Miranda's Point of View

> Two weeks later <<

Vincenzo and I haven't seen or heard from each other during this period. Lorenzo, on the other hand, is still hell-bent on catching the violator.

He's no longer openly accusing Vincenzo, but he has his guards keep a close watch on Vincenzo's mansion, and they report everything to him.

"What do you think, Claire? Should I change my dress today?" I asked while checking myself out in the mirror.

"I don't think anything is wrong with your dress," she replied.

I twisted my lips as I doubtfully inspected myself, trying to look for an agreeable excuse to change it.

"Everything is wrong with the dress. I don't like it. It's hideous and makes me look old," I whined.

"Huh? You've always worn this dress for your rituals, Luna."

"I don't know... Maybe we should add a little color?" I asked suggestively.

I recalled the last time Vincenzo saw me in this dress—he called me a ghost—and I've been self-conscious every time I wear it, hoping and praying he doesn't see me in it again.

Hold on, since when did I start caring about Vincenzo's impression of me?

"I'm not dressing up to impress him," I said out loud before I could stop myself. Claire gave me a weird look but didn't say anything. She can't query me, though.

"Should we go now?" she asked.

Taking a final look at myself in the mirror, I nodded. "Yes."

> > > > > > 

> Seer's Lair <<

Today's ritual was quick. Maurice is getting tired of these rituals as much as I am, so he skipped a few steps.

"When will you stop doing these rituals?" I heard Vincenzo's voice behind me, and my heart skipped.

I don't understand why, but I keep getting nervous every time his thought crosses my mind these days. I cleared my throat quietly and composed myself.

"Stop sneaking up on me like that!" I scolded him.

"It's not my fault you're a scaredy-cat."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Look around." I gestured at the creepy-looking things Maurice hung on his lair's walls. "Can you blame me for being scared in a place like this?"

Even though I come to Maurice's lair every day, the weird aesthetics still creep me out. There are horns of different animals hanging on the walls, and he has a crow in a cage that won't stop cawing.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I asked.

He sighed. "I came to see you."

"Aren't Lorenzo's men keeping an eye on you? How did you manage to get out?"

"Lorenzo and his men can't keep me on house arrest. I've only been laying low because I didn't want to bring trouble to you."

"Oh." I smiled mischievously. "Does that mean you risked everything just to see me?" My tone was surprisingly flirtatious.

What is wrong with you, Miranda?! I mentally scolded myself.

"Wha... What are you doing?" I stuttered as I took quick steps backward, trying to get away from Vincenzo, who kept closing the distance between us.

"Will you leave my brother and be with me if I risk everything right now?"

"Vincenzo, you must be..." My words stuck in my throat as my back hit the wall, meaning there's no way to escape anymore.

Vincenzo put his hands on both sides of the wall, caging me and looking straight into my eyes. He leaned closer to my ear, then whispered,

"After all, we're mates originally. What do you think?"

My heart wouldn't stop beating as his hot breath fanned my neck and his lips brushed my ear. Sparks shot through my veins as I felt excited all of a sudden.

"I'm kidding," he said, pulling away from me.

"Fuck!" I swore as my chest rose and fell rapidly while I tried to catch my breath and stabilize my mind. It's suddenly hot in here—I said to myself mentally.

"I won't force you to do anything that is against your will. I'm not my brother. If we are to be together, we'll be together openly and legally."

Maurice cleared his throat as if to remind us we were not alone.

Vincenzo grabbed my hand.

"Come on. I came to take you somewhere," he said, pulling me along.

"Where are you taking me? What if Lorenzo sees us together?" I panicked.

"Nobody will see us. We're not going outside."

I wanted to resist, but my legs had a mind of their own. They wouldn't stop following him.

"Should I come along, Luna?" Claire asked.

"Er..."

"Wait here," Vincenzo replied in my stead.

We approached a dark hallway. I was scared it was going to be like that tunnel we’ve been using to get to his father's cell, but lights flicked on immediately as we stepped foot in the hallway.

"Thank the Moon Goddess there's light here," I whispered in relief, but Vincenzo heard me and chuckled.

"I installed the lights three days ago because I know you're scared of the dark."

"Really?" I couldn't help my blush. "You really should stop being so attentive to me, or I might fall in love with you," I said in a joking tone—heaven knows I'm not joking, though.

"That's my intention, baby." He played along, making my cheeks heat up more.

We continued the rest of the journey in silence. After walking for about fifteen minutes, I stopped and huffed.

"How long do we have to walk? My bones aren't as strong as yours. I'm not young anymore," I whined.

He rolled his eyes. "You're only twenty-four."

"And you think twenty-four is a joke?" I placed my hands on my waist with the disagree with me and get a taste of my fist look on.

He raised his hands in surrender.

"Fine. You're old."

I huffed again, turning my face away from him.

"Come on. Just a few more steps."

We continued walking, and true to his words, we only walked for two minutes before he said, "We've arrived."

My brows furrowed as I stared at the sight before us.

"Are you sure we've arrived? This is a dead end," I said.

"No, it's not," he replied.

He placed his palm on the wall, and it flipped open, revealing another hallway—but it's brighter than the one we're currently in.

"Come on," he said, stepping into the hallway. I quickly followed him.

"Where does this hallway lead to?"

"My home," he replied casually.

"What?!"