Chapter 7 - Knock Knock Knock
Sylvia stared at the lean and muscular man standing at a distance in the midst of two gently swaying trees in the garden.
Even though she was only looking at him from afar, through her grilled window, from the confines of her room, she still couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
Mikel had such a strong and imposing presence. Just merely looking at him made her feel very uneasy.
But weirdly enough, Sylvia found herself staring at him, unable to avert her eyes.
The man was exuding an otherworldly elegance under the glimmer of the moonlight.
From her perspective, it looked as if he was busily talking with the two men in front of him about something very important.
There was a lot of hand gesturing going on and the two men even looked a bit frightened.
Sylvia couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about.
"Are they talking about me?" A small doubt arose within her, steadily quickening her heartbeat.
A few minutes later the two men humbly bowed and dispersed, leaving behind only Mikel.
The man was standing by himself in the beautiful garden, the wind whipping his long golden hair, and his aura more enchanting than the garden itself.
Sylvia didn't quite realize it but by now she had completely moved closer to the small window and her face was almost pressed against the iron grill from trying to see what was happening.
How could she not be curious about the man who now held her fate in his palm?
It was only natural for her to want to know more about him and understand better the predicament she was in.
As Sylvia dazedly stared at the elegant figure in the garden with a million questions brewing in her head, suddenly… out of nowhere… the man turned around and looked directly at her…
Sylvia's heart instantly stopped. She knew that he was looking at her. There was no doubt about it. His gaze met hers.
Damn it. Sylvia jumped back in fright and coughed roughly, panting in fear.
"Did I just get caught doing something weird?"
"Did he think that I was spying on him?"
"Oh Lord, did I just get caught spying on the first Prince of Kalindor?"
That was treason for heaven's sake!
Sylvia cursed herself for being so stupid. She had quite literally dug her own grave in less than a day.
"I should have never looked." She clutched her knees and sat on the bed, her body slightly trembling.
She didn't even know what to do now. She could only patiently wait and hope that nothing happened.
Perhaps the Prince wouldn't care about something so trivial?
After all, wasn't she just looking out from her window?
Sylvia felt like she was going crazy. Every little thing was making her nervous and she hated it.
"I am a strong independent woman, damn it. Why am I behaving like this?"
She clutched her knees even tighter and tried to calm herself down.
Being an exceptionally beautiful maiden, Sylvia had a rather confident and strong personality.
Of course, this was only when she was in the midst of other commoners.
When it came to people with power and magic, she knew that her beauty was worth nothing and she was a nobody.
They were slightly well off and a bit better than commoners but still neither her parents nor her uncle's family was of a noble lineage.
So Sylvia never dared to act over-confident and entitled. She knew her place in society and acted prudently.
But now, it felt like she had completely lost control of herself.
"Stop it Syl. Don't be an idiot. You can get through this." She comforted herself and took deep breaths to calm herself down.
A couple of minutes later, she finally sighed in relief and arranged her bedding to turn in early for the night.
"See nothing happened. Everything is fine. Everything is fine." She muttered to herself under her breath.
She barely even finished those words, when suddenly a loud and clear tap sounded on her door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Sylvia felt her entire body instantly stiffen up. She couldn't bring herself to move and open the door.
She simply stood frozen near the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The loud knocking sounds echoed again.
The party on the other side of the door didn't look like they were going to leave anytime soon.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
Sylvia still hesitated to move, when finally a gentle and kind voice sounded.
"Are you alright dear? I just came by to see if you needed some more supper?"
Jane asked loudly, just to make sure that Sylvia hadn't gone to sleep already.
Sylvia immediately breathed out in relief. She swallowed her saliva and quickly stepped forward and opened the door.
"Sorry, Mrs. Jane. I apologize for my foul manners. I drifted off by mistake."
"Don't worry, dear. I just dropped by to check on you."
"In case you feel hungry later, you can always visit the kitchen and eat some leftovers. There are plenty available."
"Have a good night." Jane smiled kindly and left soon after patting Sylvia on the shoulder.
Sylvia let out another sigh. She had almost offended the head maid by being overly paranoid.
"How silly of me!" She rubbed her temples and closed her door again.
This time she didn't bother sightseeing outside her window and directly went to bed.
She was extremely tired after all.
Within a few seconds, Sylvia fell into a deep slumber and her chest rhythmically undulated up and down matching her breath.
However, not long after, her door slightly creaked open and a shadow entered.
Mikel stood silently by the bed and gazed at the sleeping woman for a long time.
His gaze held an unfathomable expression.