Bound to the vampire I must kill-Chapter 48: confess.

Chapter 47

Edmund watched Rhydian in silence, expecting him to say something—anything. A scoff, a denial, an argument that whatever he felt wasn’t love.

But Rhydian said nothing.

Instead, he exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face like he was trying to hold himself together. His fingers curled slightly, tension visible in every part of his body, as if he were bracing himself for something inevitable.

Then, in a voice that barely made it past his throat, he admitted, "She asked for a divorce."

Edmund’s eyes widened. "She what?"

"She told me to let her go once all of this was over." His tone was controlled, too controlled—like a dam barely holding back an overwhelming flood.

A thick silence filled the space between them.

Edmund let out a breath, shaking his head. "That’s all the more reason you should make a move now before it’s too late... Maybe you might change her mind."

"Change her mind? How?" Rhydian’s voice came out rougher than intended, frustration laced beneath his confusion.

"I mean... just be honest with her, Rhydian. Tell her how you truly feel."

Rhydian swallowed hard, his pulse hammering in his ears. "She knows. She..." His voice faltered.

Did she really?

Had he ever actually said it?

Edmund gave him a pointed look. "Don’t make assumptions until you’ve made it clear to her. Talk to her. Tell her... if you’re afraid of losing her, if you can’t imagine letting her go, tell her."

Rhydian went completely still.

His mind spun with a dozen, no—a hundred—thoughts at once, each one colliding into the next.

What if he told her everything—every single thing he had been too stubborn, too terrified to admit—only for her to look him in the eye and still walk away?

What then?

How the hell was he supposed to deal with that?

Could he?

A part of him wondered, did she still hate him? Even after everything they’d been through together, did she still see him as an enemy?

His stomach twisted violently at the thought.

Rhydian had never begged for anything in his life. Never felt desperate for anything. If he wanted something, he would get it at all cost, even if it meant taking it by force, but this was completely different, he could never bring himself to force her to do something she wasn’t willing to.

But even with that, the idea of losing her, of her finally leaving him, of her hating him...made his heart ache in ways he couldn’t describe.

And if that was the case, then maybe... maybe Edmund was right.

Maybe he had no choice but to tell her, he needed to come to a closure...or he might go insane.

---

Seraphina sat quietly on the cushion in Ella’s Chambers as she waited patiently for Ella who had walked into her inner room to bring something.

Ella had been talking—something about the gifts she brought back—but Seraphina had only caught bits and pieces of it.

She was still stuck in that moment. The moment she had walked into the hall and seen Rhydian holding another woman.

No, his sister.

It had been a misunderstanding. A stupid, ridiculous misunderstanding.

And yet, the way her chest had tightened in that split second—the way something hot and ugly had twisted inside her—wasn’t something she could ignore.

She had felt jealous.

Over him.

A man she once hated.

Did she, though?

"Seraphina?"

She blinked, snapping back to reality. Ella was standing beside her, stretching a box to her, but Seraphina had been too absent minded to even see her. "Are you even listening?"

"I..." Seraphina hesitated, then quickly collected the box from her. "Of course. Thank you for the gift."

Ella narrowed her eyes. "You’re distracted by something...did something happen?"

"I’m fine," Seraphina said quickly.

Ella wasn’t buying it. "You’re so not fine. You’ve been zoning out since we left the palace hall, you didn’t even realize when I returned. Spill it. What’s going on?"

Seraphina exhaled. There was no way she was talking about this with someone she barely knew, especially if it was Rhydian’s sister

"It’s... nothing important."

Ella gave her a look. "I’ll tell my brother if you don’t talk."

Seraphina opened her mouth to retort, but then she just froze, speechless. So she was being threatened now huh? The situation seemed funny, and she knew Ella was joking, but she really wasn’t in the mood for a joke at the moment.

So she just sighed. "...It’s not about me. It’s about a friend." She lied. All she needed to do explain her situation while making Ella believe it was about a friend, and maybe in the process, she could get some advice on how to go about everything before she goes insane.

Ella raised an eyebrow but said nothing, letting her continue.

"My friend... she’s in a situation," Seraphina said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "She was forced to marry this man—someone she hated at first. But after spending time with him, she realized he wasn’t the person she thought he was."

Ella’s expression remained neutral, but Seraphina could tell she was already catching on.

"And?" Ella prompted.

Seraphina hesitated. "He... he takes care of her. More than anyone ever has. He protects her—even though he knows she doesn’t need protecting. He always makes sure she’s okay, even when she’s too stubborn to admit when she isn’t. And now—"

Her throat tightened.

"Now, she feels things she shouldn’t," she admitted, her voice quieter. "Her heart races when he’s close. She feels warm. She wants him...She knows he wants her too, but she is resisting, not because she still hates him, she’s just... afraid."

Ella stared at her for a moment.

Then, very slowly, she smiled.

"I see."

Seraphina shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

Ella shrugged. "Nothing. Just... your friend is an idiot."

Seraphina frowned. "Excuse me?"

Ella leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, she had already sat beside Seraphina, excited to know and hear more. "She obviously likes him. But instead of doing something about it, she’s sitting here panicking about it."

Seraphina scowled. "It’s not that simple, and besides, she doesn’t like him."

"That’s not True...those feelings you just described, that’s the feeling of falling im love, whether your friend accepts it or not, she is falling in love with that man." Ella grinned. "All she has to do is tell him how she feels, she needs to be honest with herself first to be able to do that."

Seraphina’s stomach twisted.

"...She already told him she wanted a divorce."

Ella burst into laughter.

"Is your friend stupid?" she choked out between laughs.

Seraphina’s face burned in embarrassment. "It’s complicated!"

"Is it, though?" Ella smirked. "Look, confessing one’s feelings isn’t that hard, just don’t deny what you feel, if after telling him...he still isn’t interested, then fine. But what if he is also in love with her and she isn’t aware?"

Seraphina swallowed hard. No way, no way was Rhydian in love with her. All he wanted was to have his way with her... nothing else. He would stop caring after he got what he wanted, she knew that much.

Ella suddenly patted her shoulder. "Look, your friend is obviously overthinking this. Tell her to stop being a coward and go for it."

Seraphina stayed quiet, but inside, she was panicking. How had she gotten into this situation, how did she let herself fall for him without realizing. One thing she knew for sure was that, denying her feelings was impossible, no matter how hard she tried to act tough on the outside, no matter how hard she tried to push him away, she was burning for him, and that was a fact.

Seraphina turned to Ella, thanked her and returned to her chambers. Once she got inside her room, she immediately began changing. After she was done, she called a few maids who worked on her hair and makeup. As she stood before the mirror watching herself, she couldn’t help the heat that crept up her cheeks...there was only one thing on her mind right now, to test what Rhydian truly felt for her, was it just lust, or did he also feel something else.

And then, she recited the one forbidden spell that was meant to change one’s appearance and hide their scent, it was forbidden because of the after effects, absolutely insane pain when they’re transforming back to their normal appearance, some witches with low prowess who had tried this spell had lost their lives in the process of transformation, not everyone could handle the gruesome pain, especially for someone like her with low threshold for pain.

Seraphina almost laughed at herself because of how ridiculous her behavior was, she was actually taking such risks just to test him. What if she ended up disappointed and it turned out Rhydian was just another man who lusted over beautiful women and she just happened to be one of them, how was she to handle it?

She was still looking at herself in the mirror when the door suddenly creaked open, her head turned abruptly, no maid was allowed to enter her room without knocking...her heart skipped a bit when she saw the person that walked in, it was non other than Rhydian.