“And this is one of the rarest trees in Siena. It survives on…” The old man went on and on about the history of the different trees in the garden. The young prince, on the other hand, seemed to be bored out of his mind. He concealed it well, his steps evenly paced and polite smile constantly worn. But there was something so restless about him, and she smiled.

When the guide turned his back to them to bring them to the next highlight, Ji Hyun tapped Kris’s arm, and cocked her head to the side. She then signaled for him to be quiet, keeping an eye on the droning guide as she crept away. The nearby Guards watched in interest as their guest led their Crown Prince astray, and when she saw Chanyeol she nearly stopped.

He was in black today, a sword resting in its sheath on his belt. His arms folded, the man leaned against the pillar and kept his eyes closed. Was he sleeping, or was he focusing on what was going on outside?

“What is he doing?” She turned to Kris, but before he could reply, Chanyeol’s eyes opened.

He bowed, a hand on his sheathed sword as he did so. Then, he turned so his body would face the other way.

“Listening. Our Guards don’t actually keep watch; each one of them is in charge of noting what’s going on in each region.” Kris looked at her, and she nodded her head in understanding.

She doesn’t seem the type to be intimidated by anything. With that in mind, Kris took a step towards the girl and she remained still, her green eyes warning him not to take a step closer. But he did anyway, and the girl put her hand out when he got too close for comfort. I knew it.

“Crown Prince, what do you think you’re doing?” Her voice was nowhere near sharp, but there was a lethal undertone to it. He couldn’t hide the smile, and Ji Hyun pushed him back a few steps. Her strength surprised him, and what she did next was even more surprising.

She moved closer to him, her gaze so sure of herself that Kris began doubting himself. With anybody else, he would stand still. But he found himself moving back, till his back hit another pillar and she smirked.

“What were you planning on doing, Crown Prince?” She moved even closer, yet still somehow keeping a comfortable distance between their faces. Her confidence was overwhelming, and Kris laughed. It had been a long time since he last relaxed, even if it was just a little.

“I’m no match for you, my lady.”

“Hair up or down?” She demonstrated, gathering her black wavy hair and pinning them up, then dropping them again. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light that she saw her Guard’s eyes go red, for just a second. He looked away, before gesturing for her to let her hair down.

“We are… vampires, Miss.” He seemed to be searching for a way to express his thoughts without seeming disrespectful to the royal family, and she smiled.

“I get what you mean. I hope it won’t be bad if I wear red though,” she pursed her lips and looked through the dresses the maids had sent earlier on. She was taller than they had expected, so most of them were a little short but they would work fine.

His eyes narrowed, before returning to normal.

The red dress, apparently, was meant to cut off right above her knees. But she was taller than her official documents stated, and it would cut off at mid-thigh instead.

“Wait here,” with a small smile, Ji Hyun went to the bathroom to change.

“I wasn’t aware that a personal Guard’s duties involved this,” he mumbled but she could hear him anyway.

Then, she stepped out of the bathroom. If she had known that wearing a dress would make him look the way he did now, she would’ve done so earlier. His legs were crossed, sitting on the windowsill and when she came out of the bathroom, he sat up. Straight. The man uncrossed his legs, his mouth falling open as though he’s never seen a girl in a dress before.

“So, how do I look?” She turned slightly so he could also see the side of her dress, and there was no way she could miss his sharp intake of breath. Despite not knowing what exactly he saw that he gave such a reaction, she was glad she could elicit one like that.

“Please, Miss, don’t wear this to dinner.” He brought both feet up, crossing his legs on the windowsill again and she smirked.

“Why not?” Barefooted, the girl walked over with light, soundless steps till she was beside the Guard. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling the messy locks as he tried to find words to form a response.

“It’s…” He opened his mouth then closed it again, covering it with his hand before settling on what to say, “too enticing.” Almost immediately, he seemed to regret what he said and jolted up, shaking his head. “Not in a bad way, Miss, I just…” He clenched the hand by his mouth into a fist and unclenched it, his uncertainty oh so endearing.

“Enticing?” She moved even closer, not hiding how amused she was by the situation. “Really?” Ji Hyun placed her hands on the ledge he was sitting on, one on the side of each hip and watched as he swallowed from nervousness.

He began shifting back, his hands grabbing the branch outside as her smirk widened.

“M-Miss,” He blinked thrice in a row, but she continued leaning in anyway.

“Enticing could mean many things, Chanyeol, what do you mean by that?” There was something so delicious about his shyness, and she her dry lips. “How enticing?”

Perhaps she’d pushed him over the edge, because the man suddenly moved up with a burst of strength. His gaze was firm, his grip searing hot as he grabbed her forearms and pushed her back by just a few steps, till her back hit the wardrobe.

“Very, Miss.” It hadn’t been a trick of the light. His eyes were bright red, so bright they would glow in the dark and she gasped from shock. Ji Hyun watched silently as Chanyeol breathed in deeply through his nose, seemingly trying to regain control.

It’s bloodlust that changes vampires’ eyes. Bloodlust could be due to three reasons: Thirst, anger, or lust. Based on the current situation, it could be either.

As though to reiterate his point, he repeated himself. “Very enticing, Miss.”

His eyes were hooded, the simmering red like a hot coal ready to jump out of the stove and she bit on her bottom lip. His gaze followed that tiny movement, and his lips parted as well, the crimson of his eyes brightening by a notch.

Ji Hyun always wondered what they meant by fighting a mental war. But now she knew. The man before her seemed to be waging a war in his mind, his grip on her forearms tightening then loosening again. Contrary to his scalding touch, the wooden wardrobe was cool to the skin.

His touch could burn others, but it only made her feel stronger than ever. Apart from sending pulses of energy, his touch made her skin tingle. It sent chills down her back, making her want more.

And that was when she realized she could have been viewing Chanyeol as something more than a friend.

Which was bad, because she had her duties to fulfill.

It appeared that the man holding her had also come to a conclusion, as his eyes cleared and returned to their usual chocolate brown. But his conclusion was different from hers, because Chanyeol bent down. Her arms were still pressed against the wardrobe, though his body temperature had already been lowered.

He leaned in, his lips heading straight for hers. Her pulse raced, her mind spun; but right before they touched, he changed course and settled for her jaw instead.

Close enough to her neck; not close enough to tempt him again.

He kissed the area right below her ear, and as he drew away, his fangs grazed her skin. It made her jolt in surprise, closing her eyes from the sensation.

When she opened them again, he was already gone.

“Wear this to dinner later. – Kris”

A green box sat outside her room, with light gold ribbons and as Ji Hyun read the note, she leaned against the wall then slid down slowly.

“I am in such deep .”

So here you go, Chapter 4. 5 is on the way, but today is a lucky day because I have internet connection. I'm not too sure when I can update next, but hopefully within... 4 days. The chapter should be ready by 2, though, so if I can I'll post in 2 days.

We'll see.