CHAPTER 479: GOSSIPING MAIDS

Ariel’s hand froze, and her body shuddered. She was confused about whether she had said something that enraged him.

Kaiden held her face causing her to stare directly into those gold eyes. His gaze was entrancing and drawing her in. "You should not worry about some little gossip. You are in a position they want but could never get." He said, watching every emotion that went through her eyes.

Kaiden knew just his words would not fix a thing. A dry laugh left his lips, the longer he thought about it. Ariel watched him confused about what was going through his dead

His hands holding her face moved over to her neck where he traced her tattoo before pulling her over. Very close to her face, his breath was fanning over her face, and she closed her eyes because of the sensation.

"Even if I act like I was bewitched by you, I have no regrets, Ariel. Magic or no magic doesn’t change a thing between us." He admitted. Ariel’s cheeks flushed, her eyes were still closed, and she could feel the desire emanating from her.

She thought he was going to kiss her, despite how he was always invading her private place and closing the line multiple times, he had never gone all the way. Kaiden’s thumb brushed over her lips, and his face moved closer. They didn’t meet her lips; instead, he placed a kiss on her forehead.

Kaiden backed away, and the sound of water dripping onto the floorboard and his soft footsteps echoed. Her eyes fluttered open, and she found Kaiden, who had a robe on his body. He smiled at her, "Good night," he chimed, then left the room, leaving her puzzled.

Kaiden didn’t return that night, and the next morning, they were scheduled to reach Vitalis at dusk. Ariel finally saw him during breakfast. The sun was mildly the same as the sea breeze which swept across the deck, leaving behind its distinct saltiness.

"Good morning," Ariel chimed once she got to the table. Kaiden was already seated staring blankly at the horizon before his attention was drawn by her voice. A smile naturally appeared on his face once he saw Ariel dressed in his clothes. He didn’t have any female clothes on board, so he preferred she wear his clothes instead of the maid outfit or a lean knight, which might fit better.

The size wasn’t perfect, Ariel was pretty tall, but Kaiden had a larger frame; regardless, he loved her wearing his clothes, and never considered getting any dresses, even when they stopped at ports during the journey.

"Good morning, hope you slept well." He chimed, and she took the seat opposite her. Her eyes keenly watched him, trying to figure out why he had left last night. "It was a rare occasion to have that bed to myself, so I slept quite peacefully, but where did you go?" She asked.

He smirked at her, it looked dark and nothing like his mischievous grin. "And here I was hoping you missed me." He sighed, then held her hand, bringing it next to his lips. He left a soft kiss on her arms, his voice low. "You don’t want to know." He said, something in his voice sent shivers down her spine.

They had breakfast together, and something was off about Kaiden. He was starting to respect her boundaries, and she was surprised Kaiden knew what boundaries were in the first place. He finished his meal first then waited for her. After they were done, Kaiden whisked her away, saying he had something to show her.

His hand held hers but he wasn’t clinging. There was this distance she was noticing, and he was tensed like fighting off something desperately. Kaiden brought her to a part of the ship she had never been to before.

The door opened, and unexpectedly, it was the kitchen. Her brows furrowed wondering why he brought her here. They stood before the maid, who was nervously shaking and scared to be in his presence.

They never understood why Ariel could stand next to him and remain unaffected by his strong presence that invoked fear. A presence that spoke of all the blood he had shed.

Kaiden glanced at Ariel then pressed his lips against the back of her palm. His thumb started to rub the area slowly before he spoke. "Which one was it?" He asked with a stiff smile and the room dropped silent.

Ariel nervously stared at him. She realised he was talking about the maids who were gossiping about her, but why did he want to know? She eyed him closely, her eyes flickering, recognising the restrained anger. Was that why he left the last room?

She nervously gulped, her lips parted but nothing left her throat. Kaiden’s expression softened like he wasn’t the devil out for blood. "Don’t be scared, I just want to know." He assured her

She slowly nodded then pointed at the maids she overheard gossiping about her. They were 3 in number. Kaiden smiled then patted her head before he glanced to his side. "Ronan, please take Ariel back to the room. I have something to handle, especially with some people who clearly don’t know their place..." he paused then his eyes went cold

" Gossiping about a future prince’s consort." He chuckled, his eyes snapped at the maids who looked petrified.

Ariel was hesitant to leave but didn’t resist. She followed Ronan away from the kitchen. When they got to the door room her voice called softly at him. "What do you think he is going to do?" She asked Ronan, Kaiden’s right-hand man.

"There is nothing to worry about. He is just making sure no one would disrespect you again, your grace." The knight answered before he excused himself.

Ariel stayed in the room all day until it was night, when a soft knock echoed. She rose from the desk, sat beside the small window, and then walked towards the door.

The door creaked open and her heart jumped at the image she saw. It was Kaiden, he looked like the god of death with blood stains all over his outfit. Her heartbeat dropped as her mind wandered to the maids.

Ariel didn’t even get the chance to ask what happened; his hand grabbed her waist, and she was pulled against his body into a tight hug.