My Most Precious Human novel Chapter 67

Throughout my life, I had always tried to run away from danger, not step right into the middle of it. I felt the best thing I could do was to hide. I had never deliberately faced my fears. I was more than aware I couldn't win against my father and his pack, but that was when I was fighting alone.

It all changed the moment Sariel stood by my side. I relied on his strength and influence, but I had changed as well. I became stronger and more fierce. When I fought with the wolf from the northern pack, it was something more than a desperate fight for survival. I fought because I had the right to be free.

Even though I thought of Sariel's decision to take me to the noble gathering as something absolutely reckless, I knew I would be safe by his side. I didn't know exactly when I started trusting him so much, but deep down I was convinced that he wouldn't let anyone harm me.

As soon as Leo finished his lecture and left, Martha knocked on my door. She brought me lunch… or more like a four-course dinner with a medical tonic in the form of afternoon tea.

"What's with all this?" I looked awkwardly at the pile of food she brought.

"You need to eat more from now on," she stated joyfully.

"I could be a little anemic, but I'm not pregnant, Martha. I don't need to eat for two, you know?" I chuckled nervously.

"Doctor's orders," she swore, placing her hand on her chest.

I reluctantly glanced at the spinach salad with walnuts, wholewheat pasta with broccoli, hummus, and tofu soup. It all screamed, "Iron!"

"Fine… I'll try to eat it," I muttered, stabbing spinach with a fork.

Martha sat in front of me, placing her elbows on the table and supporting her head with her hands. She gaped at me with a huge grin on her face, almost making me choke on the food. I put the fork down for my sake and stared at her with a question mark painted all over my face.

"So? How was it?" Martha popped out, agitatedly.

"How was what?" I asked nervously.

"Duke's bite, of course!" She burst out.

"Um…" All the images from last night flashed before my eyes, reminding my senses exactly how it all felt. "It was painful…" I mumbled.

"Painful?!" Martha called out, clearly disappointed.

"B-but the second time felt better…" I smiled awkwardly.

"The second time?" Martha smirked wickedly.

I blushed, recalling what the second bite exactly felt like and then what had happened afterwards.

"Judging from your expression, it was way better than just "better"." She chuckled.

"Not the bite itself…" I shyly avoided her stare, "But everything else… felt amazing."

She burst out laughing. "I knew it!"

"Now, can you please stop? You are really making me feel embarrassed," I said, and couldn't help but smile.

"So, what now? Are you going to be the Duchess?" Martha asked, expecting me to confirm.

If I imagined myself floating on air until that moment, Martha's words would surely make me fall hard to the ground. My lips formed a bitter smile as every word I heard from Leo came together in a pitiful conclusion.

"No… I cannot become the Duchess, Martha." I tried to say it calmly, yet the sound of my own words pierced my heart painfully. "I can only become a temporary mistress."

"Why? Duke cares for you," she claimed naively.

"The Duke needed my blood, and I was grateful for his protection. Our relationship is more like a contract." I tried to convince her as much as I was telling myself that to myself.

My statement wiped off a smile from Martha's face. I wished I could confirm her romantic assumptions, but I knew that as soon as Sariel took over the throne, I would become nothing more than a mistress that he used to feed on. Suddenly, I started to wonder what would happen to me once Sariel married the Princess.

"Martha… Can the mark disappear in time?" I asked with a saddened expression.

"I've never heard of anything like that," she exclaimed, "and I believe the mark can only be overwritten by someone else."

It didn't sound too comforting, but at the very least, this overwriting thing gave me the option of leaving Sariel when I began to develop feelings for him. I had to be prepared to protect my inexperienced heart.

"So… if I get bitten by some other vampire, I will become his instead of Sariel's?" I inquired curiously.