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Astrid was biting her pen while looking at the words of the report at her table. She was alone in her room. Her eyes were reading those words, however, her mind wandered toward the kisses that she shared with Aaron Covaci earlier. He was smirking, stating that Astrid would be coming back for more as if she would never forget their kiss.
Well, he’s right. I’m such a mess when I can’t even focus on the words. I’ve been thinking about those kisses, Astrid mused as she rubbed her mouth. She sighed before leaning her head back against the headrest. She looked at the ceiling of her room.
Astrid was smiling despite the thudding feeling of her heart. She was happy, an emotion she had not been acquainted with for so long. The last time she was happy was when her parents were still alive. As of this moment, Astrid was so happy that she could run up and down the mountains whenever she remembered the kiss.
She was still smiling when she looked at the blood sample in the test tube. Suddenly, her hands moved on their accords as Astrid knocked the blood sample off the table. The test tube rolled on the surface, leaning over the edge and it hit the floor. It smacked against the floor as the blood flowed out of the broken test tube.
Astrid smirked. “Oops, I guess I have to do it all over again since His Holiness needs this tomorrow morning,” she said happily, taking the new syringe and another test tube. She was smiling when she left her room. There was spring in her steps.
Astrid was smiling still. She listened to her heartbeat, cupping her cheeks when she approached the dungeon prison. However, she immediately noticed that she was not alone there. The Order’s Knights were nowhere to be found. She furrowed her eyebrows.
Afterward, Astrid heard some whispers and mumbled against the darkness. She leaned against the walls. Astrid turned to those whispers, knowing fully well that someone was talking with Aaron. When she heard closely, these voices felt familiar to her. Her heart galloped when she realized it was His Holiness!
What is he doing here? I thought he wanted me to get the blood sample, Astrid mused as she tip-toed against the darkness as she eavesdropped on the conversation between Aaron and His Holiness.
“Huh! Do you think you can persuade the Huntress when you kissed her like there’s no tomorrow, Covaci? Hah! As if she’ll turn her back on the Order that had raised her since the loss of her parents. She hates you with all her heart when she believed that Blue Blood—especially Pure Blood—was the killer of her parents,” His Holiness hissed against his gritted teeth. Aaron chuckled softly against the darkness.
Astrid never heard His Holiness’ voice in that state before—not when she was alone with him or whenever they were around the Order. His voice was filled with such venom and hatred it in. Also, it was directed towards Aaron! Astrid gulped as she looked around to find a hiding place so that she could listen to their conversation in plain sight.
Then, she saw an opening.
The ventilation vent! Of course! Astrid mused as she stepped forward and climbed up into the ventilation vent. She was moving as quietly as possible as if not to alert His Holiness and Aaron.
Here goes nothing...
Aaron chuckled against the darkness. Immediately, he was grunting in pain as Astrid gasped softly. The sweat was forming on her chest, dripping down her back as Astrid eavesdropped on their conversation.
His Holiness tsked. “It looks like you’re not Pure Blood, after all, Covaci, considering that you only endure instead of attacking me back. I thought you might have any gift but it seems that I’m the one who’s having fun between us,” he said with disdain.
Astrid laid flat on her stomach as her violet eyes were taking in the sight before her. His Holiness was stretching his hand out towards Aaron. At the same time, Aaron grunted in pain as if he was being hit with invisible forces. His Holiness dropped his hand.
Later, Aaron was spitting more blood from his mouth. He smirked as his blood were staining his perfectly lined white teeth at His Holiness. Astrid’s logical mind was calculating the possibility of His Holiness causing pain toward Aaron with that distance!
Unfortunately, Aaron was still on a high pedestal even though his mouth was covered with blood! Astrid bit her lower lips.
That idiot! He should be begging rather than smirking like that when he was being punished by His Holiness. But how did he do it when he was not even inside the prison with Aaron?! Astrid mused as she was taking in the scene in front of her.
Astrid looked at their interaction when she was looking for possibilities that His Holiness might have someone—perhaps one of the Order’s Knights—doing the job for him. However, Astrid was convinced that His Holiness was alone and the only one standing outside the cell.
Could it be...? His Holiness is one of the abominations as well?! Astrid mused as she covered her mouth in shock. All this time, the Order has been deceived by such a deceiver!
Aaron coughed a little before his emerald orbs were staring at His Holiness. He smiled like a Cheshire cat. “I must say, my prince, you’re quite at good disguising yourself among mortals. I couldn’t believe that I’d be running into you again.
“More impressively, you—Prince of Darkness of Blue and Pure Bloods alike—are running this Order! The very Order of the Holy that vowed to kill our kind,” Aaron declared provocatively, looking at His Holiness. Stilling her heart, Astrid gulped when His Holiness laughed.
This time, no more concealing his true self when His Holiness laughed like the very devil he was from the beginning.