Julie stared at Roman, who continued to eat his meal until nothing was left on his plate. As she had spent her time staring at him, she had barely eaten anything from her plate. It seemed like he enjoyed his meal until the very last bite.

  Roman's two fingers swiped on the plate. While doing that, his eyes met hers, and for a moment, it felt as if everything around them stopped, except for the slow movement of his hand. The scene in front of her was erotic as he brought his hand to his mouth, and his tongue licked the liquid off his digits.

  "Enjoying watching me eat?" questioned Roman, his eyes staring into her brown eyes that looked slightly dilated.

  Julie's eyes lowered. She picked up the burger with both her hands and took a bite from it. But as the burger was too big to fit entirely in her mouth, some of the sauce came to stick in the corner of her mouth.

  She brought her hand up to cover her mouth so that Roman wouldn't think she was some kind of glutton, but then she dully remembered that he had already called her that.

  "Like it?" he asked her, his eyes falling on puffed cheeks. Roman placed his elbows on the surface of the table before leaning forward.

  "It's good," mumbled Julie with a nod, and she saw the faint smile on his face. Once she swallowed it, she said, "You should smile more often."

  He raised his eyebrow, "Am I not smiling now?" Roman picked up the iced tea brought for Julie, taking hold of the straw and drinking a few sips from it.

  Julie nodded her head, "You are now, but not in the past."

  "I didn't have an actual reason to smile, but I do now," he took another sip and placed the glass down near her plate.

  Julie's face turned warm, "Why do you say cheesy things like that?" she asked him.

  Roman's head tilted to the side, and he said, "I was speaking about the steak. What were you talking about?" and Julie shook her head with a smile.

  He smiled back at her, knowing even though he said he was talking about the steak, Julie knew his words were meant for her. "I cannot help but enjoy seeing you squirm, knowing how embarrassed you turn when I use those kinds of words."

  "Spoken like a real bully," stated Julie, and Roman raised his hand as if to shrug.

  "Only I am allowed to do that to you. Consider it to be my guilty pleasure," remarked Roman.

  Julie took another bite from her burger, and while she chewed,? she noticed some people enter the diner. There were two girls, and they went to the other side where the old couple were sitting.

  Once she finished her burger, the waitress cleared the table, except for the cold drinks. When Roman had earlier mentioned not having to worry about her missing her classes, Julie believed he had told her only at the spur of the moment to have her agree to come out with him. But with the meal finished, he had her pull out her notebooks before he started to explain the subject that her class would be taught today.

  Julie listened to Roman explain, his voice not too loud or low, enough only for her to hear as he wrote and drew the figures in her book.

  She had never imagined dating someone, and even if she did dream, she would have never imagined studying during their first date. It only proved how Roman was different from the people she had met and seen until now.

  Somewhere in the middle of the teaching, Julie's eyes started to take a closer look at Roman's features, and he was quick to catch it.

  "Are you listening or staring at me, Winters?"

  "Both?" Julie asked him in doubt.

  "Tell me if it gets too much and we can stop the tutoring," stated Roman and Julie immediately shook her head.

  "No, it's good like this," replied Julie, tucking one piece of her hair behind her ear. Roman took note of how her hair that had been tied while leaving the lunchroom earlier was now let loose. She asked him, "How are you so good at all of this? Did you skip classes and go to the library?" Nobody could be this good when they were always missing or sleeping through the classes.

  "Not always," Roman replied to her curious question, "In the initial years, most of us tried to sit through before we started to skip. There was this person whom I once knew, he went by the name Tobin and he was a doctor. He owned this large library and I used to like spending my time reading there… when I was young."

  So that's how it was, thought Julie to herself. She could imagine young Roman sitting in the library and reading by himself while avoiding people who could remotely annoy him.

  "But there was something else too," said Roman and Julie's curiosity only increased. "There were rare times when he would let me witness him conducting an operation."

  "How old were you then?" asked Julie.

  A faint smile appeared on Roman's lips, and he said, "Nine or ten years I think."

  That was young, thought Julie in her mind. To see people being operated on, one needed to be brave enough to not cringe at not just the blood but also the flesh being cut and being exposed.

  Remembering the physician, Roman's gaze turned distant. He had known Tobin since he had turned young. Roman's thoughts took him to the time in Veteris several years back, as if time turned.

  A young, ten-year-old Roman had fallen on the ground during one of the brawls with the other boys, hurting one of his knees and forehead. A man riding his bicycle, a physician by profession, noticed the boy walking from the other side of the road with a bleeding wound on his knee. While the boy looked at the bicycle with interest, looking at the way it worked.

  "Are you alright, boy?" asked the man, a frown appearing on his face. "You are bleeding."

  "Yes," came the dull response from the boy, barely bothered by the pain on his knee or his forehead. When the young boy was going to start walking, he heard the man say,

  "Are you planning to walk like this with your wounds exposed until you reach home?" asked the man, who was lean in appearance and wore golden framed glasses. He had short hair, and his appearance was nothing flashy.

  The man had seen the boy during many occasions in the town, but like many others, he had never felt the need to talk to the boy explicitly. Knowing how the boy had been conceived out of an affair with Lord Malcolm Moltenore and an unknown woman.

  Young Roman replied with a straight face, "People get hurt all the time and the wound will dry by the time I reach home because of the components the blood has."

  Intrigued by the boy's answer, the physician asked, "And do you know what those components are?"

  "Platelets?"

  "Yes, indeed," the physician smiled at the boy, "It seems like Lord Moltenore has been sending you to school though what you said is too much for you. Why are you not in school with your brother?" On the physician's query, the young boy stared at him. "But I don't think I have seen you with your brother Tristian, when the carriage reaches the school."

  "I don't," answered the boy, all his answers short as if he didn't want to make a conversation, even if it meant it would warrant him being called an ill-mannered child.

  "Then how did you learn, if not for school," asked the physician, still sitting on the bicycle that he had halted at the side and next to the boy, where they were surrounded by trees.

  The boy pursed his lips and then said, "I wanted to see how much blood needs to be drained and preserved in the body from not killing someone. I got the books related to it."

  The physician started to laugh as if taking the boy's word to be nothing but humour.

  "Tristian used to get me the books home so that I could read them," the young boy completed his words.

  The young boy, even though he had been cared for. He hadn't been allowed to have all the privileges as his older half-brother had. School was something he only knew and had seen at a distance. But it was the governess who came to teach him at home, while the rest was something his half-brother taught him.

  The man stared at the boy for a few seconds more and then said, "How about you come with me and I will treat your wound so that it can heal sooner?"

  "Why? I don't have money," questioned the young boy, not knowing why the man was trying to offer him help. Even though he was young, his eyes narrowed at the physician, who was a stranger to him.

  "I will do it for free. I could use a young boy's company like you at my workplace and I have a lot of books, that is if it interests you. Maybe with a cup of tea?" offered the man, trying to be kind. The boy gave him a nod. "How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Tobin Trosney," he introduced himself.

  "Roman Moltenore," the boy introduced himself in return

  "Why don't you sit behind me on my bicycle, and I will take you there," said the man, and the young boy agreed and climbed on it.

  Reaching the physician's house, which was attached to where he worked, they stepped down from the bicycle, and Tobin parked it at the side. The young boy's eyes were still fixed on it as if he was fascinated with the way it worked.

  Tobin led him through the door, and the little corridor, before they came to stand in front of another door. He pushed the door and stepped inside, holding the door for the boy. The little boy noticed two men who were in there, working at the table. "This is where I usually work, helping injured people and other things. Take a seat. The books are in the next room, and you can take a look at it later."

  Once the physician finished treating the young boy's knee and forehead, the boy got up from his chair to take a look at the next room. As promised by the man, the room was filled with books on the three sides of the wall.

  "Feel free to come here any time and pick a book to read," said the physician.

  Hearing this, young Roman turned his head to look at the man and asked, "Can I take it home?"

  The man nodded his head, "Yes. Only that, after you are done reading it, I would like it to be returned here."

  The boy walked around the room, looking at the collections of the books and the names. He picked three books, "Thanks," said Roman, and he stepped out of the room.

  The physician stepped out, walking outside the house, and he saw the boy head in the direction of his house, carrying the three books related to medicine.? Same time, a young blonde girl neared the house and noticed her father looking ahead of him at the boy.

  "Who was that, father?" asked the girl, catching her father's attention.

  "Just a boy who needed a bit of help," Tobin fondly smiled at his daughter. He asked her, "How was school today, Olivia?" and the girl smiled.

  "You always ask me the same question, father," and Tobin held his daughter's hand, and together, they walked inside the house.

  As the days slowly passed into months and then to years, the young boy became a frequent visitor at Mr. Trosney's working place. Roman liked to see what the physician did and how it was to be done while sitting in the corner of the room. Sometimes the physician allowed him to take a look at what he was working on. The man taught Roman everything he knew, seeing potential in the boy, hoping one day he would come to work for him.

  But then Roman Moltenore was the Lord's son, who would end up working for his father with his elder brother.

  One of the days, when Roman was fifteen years old, he stepped inside the room, noticing the assistants had left and Mr. Trosney was alone in the room, and a dead person's body laid on the table.

  "What happened?" asked Roman. He came to stand next to the table, noticing a woman's body that looked pale as a ghost.

  Mr. Trosney adjusted the glasses on his nose. He took a close look at the body and said, "No one knows what happened to her. There's no bleeding or any bruise on the body."

  "Did she die because of an organ failure?" inquired Roman, as if he was ready to be a physician.

  "I will have to open her up and see if it is so," said Mr. Trosney, bringing the knives and scalpels to the table.

  Roman's eyes took a look at the body, keenly looking at the skin of the woman. Even though he was young, he had gotten used to seeing the bodies in here. He had read as many books as he could, swallowing the knowledge that it had to offer. He had spent his time with the books that prevented him from getting into brawls.

  He walked towards the head of the body, taking a look at the dead woman's eyes that had been closed, and then his eyes fell on two faint dots that were on the neck.

  "You should go back home as it's already late. Mrs. Moltenore wasn't happy when she found out that you were lingering here, when I am working," said Mr. Trosney, and Roman's eyes lifted to look at Mr. Trosney.

  "She worries for no reason," responded Roman and went to pick up the books that he had kept on the side. Mr. Trosney smiled at the boy. On his way, Roman met up with the physician's daughter, who informed him,

  "Maximus said he is going to visit today as you were here."

  "I will see him tomorrow," remarked Roman, carrying the books in his hand. He headed back towards the mansion.

  Returning to present, he noticed Julie reading what he had written. Things had changed in Veteris since the time he had first entered the town and until now. And it was going to change further once the Elders would wake up. Julie said,

  "You really know how to teach all the subjects that feel interesting," Julie looked up to meet his eyes. "I think this is the easiest chapter I have ever stumbled upon. You should turn into a teacher."

  "Others would disagree with that," the corner of Roman's lips lifted, and Julie raised her eyebrows.

  "Why do you say that?" asked Julie.

  "The last person I taught was Maximus and another boy. Let's just say someone ended up in the infirmary," said Roman, and he tapped his finger on the book. "Do you want to make notes?" he asked, knowing how Julie had the habit of making little notes in her book.

  Julie shook her head, "I will copy it from Melanie's notes or write it by myself after going through it again. Mel has the habit of making extra notes on top of the existing notes for my sake, even though I told her earlier this morning that she didn't have to do it for me. She's very kind."

  Roman gave her a nod and then said, "Let's continue with the lesson now. After that, I have somewhere else to take you."

  "Okay," agreed Julie, before her eyes went back to look at the book.

  The faint smile that was on Roman's lips until now disappeared. Only time would tell who was kind and who wasn't. A hunter's child siding with anyone other than the humans was often unheard of. One could only hope.

  After two more hours of studying, Julie finally packed her things in her bag, and she excused herself to visit the restroom. She was washing her hands and looking at her reflection in the mirror when she heard the voices of the two girls, who soon entered the room.

  "Did you see him look at me?" one of the girls giggled in glee.

  "I did, I think he heard you talk about him. I didn't even know a hot person was sitting in the diner, and we chose to sit on the other side," said the other girl, and she came to stand next to Julie. The girl pulled out her lipstick from her purse and applied it on her lips while looking at the mirror.

  In the meantime, Julie pulled out her cherry lip balm and applied it to her lips. She chapped her lips before looking at her reflection.

  "I should go and ask him out before he leaves. What do you think?" asked the first girl, and her friend shrugged her shoulders as if she didn't care.

  Julie didn't follow to see what was going to happen. She instead wet her finger and tamed her eyebrow to make it look darker. Taking in her appearance, she removed the sweater that she had been wearing.

  Fluffing her hair with both her hands while holding the sweater, she stepped out. The girl, who had left the restroom, was now speaking to Roman. He had left their booth and now stood in front of the counter.

  The girl said something to him, something that Julie wasn't able to hear. She saw Roman stare at the girl with disinterest. His eyes then shifted to look at Julie.

  The girl asked, "We can meet on Sunday if you aren't free tomorrow. What do you say?"

  Roman left the counter, walking towards where Julie stood, and he asked her, "All done?" Julie nodded her head, and she felt his hand come to pet the side of her hair as if smoothening her hair and said, "Let's go then."

  They started to walk towards the door.

  "I-Is that a no? You like this girl?" the girl pointed her finger at Julie. Though she didn't say anything more, she scoffed, looking at Julie up and down.

  "Cute, isn't she?" questioned Roman, his eyes shifting to look at Julie, who turned to look the other way because she had turned into the centre of the conversation.

  Slipping his hand into Julie's hand, Roman pulled her out of the diner, and they made their way where the motorcycle was parked. He finally let go of her hand, picking up the helmet.

  "You know you don't have to defend me. I don't care much about what they say," stated Julie, scrunching her nose with one of her eyes squinting before she smiled.

  "You don't care?" asked Roman, and she nodded her head. He raised his hand to her face, his finger touching her lips, and he said, "Is that why you decided to apply something on your lips and removed your sweater?"

  "That," said Julie pursing her lips and then said, "I care about what you think. I was trying to match you today, not them…" she cleared her throat.

  Roman shook his head, and Julie wondered why he did that. There was a faint smirk on his face, and he remarked, "You don't have to match me. I will take you mismatched with me too." Telling that, he put the helmet over her head.

  This time while sitting behind Roman, it felt less awkward, and Julie's hands slowly moved around to hold him. She heard the motorcycle start, and soon they left the diner behind them, where it turned smaller and smaller in vision until it completely disappeared behind them.

  Instead of closing her eyes like before, she watched the scenery. She noticed Roman take a left and not the right that the Veteris bus had travelled towards. This side of the area seemed to have continuous forest. After they rode for a good distance, she caught sight of something shimmering on the ground, realizing it was a lake, and behind it were mountains.

  Roman took a route inside the forest, and they continued to ride at a much slower speed because of the uneven path.

  For a moment, she was sure that Roman would stop near the lake to sit down and watch the beautiful scenery in peace. But he didn't stop there. Instead, he continued to ride until they reached a more spacious ground that had fewer trees.

  When they got closer, Julie noticed a few old and small buildings, broken and discoloured—covered in leaves and dust around them.

  "Where are we, Rome?" Julie asked him, her eyes taking note of the windows that had no window pane in them. Some that did have were broken.

  "This used to be a town, but for quite a few years, it has been left abandoned," said Roman, stopping the motorcycle, and both of them got down from it. Julie took off her helmet. "I have a few memories of mine here."

  This was the place where he once lived with his mother, a place that had scarce memories that he kept close to him.

  "Do you guys come here to have a bonfire?" questioned Julie.

  "No, I come here alone," replied Roman to Julie, who watched the ruins. "People moved away from this place. Going to the other towns, which is why it is like this."

  "I see," murmured Julie. They were surrounded by peace and quietness. With the motorcycle not making any sound, it felt like she could hear clearly. She was glad that she had eaten until her stomach was full because they had travelled for a very long time.

  "Let us take a walk," proposed Roman and Julie complied and started to walk next to him.

  "Can we take a look at the lake later? Before we leave?" asked Julie.

  "We can."

  Julie and Roman spent enough time with each other, walking around the forest and enjoying the quiet scenery while talking to each other. When the time neared evening, they decided to head back to Veteris before sitting near the lake.

  "There's still a bit more time. Stay," she persuaded Roman. They were already outside, and she had broken the rules, so spending a little bit more to look at the almost setting sun wouldn't be too bad, thought Julie to herself.

  Roman didn't mind, and he sat next to her, watching the colours of the sky that had softened. "Do you like the scenery?" he inquired, his head turning to look at her, and Julie nodded at him.

  "I love it," a beautiful smile broke through her lips. "My parents used to take me during holidays. To spend time together and to look at things around when I was small. But after sometime, they stopped it," a sigh escaped her lips. "What about you? How did you find out about this place?"

  "Because of my mother," said Roman, bringing his hand towards her head and weaving his fingers gently through her hair. "She's the reason I know this place."

  "That must be nice," replied Julie. When Roman spoke about his mother, there was a certain warmth in his voice, and it stood out because of his usual cold behaviour.

  After a while, they stood up and walked back to where the motorcycle had been parked. The sun was about to set, and Roman and Julie rode the motorcycle in the same speed as they had come here. The wind had turned cooler, and the day had been nothing but relaxing.

  By the time they reached Veteris, Julie was glad that the creepy watchman didn't stop them. It made her question how wealthy Roman was, that he had paid the watchman to let him in and out of this place.

  Roman stopped the motorcycle in front of the girl's Dormitorium. But he didn't leave. He stepped down after Julie. Clicking the straps to unlock the helmet, Julie removed and handed it back to him. She looked up at him, as their time together, outside Veteris had come to an end.

  Looking up at him, while holding her sweater in her hand, Julie said, "I had a lovely time today. Thank you."

  "I am glad you did. We should do this often," said Roman, tilting his head to the side with a smile.

  "Maybe on a non-class day," she smiled, staring back at him, and he gave her a nod.

  "We'll see," he replied. Stepping closer, he tucked her hair behind her ear. He placed his hand below her chin and looked at her. "I wish to keep you with me, forever."

  She felt her heart skip a beat, and when his face moved closer, someone called her.

  "Julianne?!"

  The spell around her broke, and hearing the familiar voice, she turned, and her face turned pale on seeing who stood in front of the girl's Dormitorium.