Chapter 82: Contrarieties
An internal sigh of relief coursed her entire body. It was as though a strong, steady hand had reached down for her to grip onto. One to extract her from the sinking boat she had not so willingly embarked upon.
"Silas!" Lord Dragomir started, "What a pleasure to see you. I thought you’d never show yourself," his eyes lingered on Silas’ unique features, from his silver hair down to the diamonds that served him as eyes.
"The pleasure is all mine. Forgive my intrusion, but I must insist, my Lord. The young woman is under my family’s wing, her safety and wellbeing are therefore of our concern," without skipping a single beat, Silas sent a message he hoped would be loud and clear. His voice remained stable throughout his utterances from beginning to end.
"Oh no, of course! It was never my intention to put her in harms’ way," there was neither warmth nor a shift of pitch in Dragomir’s tone, "Pardon me, I am afraid I’ve forgotten I was holding a conversation with a human. I have a hard time picking up on what I can’t feel myself. Don’t you too struggle with such a flaw?"
It was still there, that smile, plastered across his lips but never tugging his eyes along. To call it creepy would be an understatement. Especially after the exchange they had.
Silas approached the both of them and faced the Lord in a way that put Arabella right at their center.
The men engaged in a silent staring contest until something seemed to dawn on the Lord. It was subtle, almost invisible, but Arabella noticed the shift in his eyes. A glint that vanished. One so small, so faint the heedless would easily believe it was never there to begin with.
"Right, then I shall see you inside again," with that, Lord Dragomir turned towards the balcony window and stepped away.
"You certainly shall," very calmly, came the retort from Silas.