Ivan shut his eyes briefly as he tried to rein in the rage that was beginning to take over him. He didn't want to scare her any further, so he took a deep breath before opening his eyes again, just as the tub had filled with enough water. Shutting the tap, he stepped out to call Evelyn, as he emerged from the bathroom, he noticed her flinch slightly at the sudden sight of him.
In a low voice, he said, "The bath is ready, you can go in now."
She gave him a nod, then stood up and walked towards him. As she did, he could hear her heart thudding in her chest like a fluttering bird, her eyes dilated and face flushed. When she came to stand in front of him, she parted her trembling lips and whispered, "T-the..dress."
"Hm," is all he responded as he slowly stepped behind her.
Reaching out, he gently brushed aside her her soft, luscious brow locks, moving them over one shoulder. The back of her dress was a little deep, lined with a series of delicate buttons that exposed a portion of her smooth, slender back for his eyes.
He allowed himself a brief glance, before he reached for the buttons with his long, elegant fingers, undoing them one by one. Not once did he touch her skin, nor did his gaze linger longer than it should. When he finished unfastening the last button, he glanced up and noticed the tips of Evelyn's ears flushed a deep red. He didn't need to see her face to know she was embarrassed.
"It's done, I assume you can take it forward from here?" he asked her softly.
"Thank you," she murmured and without another word, she headed into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.
Ivan closed his eyes briefly, feeling more drained than he had in a long time. He glanced around the room, then finally pushed himself onto the sofa, lying down with one arm draped over his face to cover his eyes.
Back in the bathroom, the moment Eve shut the door, she closed her eyes briefly. Everything felt so chaotic, her mind was trying to make sense of everything that had happened, but it was mostly dominated by one person. The icy, dark prince you who was partly responsible for her current state of mind and heart. Though the effect of potion still lingered, her heart was no longer racing solely from the unnatural heat. It was racing because of him, his touch, his calm voice when she was on the verge of falling apart.
As her trembling fingers slid her dress down, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and saw, how she looked like a hot mess, with the faint traces of her tears on her extremely flushed cheeks and her hair no longer in perfect condition.
'What is wrong with me?' she asked herself as she headed to the tub and slowly submerged her burning body in cold water. The temperature was a welcoming relief, helping to finally dull the ache she felt between her legs and ease the strange tension coursing through her body. She let her head fall back against the edge of the tub and stared up at the ceiling.
As her muddled thoughts began to clear slightly, her mind drifted back to when she was just five years old.
Her mother had just passed away and she sat at the edge of the bed, clutching her mother's lifeless hand, wailing, "Y-you said you wouldn't leave me! Com..Come ba-back, mother!!"
Her father, was sitting on the other side of the bed and stared silently at his wife's body. He then turned his cold blue eyes on Evelyn with a look of resentment and ordered Clair in a cold and quiet voice, "Take this child out of here."
Everybody in the room was shocked by the king's sudden command. Clair, her nanny and her mother's loyal handmaiden, stepped forward and pleaded hesitantly, "B-but Your Majesty…the princess is grieving …please let her stay by her mother for a little while longer.." she cried, falling to her knees before him.
"A child who devoured her mother's life is no child worthy of love" the kind spat, then roared, "Take her away! Now!"
Five year old Evelyn winced, unable to understand why her father was so angry, turned to look at him through her tears and whispered, "Fa-father…" Before she could say anything more, his voice thundered, making her flinch, "I am no father of yours. Only your king."
She was stunned by his harsh words, then wailed even harder. The maids wept as they watched everything unfold, their hearts breaking for the young princess. Finally, Clair stepped forward to take Princess Evelyn out of that room before the King's fury grew worse. Five year old Evelyn struggled in her arms, one hand refusing to let go of her mother. She cried more for her mother and father, but in the end, she was taken away and locked inside her room that with Clair trying to console her but everything felt cold and empty. After that, she never got to attend her mother's funeral.
Back to the present, a single tear slipped down her cheek as the unpleasant memory of her childhood resurfaced. She submerged her head completely in the water, hoping to wash the unpleasant memory away, but it clung to her like a shadow. It was etched too deeply into her, like a scar carved by the trauma of always being left alone, always being told she was unworthy of love. Though the pain had forged her into someone stronger, someone with thicker skin who could rise above criticism, it still lingered. It still shaped the way she measured her own worth, never feeling like she was enough. Not enough for anyone's kindness…or love.
Then Ivan's words echoed in her mind, 'Never lower your gaze when you've done nothing wrong, princess. Confidence suits you far better.'
It shook something in her, as if for the first time someone truly encouraged her and reassured her that she hasn't done anything wrong. He was the dark and feared icy prince, yet he had never disrespected her or looked at her with lustful eyes. His words were always laced with warning, he was cold or even rude at times, but to Eve, it felt more like he was making an effort to keep her from getting too close. To maintain distance from his world, where he likely had his own set of secrets he didn't want anyone to uncover.
But despite all his efforts to keep her at a distance, he always ended up protecting her, whether it was from a terrible acid attack or the darkrots, the truth about her emerging powers or tonight. When he could have clearly had his ways with her, when she offered herself so willingly, but he drew the line. He stepped back, even when she still very much craved his touch.
To her surprise, it was only his touch she craved and no one else's. The thought of being touched by anyone else scared her to bits. Why? She didn't know, but one thing became painfully clear to her, she felt safe around this icy prince. No matter how dangerous he might be, with him, she felt protected. And for that, she could only be thankful that tonight, he chose to stay in with her.
She slowly emerged from the water and felt a little more grounded, so she decided to stay there just a little longer.