FULFILL YOUR PROMISE

When Crow separated from Elizabeth and Eve he went to the room that he shares with Ceaser and found his sire fast asleep. He went to stand by the bed side and looked down at Ceaser who had a calm expression on his face as he slept. Crow crossed his hands on his chest, looked straight ahead of him and turned himself to rock. In the morning, Ceaseraser woke up early hoping to find Crow still sleeping but the latter was wide awake. The room still looked dark as Crow had not bothered to let in some light. Ceaser walked towards the window but before he could pull apart the curtains, Crow spoke.

"You woke up early sire." Crow said sarcastically with a grin.

"About last night....." Ceaser started turning to face Crow.

"I know. I remember your promise to finally propose to my niece." Crow said with a chuckle.

"There's a problem."

Crow's laughter was cut midway and he looked at Ceaser expectantly. Ceaser turned back to face the curtains but he didn't say anything.

"What problem?" Crow asked, his pupil dilating slightly.

"I don't know how." Ceaser said as he drew the curtains apart.

Crow chuckled again at his master's innocent expression and Ceaser frowned. Crow moved closer to Ceaser and placed his cold hand on Ceaser's bare shoulder as he didn't have a shirt on and then he said,

"What a pity. And here I was thinking I'm the only inexperienced one." Crow said grinning as he looked down at the palace grounds.

"You've had more than a century to practice. I'm am only a child." Ceaser said in his defence.

"I've never had a romantic relationship before sire." Crow said.

After some time they left to have breakfast with their guests before leaving to attend Genvia's wedding. Before they could leave in one of the carriages Penelope came in search of Lucan.

"Excuse me sir Benjamin." she said politely with her hands clasped together behind her back.

"Yes princess?" he answered seriously staring at the girl who was shorter than him.

"I was wondering if I could speak to sir Reginald before mine or....your departure." she said sweetly not wanting Benjamin to say something like 'Sir Reginald is busy.'

"I will inform him." Benjamin said finally smiling and Penelope eased up a little bit.

Benjamin left Penelope standing next to the carriage where Lucan sat silently while praying that Crow, who was sitting opposite him, would not make a sound. Penelope waited patiently for Benjamin to return with Lucan but as the seconds went by she began to feel anxious.

"Maybe he doesn't want to see me." she said without realizing she was saying it out loud,"How foolish of me to have thought someone as magnificent as Sir Rdeginald would take a liking to someone as ignorant and self centered as I when he lives his life in service of others."

Crow smiled at Lucan insulatingly when Penelope descrided him as a magnificent and selfless man. Lucan rolled his eyes at Crow and got out of the carriage from the other side so Penelope wouldn't see him. He went around the carriage and cleared his throat to get Penelope's attention. She turned immediately with a frightened expression making Lucan knit his brows together.

"Is there a problem milady? You look like a cat that was forced to take a bath." he said in a bored tone.

"Did you hear anything?" she asked impatiently.

A small grin appeared on his face and he saw how quickly the blood drained from her face. He looked down at her hand that had been injured the night he had scared her when he appeared as her wolf then he looked back at her face.

"Anything like what?" he asked but she still looked as pale as before,"You don't plan on adopting Princess Eve's skin tone do you?"

Her cheeks turned pink instantly and she looked away from him.

"Are you insulting her skin tone?" Crow asked in a dangerously deep voice as he ripped off the curtains on the carriage's window.

Lucan and Penelope looked at Crow with narrowed eyes and their tongues were ready to spout up words to reprimand him for his unwelcome interruption.

"It's very unethical to listen to other people's conversations." Lucan said looking at Crow in amusement as he didn't know why Crow was defending the princess when he always disliked her deathly paleness.

"You are in no place to teach me about ethics Reginald! Especially when you listen to daydreaming damsels talking to themselves!"

Penelope looked up at Lucan with a surprised look on her face at what Crow had brought to light to her. Lucan's face darkened at Crow's betrayal while his curiosity spikked as to why Crow was defending Eve suddenly. Was it some sort of master servant issue between Ceaser and Crow?

"Don't push your luck with me Raphael." Lucan warned Crow as he felt his wolf claw at him for a fight.

Crow chuckled and opened the carriage door to step out of it. He took his precious time to walk to where Lucan stood and when they were toe to toe the glared at each other.

"I don't think I am the one pushing my luck here my dear old friend Lucan." Crow whispered so Penelope wouldn't hear what was being said,"From my records you'll see that I have killed many Lycans such as your fallen mate..."

Lucan crabbed Crow by the shirt with one hand and punched him him in the gut with the other hand. Crow didn't flinch even a little even though it hurt and he punched Lucan back. Lucan was equally unfazed by the punch but he felt the pain course through his body from him belly. He pushed Crow against the carriage but before he could deliver another punch, they both felt a shock of paralyzing electricity course through them. They fell to the ground and lay like dead men. Penelope stared at the two men on the floor writhing as if they were about to die; her eyes filled with horror. She had seen many fights but in not one of them did the fighters die so fast.

"Your father is waiting for you princess."

Penelope turned around to find Ceaser standing with an annoyed expression as he looked down at his men on the ground.

"They.... what is wrong.....?" she asked frightened pointing down at the men with her trembling hands.

"I don't know. It happens often so don't worry." Ceaser answered still not meeting her eyes.

"Happens?" Penelope asked in horror,"Often?"

"Very often." Ceaser answered then he turned his head slightly to the left where Penelope now noticed Gray and Pascal standing looking at their fellows with disgust,"Take them in the same carriage and tie them up."

The brothers did not hesitate to take the two men who were writhing into the carriage that they had been in a while ago and inside the carriage and away from Penelope's view, Gray tied them up with ropes that had been infused with magic to stop magic or transformations of certain creatures. Lucan and Crow felt free as Ceaser's magic had been cancelled by the ropes and they took in air rapidly.

"Will sir Reginald and sir Raphael be alright?" Penelope asked as she stared at the closed door of the carriage.

"It happens often as I said." Ceaser said with a sigh then he walked away.

Ceaser didn't go to his carriage and instead headed into the palace to look for Eve. He found her quickly as she was also looking for him.

"Good morn...."

"Let's talk in my room." he interrupted her leaving her shocked.

She nodded and followed him to his room quietly. She entered first and then him and he shut the door and locked it. She wondered what he wanted to tell her and her heart grew anxious. He asked her to take a seat on the bed and she did so reluctantly.

"How do you fell now that you know the one you kept locked up in your room is your uncle?" Ceaser asked nonchalantly.

"The same." Eve answered plainly,"I don't think that is your only question."

Ceaser took in a deep breath and exhaled loudly as he looked down at her as she sat at the edge of his bed. He looked at her calm and yet adventurous eyes and remembered when he had first set his eyes on her as a boy. It was her eyes and mysterious nature that he had fallen in love with all those years ago and as he looked at her he saw her adventurous eyes had a rekindled need for adventure. And he wanted to be that adventure for her. He squated in front of her and took hold of her hands. He noticed how much smaller they were compared to her; and how much paler they were.

"Eve?" he called out to her and she hummed in response,"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." she breathed.

"What drives you?" he asked.

"My desire to be next to you." she answered shyly.

"Then please let me drive you." he said stuck in the moment.

"What?" she asked.

"Marry me." he said seriously.

"I've never been proposed to before but I am certain that it is supposed to be a question and not a command." she said smiling.

"So you don't want to?" he asked with widened eyes.

"I will if you redo this proposal the right way."