Chapter 76: Only Look at Me

Chapter 76: Only Look at MeAriana’s heart thudded as she slowly opened her eyes. She had no idea he knew she had been awake. How was he aware she had woken up? It was when she heard Zavren tell Raven to tiptoe that she stirred—and just as she decided to fall back asleep, she heard Raven say those words. Many questions swirled through her head. Why would she be targeted? Did that even mean this castle wasn’t safe anymore? She wondered, failing to realize his eyes were fixed on her. Was it because he knew she was awake that he told Raven not to speak again? But she had wanted to know. She deserved to know everything—maybe then she could at least try to protect herself. "Ariana," Zavren called, noticing she was lost in thought. Her gaze moved to him, her body shivering slightly at the intensity of his stare. "Don’t think about that," he said, then added, "It has been taken care of." If it had truly been taken care of, then didn’t she deserve to know what had been handled? Still, she simply nodded. What mattered was that it was all good now—that was what was more important. Right? She sat up in his lap, her face burning as she noticed the way he cradled her in his arms. And not to mention—she hadn’t even thought about it,Raven had been there. Her face burned deeper as she tried her best to calm her thoughts. She quickly shifted her gaze elsewhere, trying to stop her mind from spiraling out of control. But just as she turned, her eyes landed on something. It was a painting. ’M...My painting.’ Her eyes flew wide as she sat up straighter. Zavren gently guided her to stand, following her gaze. His lips curled upward. Ariana stared at it—it was hung too high for her to reach and hide it again. That was probably why he had guided her to stand; as if he already knew she wouldn’t be able to take it down from that height, even if she tried. She walked toward it, her steps reluctant. Then, her gaze snapped to his with a hard glare. ’How? Just how did he find it?’ she wondered, staring at the painting he had once mocked—now proudly displayed in his office. She heard him chuckle, his deep and less cold voice ringing calmly through the room, making her cheeks even hotter. "You really have been quite the hider, to hide that painting inside a painting room and expect no one to find it," he said, the mocking lilt in his tone obvious. She couldn’t believe this man. "I told you, that painting is now my favorite. Wait for the next event—I won’t hesitate to show off my wife’s artwork." Ariana’s glare deepened. This man had to be joking. He had found the painting and even hung it. Meanwhile, she had been feeling so relieved that no one would ever see it. If she hadn’t come in here or seen it now, she would’ve still believed it was safely hidden. Zavren’s lips curved up as he added, "Besides, I wanted a little glow in this place—and that painting is the perfect light." Ariana had no idea what to say. His gaze shifted from the painting back to her, and her heart skipped. It felt like flowers were dancing in her chest. As he turned back to his work, Ariana began to wonder just how many papers this man really read and signed. He truly had so much to do—and not to mention the w...war. If you’d asked her, she would have just said it would be better if everyone talked things out. But now, that would be the easiest—yet most foolish—way. It could even lead to more lives being endangered. She glanced at the painting once more. Despite not expecting him to find it, the way it hung there in a proper frame warmed her heart. The fact that he had thought of placing it in his office made her heart warm even deeper. She couldn’t even be annoyed at him—even if she tried to. There was a soft knock on the door, and Ariana’s gaze rested there. "Come in," Zavren’s emotionless voice rang out, even though he knew exactly who it was. Raven said a silent prayer in his head as he walked in with a clean rag. "I...I came to clean the water that spilled, Your Majesty," he said nervously as he stepped in. He stopped and greeted Ariana. "Greetings, Your Grace," he said, and Ariana curtsied, a soft smile resting on her lips. The atmosphere turned charged as it darkened. ’Please, my Queen, don’t smile at me. I beg you. Oh, why did I pour that water?’ Raven scolded himself inwardly for his carelessness. As if that was not enough, Ariana watched him as he moved with the towel. Zavren’s face turned grave, his eyes boring into Raven, who immediately picked up his pace on the floor. "Leave," Zavren commanded. Raven stood, bowed immediately, and walked out quickly. He hadn’t even finished cleaning, but his body was already frozen with fear. Thank goodness he had been told to leave. He was already wishing for the ground to open and swallow him whole. Just as the door shut, Ariana’s gaze turned back to where the water had been cleaned, but her body froze at Zavren’s sharp tone. "On your knees." Her eyes widened, her face snapping to his as she stared at him. She immediately realized he had warned her not to look at any other man except him—and she had done that more than she was supposed to. Her heart began to thud. The seriousness in Zavren’s voice was impossible to miss. She lowered herself to her knees as if spellbound by his gaze. "Now crawl," he said, his spine-chilling words making her body tingle. Then he added, "Crawl to me, Snowflakes." ’C...Crawl?’ The word stuttered in her head. Ariana’s heart thudded harder. She hadn’t expected that. She moved, resting her body on all fours as she began to crawl toward him. Her heart pounded as her hands pressed coldly against the neat marble floor. "Eyes on me." His deep, sultry voice made her body shiver lightly as she managed to raise her head, her golden eyes locking onto his grey ones as she moved slowly. Thankfully, she hadn’t been too far from him, and just as she reached where he sat, she saw it—the thin flash of excitement in his eyes from where he sat. Her hair had already fallen, covering her face. Zavren lowered gently from where he sat, his hand holding her jaw in place. "I told you earlier—your eyes should be only on me," he spoke, his fingers lightly brushing her lips. Ariana’s heart raced as he continued, "Right or wrong?" She nodded. "Good. And yet you decided to defy the Alpha’s order. Hmm, I see you love being scolded," he said, and she quickly shook her head. His eyes dilated slightly, and his hands moved to rest gently on her waist as he raised her and sat her on his lap. He stared at her face, which was scarlet red. She was still in disbelief that she had done such a thing. Zavren pulled out a book, noticing she wanted to tell him something. He took his own and handed it to her. Ariana opened the book, avoiding his gaze, biting her lip faintly. She didn’t even know how she could face this man after what just happened... She quietly wrote something on the paper while Zavren waited. Then she turned the book to him. And just as he read it, his body stilled. I was not looking at him the way I look at you. I was just watching the way he cleaned. He had been doing it wrongly. That’s not the way Mother taught us to clean. His hand swept through his hair. So she hadn’t... He turned to her—she had done it so innocently, without any intention to anger him. This woman... She really made him think. All this while, she had just been observing the way Raven cleaned? Zavren exhaled sharply. They truly were from two different worlds. This wife of his was just too innocent—and it was already driving him insane. He wanted to ravish her in the beastliest way possible. She had driven him crazy, and to think... she wasn’t even trying. She was probably still thinking about how to correct Raven on how to clean properly. And Zavren? Dammit. "You... you always make me..." he trailed off, now staring at her curious eyes—and yet, once again, she still didn’t understand what she was doing to him. "When did you learn how to clean?" he asked, the question surprising both himself and Ariana. Ariana hadn’t expected him to ask such a thing. She moved her hand to the book and wrote: My mother taught I and my sister how to do it. We wanted to assist her with the cleaning sometimes, and then she taught us properly. We started by learning how to clean the little glass vase in her room. She explained as Zavren read. His eyes turned to her, and now their gazes locked. He could see it—the slight pain flickering in her eyes as she wrote. Not because of what he had said earlier to her, but because she missed her mother. He held her waist, guiding her to stand. Then gently, he entwined her fingers with his as they walked out of the room. They moved through the hallway in silence as Zavren led her down the stairs. Curious, Ariana wondered where they were going. This wasn’t the route to their room or the garden. It was outside the castle. She turned to him in quiet confusion. Zavren stopped and turned to face her, lifting her chin gently with his fingers. "We’re leaving," he said calmly, then added, "Let’s pay a visit to your mother’s grave."