The night had grew very dark when the carriage got to the castle. Lothanna had wanted to hop down but the weight he felt on his left shoulder made him hold back, a light sigh escaping his lips.
As he stare down over his shoulder, the emotions in his eyes darkened, his gaze fixed on Cara's pale face. "Something is wrong with me..." His gaze lingered on the sleeping woman against his shoulder, his jaw tightened. "— and I don't like it."
Lothanna had wanted to wake her up from her sleep but seeing how tired she look even in her sleep, he held back. "I'll just let her rest for a while first." He told himself. "A few minutes will do..."
Minutes later, Lothanna heard a soft knock. He raised his left brow as he look outside the carriage, his eyes lighted up in recognition. "What is it...?" He asked lazily, stretching his words.
The figure standing outside only rolled his eyes as he slide the carriage door open. "It's been minutes since the carriage arrived but you aren't coming out." He said, his hands crossed over his chest. "Are you planning on sleeping in the carriage?"
It obvious the man didn't noticed the other carriage occupant as he rattled on, boring Lothanna. "Rafael, can you just keep it down?" He blurted out, glaring at the man. "You're being too loud right now!"
The man whose name turns out to be Rafael scoffs. "You have an unexpected visitor." He told Lothanna, earning a questioning look from the latter. "Don't give me that look, Lot. It's Kiel — your uncle."
A grunt escaped Lothanna's throat. "Why is he here? What does he want?" He asked rhetorically, still maintaining his lazy demeanor. "It's been ages since he stopped by to see me, isn't he here to hunt?"
"I think he dropped by after he finished hunting." Rafael replied. "A maid had spotted him in the courtyard earlier."
"Hmm..." Lothanna nodded slowly without saying anything else. Rafael creased his brows seeing Lothanna staying back instead of hopping down, confused at his act.
"You still won't come down?" He asked, still flashing him his obfuscated look.
"I'll..." Lothanna countered, his gaze on his shoulder. "I'm only giving her a few minutes to rest, she looks tired. She must have freaked out since she barely escaped death."
Rafael pried over Lothanna's left shoulder and mouthed an 'oh!' slowly. "Who's she...?" He asked, returning his gaze to Lothanna — he didn't hide the surprise on his face on in his voice. Lothanna had never allowed anyone neared him, now he's allowing a fragile lady sleep on him?
Lothanna did not reply him, but only shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Okay, I'm getting confused here." Rafael confessed, his interest piqued — he refused to be left in the dark. "What happened to you, Lot."
"Nothing..." He muffled out. "I only happened to get myself a wife, isn't it obvious?"
Rafael almost want to choke on his breath. "What...?" He blurted out repulsively, completely taken off guard. "What wife...? Since when have you been planning this without telling me, Lot?"
"Do I have to answer every of your questions?" Lothanna was getting impatient with Rafael's never—ending talks. "Do I have to tell you about everything I do and want to do?"
"Your choice of a wife..." Rafael began, a hint of annoyance edging his voice. "She's so...human and she look too fragile and weak. Is this really what you want, Lothanna?"
Lothanna scoffed. "What I want is none of your business, Rafael." He snapped at the older man, clearly irritated by his questions.
"Oh, come on, Lothanna!" Rafael wasn't one to back down. "You must be out of your mind to think I'll let this slide. What happened to that resolve of yours not to get a human wife? Did your hatred for humans dissipated overnight?"
Lothanna snickered, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "You're forgetting the fact that you're human too, Rafael." He told him. "Whatever I do with humans should be applicable to you as well, no?"
Rafael shook his head negatively. "There is a clear difference here, Lothanna, and you have to see it." He insisted, with no intention of backing out soon. "She's a weak human, you're spending too much time looking at her."
Lothanna laughed. "She's livestock."
Rafael narrowed his eyes. "That's not how you're holding livestock."
"She's useful..." He replied lazily, wearing a bored expression.
"Interesting..." Rafael uttered with a smirk. "— now you're giving humans purposes."
"Preference changes often, and humans too can serve purpose. Is there something wrong with it?"
Rafael narrowed his eyes slightly, the skeptical look still etched on his face. "Preference changes often, huh?" He repeated Lothanna's words, a hint of challenge lacing his tone. "I hope you know what you're doing. You wouldn't want to end up regretting this decision."
"Who cares if I do, huh?" Lothanna was quick with his response, his voice far from friendly. "I'm sure I would have had enough of fun with her before then — that should worth the regret."
Rafael's patience seemed to have hit its limit as he straightened his back, his stance now more assertive. "Well, I hope you have fun enough to make up for the chaos you'll bring down upon yourself and your kingdom with this marriage." His voice was grave, his warning hanging heavy in air.
"Rafael, you know I value your opinions, but this time I'm making my own decision. She is my choice." With that, Lothanna turned his back on Rafael, dismissing the human with a flick of his wrist.
As Rafael stalked off into the dark night, Lothanna lifted her effortlessly into his arms, she barely weighed anything.
"Too fragile… annoyingly so." He clicked his tongue before carrying her toward the castle. Up the staircase he carried her, into the heart of the castle, to his own chambers.
The luxury of the room was overwhelming, with its rich furnishings and flickering candles casting a golden glow on the stone walls. But Lothanna's attention was focused solely on Cara.
Lothanna laid Cara gently on the bed, her sleeping form looking ethereal against the blood-red silk sheets. He shouldn't have bothered, the maids could have carried her — yet... he had done it himself.
He stood over her, gazing down at her with a mix of tenderness and possessiveness. It was then that he noticed the faintest hint of a smile on her lips, as if she had no problem whatsoever.
Lothanna's heart ached with a feeling he couldn't name, a longing he didn't understand. She was a human, weak and fragile, a creature he had always viewed with disdain.
With a feather-light touch, Lothanna brushed a stray lock of hair from Cara's forehead, his hand lingering just above her skin, unwilling to break the spell. He knew that Rafael was right, that he was playing a dangerous game.
She was only a human, weak, fragile… and useful, nothing more. Yet... why had his feet moved before his mind? Why had the thought of finding her corpse made his chest tighten?
Lothanna frowned. "This is becoming troublesome." He muttered under his breathe, staring at her.
"Until I get what I want from you..." He gently brushes her hair away, then he quietly added... "— don't die before then."
He turned toward the door, but then, his hand froze on the handle. "...Ridiculous."
Then he left.