My Most Precious Human novel Chapter 38

I painted another awkward smile on my face, thinking that I was turning more and more mute the longer I sat there. I felt like I was some kind of a doll, a decoration that was brought for their entertainment, or definitely Dominique's entertainment. I gazed at her and suddenly saw a flash in her bright eyes. I knew another wicked thought invaded her mind.

"One more thing, my dearest, strict brother… How is it that Lilith has your ability?" She smirked, curiously gazing at Sariel.

"What?" I mumbled, suddenly feeling more sober than ever.

"My brother has always been able to recall every single detail. His memory is absolute." She turned my way and gazed suspiciously at her brother, "I wasn't going to say anything during the trial, but I have never heard that you could pass your ability onto anyone. How did you do it?" She grinned, her eyes impatiently awaiting an answer.

I looked at Sariel as well. I had to say, for once, I was as intrigued as she was. If the thing I had done during my testimony was Sariel's ability, how could I have used it?

Sariel smirked cunningly, "You don't need to know."

Dominique pouted, "You're no fun!"

She remained with her sulking face for a few seconds until her expression changed dramatically. She put her glass down.

"Unless…" she muttered, covering her mouth with her hand, then locking her eyes on Sariel, "You didn't, did you?"

Sariel glanced at her meaningfully.

"You did!" She burst out in nervous laughter, which soon turned into a malicious one.

I stared at her confusedly, hoping to find out what it was about.

"And you are still trying to tell me you don't care about her?" Dominique snorted, then examined my frightful expression, "Does she even know?"

"Does anyone care to tell me what it's about?" I shifted my eyes from Dominique to Sariel, feeling my heart pounding again.

Sariel shook his head, glaring coldly at his sister. She instantly stopped laughing, then sent me an awkward gaze.

"Sorry, love. Perhaps my brother will tell you when he becomes wiser." She smirked.

I wanted to say something, but meeting Sariel's harsh glance restrained me from asking more questions. Nonetheless, I kept processing Dominique's words and wondered if Sariel had ever done something to me, something that I wasn't aware of. My instincts were telling me that my submissiveness towards him wasn't a hundred percent natural. The fact that I found him irresistibly hot could have come directly from me, but I also found myself weak in front of him, as if he was able to crush every attempt to resist him, and that felt unlike me. My life made "resistance" my second name. No matter how terrifying my opponent was, I had never given up without putting up a fight until I met Sariel. Something within me kept surrendering to him. I could give him the last drop of my blood if he asked. Being aware of that was terrifying.

I was so consumed by pondering Dominique's previous words that I didn't even notice when I finished another glass of wine. Thankfully, eating the entire piece of meat on my plate had slowed my intoxication process. I kept looking for a good moment to excuse myself from the table, but Dominique clearly didn't want to let go that fast.

"Oh, your glass is empty!" She poured me another one, giggling.

"I think… I shouldn't drink that much. I still need to go to work tomorrow…" I chuckled nervously.

"Nonsense!" Dominique protested, "We have gotten rid of the Adragnas only thanks to you. I am sure that my brother will give you a day off from work," she stated, giving her brother a meaningful stare.

"Fine." He sighed, then glanced at me with a smirk, "Since my sister enjoys your company that much, you don't have to go to work tomorrow. I'll inform Gabriel about it."

"Thank you for your generosity, Duke Calvet," I remarked sarcastically.

"Why don't you call my brother by his first name?" Dominique pointed out, concerned, "Of course, call me Dominique too!" she called out, teasingly chuckling.

I smiled hesitantly and gazed at Sariel. He locked his eyes on me. A sly smile appeared on his face. He seemed to be challenging me.

"All right… I will use your first names… in the future," I mumbled nervously, trying to avoid Sariel's stare.

"Great!" Dominique clapped her hands, satisfied with my statement.

Her friendly behavior only made me more stiff. Sariel seemed to let her do whatever she wanted, but that didn't mean that I was allowed to follow Dominique's suggestions. At that moment, I could hardly imagine pronouncing "Sariel" straight to the Duke's face. I would rather avoid it as much as I could, using some general form of speech which I found much safer…

"So…" Dominique leaned over the table, staring into my eyes, "I didn't ask you before, but… how do you find my brother?"

I spat out the wine and nearly choked.

"Does she want to get me killed by answering that question honestly?!" I burst out inside my head.

For the first time, Sariel also seemed curious about my answer. His gaze at me became so intense that it could burn me to ashes. While I was trying to avoid it, I threw a brief glimpse at him and saw him slightly biting his lower lip.

I cleared my throat and turned to Dominique, "I… I am really grateful to your brother. He saved my life before, and now he protects me, and allows me to live in this castle…"

"Seriously? He saved your life?" Dominique chuckled wickedly, glancing at Sariel, "Are you sure you are talking about my brother?"

"Dogs nearly killed her," Sariel cut in, nervously explaining, "I met her three years ago, the night she was attacked."

He tried to say it indifferently, but his eyes began glowing in an enraged red color. His hatred towards werewolves was obvious, but I wondered why he said that they nearly killed me. They had drugged me to kidnap me, but they hadn't intended to kill me…

"I see…" Dominique smirked, gazing at Sariel and me. "So you two have some history already!" she called out suddenly while making a wide gesture with her hand and overturning my glass.

There were only a few drops left there, and the glass didn't break, yet she was surprisingly concerned.

"Oh, my! I'll get you another glass!" She took my glass, got up from the table, and ran out of the dining room.

"The servants can do it." Sariel tried to stop her.

"No! It was my fault, so I'll go get it." She smiled and disappeared behind the door.

An awkward silence filled the room. Sariel drank his wine while looking at me, and I pretended to admire every detail of the walls and ceiling for the hundredth time.

"Was the food to your liking?" he suddenly asked.

"Y-yes, it was delicious," I responded, startled.

I noticed his eyes roaming down my neckline while a roguish smirk was painting itself on his face.

"Dominique picked the dress well. It suits you," he said, bringing the glass slowly to his lips.

"Thank you." I smiled faintly, telling my heart not to burst out of my chest.

The smirk on his face grew, and his stare became so penetrating that it made me shiver.

"You are doing it again." He softly chuckled.

"Doing what?" I asked, almost choking on the air I was breathing.

"Seducing me," he claimed teasingly, "I told you before, didn't I? Each time your blood pressure rises, your scent gets more intense."

I gave out a brief hysteric chuckle.

"Is he for real?! If this is another one of his games, I swear he is surely aiming for my heart-attack!" The inside of my mind was highly feverish.

He breathed in deeply, closing his eyes. When he looked at me again, his eyes were brightly red, shining like rubies.

"Even your carotid artery is pulsing," he said alluringly, softening his voice. "I swear I could just-"

"I've brought a glass!" Dominique barged into the room, grinning happily.

She ignored Sariel's glare at her, poured me wine, and passed it to me.

"Cheers! May those bastards die a painful death!" She giggled, raising a toast.

I smiled nervously and drank most of the wine I had in big gulps. I foolishly thought of the wine as a remedy for my tormented heart. Only then did I realize Dominique had carefully observed me drinking and smiled maliciously as soon as I put down the glass. A minute later, my head started spinning, and soon everything became a blur…