Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Mate
Chapter 27: Messing with Her...

Chapter 27: Messing with Her...

Evelina’s heart raced as she stepped deeper into Damian’s chambers, the dim light casting long shadows across the spacious room. The idea of sharing a bed with Damian felt surreal, and her mind buzzed with a mix of nerves and excitement.

I should have said no to his challenge, but... trust me not to back down from one.

She deliberately avoided looking at the pile of discarded clothing near the corner, but Damian caught her wandering eyes.

"I see you’re already admiring the room," he teased lightly with a playful edge.

Evelina snorted, folding her arms as she turned to face him. "More like questioning your sense of cleanliness, Prince Damian. What’s with the mess? Do you just leave clothes everywhere?"

Damian shrugged nonchalantly. "Why not? I have maids for that."

"Well, I’m not one of them," Eve shot back with mock authority. "So pick them up. They’re an eyesore."

Damian raised an eyebrow, amused by her audacity. Most people wouldn’t dare speak to him this way—let alone order him around.

Yet here was Evelina, standing her ground with that fiery determination he found both annoying and oddly charming. She might make a good mate after all.

Scratch that. I didn’t just think that. He corrected almost immediately in his mind.

But Storm was quicker. Of course, you did. And you like the idea of it.

Go back to sleep, Storm.

Not at all. Our mate is here and I sure want to see how this challenge will go. Storm replied, earning a low growl from Damian.

Trying to distract himself from Storm, Damian went over to the scattered garments, gathering them into a neat bundle. He dropped them into a basket near the door before turning back to her with an exaggerated bow. "Happy now?"

Evelina smirked. "The room looks better already."

Shaking his head, Damian gestured toward the large bed dominating the room. "Alright, since you’re so particular about order, let’s settle this. The bed’s wide enough for both of us. Which side do you want?"

Evelina hesitated for a moment before pointing to the right. "That side."

"Good," Damian said. "I’ll take the left. Now that we’ve solved that, there’s one more problem."

Evelina narrowed her eyes. "And what’s that?"

Damian’s lips curved into a mischievous grin. "I usually sleep naked."

Evelina’s eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed an unmistakable shade of pink. She tried to stammer out a response, but no words came.

Damian managed to hold back his laugh, enjoying her flustered reaction.

Finally, Eve was able to speak. "You... what?" She stammered.

"Naked," Damian repeated casually but his silver eyes gleamed with mischief. "It’s more comfortable that way."

Evelina’s mind raced, torn between disbelief and irritation. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

But Damian kept a serious expression. Eve stared at him, her mind racing. She couldn’t decide whether he was teasing her or being completely honest.

Eve crossed her arms and maintained a firm expression despite the blush creeping up her neck. "Well, you’ll just have to make an exception tonight," she said, trying to inject confidence into her voice. "No one’s sleeping naked while I’m here."

Damian’s smirk only widened, and he leaned slightly closer, the silver glint in his eyes growing more pronounced. "I won’t be able to sleep," he said, his voice taking on a mockingly tragic tone, as though the mere thought of wearing clothes to bed was akin to torture.

"Oh, please," Evelina shot back, her blush deepening. "You slept just fine the other night."

"True," Damian admitted, his grin turning wolfish. "But that’s because I was naked. You were asleep, blissfully unaware."

Evelina froze, her wide eyes snapping to his as the full weight of his words sank in. "You—you what?" she sputtered, her voice rising in pitch.

Damian chuckled, clearly enjoying her reaction. "You didn’t notice? Of course not. You looked peaceful enough."

Evelina’s shock quickly turned into an angry outrage, and her hands clenched into fists. "You can’t just—ugh, you’re impossible!" She glared at him, embarrassment and frustration blazing in her eyes. "If you you know you won’t be comrfortable, or have such... special sleeping needs, then why insist I stay in your room in the first place?"

Damian shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Because you’re under protective custody. Plus it’s safer here. For you and for my peace of mind."

Her jaw tightened, her voice dripping with exasperation. "I should just go back to my room. It would be far less... complicated."

Damian’s lips twitched, the corner of his mouth threatening to curl into a smirk. He tapped a finger against his chin, pretending to consider her suggestion. "Nah, you can’t."

Evelina arched an eyebrow, folding her arms. "Oh, really? And why not?"

"The room’s under fumigation," Damian said smoothly, though the slight pause before his words betrayed the absurdity of his excuse.

"Fumigation?" Evelina repeated skeptically, her tone dripping with disbelief. "In the middle of the night?"

Damian winced internally. Great job, genius.

But he maintained his poker face, doubling down. "Uh, well... maybe not fumigation exactly," he amended quickly. "It’s, uh, airing out. Very strong cleaning supplies were used earlier, and you wouldn’t want to breathe in those fumes, would you?"

Evelina studied him for a long moment with a sharp and piercing gaze. Damian almost felt like squirming under the weight of her scrutiny, but he managed to hold her stare.

"Can’t you just manage for one night, Prince Damian?" Evelina asked finally, her voice tinged with annoyance. "Surely you can sleep in some clothes for a change."

Damian hesitated, trying to maintain his facade of discomfort. "I don’t really know," he hedged, dragging the words out as though the very concept was strange to him.

And that was when Evelina saw it—the faintest flicker of amusement in his silver eyes. Her gaze flicked to his lips, catching the now-familiar smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

The realization dawned on her like a bolt of lightning.

"You’re messing with me," she accused.

"Of course not," Damian turned away, avoiding her gaze but confirming Eve’s theory.

Her flush deepened, but this time it wasn’t just from embarrassment. A slow smile spread across her face, replacing her flustered expression with something far more dangerous.

If Damian thought he could toy with her, she’d prove him wrong.

"Fine," she said calmly after a moment of silence.

Damian raised an eyebrow, his smirk faltering slightly at her sudden composure. "Fine?"

Evelina nodded, her smile widening into a grin that mirrored his own mischievousness. "If you’re so insistent on being comfortable, then I won’t stop you. Do whatever you want."