With a jolt, her room door swung open and she jumped in surprise, her eyes widening as they landed on Andrie, his face twisted in a scowl as he stood near the door.
“If you want to ask something, ask me. Don’t interrogate some maid outside the door,” he said sharply, glaring at her.
Her lips tightened into a thin line at his tone and words. She really disliked being controlled in any way. But in front of that Andrie, she couldn’t move. “I’m just asking. No harm done,” she replied, her voice tinged with annoyance.
Andrie raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased with her tone. “Don’t use that tone with me, Azora.”
“Can’t you just leave? I didn’t ask for your presence here, and besides, I’m your prisoner. You shouldn’t be visiting this room. It’s too small for both of us!”
Andrie fell silent for a few seconds before wordlessly exiting the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Azora grimaced and sank back onto her bed.
Less than an hour ago, she had been full from the dining table, but now all her energy seemed drained after arguing with that man. She didn’t want to see or argue for now because she was preoccupied with thinking about her plan. She had thought of something, but she wasn’t sure if it would be effective, especially since she had seen the mansion closely guarded inside and out. Esma and Andrie were also keeping an eye on her movements.
She stood up in surprise as the door suddenly opened again, and the surly Andrie entered. She involuntarily stiffened at his presence. “Didn’t I tell you-”
“Out,” was all he said before exiting the door.
She was confused but complied. As she stepped out of the room, she saw him striding down the hallway. She hurriedly followed and frowned. “Where are we going?” she asked. She glanced around and noticed they were heading towards Andrie’s room.
“You’re changing rooms,” he stated as he stopped at a room beside his. She also halted and looked puzzled at the closed grey door. “This will be your new room,” Andrie said before opening the door. He gestured for her to follow. She complied.
Upon stepping inside, a blast of cool air greeted her cheeks. She hugged herself and glanced around. The room was spacious with blue walls and ceiling. The bed, blanket, and pillows were white, while the floor was brown wooden tiles. An air cooler hung above the door, making her shiver upon entry. The window pane was shut with a blue curtain hanging as decoration. A door at the corner seemed to lead to the bathroom, and another at the foot of the bed led to a walk-in closet.
The room was beautiful. It seemed larger than the one she had been in the past few days. It also looked lighter with blue as the dominant color, unlike the previous room which was grey and dull. It was more spacious, so she could walk around without bumping into the hard walls. It smelled of roses due to the scent of freshly picked roses in a flower vase on the bedside table.
Andrie seemed to have prepared the room.
“Do you like it?” he asked after noticing her sigh.
She looked at him and saw him looking at her too. Their eyes met, and she held her breath. Her eyes sparkled, and her eyebrows furrowed. “What are you doing?” she asked.
He frowned at her question. “Don’t you want to move? Do you prefer staying in that old room?” he asked, his voice tinged with mockery.
Azora became even more confused by his behavior. He wasn’t the type to be kind to her. What happened? She wasn’t sure if she could trust his behavior or his tone of voice.
“It’s just strange. Why are you doing this? Does your father know?” she asked, crossing her arms.
He kept his lips shut and clenched his fists. “Just stay here,” he said and turned away.
Just as he was about to open the door to leave, she hurried after him and grabbed his hand. She felt him pause and shortly after, he turned to look at her. Being taller than her, she had to look up to meet his gaze. His expression remained unchanged. It was still cold.
She swallowed and let go. “Tell me… Andrie.”
For a few seconds, their gazes lingered. She noticed him looking down at her neck. She furrowed her brows and lowered her gaze. There was nothing unusual about her body. She raised her gaze again but Andrie was no longer in front of her. She realized Andrie was standing behind her. He suddenly grabbed her waist and gently pushed her towards the door. She gasped in surprise.
Her front pressed against the door and before she could turn around, she felt Andrie’s hand on her shoulder, pressing her slightly against the door. She bit her lip and struggled to look at the man from the corner of her eye.
“L-let go,” she struggled to say.
She wasn’t hurt by what he did. It was just gentle. But her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn’t help but grimace and catch her breath. And because he was preventing her from turning around, she found it even harder to breathe. She thought about the various possibilities of what he would do to her, especially since they were alone in that room.
“A-Andrie…”
He brought his mouth close to her ear. She heard his faint chuckle. “Why are you purring like a cat, Azora?” he asked.
It was then that she realized how weak her voice was. She sighed again. She couldn’t understand why she responded that way to what he was doing to her at the door. She hissed in irritation. “Let me go!” she shouted.
Her blood boiled even more at what he said. No. Why did she succumb to what he was doing? She knew his brother’s twin wasn’t polite. What happened? What changed? She wasn’t sure if she could trust what he was doing or the tone of his voice.