She’s been avoiding me.

It’s not that I haven’t seen her at all. We live under the same roof—albeit it’s a big roof—so we’re bound to cross paths.

Some mornings, I see her at the garden, but she always disappears as soon as I get there.

I also see her every night at dinner, but she always leaves as soon as she puts down her utensils—which she’s not using correctly, by the way—and wipes her lips.

Just watching her at the other end of the dinner table is torture. The way her full lips move, and the curves of her body that I know are hidden below the table… My imagination goes wild at dinner time.

It’s probably a good thing I’m usually too busy working in my office to also have lunch in the dining room.

I’ve been letting her avoid me as much as she wants for the past three days.

She’s probably still disoriented from living somewhere other than her family home, so maybe she needs some time to adjust to her new life. Besides, I did tell her she could do as she wants while she’s here, and I’m a man of my word.

But I also told her that I’d claim her virgin body for myself, and I fully intend to make that happen.

She’s had enough respite from me. What happened in the garden on her first morning tells me that I can break through her defenses. Now the time has come for us to pick things up where we left off that morning.

I raise my hand up to the door. Albert has told me that she’s been hiding out in her room all day. Well, if she’s not coming out to see me, then I’m going in to find her.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Waiting at the door, I hear some rustling inside. She’s definitely in her bedroom, which is great. This palace being as big as it is, sometimes it’s difficult to keep track of where everyone is.

How long is she going to keep me waiting, though?

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I hear footsteps, light and dainty, get closer. Finally, the door cracks open and her head pops out.

Her long, honey-brown hair seems a little messy, like she has just gotten out of bed and ran her fingers through her hair to make it presentable. Her eyes, which are already big, widen when she sees me.

“Morning, Rosemary,” I greet her.

“Uh, morning, Sir,” she says softly, obviously unprepared to see me, which is good. There’s no time for her to come up with a plan to escape my company when she hasn’t been expecting me.

“You seem surprised. Were you expecting someone else?” I ask, less because I actually think she’s waiting for anyone in particular, and more because I want her to know that I’ve noticed her unease.

“No, Sir. It’s just… usually only Albert knocks on my door,” she says as she pulls the door open a little wider. She’s wearing another dress—probably something she took from the wardrobe. The blue fabric hugs her curves beautifully. I should compliment whoever prepared the clothes in the guests’ bedrooms.

“Speaking of Albert,” I say, “he told me you’ve been locking yourself in your bedroom and refusing his offers to take you on a tour around the palace.”

“Um, yeah.” She pauses. “I, uh, I’m usually always working when I’m at home, so I’ve been catching up on my rest.”

“I see. Well, it’s the weekend and I have some free time, so I’ll show you around.”

“Oh, no, there’s no need. I’m perfectly fine. Thanks for the offer, Sir.”

“Who said it was an offer?” I take a step forward, closing the gap between us. Trapping her gaze, I say, “It’s an order, Rosemary.”

Panic flashes in her eyes, but not before I spot her cheeks growing red, and hear her breath catching in her throat. She’s aroused. She parts her lips now, but no words come out.

“I have something to show you. Something I know you’re going to like.”

“What is it?” she asks. At first, she seems relieved to have finally found her words again. Then, she realizes her voice sounds more high-pitched than usual, and a look of alarm descends on her face. She knows that I’m aware of how nervous I’m making her.

It’s so interesting to watch the changes in her expression when she’s flustered, and I love knowing that it’s me bringing her to such a state.

“You’ll have to come with me to find out.” The corners of my lips tug up and I add, “Unless you want to stay here in your bedroom and just come. We can do that, too.”

Her lips part and she sucks in a sharp breath. Her eyes darken as her pupils dilate. The knuckles on her hand on the door have turned white.

Yeah, she knows what I’m talking about. And she has no idea how to respond.

She’s realizing that it’s been a while since I stopped talking. Now she’s scrambling inside her own mind, trying to find the right words to say.

But she knows it’s too late now. I’ve already noticed the tell-tale signs of her lust.

I already know that something deep inside her compels her to obey me. I know because it’s the same beast inside me that forces me want to control and dominate women.

I need to use a woman’s body for my own pleasure, and she needs a man to submit to, so she can derive pleasure from the knowledge that she has given him pleasure.

We’re two sides of the same coin. We belong together.

But she’s not ready to admit it yet.

“Fine, I’ll go with you,” she says, putting on an unconvincing angry tone.

“Good.”

Her gaze flicks away, and she steps outside into the hallway in unnecessary haste. Pulling the door closed behind her, she asks, “Where are we going?”

As we walk side by side down the wide hallways, Rosemary maintains a distance of at least three feet from me.

It irritates me that she’d stay that far away from me. But at the same time, she obviously doesn’t trust herself to get any closer, which can only mean that I’m winning.

I take her the long way, telling her all about the men who built this palace, about the kings of the past who used to spend their days here in times of war, and about the people who work here despite the fact that they’d have to spend months at a time away from their families.

Even now, the staff members of Ardglass Palace only get to go home every few months. They also have to keep the details of their work a secret. But we’ve never had any shortage of people to fill the job vacancies here.

I show her the grand ballroom and turn on all the lights. I tell her that my mother used to invite her friends to parties here.

My mother was really creative about keeping the location a secret. Once, she made up a murder mystery game that started with all the guests taking sleeping pills and waking up in a strange, secret ballroom.

Rosemary tells me about her family. Her father worries so much about money that he always needs a sleeping pill to rest at night. She’s always the one to wake him up in the morning when he’s home, and he often oversleeps when he travels for work.

This is going according to plan. She’s letting her guard down.

And now, for the pièce de résistance.

As soon as I open the door, her jaw drops.

As if she has forgotten I’m even here, she walks inside, her steps echoing in this yawning space. Her head hasn’t stopped turning. It’s like she doesn’t even know where to look first.