A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 200: Maybe...

Chapter 200: Maybe...

Beautiful! Was the first word that crossed Draven’s mind. She looked breathtaking like the most lovely painting heaven had ever created.

In his eyes, she was the most gorgeous woman he had ever glimpsed. Her gummy smile, her hazel eyes, her curly ginger hair, her petite stature, her non-elegant free laughter—everything about her was beautiful. It fascinated him.

She would make a lovely painting... he thought.

Avelina stood in front of him. She was peering at him, trying to figure out why he was staring so intently at her. What was going on in his mind? Did she have something on her face? Did she look different today? I mean, yes, she had never packed her hair in a bun, so could she possibly look terrible in it?

She began to fidget, deeply nervous and insecure.

Draven abruptly smiled. He wanted to touch her, but having used those gloved hands to feed the fishes, he was unwilling to taint her, so he hid his hands behind his back.

He leaned in a little bit and gently blew onto her forehead, blowing off the strand of curls that fell over her face.

All the while, Avelina was just gazing at him, dazed.

Draven sighed deeply. "Look at you," he said.

"You’re breathtaking. You’re so lovely." He chuckled softly. "My wife is..." He was resisting the urge to cup her soft cheek. "...Beautiful."

Avelina, who was staring at him, blinked, and a tear subconsciously dropped from her eyes.

Draven was shocked to see this. Had he said something wrong? Why was she suddenly crying?

"Avelina...did I say something wrong to you?" he inquired. "Why do you have tears dropping from your eyes?"

Avelina took a deep breath and abruptly pulled him into a hug. "Why are you so nice to me?"

Nice...to you? Draven thought inwardly for a second and smiled. "Because I care about you, Avelina."

Avelina pulled back to look at him.

"You once told me that you didn’t. Is that still true?"

"No." Draven shook his head, completely honest. "I don’t know how, but I care for you. You have given me something no one else has," he said.

Avelina was perplexed. "Something?"

"Yes." Draven gave a nod.

"What is it?" Avelina probed. She wanted to know.

Draven went quiet for a few moments. He was thinking as though he were trying to figure out what it was. A soft breath exited from him, and he said, "I do not know what it is, Avelina. But it is like a complete feeling that I cannot seem to explain."

Avelina slowly beamed, a bit disappointed.

It was disappointing, yes, but even though she may not know what it was, she felt this sort of tingling feeling, knowing she had at least given him something no one else had. Maybe one day he would figure out what it was, and it would not be too late for her to know.

"Come." Draven removed his gloves.

Avelina took his hand, and he walked her over to sit down on the swing. She sat down next to him and gazed at the deserted town with not a single soul moving around.

"Can I tell you something Draven?" She abruptly spoke.

Draven’s attention shifted to her. "Go ahead."

"You are the first person that has ever complimented me," Avelina said. Her expression was cynical and her gaze was distant as though she were recollecting some past incident.

Draven was indeed surprised. How could he possibly be the first to have ever complimented her? She was gorgeous in his eyes, and he believed it should be the same with whoever laid eyes on her.

Avelina cackled to herself. "Nobody likes ginger-haired ladies, Draven. Well, most don’t."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Draven asked. "Why would anyone dislike ginger hair?" He saw nothing wrong with it. It was quite unique and different. "And, why would anyone also like someone based on their hair color? It really does not make any sense to me. I thought love is a pure different feeling?"

Avelina exhaled, lowering her head to look at her palms.

"It is, Draven, but many think it’s bad luck or kind of a bad thing. I do not know, but apparently, that is what most people think."

"I have three sisters. Two are younger than I am, and one is older than I am. They got married, and I never did because I have ginger hair. Nobody thought it would be alright to marry me, as it could possibly cause problems for them."

"I was like... the black sheep of the family. Haha." She was chuckling, but clear pain could be heard in her voice. "I remember dying my hair black a few times, but at the end of the day, it was just not my hair color, and I could not hide it forever."

"Pretty face did not matter at all in my case." She lifted her head to stare at the bright sky.

Draven peered at her and suddenly raised his hand to pat her head. "Others may not, but I like your hair. It’s very unique and would be lovely to paint. It makes you very pretty."

"And also, I think I understand a little bit. No one likes my hair either. I mean, I know my father doesn’t. It is not normal and is out of the ordinary to have two colors in your hair at the same time." He beamed while wrapping his arm around her shoulder to pull her into a side hug.

"I don’t think you should care about what people think, Avelina, and I do not think you would be alone forever. You can always come to me if you find no one," he said while staring at the horizon.

Avelina lifted her head and stared at him for a few moments. She broke out into sudden laughter. "You’re right, but it does hurt."

"And it’s okay if it does." Draven playfully pulled her cheeks and took a deep breath.

"I learned something today."

Avelina glanced at him. "What?"

"How to braid hair," Draven replied. "Now. I can do it for you whenever you want."

Avelina was taken aback. "What? W-when? I’m confused."

Draven shrugged, smirking.

"Magic, I guess."

Avelina raised her brows at him. "Draven, don’t tell me you were learning how to do that while I was asleep."

"Maybe..." Draven scratched his head, smiling awkwardly at her.