#ichinose

The transition from a terrified runaway to a treasured resident in Ferid's manor didn't happen overnight but Ferid has infinite time and patience to deal with you. In the following weeks you have braced yourself to live the stories told by the kids who were rescued from vampires who used to drain them dry, keep them in a cold cell and so on and so forth. Instead you found yourself in a room in his manor with the highest quality of luxury all around you.

Every morning the large oak doors of your room would open with Ferid gliding in holding a tray of food rather than letting the maids do the job for him. He was always composed and utterly beautiful to look at. "Good morning, little lamb. Had a good sleep did we?" his voice was melodious as you would look at him bring the tray and place it on the edge of your canopy bed. "I had the kitchen prepare a traditional breakfast with freshly harvested berries, bread and a blend of tea that would soothe your frayed nerves. I do hope it suits your delicate palate" he would sit beside the tray on your bed and stare at you with the smirk he always had.

You didn't really touch the food until he left the room because you suspect that he put something in it that would make you woozy. Ferid chuckled and leaned against your lap while resting his chin on his palm, "Still suspecting me?" he inquired. "Get off of me" he chuckled,"That is no way to speak to the one who's providing you protection and shelter in a place like this. And besides if I wanted to poison you I wouldn't have wasted expensive tea blends to do so" his smile breaks into something that looks like fondness.

"Come now, finish the food. You're still rather pale and malnourished and it breaks my heart to see you so fragile like this" "Rich coming from someone like you" you spat out before agonizing hunger and weakness broke your resistance and you brought the tray to your lap. Ferid's eyes lit up with a spark as he watched you chew on pieces of fruit. He was entirely fascinated by the mundane act of a human sustaining herself. He watched as your cheeks slightly lumped while you chewed slowly.

He loved the view as he watched you start to relax about him. He knows you don't fully trust him yet but he's over the moon to see your fears melting away. He felt strange butterflies in his stomach when you looked at him normally. The thrill of your eyes on his without fear implanted in them was a thrill that tasted sweeter than any blood he has drank in his entire life. And he didn't just provide the privilege of food, he also adorned you.

One afternoon he had a massive wardrobe wheeled into your room overfilled with dresses of silk with intricate embroideries on them with beautiful laces and ruffles. There wasn't even anything close to simple clothes there. "A beautiful lamb deserves a beautiful pen wouldn't you agree?" he says as he holds up a dusty pink dress against your frame, you shudden because of the coldness of his fingers on your shoulder. "You dont have to do all this" you murmured, "I'm just a human and to the rest of your kind I'm a livestock. So why are you treating me so...lavishly?" His playful smile doesn't quite reach his eyes as he places thumb on your cheek, "The rest of my kind are terribly dull. They see life and look at it as a resource. When I look at you I dont see a livestock, I see a guest who has brought colour in my exceptionally long grey existance. Is it so criminal that I wish to see you clothed in nothing but the best?" You searched his eyes looking for the hidden malice but you found nothing of that sort and it made your heart skip a beat. Why do you feel like this? This is betrayal to the Imperial Demon Army. He regains his composure and walks away to put the dress back in its place.

Weeks bled into months and your dependence deepened on him out of sheer necessity and the fact that he's your only source of communication. He kept you in a safe place, provided nourishment for you. When you were cold he made sure each day there was wood burning in the fireplace of your room. When you expressed boredom he filled your room with books, art supplies, puzzles and items to entertain you. He would sit with you for hours and request you to talk to him for hours as a payment of his kindness and mercy towards you.

He would listen to your perspective of the outside world, the sky, the way you enjoyed the rain. He never interrupted, he just listened to your voice and looked at your face seeing you content you seemed while speaking about your past home. The empty chambers of Ferids heart was shifting. He manipulated, he killed, he entertained himself with livestock's. He knew he was a monster, but he didn't want you to see him as one.

One evening the power cut off unexpectedly and everything was dark. You slowly made your way out of the room, you couldn't see anything but you felt uneasy in the dark. Your hands rested on the railing of the floor you were on, you would've had a clear view of the ballroom if the lights were on. You didn't even have your weapon to fight back is something happened. "Ferid.." you whispered and you dont know why. You were pulling the danger itself to you. "I'm right here darling", cold breath fanned against your nape and with a yelp of shock you turned only to find him leaning into you, both hands on the railing," Scared of the dark?" he chuckled.

"And here I thought you were a brave girl yet a simple power outage makes you throw yourself into the monsters arms" you get humiliated and turn your face away from him, he leans in more, his body brushing against yours. "But thats fine, its not like I would hurt my guest." As his body brushed yours he felt an intense feeling blook inside him. He was in love with you, not your blood. It was a dizzying and overwhelming feeling for a man who hasn't felt love in centuries

When the lights flicker back on you catch the sharpness of his face from up close. Not a single spot. "You should make some distance" you said as you tried painting an annoying look on your face. "Perhaps I should, it was innapropriate of me, forgive me little lamb" and he started walking away waving a dismissive hand at you, "I'll see around later if it pleases you" and you stood there while your cheeks started flushing and you cursed yourself for betraying the army.