Adeline shakily took out the hidden vial from underneath the cloth napkin on her lap. She uncapped the vial, poured it into Elias's soup and tucked the vial back under the napkin. Then, she grabbed his spoon and began turning the spoon. Her heart raced, her fingers trembled, and she nearly passed out from how nervous she was. She couldn't even hear the crickets chirp, or the doors opening.

"What are you doing?" A voice lightly demanded from behind her, prompting her to yelp and nearly drop the spoon.

Adeline turned out, her eyes slightly wide. He came back in less than a minute. She forced a smile and continued stirring the soup with the spoon, as if nothing was wrong. Then, she lifted the spoon to her mouth, ignoring all sorts of etiquette.

"I wanted to drink your soup, but it was too hot," Adeline said whilst settling the spoon down. "So I tried cooling it down for you, in case you burn your tongue."

"What's wrong with yours, darling?" Elias asked. He didn't bat an eye to her antics and fluidly sat down.

"I didn't touch it for a while, so there's a dried film of soup over it…" Adeline trailed off, innocently batting her lashes, even though she was going to throw up from the anxiety.

Elias quirked a brow and glanced at her soup. Sure enough, there was a thick film of dried soup. He shrugged it off.

"This wine has the lowest concentration of alcohol," Elias said, holding up the dark green bottle of white wine. He settled two glass cups onto the table, the material quietly clinking.

"Have some." Elias grabbed the wine glass and poured it for her.

Adeline eyed the clear liquid, her mouth going dry. She could barely anticipate his next reaction. Was he going to drink the soup? Should she have poured the vial into his wine? But that would've been difficult.

"I cooled down the soup for you, aren't you going to eat it?" Adeline said in a glum voice, whilst frowning a bit.

Elias paused, his eyes slightly narrowed. "You can have it, darling. Yours is cold."

Adeline shook her head. "I still haven't finished my main dish," she said, gesturing to her half-eaten food.

Elias briefly glanced at her plate, and then at his stirred soup. His soup was carefully stirred, from her hard work, and steam was no longer rapidly rising from it. Seeing her disappointment, he passed the wine glass to her and lifted the spoon to his mouth.magic"With your reaction, I'd think you poisoned my soup," Elias mused. In the corner of her eyes, he saw her hold the thin glass stem with two hands, peering into the cup as if it fascinated her.

"Why would I poison my husband?" Adeline returned, a choked laugh leaving her mouth. Before Elias could say something, she brought the glass to her lips and drank it all in one sip.

She heard his sharp intake of breathing, before he grabbed her wrist.

"Don't drink it in one go," he muttered. His grip on her wrist was tight, preventing her from drinking anymore. But it was already too late. She had drained it dry.

Elias sighed. He settled the spoon down and poured her another glass. "You're supposed to swirl the cup and smell the wine, taste it a little before drinking more."

Adeline naively blinked. "O-oh."

Elias shook his head in amusement, his lips slightly lifted into a faint smile. He couldn't believe she enjoyed alcohol to this extent. He settled the wine glass in front of her again, but when she reached for it, he picked it up.

"Eat something first and hydrate yourself," he softly said. "Or else you might get drunk too quickly and have the worst hangover. As much as I enjoy having you cry and ask me for guidance, I prefer you to be comfortable."

Adeline tried to ignore his latter comment. He was a sadistic man. She knew that very well, when he pushed her into multiple positions even after she climaxed and was too sensitive to go on. When that happened, he had claimed the more sensitive she was, the more pleasurable it'd be. And it was true.

"Alright," she said.

Adeline picked up her fork and knife to cut through the succulent salmon. The cooked, pinked flesh greeted her.

She lifted it into her mouth, softly and slowly, chewing with a manner that made him stare at her intensely. His gaze never left her moving lips, nor the small dart of her pink tongue that licked crumbs from the corner of her mouth.

"Is it good?" Elias mused.

"Mm, very," Adeline nodded.

Adeline was completely oblivious to his tightened grip on his spoon, or the darkening of his eyes. His ferocious stare never left her mouth, the whole time she ate.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Adeline asked.

Elias cleared his throat and loosened his thigh. She saw the thin veins pop out on his clenched hand, but proceeded back to eating. He lifted the spoon and brought it to his mouth. The more he watched her eat, the hungrier he grew, but not for the food.

To satisfy his thirsty mouth, he continued to drink the soup, his gaze growing darker with her naive movements. He realized she had a tendency to softly moan with each bite, savoring the perfectly cooked salmon. He imagined her quiet moans under his touch, the twitch of her body when he thrusted the right spot, and the sharp intake of her breathing when she was near.

"Was the soup good? Y-you finished it all," Adeline stammered it out.

Elias blinked. He glanced down, and sure enough, there was only a scrap of half a bite left. He didn't realize he had drank it so quickly, all the whilst imaging drinking something else.

"Yes, it was wonderful," Elias dryly said. He slammed the spoon down, causing her eyes to widen out of surprise.

"But I'd like to enjoy something else," he added on in a lowered voice.

Adeline tilted her head and blinked. "Like dessert?"

Elias narrowed his eyes onto her. "Yes, dessert," he gritted out. He held onto the edge of the table when she continued to look at him like a lost, innocent lamb.

"Oh, I hope the chef prepared something with lemon in it," Adeline said, clasping her hands together. She wondered why he was clenching the table, his fingers turning white. She was surprised when the wooden table cracked.

"U-uhm, Elias…" she mumbled, shakily pointing to the table.

"Shit." Elias released the table and cleared his throat.

Adeline was surprised at the curse. Without warning, he let out another string of it and drank from her wine glass.

"Fuck the dessert." Elias sharply stood up and glanced at her finished plate. "I'll enjoy you instead."

Adeline was surprised when he softly grabbed her hand. He brought her closer to him, one arm snaking around her. Without warning, he kissed her feverishly. His lips were one of the only things warm about his body. He tasted of the sweet wine, his tongue licking her bottom lips, before divulging into her mouth, exploring her moistened cave.

Adeline grew dizzy from the kiss, the air fleeting from her lungs. Her thoughts blurred, thinking of nothing but his passionate kiss. Before she knew it, her back touched the bed, and he was roughly removing his clothes. He yanked the button-up apart, and tossed it onto the bed.

"As I thought, the only thing sweet is your lips," he groaned before kissing her again. His voice slurred a bit, but he grabbed her chin.

Adeline's eyes fluttered shut. Without warning, she felt something heavy slump against her body. Instantly, her eyes flew open. She froze, surprised by the unexpected weight.

And then she realized, his head had fallen beside hers, and his body was limp. She shakily touched his shoulders, realizing his breathing was steady.

"E-Elias?" she squeaked out, tapping his upper arm.

Nothing. He didn't move. He didn't speak.

Adeline sucked in a breath. She placed a finger to his nose, and felt a cool wind on it.

Elias was asleep.