Elias offered his hand to Cladria with the same grace he had shown Seraphina, but the warmth was gone from his eyes. He looked at her as if she was just a stranger. As they moved into the rhythm of the next waltz, the atmosphere between them carried a strange hostility.
Cladria's hand rested on his shoulder, and though her lips were curled into a sweet smile, her eyes flickered with restrained fury. "You disappeared for months, my lord," she said softly as if she was only trying to initiate a normal conversation. "We even heard rumors that you have sold your estate and title. I will not lie, my father was tempted to buy one for me. But I refused because it would be wrong with you."
Elias twirled her elegantly, his gloved fingers brushing the small of her back just long enough to be proper. He caught her eyes with an amused gleam. "I didn't think anyone missed me and you could not buy what was never available for sale. Can you?"" he replied with a lopsided smile.
"Still.." she stretched the word as she tried to lean closer. She did not understand why, but his presence rattled her. It had never happened before and her gut feeling was telling her that he did not have a good reason to come here. "At least, you should clear the rumors around you. What if everyone thought that you should not be invited to the next gathering. The next show of opera is fully booked by Viscount Voltaire. If you speak to him, I am sure he would understand."
Her voice had a hint of worry and affection for him as she smiled sweetly like a woman in love. Elias stared hard at her face. Nothing had changed, just a single moment and he could snap her neck. He could strangle her and throw her on the ground. He was sure that it would only take ten minutes to deal with the guards in the room. There were only twenty of them. But by then, the nobles would call for other guards and knights.
If he needed to kill all of them, it would stretch to two hours. And then he had to kill all of the nobles too. But what if those hiding immortals decided to join the fight. He could fight with one or two of them. But he could not defeat all of them. And then, Seraphina could be in danger if she interfered and tried to protect him.
But she was stronger, she could easily take down six of them and..
"My lord.." Cladria frowned when the man was daydreaming while she was in his arms. She could have blamed that he did not know how to appreciate a woman if she had not seen him so enchanted by that courtesan before. He was only humiliating her on purpose like he had done it before.
Elias blinked and then offered her a blank smile. "And I don't make it a habit to react to every insult thrown in my direction. That would be exhausting. If they think that I am ruined, it's their problem, not mine."
Cladria's smile faltered. That was such a hollow reply as if he was dismissing a child "That is rather careless of you. A noble's image is everything. How others see you is the only shield you have in this world." She lectured him in a sharp voice as if he did not understand the rules of the world. But the man was not embarrassed at all. She felt like no matter what she said to him, he would not care at all.
"And what a fragile shield that is," Elias said with a quiet chuckle, spinning her once more. "Reputation built on gossip and flattery would break easily once you can not fulfil the promises you have made to them. This charade is hardly worth the effort."
Her brows drew together into a faint frown. "If you care so little about your image, why are you even here tonight?"
He leaned in slightly, his voice low but unhurried. "Because I find meaning in things beyond pretending. And there is something here that I want." his eyes bored onto her face as if trying to leave a mark there. The intense gaze stunned her but strangely it made her feet tingle and a strange warmth gushed in the pit of her stomach.
Cladria's spine stiffened. "And what that could be?"
Elias didn't answer immediately. He glanced toward where Seraphina had disappeared, then turned back with a soft laugh that didn't reach his eyes. "Now there would be no mystery around me if I shared my secrets with you in our first meeting. Would it be?"
He stepped closer in the next turn, their bodies momentarily aligned before the next sweep of the dance pulled them apart again. "Like you," he added smoothly. "You present yourself as a sweet, naive and innocent lady who only wishes to be kind. But you are not, are you? Have I shed your pretenses and opened the mysteries for others?"
Cladria stumbled slightly, barely missing a beat, but the shock in her face was undeniable. Her breath caught, her hand tightening on his. "Excuse me? What do you mean?"
Elias's smile was quiet and sharp now. "You hide behind pretty manners and velvet words, but there's something else beneath it. Hunger to grow and devour everything around you. Do not worry my lady, I do not condemn you for it. It attracts me toward you. But you should be careful, my lady. Masks slip easily when the wrong person is watching."
Her eyes widened before narrowing quickly, the sweet smile twisting at the edges. "You think you know me, Baron Crestford?"
"I don't think," he said, guiding her into a graceful dip, his hand steady and unyielding at her back. "I know you, my lady. Just like you know me. You have just forgotten about it."
He pulled her upright again with effortless poise. The music flowed around them, but she was too stunned to enjoy it now.
Cladria's voice was barely a whisper. "You think you can humiliate me like this and walk away unscathed?"
Elias leaned in, voice honeyed and laced with challenge. "I would not dare, my lady. I am just saying, "you do not need to pretend in front of me."
She smiled again, but this time it was all teeth and no sweetness. "You would regret it if I stopped acting my lord. Because I do not forgive easily, and I never forget."
"It is a pity, I have the same thoughts."
The dance ended with a flourish. Elias stepped back, gave her a shallow bow, and left without a word, following the trail Seraphina had vanished into, leaving Cladria standing in the center of the floor, eyes glittering with cold fire.