The rumours that painted Ulysses had always been cruel. Septimus makes sure that everyone knows Ulysses as a monster, an ambitious, cold-blooded sorcerer who collected wives like trinkets, ruled them with cruelty, and punished those who crossed him without mercy. It was an image that clung to him in whispers and stories, too convenient to be doubted.
The truth, however, is painfully different. "I only wanted to know if you were the real deal," Ulysses muttered after downing his first glass, already flushed from the wine. "But you—damn it—you taunt me so badly."
Sienna-Rose stares at him, feeling really amused, seeing how Ulysses' face turns bright red and he starts yapping everything inside his mind. Making her remember the first time they met in front of Sienna-Rose's estate gate, she did taunt him good.
