Hellbound Heart

Sebastian's eyes flew towards where the woman was and she flinched when his eyes locked onto hers, obviously shocked that she had been caught.

When his gaze had locked onto hers and even though it was just for a short moment, the warning in his eyes was all too clear. That split second flash of deep red, before the dark grey of his eyes glittered with something so predatory and dangerous, was enough to turn the blood in her veins into ice.

The woman stood there, frozen, as she watched him return his attention to the human princess in his arms. The warning in his eyes was completely gone, turning warm and gentle with no trace of the savagery and frostiness he had displayed when looking at her just seconds ago. She could not even begin to imagine that this was the same Prince Sebastian that she had known. He was becoming a completely different person when he was looking at that Princess.

The woman's jaws clenched slightly when a blond female spoke to her. Her shadowed and previously sullen face brightened up, with no trace of any other emotions but pure bliss.

'Wow. I can't believe you are so calm, Lady Kana.' The blonde told her through their eyes. 'If I were you, good god, I am not even sure if I could remain calm for even a few moments!'

Kana swirled her drink in the wine glass. Her gaze was innocent when she lifted them up to the blonde. 'Why shouldn't I be calm, Miss Jules? I don't think there is any reason for me not to be, right?'

'You're really amazing. But don't you feel jealous at all? After all, you were once chosen to serve His Highness...' Miss Jules stared rather enigmatically at Kana.

'Jealous...' she smiled and then she sipped on her glass elegantly. 'There's nothing to be jealous about, Miss Jules.' came her reply as she shrugged her slender shoulders.

The blonde glanced at the other females who had gathered around and were curious about the same issue. Everyone looked intrigued and confused until one of them butted in. 'But she stole the prince from you! You should be the one dancing with him right now. This is really alright with you?'

'Relax ladies...' Kana swept a proud gaze across everyone, her brow lifted as she pretended to be composed and in control of the situation. 'When did we vampires ever get jealous of humans?'

'Right!' another woman butted in with a sneer. 'Humans are always the ones jealous of us! Never the other way around. Because there is truly nothing worth getting jealous over about them. They grow old and die so quickly that they're like mist in the morning.'

When the ladies started to come up with their own conclusions, that there was no need for Kana to be jealous because Princess Izabelle was merely a temporary fixture in the prince's life. They even started to praise Kana as they pitied Izabelle, causing Kana's lips to tug upwards secretly.

...

The dinner was another blissful event.

Sebastian had finally let her speak with some guests as they dined. She had enjoyed the little chit chats she participated in over the course of the meal. And before she knew it, any uncertainties and doubts and insecurities disappeared from within her. Until she was able to speak confidently like how she usually did again.

While she was animatedly responding to a young girl, Elle slowly trailed off, realizing that everyone had their gaze shifted to someone else. They looked so dumbstruck that Elle curiously followed their gazes to where they were looking, only to see that it was Sebastian they were staring at.

Sebastian was resting his head on his knuckles while watching her. Elle was not sure why everyone seemed shocked until he spoke. "Eat. You haven't eaten anything yet." He reminded her. His voice sounded serious. And then Elle realized that his hand was outstretched, holding his fork. Her gaze then fell to her plate and saw there was already a mountain of food piled up there.

Her lips parted slightly and she discreetly glanced around again. Her cheeks turned pink.

"Eat." He once again spoke. "Or is this some kind of plot for you to get me feed you?"

Flustered, Elle cleared her throat and stabbed her fork into her food, smiling at him. "Please don't tease me..." was all she could say. But he did not get what she really meant, or perhaps, he understood but he did not care.

"I'm not teasing, Izabelle. I would happily feed you if –"

Elle cut him off with an awkward 'haha, you tease' and then she immediately began to eat.

Everything went so quiet after that. And even after that, Elle could still feel everyone's gaze on her and Sebastian.

Just as she was about to break the awkward silence, she felt Sebastian's warm and large hand landing gently on her head. He very casually tucked her hair behind her ear, as though this was a normal and daily occurrence between them.

A sound of metal falling echoed jarringly in the dining hall. It was most probably a fork falling into a plate.

Sebastian shifted his gaze from Elle to the source of the noise as his brows furrowed a little. Some of the other guests seemed to stiffen as the gleam in his eyes suddenly looked sort of intense.

Elle reached out and touched his arm, pulling his attention back to herself. When he looked back at her, Elle gave him a small calming smile which seemed to work on him.

"You should eat too." she whispered. And with Elle starting another topic, the stalemate ended and the blissful dinner continued.

Soon, Elle mouthed secretly to Sebastian. 'I need to go to the bathroom.'

When Sebastian nodded, Elle rose from her seat.

Sebastian silently stared at her as she took her leave. His gaze then roamed around and suddenly, he rose and left his seat as well, quickly heading towards where Elle had headed to.