"You seem very distracted, Claire? Is something on your mind?"

She blinked and walked towards him.

"Nothing. Don’t mind me."

He smiled, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. He wasn’t convinced in the least.

"Is it the house? It scares even me sometimes."

Her eyes flashed to his quickly. "It does?"

He nodded, then glanced around as if to make sure no one was listening to what he was saying.

Her guard was hovering at the bottom of the staircase with a very unfriendly expression on his face.

He always looked passive and invisible, but for a reason, it was as if he wanted to make his displeasure known to her.

What was he displeased about? Her male companion?

Before she could register his movement, Aldrich took her by the arm and pulled her down the stairs.

"You could just sell the house, you know. The only disadvantage is that you would be losing so many acres of land along with it. But not to worry," He flashed her another charming smile. "You still have other properties thanks to your wealthy uncle, and you have a wealthy husband-to-be as well." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Claire had to turn to look at him.

He sounded so sure of himself as though she had given him her consent.

Slowly she pulled her hand out of his grasp and turned to her guard.

He had his hand on the hilt of his sword as if he was waiting for Aldrich to make one false move so he could strike him dead on the spot.

"Would you have breakfast with us?" She asked, more in an attempt to rid herself of the choking tension than to play the part of a good hostess.

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He looked dismayed at her aloof attitude, but she could hardly blame him.

She was treating him very coldly, but she couldn’t help the thought that if she treated him warmly, she would be confirming exactly what Yeren had said about her.

That she was eager to entertain her other suitors.

But was it true?

It clearly wasn’t.

Claire brushed a hand through her hair and smiled as warmly as she could at him.

"Forgive me, I have not been feeling very well since I arrived here yesterday. Perhaps you’re right about selling the house - I could not give a fig about the lands around the house even if it was a potential gold mine."

His face brightened. "I was almost afraid you didn’t want to see me. After all, you haven’t been reading any of my letters."

She raised a brow at him. "Letters? What letters? I haven’t received any letters from you."

He seemed as shocked as she was. "What do you mean? I even left a letter three days ago."

Three days ago.

She had been unconscious due to... certain circumstances.

"How do you know I didn’t get them?"

He shrugged. "They were all returned and the seals were intact."

Returned? She knew nothing about such?

Of course. It had to be him.

So he was intercepting her letters and ensuring that she never read them?

Instead of being furious, she found herself smiling inwardly.

"So how did you know that I was no longer staying at the castle?"

A sheepish smile replaced his confident one.

"Maria told me. I sent a letter to you through her but she told me that you had gone to live at Penbrook."

"So you came immediately?"

He nodded.

"Why? Is there something you want to tell me?"

He glanced warily at her guard. "Don’t you want to have breakfast first?"

She shook her head. "Breakfast can wait, Aldrich. Tell me what brought you here so quickly. Is there bad news?"

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Would your guard stay there and listen to everything I have to say? I’m uncomfortable with the way he is staring at me."

She drew in a deep breath and turned away from him. Claire rubbed at where his breath tickled the skin of her ear as she fixed her olive-skinned guard with a level gaze.

"Could you wait at the dining with Aurora? Aldrich and I will go upstairs and have a little talk."

Not waiting for his response, she gestured for him to follow her upstairs.

Claire normally would have taken him to the receiving room, but she wanted to put as much distance between him and her guard to avoid him eavesdropping.

Because she felt Yeren might hear about whatever Aldrich had to say from his guards.

And that was the last thing she wanted.

She took him to the tiny receiving room upstairs and closed the door after him. It was a kind of private parlor with an eye-catching collection of art on the walls and liquor on the shelf.

The room had been cleaned and aired just that morning for her private use.

As it seemed, Jarren barely ever brought any of his guests upstairs. Their boundary was always the receiving room and the dining hall.

"Do sit down." She said, taking the seat closest to the window.

He smiled and obliged her.

"You look pretty, although you seem to have lost some weight."

She glanced down at herself and nodded in agreement.

"These past few days have been very turbulent for me."

Aldrich nodded as if he understood her exact meaning.

"Remember when I told you I needed an heir before someone came for my life?"

Her face paled despite the amount of sunlight streaming in through the open window.

Claire shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"That day we all drank the King’s wine, I almost died. Redmare came to my residence and gave me an antidote that kept me alive. But despite taking the antidote, I did notice an occasional nosebleed when I was stressed or exerted. So I called for a healer." He paused to watch her expression.

Claire stared, completely dumbstruck.

The same thing had happened to her. The exact same thing.

"What did the healer say?"

He glanced at the door before scooting to the edge of his seat.

"The healer told me that I had somehow taken the essence of the night. It must have countered the effects of the first poison, but it kills very slowly. It can take years before you actually die, but it would kill you nevertheless."

Her whole body began to feel limp.

"How sure is he?"

Aldrich scooted even closer.

"I kept the vile containing the antidote. So... when the healer asked for a sample, I gave it to him. He confirmed everything. I have a feeling that it’s the same thing that killed my father and the King."

Claire realized her hands were trembling terribly. "Is there a cure?"

He reached out and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"I didn’t know you cared so deeply for me." He whispered gently, his eyes full of an emotion she couldn’t name.

Then he pulled her to him and kissed her just as the door was opened.