Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 65: The Difference Between Us

Chapter 65: The Difference Between Us

Standing to her full height and turning around to look at Ivan who approached the nightstand where she stood, his steely gaze drifted to the parchment on the floor, and then he pursed his lips. The first thing that occurred to Samantha would be his incoming scolding, he would, without a doubt punish her for snooping around this time as she had already been warned earlier, but rather, to Samantha’s surprise, he picked the parchment from the floor and glanced through the calligraphy himself.

When he rolled it down, his eyes met her green eyes that held an obvious question, but he said nothing concerning the parchment and quietly turned to leave the room.

"Why do you have a list of those slave establishments?" The question in her eyes had left her mouth before he could take a step further to the door, and Ivan’s feet stopped in its tracks as he looked over his shoulder, but not directly at her.

"For royal business."

"Royal business?" Samantha came to stand in front of Ivan who arched a brow at the young woman. Despite the intimidating look in his glaring eyes, Samantha mustered up the courage to ask.

"Can I see the list one last time, a quick check, please, it’s important I–"

"No." He outrightly turned down her request and walked past the young woman, not sparing her a single glance, but Samantha refused to let him leave as she blocked his path for the second time. He noticed the glimmer of hope that reflected in her Jade green eyes as she met his indifferent stare.

"What are you doing?"

"My brother," she uttered, her voice breaking slightly as she shifted gazes from the parchment to Ivan. "Can I have just a glance at the parchment? My brother, he has to be among those establishments, I promise I won’t bother you but I ... .the slave establishment I was once held in, it had two circular digits beside the names, the ones for male had one circular digits. If you can let me see the location then I...."

"Then you’ll do what?" He probed, making Samantha meet his gaze in half puzzlement. His question had left her feeling tongue-tied, and the air between them grew thick as he asked again. "If you find the name of the establishment and the location, what are you going to do? In Case you’ve forgotten, let me remind you of where you stand, you aren’t allowed to leave the Palace, little lamb."

"I promise I have no intention of running away." Samantha immediately cleared his doubts as he seemed to be concerned about her act of escaping from his side. "When I was taken to the slave establishment, I had to watch my brother leave in tears, and I told him I’d come get him, I made a promise to him, so you have to let me see the location, you have to let me–"

"What if he’s dead, huh?" Ivan, seemingly unbothered by the desperation in her voice, asked the young woman who turned morbid at his question. With his demeanor unreadable, he added. "Not everyone survives the torture of being a slave, it can be unpleasantly brutal, so what if your brother has...poof! And has gone to the heavens or hell, hmmm? What will you do then?"

"How.... How can you open your mouth to say something so horrible to me?" Samantha, torn by the possibility of his question being right, could feel her hands ball firmly at her side, and her face contorted into one of anger and pain as she retorted defiantly. "My brother means the world to me, I am alive because of him, so your question is heartless and unwarranted."

"Heartless you say? That means if there’s a possibility that it is true that makes me heartless for saying what could happen?" His tone was laced with unhidden mockery. "Perhaps, it’s a reminder that we vampires aren’t stupidly bound to emotions like you humans. That is the difference between us."

"No My Lord." Samantha disagreed as he had chosen to bring their difference into this discussion. "The real difference between us is your lack of humanity to reason. You’ve chosen to be blinded by the immortality you possess and I cannot say that I am totally surprised, you’ve killed many souls yourselves, you have the blood of innocent lives on your hands that cannot be wiped off so how can you possibly value the life of another?"

"It’s not so difficult if you ask me," he answered with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, "and right now you’re being too much of an emotional fool. I won’t have this discussion with you if you’re going to tear up in front of me." He tsked in sheer annoyance, taking note of the way her glowering eyes had welled up with tears.

"It is fine, if you won’t grant me leave, then I shall go without your permission." She dared to say without brooding over it, and Ivan clicked his tongue at her building audacity.

"I see where this is going." A glint of irritation flashed in his crimson eyes, "you want to defy my orders for the sake of your brother, even knowing I can end you with a flick of my wrist?" He snapped his fingers at her face.

"Then do it." Samantha said without much struggle, undaunted by his threats. "Incase you haven’t realized I’m more than willing to end my life for my brother, and you know why? It is the neverending bond between a brother and his sister, and that is something you can never understand!"

Samantha had uttered that last part out of anger, but upon realizing what she had said to Ivan, her pupils dilated, and she met his eyes. Lord Ivan, who was well known for being able to conceal his emotions, suddenly held the most shock-stricken expression on his face, his demeanor dropped cold, and Samantha knew she had unintentionally struck a nerve when the look in his eyes ferociously darkened.

An oppressive silence lingered in the air, and Samantha pressed her lips tightly as she averted her teary gaze from his. She had uttered the abomination, and this was going to be the moment when she meets Ivan’s wrath face to face, but while she was expecting he’d do something terrible to her, the Vampire Lord stayed quiet and simply walked past her.

Her pupils shockingly dilated when he didn’t retaliate. He let her go? Turning around to look at Ivan who had already opened the door to take his leave, he halted at the exit and said.

"You will remain locked here till you know your place." Uttering these words as softly as he could, he finally left, closing the door shut and locking it from the outside. Samantha slumped to her knees as she began to weep to herself, unsure of her own reasons for even crying like this.

Listening to his little lamb sob to herself, Ivan rested his back against the door as he closed his eyes, and he was more than tempted to open the door for her so she could leave, but if he did that, she wouldn’t be able to handle the truth of the matter.

Rolling up the parchment, Ivan’s gaze moved to the bottom where the slave establishment with the single circular digit was written - but that wasn’t all. The current state of every slave establishment had been written down as well, and as for the slave establishment where her brother was held, the place had, unfortunately, caught fire two days ago, and the whole thing was burnt to the ground, leaving no survivors.

His earlier actions were to test her, he needed to know if she would be strong enough to handle what was written on the parchment, and her reaction clearly proves she won’t. He’s received a lot more terrible comments than the ones she uttered to him, but unsettlingly, he could still hear them ringing in his head, and he had been thrown off guard by that particular statement of hers.

Brushing his hair back, he sighed out. "Stress."

He didn’t mind if she saw him as the worst person, he wouldn’t mind if she hated him till eternity, but he wasn’t going to let her know about this either.

"Hey, did someone break your heart?" Alistair, who had stepped out of his room and was passing through the corridor, questioned the young vampire who looked like he was experiencing heartbreak for the first time.

"Not funny." He deadpanned at Alistair who approached where he stood.

"I am being benevolent, you alright?" Alistair glanced intrusively at the door before asking, "is your little lamb doing fine?"

"Forget it, I’m heading to the library." He began walking away from Alistair.

"Library? What are you going to do there?"

"To find a book that can teach me how to read human emotions." And he disappeared down the stairs.

"A book?" Alistair blinked in bafflement before turning around and heading towards Tobias’s bed chamber. "Tobias, I think Ivan’s broken again."