17 Arrow to His Heart

"I did tell you to look at me, but I didn't think you would be staring for this long." Vance smirked at Melva playfully as he spoke, finding her behaviour amusing.

Melva was immediately snapped back to the present upon hearing his words and she looked away so quickly she almost strained her neck muscles. She had never been more embarrassed. It was something she couldn't deny as it was plain to see and no excuses could let her get away from the accusation.

"It is fine. Stare all you want. I don't mind." Vance was clearly enjoying this as he continued to tease her. His chuckle was like an insult to her ears and she had to scold herself for admiring this man a few seconds ago. This man wasn't worthy of the praise.

"How long are we going to stay dancing?" asked Melva to change the topic of the conversation and give herself time to recover from her embarrassment. 

They had been dancing for quite a while and the other townspeople had joined them inside the circle, dancing together in pairs. It was the best time to slip away from the crowd, for no one was paying attention to them now. They were busy having fun by themselves. It was a relief. Having their attention away from her made her breathe easier.

"As long as we want," said Vance in a whisper, so low it was barely audible. "Do you want me to teach you how to dance? We need to dance at our wedding ball. And I doubt you want to embarrass yourself in front of so many people."

A frown appeared on Melva's face. "For someone who is strongly against our marriage, you seem pretty eager to marry me, Your Grace."

"I cannot go against the King's wish, so I will take everything that I can take. I am an ambitious man after all." Yesterday, Vance had been livid knowing that he would have to marry Melva and yet, he was accepting it like he had never opposed it in the first place. It was difficult to believe that an opinion that strong was easily swayed.

"I must say your way of thinking is very odd, Your Grace," commented Melva bravely. They were in the middle of the crowd, therefore Vance wouldn't be able to do anything to her without sparking suspicions. Although, that applied to her, too. As long as she was under his watch, she had her hands tied.

Vance chuckled in amusement. "You are not the first one who said that to me. It must be true then."

"Glad to know that someone else shares my opinion," said Melva flatly, unamused. It was evident that he didn't agree with her words, nor whomever it was that he had mentioned. Someone like him would never accept anyone bringing him down in any kind of way. He was too prideful to be aware of his own weaknesses.

A hostess weaved through the crowd to approach them, holding two glasses of ale on a tray. Vance let go of his hold on her and grabbed the glasses from the tray, handing one of them to Melva. He then gulped down the ale as though it was water, causing her to widen her eyes in shock. She never drank ale before, but she knew that it was a strong alcoholic drink, which she was sure not to be drunk in one big gulp like that.

"Is it okay for you to drink during broad daylight, Your Grace? Don't you have places to go after this?" Melva was concerned that Vance planned to cancel their visit to the blacksmith's shop. He had promised to get her a bow and arrows. She was prepared to threaten him by running off to find the nearest blacksmith's shop and work there to afford them.

Vance only gaped at her for a few seconds before humming in understanding. "Ah, right. I keep forgetting that you are a human. Ale doesn't affect us werewolves as much as it does humans. That is why taverns are always crowded at any time of the day. If you are curious about the taste, I advise you to only take a little sip as it might be too strong for you."

Melva heeded the advice and sipped a small gulp only to know the flavour. As soon as the liquid went into her mouth, she winced at the strong bitterness of it. If she were asked to describe it, the drink was painful.

"Is this your first alcoholic drink?" asked Vance, half incredulous and half amused.

"Yes, it is," said Melva, still grimacing from the bitterness as she glared at the ale as though it was poison. In a way, it was, because it hurt her tongue.

"Interesting." 

Vance casually snatched the glass from her hand and drank from it until the last drop. Melva watched him drinking from the same glass which she had taken a sip from. He didn't think twice before sharing the glass with her. Realising that made her blush furiously. 

Wasn't that only something done between people close to each other? Was that what Vance thought of her? However, after thinking about it again, it was highly unlikely for Vance. Or was that because they were going to be married in a month? Still, it was embarrassing for him to do it in front of so many people when he was the Duke of the region.

"Shall we leave while they are not paying attention to us?" suggested Vance after returning the two empty glasses to the hostess.

Melva nodded rather fervently as she had been impatiently waiting to get out from the tavern. That was enough crowd for the day. She was not sure she would survive being surrounded by so many people any longer.

"Come on then. We are leaving." Vance hurriedly weaved through the crowd unnoticed before the drunk townspeople directed their attention to them again. Melva was in a rush as she followed behind him.

"Are you not going to bid farewell to Davis, Your Grace?" asked Melva when Vance headed straight to the front doors.

Vance shook his head. "There is no need. He knows where to find me."

They headed back towards their carriage which was parked near the entrance of the tavern. The coachman was having a conversation with another coachman who had parked his carriage nearby. Once he saw Vance and Melva coming out of the tavern, he quickly excused himself and opened the door to the carriage for them.

Vance ordered the coachman to go to the Crescent Light Forge, which must be his friend's shop that he had mentioned before. During the carriage ride, the coachman initiated a conversation with the Duke.

"I heard from the coachman who worked for the Vabsleys that you are going to marry Lady Melva soon. Is that correct, Your Grace?" asked the coachman curiously.

To Melva's surprise, Vance laughed out loud at the question. "Someone is working very hard to spread the rumour. It is astonishing that even the Vabsleys have heard about it when the marriage has just barely decided this morning."

"Congratulations on your marriage, Your Grace, Lady Melva," congratulated the coachman. "I was not sure if it was true, so I neither confirmed nor denied the rumour."

"No need to worry, Mr. Horgan. It is for the best," said Vance gratefully.

"Thank you, Mr. Horgan, for your kind words," thanked Melva and she proceeded to ask Vance, "Who are the Vabsleys?"

"The oldest son of the Vabsleys is one of my step brother's pack members," answered Vance with hatred in his voice. "I would rather not talk about the likes of them."

Melva ceased her questions immediately, not wanting to sour Vance's mood when she was about to ask him a favour with her bow and arrows. Mr. Horgan also received the message and remained silent for the rest of the ride.

The owner was not present when they arrived, but the shop was not locked. Vance seemed to know the owner well, because he opened the door to the shop even if there was no one inside. He asked Melva to look at the bows and arrows on the display cases and choose which ones she would like to have.

"Have you chosen which bow and arrows you want?" asked Vance after observing Melva who was focusing on browsing the display cases.

It was difficult to choose based on merely the appearance. Melva had to try using them to know whether her hands felt the sense was right, so she asked if she was allowed to. "Can I try using them?"

"Of course," said Vance, deciding on behalf of the owner of the shop. She was not sure it was alright for him to behave like this when the owner was out. "Shall we go outside?"

Melva nodded as she picked a few sets of bows and arrows that suited her style of shooting arrows. She then followed Vance out of the shop towards the vast backyard which was an empty field with a few trees planted here and there.

"Shoot," demanded Vance as soon as they arrived at the backyard.

Not spotting any dummies for shooting practices or circular targets for archery left Melva to question Vance's demand. "Now? Where should I shoot? There is no target, Your Grace."

"There is." Vance walked away to widen the gap between them and came to a halt when it was a proper distance to shoot targets. "Me."

"What?" was the only word coming out of Melva's lips as she had not recovered from her shock.

"Shoot your arrow to my heart."