See You In Hell

Silence

The doors of the council chamber closed behind Giveon as he stepped into the quiet corridor.

His expression remained unreadable.

The words of the councilman still echoed in his mind, but there was one thing he had promised himself he would not allow his troubles to interfere with.

Dinner.

He had promised Ivanna he would have dinner with her.

And Giveon always kept his promises.

He made his way toward the dining hall, his footsteps echoing against the cold marble floor.

When he entered, the maids immediately rose from their seats.

Ivanna stood with them.

“Your Highness,” they greeted respectfully.

Giveon's grey eyes swept across the room before settling on Ivanna.

“You may leave us.”

The maids exchanged brief glances before bowing.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

One after another, they quietly left the dining hall, closing the enormous doors behind them.

Ivanna remained standing.

She studied her husband carefully.

There was something different about him tonight.

His face was calm, but his eyes looked colder than usual.

She wondered what had happened during the council meeting.

Had something gone wrong?

Her lips parted slightly, but the question never left them.

She was still not comfortable enough to ask him.

“Sit,” Giveon said.

Ivanna obeyed.

Giveon took his seat at the head of the table, and soon the servants began serving their dinner.

Neither of them spoke.

The silence between them was almost unbearable.

The only sound filling the enormous hall was the faint clinking of cutlery against porcelain.

Ivanna kept her eyes lowered as she picked at her food.

Every now and then, she stole a glance at Giveon.

He barely seemed to notice his meal.

His thoughts appeared to be somewhere far away.

She wanted to ask him what was wrong.

But fear held her back.

She still didn't know what kind of man she had married.

And somehow, that uncertainty frightened her more than anything.

After dinner, they returned to their chambers.

The moment Ivanna stepped inside, she felt her body tense.

For the first time, it truly dawned on her that this was now their room.

Their bedroom.

She looked around awkwardly.

The enormous bed stood in the center of the room, covered with dark sheets and expensive blankets.

Her heart began beating faster.

She suddenly felt very conscious of Giveon's presence behind her.

Giveon noticed.

Of course he did.

He had been watching her carefully.

He could see the discomfort written all over her face.

“You don't have to worry,” he said quietly.

Ivanna turned to him.

He looked toward the door.

“Your maids will assist you with your bath.”

Almost immediately, there was a knock.

The doors opened and two of her maids stepped inside.

Ivanna released a quiet breath of relief.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Giveon simply nodded before walking away.

Ivanna watched him leave.

For some reason, she couldn't decide whether she was relieved or disappointed.

She quickly dismissed the thought.

After her bath, Ivanna returned to the bedroom dressed in a simple nightgown.

She didn't want to sleep yet.

Instead, she walked toward the large window and settled into the chair beside it.

Outside, the kingdom was silent.

The moon hung high in the dark sky, illuminating the towers and distant walls of the castle.

Stars glittered above her like tiny diamonds.

Ivanna rested her chin against her hand.

Her thoughts wandered.

Everything had happened so quickly.

Only days ago, she had been living a completely different life.

Now she was married to a man she barely knew.

A prince.

A vampire.

Her husband.

She still couldn't believe it.

She wondered if this was truly going to be her life now.

Would she ever return home?

Would she ever see her family again?

And more importantly...

Would she ever be able to understand the mysterious man she had married?

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there.

Minutes passed.

Perhaps even an hour.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she barely noticed the faint sound of footsteps approaching.

Then—

Click.

The bedroom door softly opened.

Ivanna's body immediately tensed.

She knew who it was.

Giveon.

She kept her eyes fixed on the stars.

She didn't turn around.

She could hear his footsteps approaching slowly from behind.

One step.

Then another.

Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her nightgown.

She didn't know why his presence affected her this way.

Perhaps it was fear.

Perhaps it was uncertainty.

Or perhaps it was something she wasn't ready to admit.

Giveon stopped behind her.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

The silence felt heavier than before.

Then his deep voice finally broke through it.

“You've been sitting here for a long time.”

Ivanna swallowed.

“I couldn't sleep.”

Giveon said nothing.

She could feel his eyes on her.

And somehow, that made her even more nervous.

“Why?” he finally asked.

Ivanna slowly turned her head.

Their eyes met.

Grey eyes locked with hers.

For the first time that night, she noticed something different in his expression.

The coldness was still there.

But beneath it...

There was exhaustion.

And something else she couldn't quite understand.

Concern.

Giveon looked at her for a long moment before quietly saying,

“Tell me what is troubling you, Ivanna.”