The Bride of the Immortal (16 page)

Adrijan was enraged. Vivian had asked him through Alfred to discuss recent matters concerning
Traumstadt
with the security staff. That alone wasn’t the reason for the bad mood he was in. There had still been plenty of time until dinner and he had decided to do some exercise before Alfred had come to him to tell him about Vivian’s wishes, as well as to notify him that the meal had been accelerated. Adrijan was unable to believe that it was coincidental and was painfully aware that after making himself presentable and talking to the staff he would certainly be late for dinner.

After a seemingly endless odyssey through countless cold corridors Hilda stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

“I’ll be waiting here, Miss.”

Mairin felt uncomfortable dining without the girl yet nodded faintly, before she began to carefully climb the narrow circular stairs. There was no door in sight and afraid of damaging her valuable garment, Mairin paid attention to every step she made. The tension she felt due to the encounter with the immortal had let her hands turn cold and silly thoughts had begun to slip into her mind. What if she had ruined her outfit by the time she reached the dining room? Surely it was better to take a break before she started to sweat. Did she even intend to appeal to Vivian? The bottom of her cape softly brushed the stairs as she ascended to the dining room. Was Adrijan going to be there as well? He would certainly dislike her frivolous outfit. But perhaps all those worries were negligible compared to the possibility that they had lied to her and she was in truth on her way to the immortal’s bedchamber. Mairin put an end to her thoughts before she could drive herself insane. Absentmindedly she had passed several candles that lit the staircase and when she finally raised her head, she spotted a magnificent door at the top of the stairs. It was of a deep blue except in some places where pale yellow glass symbols of sun, moon and stars replaced the wood and were illuminated by the faint light coming from the room beyond. Mairin felt a lump in her throat but there was no turning back now. Repeatedly telling herself that everything would be alright, she climbed the last few steps to the entrance of the room. Soon the seemingly magical door towered in front of her like a tall, mute warden, impressive enough to make her falter. For several moments she just stood there, staring at the shimmering celestial bodies, trying to summon her remaining courage until she impulsively reached for the door to push it open.

To her surprise her hand grasped thin air as someone pre-empted her. Losing her balance Mairin clumsily stumbled forward and was only saved from falling over by two strong hands that gently grabbed her arms.

“Good evening, Miss Muriel. I’m delighted to see that you have decided to join me for dinner.”

It took Mairin a moment to recover and yet another until she realised that the immortal was still holding her. Embarrassed she hastily drew back her arms.

Vivian Anfarwol was standing in front of her, smiling. There was no sign that he had found joy in her misfortune. Instead he showed consideration of her feelings by stepping back.

“Thank you,” Mairin mumbled shyly and drew her gaze away from his dimly lit figure to look past him at the sea of lights that filled the circular room. Some candles were placed in richly crested candelabra while others were floating in bowls of water which in turn sat enthroned on fanciful structures.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Vivian’s voice was warm and calm like the many flames in the room. “Mh,” Mairin agreed, marvelling at the magic her view had to offer.

The immortal closed the door causing nearby candles to faintly flicker and returned to her side.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” he whispered softly. “Welcome to
Mondstein
castle.”

Mairin followed the immortal’s movement with her eyes as he very carefully reached for her hand and gently raised it to his lips without letting them touch her skin. His whole being seemed to be entirely different to when he had caused the scene and unlike then she was now unable to perceive him as a threat. Mairin shivered. What was going on? Was this the same self-centred person who had invaded her privacy?

“I wish you hadn’t done it,” Mairin admitted belated, cursing her own wavering voice.

Vivian Anfarwol smiled mysteriously.

“Let me help you with this.” The immortal lifted his hand and carefully drew back the oversize hood. Mairin was flustered and didn’t dare to move but kept looking up into his eyes as he did down into hers. Her future husband truly was exceedingly handsome. Vivian’s gaze wandered and realising his intention, Mairin held her breath yet, without struggling, let Vivian open the small clasp that was holding together the butterfly cape in the front. With a final, elegant move he took the beautiful garment off her shoulders, handed it to one of the servants and offered Mairin his arm.

“Shall we?”

A faint, self-conscious smile on her lips she accepted it and allowed Vivian to lead her to the oval table in the centre. It offered enough room for several guests but to her relief Mairin counted only three place settings. Vivian seated her at the head of the table and made sure that she was comfortable before he sat down to her left. As soon as they had settled, a servant stepped out of the shadows. Mairin hadn’t even realised that he had been there and was astonished by his ability to hide his presence. After silently exchanging a few words, the servant nodded and went away.

Vivian’s focus immediately returned to her.

“Are you satisfied with your new home?” It was a friendly question but there was also a hint of pride. It was undeniably justified.

“
Mondstein
castle is overwhelming. I can’t help but feel like a somnambulist on a stroll through the realms of a magnificent dream.”

Mairin blushed. She had told him her feelings with such flowery language. The good part at least. She had kept to herself that she didn’t feel quite at home yet. In fact she hadn’t felt at home for a very long time.

Vivian nodded unaware of her thoughts. “There are still many places for you to discover.” Again a smile had appeared on his attractive face. Mairin tried to avoid staring at him and instead gazed at the large basin that was standing on the far side of the table. It contained several candles that were floating on the water surface and looked like small sea roses. Amidst them she thought to recognise the figurines of a woman and a unicorn that were looking much like the mosaic in her room. All the splendour proved to her once again that the immortal had to be a very rich man.

“To own all this... are you a prince?”

Vivian chuckled.

“I once was a king. Now I’m just a very wealthy landowner with mostly incompetent staff instead of not-so-loyal subjects.”

Mairin was irritated by his answer and raised her eyebrows. “That’s not a very nice thing to say, even if it were true.”

“That may be so, but I’m afraid it’s true nonetheless.” Vivian remained calm and cheerful. He didn’t give the impression that he had been offended by what she had said.

Mairin though felt the urge to defend her personal maid. So far she hadn’t done anything to deserve a remark like that.

“Hilda seems to be hardworking and trustworthy.”

“Hilda?”

It angered her a little that the master of the castle apparently didn’t know who that was.

“She is the girl who took care of me until early in the morning. You must have noticed her when you came to see me.”

“Hmm… so you do remember.” Vivian leant back in his chair to make way for the servant who had returned with their drinks. “Yes, she seemed to be diligent. But the exception proves the rule, right?”

Mairin didn’t know what to say and took a sip of her drink. The ice-cold thick orange liquid tasted fruity and sweet.

“You said you were a king, but how can that be? I’m sure you’re not yet thirty and nobody ever mentioned a king.” Mairin observed Vivian’s face as she asked the question. He looked surprised.

“There is a reason that I’m called immortal. I thought you were aware of that.”

There was no such thing as immortality. If anything, he had to be delusional and not immortal.

“But it simply can’t be true that you
are
immortal. People say that you’re just the heir to the title – one of many heirs.”

Vivian was amused. “Believe me, I’m much older than I look and far older than
people
think I am. You’ll find out soon enough.” This time it was he who took a sip from the glass. His emphasis made clear that he didn’t care about what others thought of him. Besides that, Mairin wasn’t able to fully comprehend what he had just told her. Was there even a slight chance that he was telling the truth? What was her purpose then?

“So… I’m not here to give you an heir?” The immortal almost spilt his drink. Mairin felt the heat rush to her face. He wasn’t the only one who was surprised by her courage to ask a question like this. Maybe the darkness in the room played a part in it. Or was there something in the drink?

“No. I don’t need an heir. I believe there are enough sons and daughters already. Your duties will be revealed to you in time. Don’t worry about them yet.”

That wasn’t an easy thing to do when one’s whole life depended on it. And did he really have that many children? Had all the brides chosen before been only his? Mairin wasn’t deluding herself – Vivian wasn’t in the need for a companion. There were plenty of women surrounding him already.

“Will you tell me one thing at least? Am I still going to become your bride?”

Vivian nodded. “If that is your wish. The decision is all yours, but first you have some catching up to do. I believe you have already noticed that there are things outside
Traumstadt
that differ very much from the world you are used to live in. You’ll receive further education until you’re fit to decide.”

Mairin was relieved to hear that she at least still had a say in this.

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

“Don’t thank me yet. Everything comes at a price.”

Was she mistaken or did Vivian’s words sound bitter? If the price for staying was equivalent to living at
Mondstein
castle it was certainly high. Yet what did she have to offer besides herself?

“What could I possibly-“

Vivian calmly interrupted her.

“Let’s not talk about it anymore tonight. If you truly want a hint, tip your head back and look up at the ceiling the next time you take a bath. But be warned, I’m afraid you won’t like what you’re going to see.”

Mairin fell silent and lowered her gaze, trying to avoid his eyes. Her mood had changed and she was convinced it would have been better not to ask.

“Please excuse me for a moment.” The immortal got up from his chair, waved one of the maids closer and silently started talking to her. Mairin thought he looked like he was giving her instructions and inquiring after something. The maid surely seemed to be eager to comply with his orders, regardless of what was asked of her. Mairin sighed to herself. Was he angered even though he had sounded that calm? Feeling the need to do at least something to occupy herself, she decided to focus on her drink and once the glass was empty it was immediately replenished by one of the servants. Mairin was still wondering what kind of drink it was. The juice was certainly delicious and it was curious that the more she drank the more relaxed she started to feel.

Finally Vivian returned to his chair, gazing at her empty glass and when the servant once again approached to refill it he stopped him with a quick gesture.

“I’m sorry I took so long. Did you enjoy your drink?”

Mairin nodded. “I keep wondering though about the peculiar taste. It must be some kind of fruit but I just can’t put my finger on it.”

Vivian grinned. “Don’t drink too much of it.”  

He had given her another peculiar warning but this time she didn’t feel intimidated.

“Will Adrijan join us for dinner?”

“Ah, Adrijan
, il servitore di due padroni
.” The immortal smirked. “I hope not.”

Mairin could guess what he meant by ‘the servant of two masters’ but still found it hard to believe that Adrijan really was a priest. Maybe this was her chance to confirm her suspicions.

“Adrijan really serves God… and you?” If he really did, wasn’t it blasphemy?

“He neither serves me nor
him
.” Vivian put his arms on the table and leant closer. “But he assists me and sometimes does
his
work. Is that what you wanted to know?”

The mysterious answer was more confusing than it clarified.

“Tell me, is he really a priest? He… at Sunflower Garden… I don’t think he is a priest.” Even though she felt that she had more courage than before, she couldn’t make herself talk about the incidents at the boarding school.

“You might find him unusual but he has been a priest for a long time.”

Disappointment hit Mairin like a slap in the face. She hoped Vivian hadn’t noticed.

“Won’t you ask me why I don’t want him to join us?”

Mairin was about to oblige when Adrijan entered the dining room.