Adeline squirmed until she was freed from Elias's heavy body. What was he made out of? Bricks? His body weighed like a ton on her, and she felt nothing but hard muscle.

Once she escaped from his grasp, she grabbed one half of the blankets and draped it over his back. She didn't want him to sleep in the cold, even if his body temperature was always freezing.

"Good night," Adeline muttered, softly kissing him upon the head.

The second she set her foot onto the ground, guilt swarmed her, like thousands of bees stinging her heart. She casted a final glance towards his sleeping face, his brows taunt, and his lips tugged into a frown. He was a different man in his sleep.

Adeline placed on her shoes and slipped out of the door, grabbing a trench coat along the way. She was surprised by the lack of security around his room, but realized there was no need for it. Elias could take down a man without blinking.

Adeline walked down the hallways. It was dark and quiet, the only sound was her occasional footsteps. She gulped and headed for the main staircase, where a source of light was seen.

There were bodyguards lining every few steps. Their eyes landed on her, but she continued walking down, her gaunt face and blond hair enough for them to lower their eyes.

"Your Grace!" They greeted, bowing their heads.

Adeline forced a smile and continued heading downstairs. Everyone loudly greeted her, and she did nothing to stop them. If she did something suspicious, they'd wonder where she was going.

As a Queen, she didn't have to explain her actions to anyone.

Adeline set her shoulders back, her fingers tightly gripping the key Elias had given her. Quietly and quickly, she made it to the staircase that didn't show up on the map. Sucking in a deep breath, she walked down the small staircase, her footsteps echoing in the narrow space.

With shaky fingers, Adeline inserted the key. She twisted it to the right, only to find it locked. Then, she twisted it to the left, and heard a faint click. The door was unlocked.

Adeline pushed at the metal door, it loudly groaning at her small efforts."Ugh, so heavy…" she complained whilst pushing her entire body against it. It continued opening, little by little. Soon enough, she had opened a large enough crack for her body to slip through.

By then, Adeline was panting and out of breath. Sure enough, Elias hadn't lied to her. She saw rows upon rows of cells, the majority of which was empty. She squinted at the walls, realizing there were practically no windows at all.

The air was thick and dusty, the stench heavy and wretched. Adeline nearly gagged at the smell, covering her nose and mouth whilst she continued standing by the door. Maybe Elias was right, and there was nothing that interested her.

Deciding she had explored enough, and wanting to escape the horrid smell, Adeline turned on her heel. Then, she heard a faint sound. The rattling of chains, so faint that she thought it was the whisper of a ghost.

"Blood..."

Adeline spun around, her heart jerking, and her ears alert. She tried to look down the dimly lighted hallway, wondering if her ears were playing a joke on her.

"Blood..."

Adeline's heart plummeted to her stomach. The sound was familiar, and instantly, she recognized that voice.

"Asher?!" Adeline cried out, abandoning her position by the doorway. She dashed down the dark hallway, her footsteps loudly slapping onto the ground. She ran past empty cells with thick chains, dirty sinks, and questionable toilets. The further she ran, the more she gagged at the smell.

One cell after the other, things were getting worse and worse. She went from cells that had dirty beds to ones that didn't, went from cells that had sinks to one that had only a toilet, from toilet to ones that had a bucket, until she came to the very last cell.

Her blood ran cold. She nearly collapsed onto her knees at the sight of the cell. There was a heavy stench of iron in the air, a disgusting smell filling her nose, causing the hairs to burn. Goosebumps stung her skin, shivers crawling up her spine.

"A-Asher?" Adeline repeated, grabbing the cell bars.

Adeline could barely make out the sight of him. He was in the corner of an empty cell, with dark stains surrounding him.

Her eyes trembled as it searched the cell. She saw traces of blood. But even worse, she saw the wide array of strange equipements on the wall. She made out an assortment of whips, some bizzare metal clamps, and a few leather things.

"Asher it's me, Adeline. W-what happened to you?" Adeline said. She released the bars and inserted the keys into the lock.

"Ade...line."The voice was hoarse and strained, as if every syllable hurt his throat. She shakily tried to unlock the cell, but it was no use. The keys wouldn't turn in either direction, and barely fit into the hole.

"D-did E-Elias do this to you?" Adeline stammered out, wishing he told her no, but she already knew the answer. Someone could tell her "no" a thousand times, and she wouldn't believe them once.

"Please…" Adeline whispered, holding tightly onto the cell. "Please tell me it's a misunderstanding."

"Adeline…"

Adeline's eyes went wide. She pressed herself tightly onto the cell, wanting to see him in a better light. Her hope lifted when she saw his figure rising from the ground.

"Asher? You can stand? Is it really you? C-come to the light, I will h-have Elias release you."

Adeline cringed at the sound of rattling chains. Then, without warning, he lunged at her. She screamed, jumping back in fear, but heard his loud scream.

"BLOOD!" he demanded in a satanic voice, resembling that of a beast.

Adeline scrambled back, her eyes wide. Asher struck a hand out of the cell clawing at the air, his teeth bared at her. She couldn't even look at him.

Asher's eyes were large and crazy, as if he didn't even recognize her. There were bruises on his arm and open wounds that seemed to be closing. His body was covered in grime, and he was pretty much naked.

"ADELINE!" Another voice roared, but this time, louder, and more terrifying than Asher's. She turned her head, horrified and furious at the sight of Elias.

He stormed towards her, his footsteps hauntingly loud. His face was vicious, his lips curled into a snarl. He might as well huff and puff his way to her. His chest raised up and down with each long, haggard breath. His eyes were like a storm on the windiest night at sea, where the ocean waves drowned the largest ships.

"How dare you drug me?" he seethed, grabbing for her shoulders, but she slapped his hand away.

"What did you do to him?" she demanded, pointing a finger towards the cell. "What did you do to my Asher?!"

Adeline couldn't even recognize her own voice. It howled like the wind, but trembled like a brittle leaf on a branch.

"How dare you do this to him?!" she demanded, her voice like that of a banshee. "How dare you lay hands on him, how dare you touch what's mine!"

If possible, Elias's face became even more dangerous. His brows shot up, his eyes redder than the color red. He reached for her, but she raised a hand and slapped him across the face. It loudly echoed down the hallways, silencing even air itself.

It was the first and only time Adeline had ever struck him in the face. And he could do nothing but stand there, motionless with shock. No one had ever slapped him, much less, caused him any harm.magic

The one that broke the silence was the one that caused it. "I hate you," she spat out, like the most sinful of curses.

It was enough for all hell to break loose.