Bloodbound: The Prince's Eternal Bride

Arthur's secret

After finishing breakfast, Evelyn and Lilia headed down to the basement to start their work for the day. The hallway remained dark and long, but the atmosphere between them had lightened considerably. Lilia, in particular, seemed to be in high spirits—perhaps still basking in the warmth of breakfast or because she had caught sight of her crush. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and her movements were noticeably quicker than usual.

In the dimly lit basement, a warm, flickering light cast long shadows across the dusty floor. Lilia busied herself with sweeping as she excitedly spoke to Evelyn, “Did you know that Arthur has been in this castle for a very, very long time? But no one knows exactly when he arrived. I’ve only recently come to the castle, so I don’t know much, but it seems like he’s always been here.”

Evelyn listened quietly, her thoughts turning over in her mind. She recalled what Emma had said yesterday—the castle only recruits maids once every hundred years. If Lilia was new, then she should have arrived with the current batch of recruits. But when Evelyn arrived, Lilia was already here. Could we have come from different times? Is time flowing differently here, and people arrive at different moments? The thought left Evelyn feeling dizzy, as if reality was starting to warp and twist around her.

After a brief pause, Evelyn couldn’t help but ask, “Lilia, have you ever seen the master of the castle?”

Lilia shook her head, her expression showing a trace of disappointment. “No, I haven’t. The master was away visiting guests when I arrived, so I’ve never had the chance to see them. I’ve heard that the masters rarely appear in the castle. Most things are handled directly by Emma, the head maid.”

Evelyn felt a twinge of disappointment. She had hoped that meeting the master of the castle might provide her with some answers, but it seemed she would have to wait for that chance.

She continued, “Does the castle have a rose garden?”

Lilia paused, her broom stopping mid-sweep, and looked at Evelyn with a confused expression. “A rose garden? I’ve never heard of one. I’ve only been to the garden here once or twice, but it’s just filled with ordinary plants. I’ve never seen any roses.”

Evelyn felt a pang of sadness. The rose garden from her dream had seemed so vivid, and Valerian’s face was etched so clearly in her memory. She had hoped that the garden might be a hidden part of the castle, but now it seemed that it was nothing more than her imagination.

Just as Evelyn was lost in thought, Lilia suddenly shifted back to the topic of Arthur, her excitement bubbling over again. She set her broom aside and leaned in close to Evelyn, lowering her voice as if she were about to reveal a great secret. “Did you know that Arthur is actually a half-werewolf?”

Evelyn froze, her cleaning coming to a halt. Her eyes widened in surprise. Half-werewolf? This was far more mysterious than she had imagined. Her mind raced, recalling countless stories of werewolves and vampires. Even though she had come to terms with the fact that she was now living in a medieval world where fantastical creatures might exist, hearing this about Arthur left her speechless.

Lilia, seeing Evelyn’s reaction, continued to speak in a hushed tone, “That’s what I’ve heard from the other servants. Arthur keeps to himself, rarely talking to anyone, so people can only guess about his s********e say he’s a werewolf, while others think he’s a hybrid of some sort, but no one dares to ask him.”

Though Evelyn was shocked, her curiosity quickly grew. What exactly does "half-werewolf" mean? Surely it doesn’t mean that he’s half-wolf, half-human at the same time. That would be too strange. She couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild, picturing what Arthur might look like when he transformed, and wondering if she would ever get the chance to witness it.

The two continued cleaning the basement. Although the task was dull, Lilia’s enthusiasm didn’t wane. In fact, her excitement seemed to grow the more she talked about Arthur. She kept chatting, sharing snippets of rumors and guesses, though there wasn’t much solid information. It was clear that Lilia was utterly fascinated by the mysterious man.

As Evelyn listened to Lilia’s descriptions, she found herself becoming more interested in Arthur as well. She began to hope that she might have the chance to learn more about this mysterious half-werewolf. But what Evelyn didn’t know was that this chance was coming very soon—and it would unfold in the most awkward way possible.