(From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I wondered if my little bride was doing alright. She seemed to be nervous. I did not want to scare her and that''s why I warned everyone not to tell her anything about it. But seemed like, someone did not listen to me.


    ''Aftermitting a sin, humans or werewolves, they think about that more than normal. Some fear, some regret... But then why? Why do they have to sin in the first ce? This is the question that I had since I started to understand my life. There are some things that you''re asked to do in your life and some things you are told not to.


    If you do what you''re supposed to do, there would be no problem. But they don''t do it. The sins, the tasks they are not supposed to do, they do it. And for some reason, I can''t bear it- not at all.''


    The moment the maids came to tell me that she was ready, the red-haired one was trembling with fear, and her thoughts were giving away what she had done. Did my little bride not realize that the maid would think about what she had done in front of me? 1


    "She is ready, your highness. We have prepared her as your highness told us to. We braided her hair as your highness told us and did not use any perfume.1"


    "Is that so?" I said. "Bring her downstairs. Did she eat something?"


    "No, your highness. She said she is not hungry and she looked a bit out of reality as well."


    "Alright. Then go and bring her downstairs the moment I''ll send my word to. Now get out," I said calmly. "Except you."


    The red-haired maid stopped in her tracks, looking as if she would copse at any moment. She was trembling in fear, but did she not realize what was going to happen before she dared not to listen to my words?


    "Now tell me why do I owe the pleasure of meeting a maid who dares not to listen to my words?" I asked smiling1.


    "Your h-highness...," she started crying.


    What was the point of crying after someone had done something wrong? It angered me. They were all the same. First, they would do something wrong and then they would ask for forgiveness.


    "Tell me. Did my bride tell you to do so?" I asked.


    "No, not her. Please don''t tell her anything, your highness. She did nothing wrong. She was just..."


    ''Lies. I hate lies.''


    "Is that so? So, you mean that you told her because you wanted to, not because she asked you to?"


    "Yes, your_ highness. I-It won''t happen again," she bowed her head, sobbing frantically.


    "Did she ask you to?" I asked as calmly as ever.


    "Your highness..."


    "I asked if she asked you to."


    "Yes, your highness," she said while hurriedly adding, "She is just worried if she is going to do something wrong. It''s not her fault, your highness."


    "My bride still doesn''t know a lot of things, but what you did is a mistake. And you''ll be punished for it."


    I called the guards through my mind. This was something werewolves of the same pack could do.


    "Take her to the dungeon," I said, not caring about her pleas.


    My bride still did not understand my nature fully. She did not know what I liked and what I did not like. But she needed to and I was going to make sure she did.


    I went downstairs after sending a word to the maids to bring her downstairs. Mother said that it would be better if I did not see the dress before. She wanted a white dress just like brides usually wore at their wedding, but I had no intention of seeing my bride in a traditional white dress. I did not see the dress, but I told Mother that the dress must be ck, just like the soul of her son.


    I did not have to wait for too long for my heart to skip several beats at the feeling of pure bliss. There she came down the stairs and for a moment, I truly was astonished. She looked perfect, just perfect. A smirk formed at the corner of my lips subconsciously- I chose myself the right person after all.


    I helped her get down thest three steps. The moment my hand met hers, she flinched. All this time, my eyes did not leave her face and because of that, the look of pure shyness did not escape my eyes.


    I closed my eyes and touched the side of her face. I could feel her surprised re on me. For some reason, it made me want tough. Such an innocent beauty I got for me.


    ''He isn''t even looking at me. Do I look that bad? I thought I look okay today.''


    So that was what she was thinking... It was hard to guess what she thought and if it was not for my mind-reading ability, I was sure that it would take me years to guess what was going inside that head of hers.


    "Not fully yet," I muttered.


    "What?" she asked- it was more like a whisper as if the sudden shyness had affected her voice as well.


    I opened my eyes and smiled at her. "Your beauty- I was trying to feel it. I don''t know what I felt, but my heart is aching."


    "Where did you learn those cheesy words?" she asked, but she was blushing.


    "Don''t you like to beplimented?"


    "Normally- I want to beplimented normally, not in a cheesy way."


    "Alright, I''ll keep that in mind. But what I said is true," I said, "my bride."


    She flinched, hearing ''my bride''. I looked down at her once more. Mother truly chose the perfect dress for her, or I chose the perfect person for the dress. She looked breath-taking in it and I felt like if she was not there, I would not be able to breathe, and even if she was there, it was still hard for me to breathe. I knew this feeling, I had felt it since the first time I met her.


    But tonight, the feeling was too strong, too painful, yet too passionate.


    "Shall we go now? Everyone is waiting," I said and offered her my arm.


    She slipped her hand through my arm and nodded shyly. Her face showed clear nervousness and her eyes were roaming around us as if she was looking for something or someone...


    ''I thought Ruby would be here too. Others are here, then where''s she?''


    So she noticed... Even though I had my suspicions, I fully did not know that she would notice if one maid was missing. Most Royals would not. A servant was like an object to them. If one was gone, then there would be a new one, just like a toy.


    ''Oh shit! I totally forgot... he can read minds and perhaps he read Ruby''s mind too.''


    "I''m sorry, Demetrius. It was my fault. I was the one who asked her to tell me about the ceremony. Please don''t punish her for my fault," she said quickly, looking directly into my eyes.


    Interesting- No one had talked to me looking into my eyes for a long time. My bride seemed to surprise me quite a lot.


    "As it''s our wedding, I cannot possibly refuse my bride, can I?" I said smiling. "But it won''t be the same next time. You should know that I don''t like it when others don''t listen to me."


    "Wha... Yes, I understand. I''m sorry," she said.


    "You better remember that, my bride."


    She was trembling slightly beside me though she tried very hard to maintain her bnce. She looked very pure, and the more I looked at her, the more I wanted to take this purity from her.


    Her thoughts were revolving around that maid. I wondered why she was caring so much for a simple maid. No matter how many people I met, this was the first time I met someone who was worried about the safety of a mere maid.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t hurt her. She is just in the dungeon, she''s not being tortured," I said.


    "Um... did you have to take her to the dungeon? She just told me about the rituals. Isn''t it good to know about the things I''m going to go through?"


    "Good or bad, it doesn''t matter. The thing is I told her not to tell you, yet she disobeyed me. And disobedience, even for a trivial matter is not epted."


    "What if I do the same thing she did? Will you throw me in the dungeon as well?" she asked firmly.


    "No and that''s something you don''t need to worry about today. At least today, you don''t have to think about anything."


    "Okay. But please free her as soon as possible. It was a simple mistake after all."


    "You must not have noticed it yet, my bride, but," I whispered into her ear, "in this world, nothing is simple."