Chapter 4
1084 Words
The lunch with her father and siblings had been an ordeal, one she still hadn’t shaken off. The duke had announced heightened security measures, commanding the knights to comb every inch of the duchy for the intruder. Not to mention, her energy was wasted on deflecting Ethan and Evelyn’s pointed remarks about her attire and demeanor. Their jabs, though expected, had pricked more deeply than she cared to admit.
What happened then, drained her, and by the time she retreated to her chambers, she was both mentally and physically exhausted.
And yet, she couldn’t stop thinking about the thief.
His words, his audacity—it was maddening. Even the duke’s grave warnings about the intruder hadn’t been enough to shake the memory of crimson eyes glinting with amusement, or the infuriating smirk that seemed to haunt her every thought.
The night stretched on in heavy silence, the only sound in Evenia’s chambers the soft crackle of the candle on her bedside table. She lay under her covers, staring at the ornate ceiling, her mind churning.
She should’ve felt safer now that the knights were on alert, but the thought of the thief—and the way he had unsettled her so effortlessly—refused to leave her. She turned onto her side, clutching the blanket tighter around her.
Just as sleep began to claim her, the faintest sound of movement made her eyes snap open. The air shifted, cool and deliberate, and before she could react, the weight of the bed shifted, followed by something—or someone—sliding in beside her.
“Don’t make a sound,” a low voice whispered, warm and intimate against her ear.
Her body tensed.
“You—”
A hand gently covered her mouth. “Shh. Do you want them to find me?”
Evenia’s golden eyes glared at him from over his hand, and he withdrew it with a soft chuckle. “That’s better.”
“Are you insane?” she hissed under her breath. “This is my bed.”
“I noticed. Very comfortable, by the way,” he replied, his voice entirely too casual for someone in such a precarious position.
The audacity of him lying there, so close, nearly robbed her of speech. “Get out before—”
Knocks boomed against her door, making her freeze.
“Lady Evenia,” came the muffled voice of a knight. “Forgive the intrusion, but we must search your room. The intruder’s trail ends here.”
Her heart pounded, and the thief smirked. He shifted beneath the blanket, pressing even closer to her side. “Looks like you’re stuck with me,” he murmured, his breath warm against her neck.
She grabbed his wrist, her nails digging into his skin. “You’re unbearable,” she whispered, her voice venomous.
“And yet,” he said softly, “you’re not throwing me out.”
Evenia clenched her jaw, swallowing her retort. She took a steadying breath, then raised her voice for the knights outside.
“Is this how my father’s men show respect to the Duke’s daughter?” she called out, her voice sharp and commanding.
The knight hesitated before responding. “Apologies, Lady Evenia, but the intruder—”
“Is not here,” she snapped, her golden eyes narrowing despite the closed door. She sat up, forcing the thief to shift lower beneath the blanket. His hand brushed against her thigh, and her breath hitched at the contact.
The knight outside cleared his throat, his unease palpable. “But, my lady—”
“Do you accuse me of harboring a fugitive?” Evenia’s tone dropped, cold and dangerous. “Perhaps you should reconsider before you insult your lord’s bloodline.”
There was a tense silence outside the door before the knight stammered, “Of course not, my lady. Forgive us. We’ll continue the search elsewhere.”
Footsteps receded down the corridor, and only then did Evenia exhale. She threw the blanket back, revealing the thief’s infuriatingly smug expression.
“You’re enjoying this far too much,” she hissed, her golden eyes blazing.
“I wouldn’t say that,” he replied, sitting up and brushing a strand of hair from her face. “I’m more impressed than anything. That commanding tone—remind me never to get on your bad side.”
“You’re already there,” she retorted, swatting his hand away.
He leaned closer, his crimson eyes gleaming in the dim light. “Am I? Because it seems to me that you don’t hate having me around as much as you pretend.”
Her breath caught, and she cursed herself for the warmth creeping up her neck. “You’re delusional,” she said, her voice steady but low.
“Perhaps,” he murmured, his voice dipping. “But you didn’t let them in. You could’ve turned me over.”
Evenia’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t mistake my patience for leniency. I didn’t protect you. I protected myself.”
He chuckled, the sound deep and rich. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Lady Evenia.”
“You won’t be sleeping at all if you don’t leave,” she shot back, leaning closer as her frustration boiled over.
The thief’s smirk softened into something more dangerous—intense, focused. “You’re fascinating,” he said quietly, his voice like a caress. “Most would have turned me in. But you…”
“I’m not like most,” she said, her voice as sharp as the edge of a blade.
“No,” he agreed, his gaze lingering on her lips for a fraction of a second. “You’re not.”
The tension between them was suffocating, the air charged with something Evenia refused to name. Before she could respond, the thief leaned back, breaking the moment.
“I’ll leave now,” he said, his tone light but his eyes still locked on hers. “But don’t think this is goodbye.”
He moved with the grace of a shadow, slipping off the bed and heading toward the window. Just before disappearing into the night, he turned back to her.
“Sweet dreams, Lady Evenia.”
And then he was gone, leaving her alone with the lingering heat of his presence and the maddening echo of his voice.
Evenia sat motionless for a long moment, her heart still racing. She clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms.
The thief was a problem—one she wasn’t sure she wanted to solve.
- Writer
