A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 226: A Mistake?

Chapter 226: A Mistake?

"Yes." Avelina gave a nod. "You can also tell me which dress looks prettier and to your taste."

"Does it matter what I like? Shouldn’t you prioritize yourself first?" Draven asked as he sat down on the bed.

Avelina shrugged, standing up from the chair.

"Well, I have had enough of what I prefer. I like you to choose." She chuckled, walking into her dressing room to select two pieces of clothing.

She came out with a red, knee-length body hug silk dress on her right and a simple white short dress on her left.

"Which one? Choose." Avelina gazed at him with squinted eyes.

Draven’s crimson pupils scrutinized both dresses, and he smirked all of a sudden.

"The white one would make you look lovely like an angel, but I chose the red dress. I surprisingly love it," he voiced his opinion. "The red dress is your color. It suits you very much, and even though I’ve never seen you in red, I know it would compliment you in a very good way."

"Your hair, your hazel eyes—it would make them very beautiful. You would look gorgeous and breathtaking in it."

Avelina obviously didn’t expect this many words from him, so she stood, glued to the floor, with her eyes fixed on him. She glimpsed the dress and touched her hair, realizing what he meant.

A smile slowly ensued on her face, and she turned around, walking back into the dressing room. While she dressed up, Draven patiently waited for her.

He stood up from the bed, walked over to the table, and picked up the book she was reading. If he recalled, this was the last of the books he had bought for her. Does this mean she was done with the others? Should he get new ones for her?

He grabbed the book and flipped through it to the middle of the pages, where she had pasted a colorful sticker as a mark. This caused his lips to curl up into a grin. This was something he used to do for her. Never would he have thought she would pick up on it.

"Draven..." Avelina’s soft voice sounded

Draven shut the book and slowly turned around to look at her. His gaze halted on her, and his eyes moved from her head down to her toe, then went back up again.

His lips were slightly parted, but he wasn’t saying a word.

Avelina, who was staring at him eyeball to eyeball, bit her lower lip, confused. Does she not look good in it? Why wasn’t he saying anything? Anxiety overwhelmed her, and she began to fidget with the hem of the dress.

"Can I come close to you?" Draven abruptly asked.

Avelina blinked her eyes, confused. She took a few moments before nodding at him. "Yes."

"Alright." Draven took a few steps forward, standing in front of her. He grabbed the jacket she wore over the dress with the intention of taking it off.

"Why are you wearing this over it?" he inquired.

Avelina glanced over her shoulders and grabbed his hands. It was obvious that she didn’t want him to take the jacket off.

This left Draven perplexed. He frowned, aware that something must be the problem. "Avelina..."

Avelina shook her head at him, unwilling to speak. All she could do was lower her head and stare at her bare feet.

Draven took a long, deep breath and grabbed her chin, tilting her head up. He stared into her hazel orbs. "Please tell me." His eyes were begging.

Avelina shut her eyes, seizing a few seconds to breathe. She half smiled cynically before eventually taking the jacket off by herself. She slowly turned around, showing her back to him. She grabbed her hair, removing it out of the way.

At the sight of her back, Draven rapidly flickered his eyes, an unknown glint flashing in his pupils.

"This..." He lifted his trembling hand, wanting to touch her. The dress had a low back, so he could glimpse the small burn marks on her skin.

He asked, "Who did this to you?"

Avelina let out a soft breath.

"It’s nothing, Draven." She shook her head at him, wearing back the jacket. She glanced at him and proceeded to walk back into the dressing room, but Draven grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"Avelina, tell me," Draven pleaded, showing deep interest.

Avelina gazed at him, furrowing her brows. "It’s not really that important."

"But I want to know, Avelina. I asked." Draven peered at her with pleading eyes. "Can you not tell me? Why?"

Avelina facepalmed herself, not even sure how to explain it to him.

"It’s a long story."

"I’ll listen, no matter how long it is." Draven half smiled at her. He walked her over to the bed and sat her down.

He grabbed the chair in the room and took a seat opposite her. "Tell me."

Avelina began to fidget with her hands, taking a moment to think. Draven was patient enough to wait until she was ready to speak.

Finally, after about forty seconds, Avelina cleared her throat and asked, "You still remember when I told you about my family not liking me much and not being lucky enough to get...married?"

Draven gave a nod. "I do."

"Well..." Avelina scratched her neck, seeming a bit uncomfortable. "You see... I didn’t just end up in the slave house. It was a mistake that brought me there."

"A mistake?" Draven inquired.

Avelina nodded.

"My father did not like me being in the house anymore because he felt that I was a burden. He also believed I was never going to get married either. I mean, my little sister and the older one were already married, so it was just me left."

"After about a year... a friend of my father—he was an old man, um..." She paused, not even sure how to continue.

But Draven was attentive enough to want to hear the whole story, so he arched his brow at her, urging her to move on.

Avelin exhaled, taking soft breaths to calm herself down.