CHAPTER 56

Larisa wasn't surprised by her mother's action as Lothaire had a very intimidating and dark aura but she expected her mother to not make it so obvious, but knowing her mother, she was a very sensitive person.

"Are you all right ma'am?" Larisa thought she was dreaming when she heard Lothaire's charming voice that sounded concerned. Concerned? She couldn't believe her ears. It was so weird watching him act like a gentleman instead of his normal arrogant self that would rather ignore them all.

The woman gaped at him, stricken by his beauty but more affected by his intimidating and dark aura, which sent shivers down her spine, she wondered if her daughter had become involved with a king because he had a majestic presence and an air of authority even without doing anything. Larisa's father felt the same way as he looked at the unearthly man before him in confusion and then back at his daughter who was obviously nervous.

Lothaire wasn't surprised by their reactions, his presence was domineering, dark and intimidating so it wasn't unexpected at all.

"We should get the broken glass off the floor before it hurts someone." Lothaire suggested in the tone of a perfect gentleman and Larisa's fazed look by his gentleman act didn't wear off as she stared at him in disbelief, Anne wasn't exempted either as she started to wonder if it was not the same Lothaire Larisa had introduced her to at the school.

"I'll get a dustpan and a brush." Larisa said immediately as she hurried to get the dustpan and brush.

She came back seconds later and was about to dispose the glasses into the dustpan but Lothaire did it instead, which wasn't surprising since he didn't want her to hurt herself.

"I'm sorry for my late introduction but I'm Lothaire Salvatore." Lothaire said to Larisa's parents with one arm stretched towards her father for a handshake after clearing the glass from the floor. The man accepted his hand shake as he composed himself.

"Call me Mr Eden and this is Mrs Eden, my wife." Larisa's father said to Lothaire as they shook hands.

"It's nice to meet the both of you." Lothaire said with a small charming smile and Mr Eden returned it but Mrs Eden just stared at him like an alien, even his smile made them shudder as it felt like a beautiful devil was smiling at them.

"Let's have dinner." Mr Eden announced and they all trooped to the dining to be visited by sweet aromatic delicious food, arranged neatly on the table and a smile crept to Larisa's lips. She took a seat beside Lothaire, her mother sat next to her father who sat at the head chair while Anne sat opposite her, anticipating the bomb she would soon drop on her parents when she'd tell them she was married to the handsome devil beside her.

Everyone served food on their plate except Lothaire, since he couldn't eat human food.

"Where are you from Lothaire?" Mr Eden asked and Lothaire rolled his eyes inwardly 'humans and their questions' he knew they would try to find out every single thing about him which he had anticipated before arriving. Everyone averted their gaze to them as they spoke.

"Empire D." He replied shortly and Mr Eden's brows creased in confusion.

"I've never heard of that country before." Mr Eden said.

"It's not on the map, that's why but I'd rather you don't ask me why, it's confidential." Lothaire said with a stern expression but his voice was polite and calm, no hint of arrogance or rudeness could be heard in it.

"I see..What about your family?" Mr Eden asked as he obeyed Lothaire's wishes.

"They're dead, I have no siblings but I live with my uncle." He said curtly. Mrs Eden looked at him with sad eyes on hearing his parents were dead and being the emotionally sensitive woman she was, she felt pity for the young man that grew up without parents to nurture and care for him.

"Oh I see...What do you do for a living?" Mr Eden asked eagerly, the man looked dangerous, so there was no doubt he did something dangerous.

"I help my uncle manage the affairs of the Empire, I'm rather his right hand man." He said immediately and they all had curious looks on their faces except Larisa who knew he was just throwing lies at them that was arranged nicely. He was twisting the truth beautifully, they were the ones who served him, they were the ones who managed the affair of the Empire and the king was his right hand man, not him. He wasn't the king, the title was beneath him, to them, he was a god.

"Is your uncle the president?" Mr Eden asked immediately.

"No, we still use the monarch system in ruling so he's the king." He said blankly and they weren't too surprised by his words as he had a majestic air around him but still they gasped in wonderment.

"You're a prince?" Mr Eden asked. 'Yes, prince of darkness' Lothaire thought inwardly.

"Yes." He replied. Anne's eyes narrowed on hearing him, she had met a lot of royals but none with an aura like his and the fact that the existence of their Empire was hidden, made her wary and suspicious of him.

Anne didn't remember anything about Empire D and the time she had spent there as she was immediately compelled by Avian the first time so she thought it was her first time hearing of the Empire from Lothaire.

"It's such an honor having a prince in our home but I'm curious, why is a prince here and with our daughter?" Mr Eden asked, he had already suspected his daughter was involved romantically with the mysterious man but he wanted to make sure. Larisa's back dripped with sweat in anxiousness that her father would make a fit if he knew, she anticipated her parents reaction and let it play vividly in her head and she couldn't stop trembling in nervousness that they'd never agree to their marriage.

"It's better if we talk about it after dinner, right? We're interrupting dinner with our conversation." Lothaire said curtly with a charming smile and Mr Eden nodded in agreement while Larisa cooled down in relief.

Anne just stared in awe at Lothaire's gentleman like behaviour but still, it couldn't ward off his dangerous aura.

The dining table was silent to the extent they'd hear a pin drop on the floor. Mrs Eden noticed Lothaire didn't serve any food on his plate and she summoned the courage to speak up as she wanted to give him the motherly affection he might have never felt before.

"You haven't touched your food, don't you like it?" Larisa heard her mother ask as it was directed to Lothaire and she sighed in frustration knowing that her mother was being empathetic towards Lothaire. She had noticed her mother's reaction after Lothaire had declared his parents dead and she knew her mother would act like her sensitive self but Lothaire was the last person she should be showing pity to.

Larisa wanted to chip in but Lothaire beat her to it.

"Of course I'll eat, there's so much I have to choose from and they all look delicious." Lothaire said with a charming smile at Mrs Eden and she smiled back at him, satisfied with his reply. Larisa just stared at him, wondering if he'd really eat human food, something he had never done before. She watched him serve only beef in his plate since it was only half cooked red meat he could eat but she was surprised that he filled his plate with other delicacies which he definitely couldn't eat.

"You don't have to eat anything." Larisa whispered under her breath and he caught every word even though no one heard her.

"I'm a gentleman remember and gentlemen don't reject dinner offered by their mother in-law." He said with a low voice and Larisa felt bad as she watched him forcefully eat the food.

He ate the beef which wasn't bad but when he started eating the other delicacies, it felt like he was about to puke but he maintained a straight face and forcefully gulped down the contents on his plate.

Dinner was over and Larisa and Anne helped her mother clear out the plates as the two men sat in the living room awaiting the others for their discussion to commence.

"So like I asked earlier, why does a prince visit our home with my daughter?" Mr Eden asked when everyone had been seated in the living room.

"We got married." Lothaire let the bomb out of it's shell and Mr and Mrs Eden's eyes widened in shock.