Married To The Mad Vampire Lord novel Chapter 383

Chapter 383: At The Ball_Part 2

Back in the Dawson mansion, the Dawsons had not prepared a carriage for the vampires this time, as they had taken all their extra carriages out. But thankfully, they still had the ones they had come with to Aragonia.

Rav, who had long since finished getting dressed and was standing outside beside the carriage waiting for the ladies, glanced down at the new pocket watch Lady Evenly had bought for him, along with other things. This was his first time owning a gold pocket watch, his first time possessing many of the fine items he now carried. He dared not let himself grow attached to them here, for he knew he would lose them once they returned to Nightbrook and stopped posing as nobles.

Rav looked away from the watch that read five in the evening and lifted his gaze to the cloudy sky, his red eyes glimmering as troubling thoughts filled his mind. It wasn’t only about the things she had bought for him. He had also come to realize that he needed to put a stop to the dangerous attachment slowly forming between himself and the lady who was merely posing as his wife here. He had begun to look forward to her small gestures, to the little ways she did things for him, something he knew was utterly wrong for him to do.

That very morning, she had chosen the attire he now wore before leaving with Angel to visit Lady Belle. It was new, well-fitted, and dignified, paired with polished leather shoes. Not only that, she had also set aside a new box of shaving supplies for him, complete with scissors to trim his hair for the event, just as a wife would prepare for her husband.

Rav shifted uncomfortably on the balls of his heels as the thought stirred a strange warmth in his stomach, one that made him wish he could pull back and undo what had been done. She wasn’t his wife and would never be. She was only playing her part here, and once they returned to Nightbrook, she would return to being the hasty, sharp-tongued lady who always put him in his place.

Not even his own wife had been able to tolerate him or do such thoughtful things for him the way Evenly was doing now, and he shamefully realized that was the reason he was becoming drawn to her. For there had always been a part of him, deep in the past, that had longed to be cared for, even just a little.

When you carried the weight of a family and worked tirelessly without rest, a time came when you stopped thinking about yourself, stopped placing your own needs before others. Slowly, you began to believe you were unworthy of care. It was a feeling that had grown inside Rav for years, so now that someone was treating him with care, it was affecting him in ways it never should have.

But he had promised Allison and their son that he would hold them dear in his heart until his very end. He had to keep that promise in order to never live with the unbearable guilt of being part of what had caused their deaths.

Living on as though he hadn’t lost them, as though he hadn’t failed to protect them, would do nothing but mark him as a terrible father and husband. They had died, their lives cut short, stopped forever, never to be given back, and the thought of him moving on felt like a betrayal too deep to consider. He didn’t think it was possible, yet with how another woman kept drifting into his thoughts every second, he was beginning to feel as though he was losing a silent battle he had sworn he must never allow himself to lose.

Rav was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the ladies approaching until a soft breeze carried the delicate fragrance of their perfume to his nose. He raised his head toward the sound of clicking shoes but stopped dead, his breath catching at the sight before him.

The two ladies were walking out from the entrance doors, both dressed in elegant gowns that enhanced their unique beauty. Yet it was Evenly who captured his gaze, for she was the one his master had not forbidden him from looking upon for longer than he should.

His master’s possessiveness toward his wife had taught Rav to never look at her more than once before taking his eyes away, but no such warning had ever been given about Lady Evenly. Hence, he watched, stared, entranced.

She wore a midnight-blue dress with many layered folds, the skirt flaring out to the hem and making her look every bit an alluring princess. Her red hair tumbled down her shoulders in soft waves, with a crown-like braid pinned delicately in place. The dress hugged her waist, accentuating her figure, and the overall effect was breathtaking.

Rav found he couldn’t tear his eyes away, until a baby’s laughter made him shift his gaze. Angel, instead of being carried, was being guided by the two ladies, each holding one of his little hands as he walked between them to steady his legs. He grinned happily at the chance to walk, nearly swallowed up by the swaying skirts that surrounded him.

"Oh, Rav, you look handsome," Lady Evenly complimented when they reached him at the carriage. Heat rose to his cheeks, and he quickly cleared his throat in embarrassment as he met her smiling eyes.

"Thank you, my lady. You... you look lovely yourself," he returned, but realizing she wasn’t the only one present, he amended, "You ladies both look lovely." Bowing his head respectfully toward Belle, he added, "My lady."

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