THE DRAVEN NAME
1317 Words
I woke up forgetting where I was.
For a few seconds, I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling and listened to the silence.
Then I saw the ring.
My ring.
The memory came rushing back.
The wedding.
Kael.
The Draven mansion.
I sat up slowly.
For some reason, the thought of being married still felt like something that had happened to somebody else.
I walked toward the window.
Morning light covered the gardens.
From up here, everything looked peaceful.
Almost normal.
A knock sounded.
I turned.
A young woman stood at the door.
“Good morning, Mrs. Draven.”
I still wasn't used to hearing that.
“Good morning.”
“Breakfast is ready.”
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
She turned to leave.
“Wait.”
She stopped.
“What's your name?”
“Amara, ma'am.”
“Amara.”
She smiled nervously.
“Yes?”
“You don't have to call me ma'am.”
Her smile disappeared almost immediately.
“I couldn't do that.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
She looked toward the hallway.
Then lowered her voice.
“Because you're Mrs. Draven.”
I stared at her.
“So?”
She looked uncomfortable.
“It's just how things are here.”
Before I could ask anything else, she bowed slightly and left.
I followed her downstairs.
The moment I entered the dining room, I understood what she meant.
Three servants were standing around the table.
They were speaking quietly.
The moment they noticed me, they stopped.
I looked around.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Draven.”
All three answered almost at once.
I pulled out a chair.
Then I noticed something.
Nobody sat down.
“Are you not eating?”
They exchanged glances.
“No, ma'am.”
“Why?”
Before anyone could answer, footsteps sounded from the hallway.
Everything changed.
The servants straightened.
One immediately stepped away from the table.
Another lowered his head.
I turned toward the doorway.
Kael walked in.
Black shirt.
Black trousers.
No tie.
He looked like he'd been awake for hours.
He stopped when he saw me.
“You're up early.”
I looked at the clock.
“It’s nine.”
He glanced at it.
“Early enough.”
He walked toward the table.
The servants immediately began serving breakfast.
Nobody spoke.
I watched them carefully.
One of them placed a cup beside Kael.
His hand shook.
Just slightly.
Kael noticed.
He looked at the cup.
Then at the servant.
The servant froze.
“Sorry, sir.”
Kael said nothing.
The servant quickly moved away.
I stared at Kael.
He didn't even seem bothered.
“You know,” I said, “you don't have to scare everyone.”
His eyes lifted to mine.
“I didn't say anything.”
“Exactly.”
He looked at me for a moment.
Then returned to his breakfast.
I almost smiled.
He was impossible.
I picked up my fork.
“Amara said something strange this morning.”
Kael continued eating.
“What?”
“She said she couldn't call me anything except Mrs. Draven.”
“She shouldn't.”
I paused.
“What?”
“She's allowed to call you Lena.”
I looked toward the servants.
Amara wasn't there.
“So tell them.”
Kael's eyes met mine.
“They already know.”
“Then why are they scared of me?”
“They aren't.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Really?”
He looked around the room.
The servants immediately looked away.
Kael sighed.
“They're scared of me.”
I nearly choked.
At least he admitted it.
“Why?”
He took a sip of his coffee.
“Because they know me.”
“That doesn't explain anything.”
“It explains enough.”
I stared at him.
Before I could respond, a man entered the dining room.
He looked older than Kael, probably in his late fifties.
His presence alone changed the atmosphere.
The servants lowered their heads.
Kael didn't.
The man looked at me.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then—
“So this is Lena.”
His voice was calm.
I stood.
“Yes, sir.”
His eyes moved to the ring on my finger.
Then to Kael.
“You married her.”
Kael's expression remained unchanged.
“Yes.”
The older man nodded once.
“Interesting.”
I didn't like the way he said it.
“Who are you?”
Silence filled the room.
One of the servants looked horrified.
I realized immediately that I'd said something wrong.
The man stared at me.
Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.
“Kael's father.”
My stomach dropped.
I quickly straightened.
“Oh.”
He almost laughed.
“Relax.”
I sat back down.
He took the seat at the head of the table.
Nobody else moved.
I looked at Kael.
He seemed completely unaffected.
His father began eating.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
Then a servant accidentally knocked a spoon from the table.
It hit the floor.
Clink.
The entire room went silent.
The servant immediately bent down.
“Forgive me, sir.”
Kael didn't even look up.
“Clean it.”
“Yes, sir.”
The servant hurried away.
I watched Kael.
He hadn't raised his voice.
Hadn't threatened anyone.
Yet everyone had reacted like he'd done something terrible.
I leaned toward him.
“Are people always this afraid of you?”
His eyes shifted toward me.
“Yes.”
At least he was honest.
“Why?”
He paused.
Then looked toward his father.
His father answered instead.
“Because the Draven name has consequences.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
His father smiled.
“You'll learn.”
I didn't like that answer.
After breakfast, Kael stood.
“Come.”
“Where?”
“I'll show you the house.”
I followed him through the hallway.
The mansion was even larger than I'd realized.
We passed several rooms, a library, a study, and a long corridor lined with family portraits.
I stopped at one.
A younger Kael stood beside his father.
He looked different.
Not happier.
Just younger.
I stared at the portrait.
“You were cute.”
Kael stopped walking.
I immediately realized what I'd said.
He slowly turned toward me.
I cleared my throat.
“I mean... you looked different.”
“Obviously.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Never mind.”
He continued walking.
I followed.
Eventually, we reached a corridor separated from the rest of the house by a large wooden door.
Kael stopped.
“This part is private.”
I looked at the door.
“What's inside?”
“Nothing you need.”
He walked away.
I followed him.
I didn't ask again.
At least not yet.
Later that evening, I stood alone on the balcony.
The mansion was quiet.
My eyes wandered toward the older building beyond the gardens.
The same one I'd noticed yesterday.
For a moment, I thought I saw someone standing near one of its windows.
I blinked.
Nothing.
I looked again.
Still nothing.
Maybe it had only been a shadow.
I turned away.
Behind me, someone spoke.
“Mrs. Draven.”
I turned.
Amara stood at the doorway.
“Yes?”
She hesitated.
“Dinner will be served soon.”
“Okay.”
She nodded and began to leave.
Then she stopped.
“Mrs. Draven?”
“Yes?”
Her eyes moved toward the garden.
Then back to me.
“Don't go wandering around the estate alone.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
She hesitated.
“It's a big place.”
Then she left.
I looked toward the gardens again.
Something about the way she'd said it made me feel like there was another reason.
But I pushed the thought away.
I had been married for less than twenty-four hours.
I already had enough problems.
I didn't need to create new ones.
At least, that's what I thought.
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