"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate,

Only love can do that."

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The King's balcony,

Crystaline Castle.

**

A loud, shattering noise filled every inch of the air. Every limb in my body got frightened just thinking about what must have caused the king to be this angry.

Maybe he just got in an argument with someone that he lost right before coming here? But then again, who would invite their own death to their doorstep by provoking the most feared "his majesty"?

I noticed I wasn't the only one scared as the maid also stepped back couple of feet when the plate collided with the wall right next to her, breaking apart into a million little, shapeless pieces.

The food on it scattered everywhere, too.

But I didn't have much to complain about since I never actually liked those mashed potatoes and veggies anyways.

I was mentally preparing myself to face the King's wrath once again. How long is this going to go on? He would get angry, hit me, and then leave. The next time I see him, we would go through that same pattern again. And again.

At the moment, he had a really pissed off expression on his face, frowning as always. I noticed his eyes which turned golden in a second once again.

"What the hell was on that plate?! She's a human, not a dog who you can feed junk too!" The King's words surprised me to no end.

I thought he was going to yell at me. For doing something I yet never did. Yell at me for existing, or even hit me for talking to the maid earlier. But I certainly did not expect this.

"S-sir, but this is what we have been feeding her everyday... " the maid tried to explain while her eyes looked everywhere except him.

"Are you telling me that my staff is too lazy to cook a proper meal for her?! Look at how weak she's become! All because of you and the kitchen staffs' stupidity. I want you to bring a healthy and proper dinner for her, right now. Failed to do so, I'll make sure you don't live to see the sun tomorrow."

The King's voice dropped to a calm, yet threatening tone.

The maid's eyes widened, she quickly bowed and muttered, "as you wish, you majesty."

The brown hair girl turned on her heels and walked inside to the kitchen, leaving the King and I alone in the coldness of the dark night.

I wrapped my arms around myself to get rid of the goosebumps that always appeared when I was near him.

Before I could ask him what that was about, before I could ask him from where did this sudden concern for me came from, he simply sent a quick glance at me and walked inside too.

I saw him enter the bathroom and shut the door quietly for once.

What the hell just happened?

**

I leaned back in the comfortable chair that I sat on for the last ten minutes and had my dinner.

To say it was the most delicious meal I've ever had would an understatement.

I don't know what they called it and I was afraid to ask.

The plate consisted of two pieces that seemed like they've been cut from a larger circle. The base was a crunchy, brown bread which held the contents on top of it together.

On the bread there was a white sauce that tasted good too. Some round red meat was placed at a perfect distance from each other, with pineapple pieces sprinkled on the top.

I've never felt so satisfied with my life. For the first time in forever.

Pushing my chair back, I stood up and ran a hand over the skirt of my dress to vanish the wrinkles.

Moving the curtains out of my way, I walked back inside the room.

The closet where the maid told me my clothes (more like rags) that I had in the dungeons would be at was my next target to go to so I could change.

But the sight infront of me had me frozen on my spot.

What I was looking at had my body switch off itself and avoid any movements.

Hell, I couldn't even breathe.

There, right infront of me stood the all mighty king himself.

In nothing but a white towel.

Oh my God...

I had to take a double take in because I couldn't believe my eyes. I blinked a couple of times to see if the breathtaking image disappeared.

But he was still there.

He froze too.

His hair was still wet with tiny drops of water falling from them. One of then fell on his chest. I couldn't look away. That drop of water was screaming for my attention for some reason. My eyes followed its movements very closely. It ran smoothly over his stoned chest, crawling over the hard six packs of his. Slowly passing over each and every one. It reached the V shape of his torso. And then it dissappeared under the towel, out of my sight.

He had a black tattoo on his left arm. It was just a bunch of confused lines running in different directions, without forming any words or meaning. They started at his collar bone, flowing down to just below his elbow.

I think I sighed but then realized what I was doing. Look away, Alexis. He's going to think you're some creep.

God, what if I had drool on the side of my mouth?

How embarrassing.

Blood rushed to my face, it was suddenly so hot in here. The temperature rose so abruptly, without any warning. I'm sure my cheeks were the same color as a tomato at the moment.

Moonlight was peeking in through the curtains, snaking its way over to him, kissing every inch of his body. It gave him an angelic and glorious look.

We were in a stance. Looking at eachother, as if nobody wanted to be the first to look away. I get that why it was hard for me to look away, but why was he looking at me like that?

Why was he staring at me without any anger for the first time? Why was he looking at me like he could see right through me, like he could read my mind and knew every memory my mind was made of.

He was looking at me with a hint of curiosity.

His stare was so much more intense than ever before.

And then it was over.

The blissful moment we just shared, now just a second ago. It came crashing down on me, bringing me out of my thoughts and back to reality.

It was all because of him clearing his throat. I looked down, embarrassed that he caught me looking at him like he's some sort of meat.

What is wrong with you, Lexi?

I've never felt this way before, ever.

My mind started working again, yelling at me to turn around and I did just that. I heard one of the doors to my left open and close, telling me that he's not behind me anymore.

I turned back around cautiously, unsure of what to do next.

Where will I sleep?

"You'll be sleeping on the floor."

The king answered my unasked question.

Sometimes it made extremely jealous that vampires had such amazing skills, like the fast speed.

He was now fully dressed in a white T-shirt and grey sweatpants. Running a hand through his still damp hair, he walked towards his bed and settled in without any further acknowledgement towards me until he said, "Oh and you can change your clothes in that walk-in closet. Your bag is there. Just sleep wherever you want on the floor and don't disturb me by making any noise."

He suddenly threw one of the many pillows at me which landed on the floor infront of me.

I glared at his back when he turned the other way on the bed.

He's so confusing! Just a couple of minutes ago, he was scolding the maid for feeding me unhealthy food and now...

Now he's being a... What is that phrase Maria used to describe him?

A stuck up jerk.

He's being a stuck up jerk again.

I brushed off his unusual behavior.

Going into the walk-in closet, I changed into a blue and purple nightgown that reached just below my knees. Carefully so I wouldn't hurt my sore back. Picking up the pillow on my way to a corner where it seemed like the safest place to sleep away from the king, I placed it on the rug and lied down.

It was surprisingly worse than sleeping in the dungeons. My body was already starting to freeze due to the coldness that wrapped around me like a blanket, but doing the opposite of what a blanket does. Instead of the warmth, there was coolness. Instead of the light the dungeon provided, there was darkness surrounding me.

But one thing I was thankful for was that at least the darkness was here to hide my tears that once again escaped from my eyes. And thankful for the coldness for numbing me enough to forget about the emotional pain.

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