3

The mansion was much quieter than Lilith had expected. At first, Lilith thought the mansion would be filled with servants or guards. But no, there were none. Lilith felt that there were no signs of life other than the soft echo of her footsteps and Lucas's on the luxurious marble floor. The mansion's opulence gave Lilith a cold feeling.

It didn't feel empty. It felt watchful. A large, luxurious chandelier hung above the foyer, casting a golden light over the polished stone and tall walls covered in dark wood paneling. Paintings also adorned the circular staircase. Lucas walked ahead of her.

“Your room is upstairs,” he said.

“Your room?” she asked carefully.

A faint glance over his shoulder. “Not tonight.”

Lilith's heart pounded. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or offended. Soon after, they arrived on the second floor of the mansion. They passed a long, dimly lit corridor with closed doors on both sides. Lucas stopped in front of one of them and opened it.

It was a bedroom larger than any room she had ever had in her old house. Lilith looked curiously into the room, which was even equipped with warm, thick blankets. There were tall windows with thick curtains.

Even the balcony of the room directly faced the hills where the mansion was located right in the middle of them.

“This will be yours,” Lucas said as he walked deeper into the room.

“Will?” Lilith whispered, confused, as she followed him into the room.

Lucas turned and their eyes met. “You are not a prisoner here, Lilith.”

She almost laughed. “The gate says otherwise for me so.”

“They are just for protection.”

“Protection? From what?” Lilith chuckled, even more confused.

Lucas didn't answer immediately, but Lilith could clearly see that he was trying to find the right words to answer her question. “From the outside world.”

The way Lucas said it made Lilith even more curious about a world that was more dangerous than Lucas himself was to Lilith now. Lilith didn't say anything else at first and began to look around the room. The air surrounding the room felt different and changed several times for Lilith.

Meanwhile, Lucas began to change his position near the open door. Lucas's gaze was straight ahead, directly at Lilith. Not touching. Not even approaching her. Just observing her.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” asked Lilith as she turned around.

“Like what?”

“Like you're waiting.” Lilith whispered hesitantly.

Lucas' gaze darkened and sharpened. “I am waiting.”

“Waiting for what?”

“Waiting for you to stop trembling with fear like that.”

Lilith gasped, completely unaware that she was trembling.

“You don't need to be afraid like that tonight, Lilith,” Lucas said again.

“Tonight?” Lilith repeated Lucas' words.

A faint smile appeared on Lucas' lips. “I already told you, didn't I? I prefer you to be conscious, Lilith.”

Lilith's breath caught again as Lucas began to walk towards her. His steps felt slow, but also intense. It was as if every movement and every moment of silence from Lucas was deliberately intended to intimidate her. Lilith forced herself not to step back.

Until Lucas finally stopped just a few inches away from her. Close enough that Lilith could feel that strange sensation again, like standing near marble in winter. His hand lifted slowly as her body felt tense.

But instead of grabbing her, Lucas only adjusted Lilith's dress strap that had slipped slightly from her shoulder. Lucas' fingers only touched her skin briefly. Even through that brief touch, it seemed to send a vibration down Lilith's spine. His jaw tightened.

For a second, Lucas's pupils seemed to narrow unnaturally. He immediately took a deep breath. A very deep breath. Then Lucas quickly stepped back. As if he was holding something so hard inside himself.

“You should rest now,” he said, his voice lower than before.

“What about you? Where are you going to sleep?”

“I have my own room, and I don't sleep much.”

Lucas's answer made Lilith feel even more anxious. So much so that Lilith thought about locking the door to prevent Lucas from sneaking in while she was fast asleep later. Lucas then walked towards the door. But before Lucas actually left, he stopped, then turned his head slightly to look back.

“Do not wander in this mansion alone tonight.”

Her stomach tightened. “Why?” she whispered.

“There are parts of this mansion that you are not ready to see yet.”

Lucas walked back and slowly closed the door. He left Lilith standing where she was, alone in the bedroom that was so spacious for just her. The silence returned, but this time it made her feel tense. Lilith sighed as she rubbed her warm forehead.

A moment later, Lilith turned and walked to the mirror across the room and stared at her reflection there. She was still the same girl. The same face, and the same eyes. Only the open dress covering her body made her feel different. But there was something Lilith couldn't avoid tonight.

Lilith decided to step into the bathroom to clean herself. Outside the door, Lucas stood in the dark corridor. His jaw tightened. Lucas pressed his palm against the wall with force.

“It's not time yet,” Lucas whispered to himself. Before quickly walking away from the corridor.