It was always the same whenever Mikhail came home.


    Cassy Lenoir sitting on the living room sofa and staring into nothingness, like a ghost that was just there and existing.


    “Does your neck not hurt when you stay in that position?” Mikhail asked tly. “Is this your way of rebelling?”


    Cassy turned her head towards him, her dark hair flowing in waves below her shoulders. She looked at him with eyes devoid of emotion, though exhaustion painted faint lines on her face. She didn’t seem to have slept well, and her skin was a little pale. Perhaps it was from ack of sunlight.


    “Wee home,” she said listlessly.


    Mikhail raised an eyebrow. “You do not look well,” he remarked. “Are you ill? Is there something in the house that does not satisfy you? Tell me, and I will give you what you need.”


    Cassy was silent for a moment before she turned her head back to its original position, as though she were nning on ignoring him.


    But Mikhail was a patient man. He continued to stand there, crossing his arms in front of his chest, waiting for Cassy’s response. There was no rush; after all, he was in his home, and he still had a bit of time before slumbering in his coffin.


    The small effort paid off, because Cassy spoke again, but in a quieter voice this time.


    “…I don’t have anything else to do,” she said simply.


    Mikhail’s expression showed no emotion. “Is that so?” he said. “There are several leisure rooms here in the mansion. You can entertain yourself there. You are not a prisoner here. You are free to explore every corner of this house.”


    Cassy shook her head. “I am notfortable with that.”


    “Why not?”


    “I don’t want to get lost.”


    “Then seek one of the servants’ help,” Mikhail said simply.


    “No,” Cassy said without hesitation. “In case you have not realized it yet, I am not exactlyfortable with thepany of vampires.”


    “And yet you agreed to be my woman and live with me under the same roof.”


    “That’s because I wanted to repay you for saving my life.”Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    “I see.”


    Silence fell between them the next moment. Cassy became more tense than before, while Mikhail remained calm andposed, his expression almost bordering on indifference.


    There was a slight awkwardness in the atmosphere, mostly because the two were unsure how to continue the conversation. It was clear that they were not used to making small talk, not only with each other, but also with other people.


    He continued to stand there and observe Cassy. She was an interesting woman, to say the least. Or was she interesting only because she was his human mate?


    Mikhail did not know. But his personality was that he liked to take people apart, no matter if they were humans or vampires or other supernaturals. He liked to use his deduction and observation skills to figure them out, to beat them at their own game. For the past century, he went through life as if it were a giant chess game, trusting no one but himself.


    He acknowledged his men, but he did not give them hisplete trust. Sye, Josef, and Sarim knew this best since they were his most loyal warriors. He would rely on these three to gather information and perform sensitive tasks for him, but that was all. His private life and deepest thoughts were out of the question. All his carefullyid ns, suspicions, and subtle observations remained in his head, unspoken.


    Even though Cassy proved to be a normal human, there was still something about her that nagged at Mikhail. As someone who had lived for a long time now, he learned to trust his instincts whenever they came. It was one of the things that helped him reach his current level of power and aplishments.


    “I understand that you dislike vampires,” Mikhail said calmly. “Which is why it is questionable to me how you seemed so agreeable to my request. You did not even wait a day to give me an answer. Surely you would be more wary before saying yes to living under a vampire’s abode?”


    He threw this question out purposefully, wanting to test her.


    Cassy seemed to stiffen even more at that. “Whatever are you talking about?” she asked evenly.


    The tone of her voice and her slightly elerated heartbeat brought a smirk to Mikhail’s lips. It would seem that he was on the right track.


    ‘Now,’ he wondered, ‘how long would it take for me to expose her little subterfuge?’


    After all, Mikhail Ivanov did not trust anyone. He would never give even a small part of his trust if he couldn’t prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the individual was not secretly out to get him.


    Everyone had ulterior motives, a hidden agenda up their sleeves. They all wanted something to gain. Nobody ever approached him or agreed to something if they couldn’t benefit something from it.


    And clearly, Cassandra Lenoir was not getting anything beneficial out of this agreement.


    ‘As thanks for saving her life?’ Mikhail thought to himself in amusement. ‘How cute.’


    ‘If you despise vampires so much, not even your honor or the mate bond would make you agree to be my woman.’


    ‘Especially Mikhail Ivanov’s woman.’


    Mikhail, who was feared and disliked by the humanmunity. Mikhail, who was only willingly approached by vampires, never humans.


    Unless they were a part of the Human Council and needed to discuss business or politics with him.


    ‘It’s no secret that the Vampire Hunters Association has been trying to infiltrate my empire as well,’ Mikhail thought to himself. ‘They either want to y me or gather vital information to destroy me.’


    ‘Even if you’re my mate, you are still suspicious to me, Cassandra Lenoir.’


    “You know exactly who I am, right?” Mikhail said.


    Cassy turned to him with her hazel eyes, the irises glimmering under the chandelier. The lighting seemed to cast shadows on her features, highlighting the contours of her face and bringing out the amber flecks in her eyes.


    Mikhail felt a tingling sensation on his skin and a sudden pounding in his chest. But it was not painful at all.


    Rather, it resembled… a single heartbeat.


    No.


    It was simply impossible.


    “…Yes,” Cassy said after a moment’s pause. “I do.”