48 Sweet Midnight (3)

"Do you want to try further?" Argan asked through his dazed expression that remained watchful upon the clock tower. His voice sounded soft and alluring like the taste of red wine before tucking oneself to sleep, drifting and hovering between an illusionary night and dreamless reality.

Yet, it had never been quite novel until her voice echoed in his head akin to the sound of a bell every twelve O'clock to remind everyone of the time, whether it had been half a day or a second away from tomorrow. But, for Argan, Kalliope's voice was an alarm to remind him of his present reality. The sound that told him it wasn't another day of being a test subject.

[There's still time. Let's continue, just in case, since we don't know how wide the magic tower is.]

Standing up on the roof, Argan's figure slowly dispersed into a gentle wisp of black aura before blending in with the darkness. At the last trickle of his transformation, he sighed, "Alright."

Then, he disappeared, traveling through the darkness of the night at the absence of light. But, when the flickering street lamps disallowed him to move further, his darkness would find its way through the traces of shadow left from the light. There, he would jump from one shadow to another, going further and further at the speed that would escape observance.

However, soon, his darkness came into an abrupt stop and under the lamp post, Argan manifested into his humanlike figure. His jaw subconsciously clenched as the tension brew around him.

There was a discordance in their sight-sharing.

"My Lady?" he called. But, even when a few minutes passed, there came no answer from the other side. A myriad of negative thoughts barraged his mind. Unfortunately, the voice to remind him to stay within reality remained absent.

Argan quickly turned his feet back towards the clock tower.

---------------

'How do one explain it without sounding half-witted?'

The question emerged in Prince Revaz's head like a newly written riddle with a brush of quill and a splash of ink, gently floating in the center of his focus. But, no matter how he thought about it, the question sounded more and more rhetoric.

Her precious rose-colored eyes gleamed with authority that commanded his entire being like an old rune that ran out of mana but revived upon a predestined sorcerer.

The dead of his heartbeats and the lost of desire came back in a dazzling jolt the moment he laid his eyes upon her. But, the loud 'thump' was only registered in his brain when the lady had slipped down from the ledge.

After that, everything had gone blank and his body had moved solely based on instinct. When he regained his consciousness again, Prince Revaz only realized that he had saved a stranger whose name he didn't even recognize.

Nevertheless, he felt it through his blood and bones right at that moment, the call of submission, to bend his knees before this foreign lady. The feeling of loyalty overpowered him and completely neutralized his logic.

There had only been one thought ever since she had entered his vision, "Protect her."

It was as though the sentence had been engraved deep within him and now, it turned into an instinctive nature. Even the words of concern poured out of him almost unconsciously.

"Are you alright?"

Though it was unlike him, but for some reason, it felt right in this moment. It felt natural of him to worry about her.

On the other hand, Kalliope slowly knitted her eyebrows and the frown on her face only grew deeper when she had tired to push him away but realized it was futile. Even with the help of magic, the young man who was currently embracing her didn't flinch.

In the end, she gave up struggling as she sensed no hostility coming from him. "I'm alright."

Thereafter, a blanket of silence enveloped the top of the clock tower and both of them were stuck in a staring contest which soon made Kalliope extremely uncomfortable, especially when she met that pair of ruby eyes.

She cleared her throat and carefully probed, "So, how long are we going to stay in this position?" Glancing at the solid ground beneath her, Kalliope added, "I assure you, I'm perfectly safe now."

Her words immediately sent Prince Revaz's mind into a complete blank. His body stiffened and his expression was one hell of a surprise. If he had the capability, his face would have turned red like a roasted crab in this instance. Still, the embarrassment remained evident in his eyes and his awkward movement of rigidly backing away.

"I...." The usually confident and well-spoken prince didn't know what to do for the first time. He was thoroughly ashamed by his own conduct. "I'm sorry..." Even forgetting his etiquette for a second but quickly rephrased his words, "My apologies, Lady. My action might've appeared disrespectful but I assure you, I only meant to save you just now."

Kalliope who had been released by Prince Revaz raised an eyebrow as she watched the gentleman bowed slightly with one hand on his chest. 'A proper conduct. From his speech to his manner.'

She immediately concluded his identity in one phrase. 'A noble.'

But, Kalliope didn't want to reveal her identity and using her different appearance, she replied in a casual manner but still respectful, "It's alright, Sir. I understand. Instead, I have to thank you for saving me."

Just like Kalliope, Prince Revaz too drew a conclusion after watching her conduct and simple dressing. 'A commoner.'

Regardless, the feeling of admiration in his heart did not disappear and only intensified as he looked at her more and more. His desire to feed within him was even worse. His craving was dangerously stirred and his Adam apple continued to roll as he swallowed hard every now and then. However, despite Prince Revaz extreme self-control, the intense yearning in his eyes betrayed his outer mask.

Kalliope wasn't naïve as well. Right from the start, she had already sensed that there was something wrong with this young man. And at this moment, her sharp gaze picked up a peculiar sight when his lips had parted slightly before he closed them firmly. With that, Kalliope froze in place and her eyes flickered in surprise.

Meanwhile, Prince Revaz slowly dragged one foot forward while he stared unswervingly at the young lady before him. "My lady...."

Kalliope's eyes widened when she saw clearly a pair of fangs that had suddenly appeared in his mouth. She took a step back while drawing mana to her palm. She clenched her teeth at the pain that came whenever her mana brushed past Alice's veins.

Through the falling sweat on her forehead, Kalliope tried to warn him, "Sir, I implore you..."

However, before she could finish her sentence, Prince Revaz had already disappeared from the spot leaving a powerful gust of wind in his track before suddenly emerging in front of Kalliope in a flash. His hand reached out and Kalliope condensed the mana in her hand.

But, someone was faster than the both of them. In a blink of an eye, Kalliope's vision was obstructed by a broad back and Prince Revaz's feet dangle off the ground. The young prince quickly snapped of out his reverie and met a pair of murderous eyes that gleamed coldly in the shade of violet.

Argan narrowed his eyes as his hand clutched on to Prince Revaz neck. Then, he bellowed in a low tone, "F*ck off, Mutt."