shock. "I never said so."

"Well, you practically indicated that by calling yourself my intended."

"I was merely trying to point out a clear fact," I huffed, sitting on the settee.

"I see," he chuckled lightly, crossing his hands over his chest. "Are my eyes betraying me, or do you look a bit better now?" he stood before me, towering above my small figure.

I could smell the familiar scent on him. The deep woody scent that had always hit me whenever he was close to me, that, and the new smoky scent that wafted into my nose. I was never one to pay close attention to what a man smelled like, but with Karden, it was impossible to ignore that.

"You just couldn't see past your ego before. I had always been good looking,” I sneered. 

"Not good looking,” he argued. “But perhaps just a little bit better than some of the ladies around." He was suddenly kneeling before me, and before I could do anything, his index finger lightly grazed my nose, directly where my piercing was. I held my breath, stunned by his close proximity. 

"And like I said before,” he whispered, “I like your piercing. It gives off a certain aura around you that I haven't noticed amongst other women."

"You expect me to smile and thank you for that?" I scoffed. "I suppose you think of that as a compliment, don't you?"

"Isn't it?" he asked, raising one of his brows.

"Why do men always feel it is necessary to bring down other women while trying to complement some? Emphasis on 'trying'", I air quoted, allowing my eyes to dance around his body. "You think I'd appreciate that?"

"Perhaps you misunderstood me. I was never one to compliment women. The fact that I am doing that now says something."

"Well, I never asked you to compliment me. You can keep your sweet words to yourself."

He took both of my hands in his and carefully began dropping his head towards them. I tried pulling them away when I figured what he wanted to do. But he didn't stop, instead, he pinned his eyes on mine and continued to bring his lips towards my hands ever so slowly.

"I would appreciate it if you'd at least spare me another lousy smooch of yours," I said, biting my lower lip.

He was silent for a while, so silent that I started to think I might have really crossed the line this time around.

"You still call that a lousy kiss?" he finally spoke, his green eyes pinning me as he suddenly leaned in too close, and I mean absolutely too close to my liking. His woody scent hit me hard even more in this position, and I couldn't resist taking in a deep breath.

"How about I pin you to this settee right now and show you how a real kiss is? Perhaps, it'll take away your curiosity as to how my lips would taste against yours. Besides, I’m certain wherever it is you came from, you’ve never been kissed by a man like me."

"Eww..." I placed my right hand against my lips, which after much struggle, I had managed to untangle from Karden's hold. "I wouldn't want another lousy smooch. At least, not on my lips."

His eyes danced, and from the popping of the veins on his forehead, I could tell he was angry. Very angry.

"Do you perhaps want something more, Miriam?" he suddenly asked.

"More?"

"Yes. More. Maybe not just the press of my lips against yours, but something more," he added, twirling with a lock of wet hair in his hand.

My eyes widened as soon as realization on what he meant dawned on me. But I wasn't about to let him know I had never tried it, that the one time I did want to, I let my crazy imagination on fantasy characters stopped me. With him, however, at least, my thoughts had never wandered towards that end in particular.

"Your sense of humor is the worst, Karden." I brushed his words as I ducked from his embrace and stood up, stretching the edges of my dress.

"You say that like there’s any sort of difference between my humor and I."

"I suppose there isn’t." I twisted my pendant between my fingers. "You’re both equally dense."

Karden chuckled. Loudly, monotone, and in a way that was nearly as mocking as my comment. "Come on," he nodded towards the door. "We don’t have time for you to learn how to be funny."

*

My stomach rumbled the moment I saw the dishes on the wide dining table. The table turned out to have only three chairs around it, and I wondered if he ate in alone, or with Theo and Castallan only. 

But I didn't allow my thoughts to linger on that as I began to devour the food before me. I started with the cheesecake, which seemed to be what my attention caught on first before anything. Then I ate the steak, and it was soft and tender, unlike what I was used to, which was pretty weird.

The wine was sweet and soar at the same time, leaving the lingering taste of grapes and some flavors I couldn't identify just yet to dance on my tongue.

"Why can't you eat like most ladies do?"

"Because I'm Miriam, not most ladies," I replied with my mouth full.

"Which is why making you my wife wouldn't make much sense, but at least, it would stop my marriage to Scarlett. And I could protect you without having to find excuses as to why I'm keeping a woman like you beside me."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I asked, dropping the fork in my hand and crossing my hand against my chest. "That a woman like me isn't deserving of a man like you? Not like you are any better than I am," I added quickly. "I particularly do not like the idea of marrying a tyrant like you, not even if it means saving me."

"Hmn. Why are you against this?"

"I might have lost my memories, Karden. But I still know exactly what I want. Marriage is sacred, and until I find someone I really want, someone who makes my heart lurch at the sound of his voice, one I can laugh freely with and...and..." I paused, thinking about all the dreams I had when I finally found my perfect man. But Karden didn't have to know all that. "You are just not the one, Karden. A tyrant is never someone I would want for myself."

"Would you rather take poison then?"

"If it means not becoming your wife, then I would gladly do that," I replied with a smug look.

I had no idea if what I said prompted that, but the look in his eyes changed as he dropped his fork and spoon.

“For once,” he said quietly, “just once, I want to disagree with him. I want to do something he vehemently opposes to. And with you, I finally have the opportunity to do just that." 

I needed no miracle to understand he was talking about his father. The one person Karden had tried all his life to please, and yet, never pleased. I remembered what happened back at the palace, and I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine. I was suddenly filled with the thoughts of helping Karden go against his father just once.

"He wants me to marry for power. I don’t want it to be that way," he said. "When I marry, it won’t be about power."

"What will it be, then?"

"Sacrifice."

His voice was crisp, and there was a certainty to it, as though he had resigned to the fact rather than being proud of it. He swallowed, just loud enough to catch me off guard, and the action made me shift, his discomfort snaking through the air toward me.

Karden’s eyes dropped to the floor, and I felt as though I’d exposed him or he’d laid himself bare and suddenly regretted it. Either way, I was not sure what I was supposed to say, and something about the moment seemed so personal, too personal, that I found myself searching for anything to fill the quiet. 

"You’re right," I told him, trying to shake the melancholy from my voice. "Spending a lifetime with you would be a sacrifice. Which I'm not willing to risk."

"Oh?" A glow returned to his eyes and he smiled as though the last few seconds didn’t happen, erasing whatever parts of his past he didn’t want to remember. "What would you be losing?" he asked.

"If I married you?" I pushed my chair back and smiled, pushing away the unraveling thing inside me. "I suppose it would be my mind." 

I stood up, and the ricochets of his chuckle filled the room. But even with that infectious melody, I couldn’t shake the look that crossed his face when I mentioned marriage. It made me more curious than I ought to be.

"But I'll make it worth it. At least, until you ask me to let go. It doesn't have to be permanent.” He downed the remaining wine in his goblet and stood up as well.

"Well, I suppose here comes the end of our lunch. I'll be out for some time, you can make yourself useful in the manor and maybe, knit me a shawl to help keep me warm in this weather?" 

He winked and turned away. "Oh, I've already told the servants that you are my betrothed. Feel free to act like one. I'll see you later and we can talk about the ‘smooch’ once more."

And he left.

He just had to find a way to ruin every single moment.