Chapter 12

I noticed the way Reign lingered whenever she had an excuse to stand near him. Claudia smiled at him whenever he glanced in her direction, while Rebecca seemed determined to catch his eye. She made sure one of the strings of her night gown fell off her shoulders exposing almost her full breast .

They all wanted his attention.I couldn’t blame them for finding him attractive.I could, however, question their taste in men.

Vladimir barely spoke to any of them. When Reign said something I couldn’t hear, he gave her a brief glance and returned to staring at the water.

Her smile faltered.I almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

“Don’t stand there gawking,” Claudia whispered as she passed me. “The prince doesn’t pay you to admire him.”

My face heated. Pay me ? I wanted to roll my eyes I wasn’t paid for anything.

“I wasn’t.”

“Of course you weren’t.”

She took the soap from my hands and walked away with a smug smile.

I wanted the floor to open beneath me.The bathing continued, and I did my best to concentrate on my duties. Anaya and I stood near the table, holding clean towels and making sure the supplies were within reach.

Every so often, I caught myself looking towards the pool.Every time, I immediately looked away.

It was becoming ridiculous.

Eventually, Vladimir rose from the water.The maidens stepped back as he emerged, water running down his chest and shoulders. One of the girls reached for a towel, but he walked past her.

Straight towards me.I froze. ‘Don’t look down’ I told myself knowing full well if I looked past his belly button I would probably turn tomato red.

He stopped in front of me and held out his hand.

For one awful second, I forgot what I was supposed to do.

The towel.

He wanted the towel.

I thrust it towards him without looking at his face.

“Here.”My voice came out embarrassingly small.

He took the towel, but instead of immediately moving away, he remained standing in front of me.

I could feel his presence even without looking up. The warmth coming from his body was surprising, especially after the coldness of his hand in the forest.

I swallowed and took a small step backwards.

Then another.My heel caught against the edge of the raised stone platform.

The room tilted.

I reached out blindly, trying to catch the table, but my fingers brushed empty air.

My knees gave way.A hand closed around my waist before I hit the floor.Another caught my arm.

For a moment, I couldn’t understand what had happened. I was staring at the stone tiles, waiting for the pain of the fall that never came.Then I realised I wasn’t falling anymore.Vladimir was holding me.I looked up.

His face was so close that I could see the tiny flecks of amber in his golden eyes. A drop of water slid from his dark hair down the side of his face. His hand remained firm around my waist, keeping me upright as the room slowly stopped spinning.

I forgot how to breathe.Not because I was frightened.Well, not entirely.

His expression changed slightly as he studied me.

“What is it?”

I opened my mouth.Nothing came out.

I had never been this close to him without being dragged, threatened, or held against my will. I could feel the warmth of his skin through the thin fabric of my dress, and it made me painfully aware of how little space remained between us.

My cheeks burned.

“I’m fine,” I managed.

His eyes narrowed.“You’re shaking.”

“I’m just tired.”It was a pathetic explanation, but it was the truth.

I was exhausted. I was starving. My body had reached its limit, and apparently, it had chosen the worst possible moment to remind me.

Vladimir glanced towards the table.“When did she last eat?”

Nobody answered immediately.

Then Arissa spoke.“Yesterday, Your Highness. She wasn’t given food after her duties.”

His expression didn’t change, but the hand around my waist tightened for a brief moment.

He looked towards the maidens.“Why?”

Claudia’s smile disappeared.“Your Highness, we were only following—”

“Was I speaking to you?”

She went silent.The room became painfully quiet.

Vladimir looked back at me.I wished he would let go. I wished he would step away so I could stop noticing the way his eyes seemed to hold mine in place.

Instead, he straightened me carefully, making sure my legs could support me before removing his hand from my waist.

The sudden absence of his warmth felt strangely noticeable.

I hated that I noticed.

“Feed her,” he ordered.

Arissa bowed immediately.“Yes, Your Highness.”

Vladimir picked up his robe.

As he passed me, he paused just long enough for me to feel his gaze on the side of my face.

“Don’t faint in my castle, Veronica Night.”

Then he walked away.The doors closed behind him.For several seconds, nobody spoke.

I stood where he had left me, my heart still racing, trying to convince myself that the dizziness was the only reason I felt so unsteady.

Claudia looked as though she had swallowed something unpleasant.Reign stared at the closed doors.Rebecca’s expression had turned sour.And Anaya was watching me with wide eyes.

I wanted to disappear.

Instead, I pressed a hand against my stomach and took a shaky breath.I had been afraid Vladimir would punish me tonight.I hadn’t expected him to catch me before I fell.

Or to notice that I hadn’t eaten.

It didn’t mean he cared about me. I knew that much. A man could keep his property alive without feeling anything for it.

Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about the way he had looked at me when he realised how weak I had become.

For one brief moment, his expression had been almost impossible to read.

Then again, that was Vladimir.Nothing about him ever made sense.And the most infuriating part?

Even after everything he had done to me, I was beginning to understand why the women in this castle couldn’t stop looking at him.

That did not mean I liked him.

Absolutely not.

I was simply a starving, exhausted woman with functioning eyes.There was a difference.