"Milady, what in the world happened here?!"

It was already evening as I returned back to my prison cell after the conversation between me and the unknown chained girl ended right away. All I did for the rest of the afternoon was idly laying on the torn mattress of my bed while blankly staring at the ceiling as I couldn't stop thinking about the advise that she gave me out of the blue. Before I knew it, the sun has already set as the moon appeared in the sky — It was already dinnertime.

"You can drop the act, Sir Frederick. There is no need for you to pretend that you actually care for me." I told him nonchalantly without batting an eyelid while slowly sitting up and leaning against the wooden headboard. He was surprised to see that the room was in a huge mess. It was as if a tornado ruined the place.

"After all, why would you? I am a hideous monster carrying a deadly disease." He lifted the ligneous furniture that crashed on the ground as he placed the iron tray with my meal on top of the table.

"I apologize for my behavior. It was unbecoming of a servant to mistreat their master."

Sir Frederick placed his gloved hand on his chest as he gave a formal bow. However, his sincerity fell into deaf ears. It was difficult for me to easily accept his apology.

"Stop it. I have grown weary of hearing your pathetic excuses." I spoke in a low, lethargic insouciance while carefully planting my feet on the chilly floor and trudged towards the table. "Instead, answer me with utmost honesty."

I lifted the porcelain bowl as I placed it near my lips, slurping my cold soup without caring for proper table manners. It was unladylike of me to do such a thing, but it was not like I had been eating properly either.

Once I was done eating my meal, I placed the empty bowl on top of the tray with a clunk. I grabbed the glass of water and drank it in one gulp. It was not sufficient to quench my thirst, but I could always drink some tap water from the faucet in the bathroom.

"Tell me everything you know about the other girl that is imprisoned within this tower."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I am referring to the chained girl who is locked inside a cell which is just a few floors beneath mine."

He had a dazed look of bewilderment, it was like he could not understand what I was talking about. So now he wants to pretend that he knows nothing about the other girl, and to hide the truth from me.

"Milady, no one else besides you is confined in here." Now he was giving me a terrified look, he probably thought that I must've had gone mad.

"Do you take for a fool?!" I slammed my fist against the table while threateningly glaring at him. "I could hear a feminine voice underneath my room, and you dare to spout insolent lies in front of my face!" I gritted my teeth in frustration as I could no longer stand his impertinence.

"N-No, that was not my intention." I could vaguely sense a familiar hint of fear that distorted his face as his distress was rising with my tension. "Please have faith on me, Milady. There is really nobody else residing within this tower." How many lies must he tell me in order to defend himself. Dealing with him is really tiring.

"Are you refuting what I just said?" My voice held an authoritative tone as our elderly head steward began cowering in fear. The frightened look on his face truly infuriates me. A strong impulse to discipline him began welling up inside me.

"I-I'm so s-sorry, Milady..." He stuttered as his lips began quivering, his knees trembling. Right now, he looks so meek and submissive that it makes me want to ruin him in the most terrifying method. I preferred his confidence and passionate traits back then.

"I w-will proceed in c-cleaning up the mess." He kneeled on the ground as he was about to pick up the broken shards when I refrained him to do so.

"You may leave at once, Sir Frederick."

"But Milady— "

"Do not make me repeat myself."

Sir Frederick stood up and dusted the nonexistent dirt on his pants. He bowed while keeping his arms and hands at his sides as he lifted the tray, and left the room without uttering a word. Before leaving the tower, he made sure to lock the door this time. He probably assumed that I must have not left my cell and never noticed that I actually did, taking in account of my weak constitution.

A foul nasty scent infiltrated my nostrils as I cringed at my own body odor. It has been three days since I last took a bath. After being holed up in this murky place, I have neglected to tend my personal hygiene. My unruly hair is greasy and frizzy as there are a lot of split-ends, it has been so long since I groomed it. My skin feels so dry and my nails are crippled. Everything feels and smells so gross except my breathe, it was not as unpleasant as that man.

There is a reason why I hardly ever take a bath, it is because my curse markings painfully reacts to salt, especially soaps are made from alkaline salts mixed with essential oils.

"I should take a bath." I mumbled as I scratched the back of my hair, it felt itchy. The mere thought that I might have fleas scares me even more.

Grabbing my new set of clothes and cotton bath towel, I proceeded to the bathroom which was in the next room. I placed my garments on top of a rusty barrel and twisted the faucet, letting the running water fill the wooden bucket. I missed dipping in a warm herbal bath, but now I have to deal with freezing water.

Stripping off my nightgown and undergarment, I placed them on top of an another barrel as I lifted the bucket and drenched myself with water. It felts so cold that I couldn't help but shiver, a chilly breeze came from the window as it hits my skin. It made me let out a sneeze.

I decided to hurry up since I was weak to the cold. Once I was done taking a bath, I used my dry towel to wipe myself and slipped into my new ones. My damp hair draped all over my shoulders as it soaked my busts and sleeves. I trudged back to my room and plopped on my bed as I was so exhausted.

I could still remember my mother told me not to sleep with wet hair because it is prone to breakage and harder to tend in the morning, but my eyelids felt so heavy to keep them wide open.

Before I knew it, I fell into a deep slumber.

"You're finally back!"

A unfamiliar voice suddenly greeted me as I realized that I was inside a lounge room. I don't even know how I got in here. The last thing I remembered is that I was still in the throne room.

"Who are you...?" I asked as I couldn't help but stare at the mysterious woman who was standing right in front of me. I was instantly captivated by her beauty.

She is an attractive young woman with a voluptuous chest and hourglass like body.

Her long hair flowed down her back like black ink of a tilted piece of parchment, they appeared so soft and silky that I could tell apart from each strand. Even in the dark you could see her, like a shining beacon. Her dark hair framed the snowy complexion of her face as she has a pair of golden eyes with slit-shaped pupils, and her lips were painted in a deep shade of red.

She is wearing a luxurious apparel consisted of a glittering red sequined high neck mermaid sleeveless dress that reached her ankles, which partially reveals her chest and left leg. Around her waist, there is a silky black ribbon designed with red rose ornamentals. She also wore a pair of dark high heels.

As for her accessories; she has a matching glamorous pair of golden earrings that resemble a snake dangling on her earlobes, an enameled and massive golden jewelry necklace with tantalizing fiery red gemstones around her neck, a gold spiral snake bracelets on her wrists, and a gold serpent cuff around her thigh. She also has an elegant rose ornament clipped on her hair.

"Don't you think that being mysterious adds to a woman's charm?" She placed her hand near her tinted dark red lips as a soft giggle erupted from her throat. I noticed that she manicured her nails, painted in shimmery red.

It seems like she is immensely fond of luxurious accessories that resembles a snake. I wonder if she is the owner of the exotic reptiles that I encountered earlier...

"I was having a conversation with the master of this household earlier, do you perhaps know where he is now?" I politely asked as it was particularly dim in this room.

"Yes, I know where he is." Her lips curved into a seductive smile as she enthusiastically clasped both of her hands. "But you can't meet him just yet~" She suddenly pulled my arm and dragged me out of the parlor.

"Why not?" We climbed the grand staircases as we walked passed the huge portrait of the young man that I wanted to see. "May I ask where are you taking me?"

"To my room, sweetie." We reached the second floor as we crossed the long hallway and went into the farthest room. She twisted the doorknob open as she invited me to her bedroom.

"I beg your pardon," I was still hesitant to step inside. It looked like this was her private quarter. "But Miss, I still have to meet with the lord of this house. There is something I need to ask of him."

"I am fully aware of that, but don't tell me you are going to meet him while wearing those rags?" She suspiciously eyed my plain nightgown that had a few droplets of blood on the hem.

"It doesn't really matter. I already met him earlier."

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." She clicked her tongue, waving her index finger while slowly shaking her head. "You have to at least appear decent in front of His Highness."

Without my consent, she pulled me inside her bedchamber as she closed the door afterwards. Flicking the lights open, her room is quite lovely as it had the same architectural design of the bedroom that I woken up from earlier.

"First, you need to take a bath." She opened the door for me and pushed me inside the bathroom, closing the door from behind and opening the lights. The herbal bath was already drawn as a nostalgic citrusy fragrance invaded my nostrils — it was a mild lemon scent similar to mint.

"The leaves of lemon balm really smells good, doesn't it?" She asked as the cherry smile on her face seemed to be permanent.

"Yes, simply smelling it is enough relieved my stress and reduce my anxiety..." I replied as I still don't know why it was necessary to take a bath before meeting him.

I was surprised when she tugged the hems of my nightgown and was about to strip off my garments when I prevented her to do so. I couldn't understand why she is forcing me to do this, but it seems like I have no choice but to oblige.

"I-I get it now! I'll take a bath so please, just go outside."

I was not keen in showing my naked body to her.

"I'm not a lesbian."

"What the—I was not asking about your sexuality!"

She chuckled upon witnessing my uneasiness as she lifted the floral scented soap and placed it on top of my palm.

"Virgins are really adorable, aren't they~?"

"Argh! Please just get out, Miss!"

"Alright, alright. No need to be so angry, cutie!" A delightful chuckle escaped her lips as she headed to the door, her dark high heels clicking loudly against the floor tiles and exited the bathroom.

That young woman was unfazed when she saw my horrible curse markings as well as those two peculiar men. I couldn't help but wonder if they are incapable of experiencing the emotion of fear?

But I knew that I shouldn't get too much involved with them. The less I know, the better it is for me.

Pushing away my thoughts, I slid off my nightgown and undergarment, placing it inside a basket. I carefully lifted my foot with an twisted ankle and dipped it in the hot water, it felt so warm. Slowly but surely, I entered inside and leaned against the tub.

I scrubbed every nook and cranny of my body using the soap as it has such a nice citrusy fragrance. Since I am taking a bath in my dream, which was so weird, there is no need for me to be afraid of getting hurt from scrubbing my curse markings.

I didn't want to stay for too long since I will feel drowsy if I do. After rinsing off the soap from my body, I went out of the bathtub. I took a few shallow breathes as I was trying my best to prevent myself from accidentally inhaling sharply.

Will I have to suffer with this pain whenever I am in my dream?

I grabbed a clean towel from the wardrobe as I wrapped it around my body, trudging towards the door with my injured ankle, I twisted the knob but I couldn't open it.

"Why can't I open it?" Then the door suddenly opened from outside and I saw the very same beautiful woman with snake accessories holding the doorknob.

"Done already? That was quick."

"I just want to meet the Grand Duke as soon as possible." I answered as I could feel the water dripping from my hair, landing on my scrawny neck, and trailing down from my collarbone towards my undeveloped chest.

"I also want to inform you that I will wear my nightgown since I don't have any change of clo—"

"Oh, just look at that chest. How adorable~!" I was surprised when she suddenly patted my small bosoms without asking for my consent.

I immediately backed away as I hid behind the wooden door. "Were you lying when you told me that you are not a lesbian?" A frown of displeasure appeared on my face as my cheeks became even warmer than usual.

"Hmm... maybe?" She showed me such an innocent smile. I felt goosebumps rise on my arms as a shiver ran down my spine. I have never been sexually harassed before, I don't know what I am supposed to do. Not to mention, there is something odd about her that makes me feel uneasy.

"Don't be so afraid, I won't bite." She chuckled as she held my arm and pulled me out of the bathroom in a single tug. I'm not sure if she was insanely strong or I was just pathetically weak.

"I'll lend you my clothes, so let me make a woman out of you."

"I-I appreciate your kindness, but I will have to decline." I hurriedly waved my arms as bullets of sweat trickled down my forehead.

"There is no need to be so reserved, I want to doll you up!"

One thing I have learned from this vigorous woman is she doesn't take a no for an answer.

—

She showed me a lot of extravagant gowns and dresses in her walk-in-closet as she gave me her permission to choose whatever I want to wear. All of these luxurious apparel were woven from the finest fabrics, silks, and satins — but it was such a shame that everything within my field of vision were in black and white.

"Do you want to try on the blue frilled dress or the pink plunge neck gown?" She energetically asked while pointing at both of the clothes hanging on the racker. "Too bland? I think so too, then what about the lavender pleated gown or the ivory sequined dress?"

"I'll try the lavender gown."

"Go ahead."

I took the hanger with a long gown from the racker as I was about to go inside the dressing stall when she suddenly grabbed my scrawny arm.

"...What you're holding right now is a formal pink gown. I thought you were going to try the lavender one?"

"Oh, my mistake." I slung the hanger back on the racker as I accidentally picked a wrong outfit. "I have an Achromatopsia, it is a color vision deficiency. My vision used to be normal, but as my curse progresses, the colors began to fade from my eyes until all that I could see were dull shades of grey."

"It seems like you had your fair share of advertises."

I lowered my gaze as I slowly nodded without uttering a word. My hands played with the frills of the expensive garments hanging on the rack clothing in front of me.

"It used to be a tiny birthmark on my chest, but it didn't took long before my curse began to spread throughout my body — my ailment grew worse last year, during my twelfth birthday. My family, my fiancée, everyone became afraid of me. Upon the findings of the men from the holy church, a pandemic might outbreak if I stay with them even longer. In order to prevent it, I was imprisoned in a tower which was a few miles away from our manor."

A sigh of dismay escaped my lips. "Every time a servant from our family would come and visit me, they would always have a frightened look on their faces as they wanted to leave right away after delivering my necessities. I was not treated like a well-bred noble lady, but as an miserable prisoner."

"It was hard to adapt in such a poor environment, but I somehow managed as I am still alive after doing nothing for a whole year. I have to endure such an unbearable pain which were the side effects of the curse in a daily basis—I don't even know why I deserve to suffer so much when I haven't done anything wrong!"

I noticed that the youthful woman standing beside me hasn't said a single word while I was doing a story-telling of my life. I looked up and saw that she was heading towards me with a pile of gowns within her slender arms.

"W-Were you even listening?"

She smiled at me and nodded. "It seems like you are fond of telling other people your life story, how cute." I could feel my cheeks heating up as I felt so mortified. I don't even know if she is just fooling around or bluntly mocking me.

Fine then. I'll stop myself doing that habit from now on.

"Anyway, try these on." She tossed a handful of gowns in my arms which she personally picked out for me.

"Um... What color are these?"

"This one is gold." She pointed at the gown that I held in my right hand. "The other one is violet, both were made from the finest silk." As she pointed my left hand which was holding another piece of a ballgown.

"I can't wear something like this." I hand back the clothes at her, refusing her kindness. "Only royalties are allowed to wear gold and violet silk."

"The one who invented that is surely dumb. Everyone should wear what they want, they must not let such a despicable rule restrict them."

"The more I think about, the more I get suspicious." I looked straight into her golden eyes. "I have no idea where we are right now, but I could tell that we are in a different dimension... Everything feels so real, it's like I'm not even dreaming at all."

"Have you ever heard about lucid dream?"

"...Is that what I'm doing right now?"

"Think about it, you are completely aware that you are dreaming." She said while checking the sizes of the gowns as she held it near my body. "But you have no control over anything within your dream."

"Does that mean I entered someone else's dream? Is that why I couldn't control anything?" I curiously asked. Perhaps that might be the reason why I couldn't lift any object in this place since the other 'dreamer' is preventing me to do so.

"Didn't you heard anything from His Highness?" She pushed a long gown back in my arms and returned the other one in the rack. "You might have already realized it, but you find it hard to believe in it."

She is right. What the Grand Duke said has been bothering me for quite a while now. I know by this time that they are clearly not humans, but it is difficult for me to believe they are demons. Who in the world would believe in such a thing?!

"I think you would look good in violet. It matches the color of your eyes."

I flinched when she suddenly mentioned my eyes, I looked straight into her gaze while carrying the gown in my scrawny arms.

"...Don't you think the color of my eyes are strange?"

"Not really." She shook her head. "You have such pretty eyes, you know." She cheerfully grinned at me while genuinely complimenting my eyes. "Do you perhaps hate it?"

A slow smile made its way in my lips as I shook my head. "Of course not. How could I hate my eyes when somebody actually appreciated it?" I could tell that despite her antics, she is not lying straight to my face and pretending to be nice to me.

Which is why I could not believe that this woman is a demon. She is far too honest and kindhearted.

She reminds me of my beloved fiancée, Prince William. He was the first person who told me that my eyes were attractive.

The drastic change of my eye color were not hereditary, both of my parents had a pair of magnificent but fierce grey eyes.

My eyes were one of a kind, there is no one who had the same color as mine in the whole empire. They were afraid it might be a foreboding omen, but since I was engaged to the Crown Prince — no one even dared to speak ill of it.

Nevertheless, I was not ignorant to see the shadows underneath the smiles of everyone's facade. I could easily tell that they were disgusted and terrified of it.

"Tears does not suit you, My Lady." He gently wiped away my tears as I remembered about the heartwarming moment we shared in the Imperial Garden filled with dandelion flowers.

"It is really nice of His Imperial Highness to pretend to be kind to me, but I don't want to be comforted with pretty lies." I pushed his hand away from me as I forced a smile on my face. "At least when we are together, it would be nice if you could drop the act."

"Who is it?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Tell me who had the audacity to offend you." I was surprised when he suddenly became serious, he had a stern look on his face. "I will make sure those people would pay dearly for running their mouths. How dare they insult my dearest fiancée?"

I flinched from his humorless tone as beads of sweat trickled down my forehead. "N-No, you've completely misunderstood, Your Imperial Highness." I hurriedly shook my head. "It might be only me, but I think everyone hates the strange color of my eyes. My parents does not even have the same ones as mine..."

"I beg to differ with you, but I have always thought that your eyes were captivatingly beautiful."

He leaned forward as his hand caressed my cheek and then slid down my neck, it was enough to send my pulse into a frenzy of activity. I felt the blush seared through my cheeks and for a minute, I thought my face was on fire.

"There is a study which indicated this color is most often found in people with albinism, which may be a small amount or no pigment melanin in the iris and it turns out that they have violet eyes. There are also certain instances that if albinos with blue eyes got injured from the sun, it may caused the appearance of blood vessels and they might end up with violet eyes as well."

I could feel myself becoming nervous in the heat of the situation. I balled my fists and straightened up my back, struggling to act normal while he was giving an explanation.

"It is also stated that you cannot truly have violet eyes without albinism, but I guess there is always an exception from every rule."

Much to my surprise, he even leaned closer until both of our foreheads collided as he stared deeply into my eyes, our noses lightly bumping to each other. A strong scent of sweet smelling dandelions infiltrated my nostrils as his warm breathe smelled like mint.

"I heard from Duke Ainsworth that you were naturally born with grey eyes, but over time changed to violet. It was triggered at the exact moment you hit puberty."

Everything he said is correct. My natural eye color was grey, it became even darker when I turned eight years old until it changed into violet. Back then, I used to wonder why did he knew so much about the unusual color of my eyes.

"Your Imperial Highness, I've brought some refreshments..." Both of our eyes widened in surprise at the exact moment we heard a familiar high-pitched voice pierced the air. We hurriedly backed away from each other as we turned around and saw my fiancée's personal attendant.

"Oh, please pay no heed to me and resume to whatever you two were doing." A young servant nonchalantly stated while placing desserts on top of the table. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that Prince William and Lady Desdemona are kiss—"

"I-It's not like that!" The blonde prince slammed his hands against the table as his cheeks were flaring bright red. "You completely got the wrong idea!"

"Really? It looked like you two were doing something indecent."

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Oscar." He crossed his arms against his chest as a frown warped his regal features. "Stop it with your nonsensical assumptions."

"Forgive my impertinence, Your Imperial Highness." He pressed his gloved hand on his chest and bowed. "It seems like I came in a bad timing. I grieve that I ruined your long awaited opportunity to kiss your dearest fiancée."

"What...?" I gaped.

"N-No! Please don't listen to him, My Lady!" The youthful royalty vehemently stated as he was so mortified. "Think twice before you speak, Oscar! Your choice of words could easily be misinterpreted by other people."

"Understood, Prince William. I will pretend to forget everything you told me last night and save you from humiliation." He playfully stuck out his tongue as he is the only servant in the palace who had the audacity to tease a member of the Imperial Family.

Oscar Isaac Hildegard.

His distinctive feature was his curly ginger hair, he has a pair of amber eyes and a fair complexion. He is also two years younger than His Imperial Highness and a year younger than me.

He is the only son of Marquis Hildegard, the leader of the Belvedere Knighthood. At about age seven, he was trained as a page. He spent his time becoming strong, riding horses, mastering the use of weapons, and learning the rules of chivalry. It was his preparation to become the perfect bodyguard of the Crown Prince.  

To be honest, there are a lot of outstanding and powerful knights who had even more experience in the battlefield that could do a better job in protecting a member of the Imperial Family.

Instead of hiring a professional servant that underwent a proper training, he chose Oscar to be his personal attendant. Since he was always surrounded with adults, he probably wanted a servant that was near his age despite lacking in so many areas.

Prince William dismissed him after setting the desserts on the table and brewing tea for the both of us. I have to admit that Oscar is such an eccentric child and also remarkable charming as well.

"Sorry about the commotion."

"Please don't mind me, Your Imperial Highness. I am truly delighted that you are getting along with your personal attendant."

"Oscar tends to jump into conclusions rather quickly. I hope you would understand that and not get the wrong idea."

"Alright. I am also quite intrigued of the discussion between Your Imperial Highness and his servant. Would you be so kind and tell me all about it, hmm?"

Prince William averted his deep blue eyes away from me as he cleared his throat, changing the subject. "I forgot to tell you that there is another study regarding the matter of your eyes. I doubt it would make a reasonable explanation, but would you like to hear it out?"

Whenever he was uncomfortable about a certain topic, he would always find a way in order to avoid discussing about it. Like what he is doing right now.

"I would love to." I ended up going with the flow since this might be my only opportunity to learn even more information about my eyes, no matter how trivial it may be.

"There is a phenomenon called Alexandria Genesis. According to the legend, it is said that there was a mysterious light flashing in the sky, which caused many people with pale skin and purple eyes. They were known as spirit people, who eventually disappeared."

He couldn't blame me for looking incredulous after hearing the perplexing origin of the tale. "Isn't that just an ordinary myth? Who is Alexandria Genesis in the first place?"

"She is first woman who had violet eyes."

"And does that woman really exists?"

"I don't know. I haven't found any credible resources about the proof that she truly existed. I just read it from a book kept in the archives."

"Is there a reason why Your Imperial Highness went through all those lengths to search for a book related to my eyes in the archives? There are a lot of prehistorical books kept in that place. I could easily imagine how long it took to find it."

He suddenly held my hand and gave it an comforting squeeze as he looked at me with such a loving gaze, the sides of his mouth turned up in a warm smile. What he told me next made my heart flutter.

"Ah... That was because I was worried about My Lady. You were feeling under the weather for quite awhile, so I wanted to do something that would raise your spirits."

"Thank you very much, Prince William. I greatly appreciate His Imperial Highness's thoughtfulness. The sentiment is enough to lighten my mood."

He always knew how to make me feel better whenever I'm feeling down. I honestly don't know what I'd do without him.

"There is a famous proverb that the eyes are the windows of the heart. Whatever your eye color is, you must to cherish it. Violet is the color which represent devotion and nobility. I hope you would appreciate that wonderful gift."

He held my hand near to his lips as he kissed my knuckle. He would frequently do this in order to give me a sense of assurance, I truly appreciate all of his efforts.

"I guess this would suffice for now." He mumbled under his breathe, though it was loud enough for me to hear what he just said.

"What does His Imperial Highness mean?" I asked while raising a brow and eyeing him rather suspiciously.

He released his grip on my hand as he slowly shook his head, a smile gracing his lips. "No, it's nothing."

We suddenly heard a lawnmower sound of purring nearby, lowering our gazes, we found an adorable lion cub that was rubbing its head against the Crown Prince's leg.

"Hello there, little fellow." He lifted his pet and placed it on top of his lap as he gently stroked the cub's thin fur. "How did you get here? I wonder if Oscar lured you here in purpose?"

"How lovely! Is that His Imperial Highness's official pet?" I curiously asked. Nobilities are allowed to keep animal companions as long as it is the main symbol of the household's emblem. It is strictly forbidden to keep other animals.

He looked up, with a large grin splitting his face. "My father's lion just gave birth to a healthy male lion cub last week. I was truly happy to have my own exotic pet!"

His grin was so contagious that I also found myself grinning from ear to ear. "Can I ask for his name?"

"He doesn't have one yet."

"Is that so? Do you have any idea what you would call him?"

"Ah, yes. It has been in my mind for quite a while now." The plump ginger kitten had settled comfortably in his arms and was purring enthusiastically. "I want to name him as Desmond. It does not have any particular meaning, but I was not sure if I should use it without asking for My Lady's permission."

"Why does His Imperial Highness need to ask for my consent?"

He laughed with a rich, throaty chuckle. "Do you still not understand? I took it from your name, Lady Desdemona. I wanted to get your approval first if it would be alright with you."

"I-I don't really mind, but why my name?" I stuttered a reply while staring at him with a look of expectancy.

He lightly scratched the back of his neck as I saw an evident blush spreading across his face. "I simply thought how nice it would be if I could call my pet after my dearest fiancée's name."

"I approve of it." I turned my head to the side to avert his gaze, but I knew that the sudden rosiness of my cheeks gave it all away. I grabbed a strand of my hair and began playing with it.

"I am truly please to hear how His Imperial Highness cares for me a lot." During that time, I have already decided that if ever I overcame my fright of snakes, I would have one as a pet and name him after my beloved fiancée.