He regained his usual composure, as if donning a mask with effort, elegantly curling his lips into a faint smile. The smile was so meticulously calculated it seemed perfect, even the lines at the corners of his eyes exuding deliberate ease.
"Margie, you care too much. The happiness of princes and princesses exists only in fairy tales, and I am not a man who desires royalty," his voice was as calm as stagnant water, yet the hand at his side clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Hypocrite! A wolf in sheep's clothing!
"You're afraid you'll suffer the same curse as my parents? No—you could choose a consort for yourself and arrange the marriage... Too bad your sister, Queen Eunice, who rightfully joined the vampire royal family, didn't end up well either. So, you've grown disillusioned with marriage." I deliberately drew out my words, watching as a flicker of pain flashed through his eyes.
