𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐋

tattered paintings

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Erich was silent on their walk down the hallway, cleaning the corners of his mouth with a dampened rag. Adalicia on the other hand clung onto Erich with a whimsical smile and a slight chipper in her walk. He wasn't that much surprisedconsidering they had just participated in something as so taboo as sleeping with each other when Erich and she knew she was to be handed off to his brother in less than 24 hours.

It pained him so.

The only sounds echoing down the barren hallway littered with ancient paintings and a few modern renaissance portraits handed to them by the greats themselves were Erich's shoes. Erich continued his stroll with his brows pushed together with one hand and his eyes remaining shut in the process. He was quite... frustrated. His eyes were still a pigment of red that could only signify two things he mated or he feasted. And since he did both, the repercussions of this action would be dire and considering who his meal was, it wouldn't be pretty for them no matter how he presented his case to the courts.

He just wanted to be done with the whole ordeal honestly and truly. As much as it had pained Erich to endure losing someone he actually cared about he hated it even more seeing Adalicia settle for dabbling on both ends of the field. Didn't she understand just how terrible it could potentially be for the both of them if his elder brother found out they had an illicit love affair a whole 20 minutes before dinner?

Tsk. Erich sucked his teeth, revealing a slightly rouged fang. How could he have been so fucking stupid? How could a moment of flesh push his common sense to the back of his mind and cause him to forget entirely the morals and the law of the land that forbade such treacherous acts? Oh yes, that's right, he loved her. He loved her enough to lose sight of all things good and morale for a moment of weakness.

He was a fool. And continuing to fall for someone that wasn't his anymore made him feel just the more foolish.

How could she make him look so stupid?

Erich slowed down his pacing to a halt causing Adalicia to look up at him in confusion.

"Erich? What's wrong?" She asked, her arm still securely nestled around his. The paintings remained stoic and beautiful, but he could feel their dead gazes upon the two at that very moment.

With a sigh, Erich massaged his temple and looked down at Adalicia, his eyes still bloodshot and burning for her.

"This has to stop." He said in a monotone. Adalicia gaze looked up in Erich's direction, her eyebrows raised in question to his statement. "What do you mean?" She gripped onto his arm tighter, almost as if silently knowing the answer to his question.

Erich raised the same arm that Adalicia clung to in a demonstrative fashion and merely sighed again. "This,Adalicia. We can't keep this up for longer." He looked away and took an even deeper sigh.

"How is it that you're okay with bouncing between me and my brother, the next lord of the land? Do you not know what detrimental state that will put my family if they found this out? Not to mention, you are ok with that?"

Adalicia said nothing but look up his direction, her eyebrows transitioned from curiosity to shame. "Erich I-"

"No, let me finish. You not once but twice have engaged with me after hearing about your engagement to my brother and yet here you are continuing to engage in this twisted love affair with me. How can you be so-" he stopped himself from hurting her feelings further, instead he attempted to shake his arm away from her. "Let me go." He requested softly.

Adalicia, now looking down to the floor, continued her hold onto him like a stubborn child ignoring their parent's request to go with their doctor for a minor checkup.

"Adalicia, I said let go." Erich's tone grew a little louder. The paintings watched in bemusement at this lover's quarrel.

"Erich, don't let me go." Adalicia begged "Cant you see that I love you? I don't care about this stupid arrangement, you're the one that I want!"

Erich felt his heartbeat quicken. He had to be the one to end it.

I'm sorry Ada.

"Dammit woman, I said release me!" With a jolt of his strength, Erich yanked his arm away from her at such a speed that it tumbled Adalicia to the floor only to be caught by her own knees and palms

"Oof!"

"Oh- shi- Adalicia!" Erich's eyes transitioned fully back to grey at the sight of her on the floor. Never has he used brute force with her and here he was intentionally being a jerk to push her away when all it did was cause her harm! And for what, pride?

"Adalicia, are you okay?" Erich tried to help her up but she merely shrugged him off, her head still hanging low to the ground.

"Don't. Don't touch me. I can help myself." She took a breath, her heart shattered, and stood back to her feet, dusting herself off.

"Ada..." Erich's voice trailed off at her demeanor, the paintings' eyes glimmered a new shimmer of enjoyment. The entire atmosphere shifted.

"If you don't mind, she said. "I'd like to be taken to the dining hall to meet my husband." She spat.

Erich didn't even realize how deep his frown had gotten, was she serious? He couldn't really argue with her in such a hallway that echoed even the softest drop of a coin.

It took a minute for Erich to close his mouth and adjust himself, but he had a job to do..

He adjusted his clothing and walked alongside Adalicia. When he looked down at her she didn't move her direction an inch away from forward.

"As you wish, Madame."

And so it began.