The farm was calmer than the king’s palace.
The buildings were smaller, built from stone and wood instead of marble and gold.
Tall trees surrounded the land, and the wind carried the scent of grass instead of perfume.
There were no nobles arguing in corners, no endless talk of borders and war.
Work here followed a simple rhythm.
Evryn felt relief the moment she arrived.
Her promotion had come with the transfer.
Brinna had been named head maid, and Evryn had taken Brinna’s former position.
It meant more responsibility, but less physical strain.
She no longer had to rush across grand halls carrying trays for men who barely looked at her.
Here, her work would be organizing, supervising, keeping order.
Brinna was glowing with pride.
Ray walked beside them, smiling and speaking about the extra salary and how quickly they could save money now.
Evryn listened and nodded, allowing herself to imagine a quieter future.
The Farm felt like a second chance.
That feeling shifted when the new servant arrived.
The carriage that brought him was simple, without royal symbols.
No one reacted strongly when a vampire stepped down.
Humans and vampires worked together often while the borders remained open.
It was not unusual to see them share duties in estates like this.
Still, Evryn noticed him immediately.
It was not because he was a vampire.
It was the way he walked.
His steps were measured and steady, not careful like someone new.
He did not look around in curiosity.
He did not hesitate.
He moved as if the ground already belonged to him.
When he lifted his head, sunlight struck his eyes.
They were silver, that was rare.
The maids near the well began whispering softly, unable to hide their interest.
They murmured about his height, the sharp line of his jaw, the way his dark hair fell carelessly over his forehead.
One of them giggled under her breath and nudged another.
“He looks perfectly shaped,” someone whispered.
Evryn heard them.
She did not join but studied him instead.
He stood straight without effort, shoulders squared, chin slightly lifted.
Even in plain servant clothing, he carried himself like someone who had never been ordered by anyone in his life.
There was pride in him….a quiet pride, the kind that believed it was above others without saying it aloud.
The overseer cleared his throat and gestured toward Evryn.
“This is Auren, he will work under you,” he announced.
“You will train him.
He will assist you.”
A small silence followed.
Evryn looked at the vampire fully now, she disliked that immediately.
“I don’t need an assistant,” Evryn said, her voice projecting across the open yard.
The Overseer leaned against a stone pillar, unmoved.
“It is an order, Evryn.
Not a suggestion.”
“Alright then,” she gestured toward the man behind her.
“I want Ray to be my assistant.
Not him.”
The Overseer’s expression hardened.
“You accept the assignment as given, or you lose your job.
There is no third option.”
Evryn’s jaw tightened.
She looked at the vampire, then back at the Overseer, her pride flaring.
“Then I don’t want this job anymore.”
She turned on her heel, her boots crunching loudly on the gravel.
Ray and Brinna exchanged a panicked look before hurrying after her toward the farm gates.
Behind them, Auren hissed a low curse into the wind.
“Damn that girl…
she’s going to make things a thousand times worse.”
They had nearly reached the edge of the grounds when Ray caught her arm, his voice a frantic whisper.
“Evryn, stop.
Think for a second.
You will never find another post with coins this good, and you know how badly we need them.”
Evryn froze, her eyes squeezed shut as the cold breeze bit at her cheeks.
The reality of their situation fought against her instinct to walk away.
Finally, she exhaled a sharp breath and turned back, marching across the grass toward the Overseer.
“I do not wish to work with him,” she said evenly, her voice steady despite the eyes on her.
“If he grows bored, he might decide my neck is convenient.”
A ripple of light laughter drifted through the fresh air from the nearby guards, but Evryn didn’t join in.
Her eyes never left the vampire’s silver gaze.
His gaze moved to her slowly.
It did not wander.
It did not flicker.
“I would rather die,” he said, his voice as cool as the mountain wind, “than taste your blood.”
The words were steady, but they had a sharp edge.
She saw it then…resentment.
It was as if the idea of her blood actually insulted him.
He looked at her like she was beneath his notice, as if this job were a punishment he had to suffer through.
She hated that look.
Evryn crossed her arms and tilted her head.
“If this job offends you so much,” she said, “you are free to ask for a different one.”
His jaw tightened, just a little.
“I will do my duty,” he replied.
The words were correct, but his tone was all wrong.
It wasn’t the voice of a helper; it sounded like a threat wrapped in a promise, cold and heavy as iron.
“Good,” Evryn snapped “Then try to keep up.
I don’t have time to wait while you feel sorry for yourself.”
The maids were still whispering behind her.
They were admiring his appearance, his build, his quiet presence.
Evryn felt irritation rise at their softness.
She let her lips curve slowly.
It was not a kind smile.
Sharp and dangerous.
In that moment, Evryn decided she would break his pride.
She would make him bend to the work.
She would make him understand what it meant to stand among humans and not above them.
“You begin with water duty,” she said lightly.
“You will carry enough for the entire kitchen.
Alone.”
She watched his reaction carefully.
He did not protest.
He did not argue.
But she saw something flash in his silver eyes before it vanished.
Standing only a few steps from her, the pain inside Auren’s chest had softened.
The sharp pressure that had tormented him for two days eased into something manageable.
Proximity steadied the spell.
Yet her words struck deeper than the magic had.
He felt the insult clearly.
It was not because of the task, but because of the way she looked at him.
She despised him already, and he had not even spoken more than one sentence.
The Overseer gestured toward the carriage.
“Take your belongings,” he told the vampire.
“Ray will show you the male servants’ quarters.”
Ray stepped forward.
He forced a polite smile and nodded toward the path leading behind the main building.
“This way,” he said.
Auren walked back to the carriage and retrieved a single leather bag.
It was simple and plain, fitting his disguise.
He carried it easily over one shoulder and returned toward the courtyard.
As he passed beside Evryn, something caught him off guard.
Her scent.
It reached him before he could stop himself from noticing it.
It was soft.
It was not a heavy perfume like noblewomen wore.
It was something natural and light…the scent of her skin, like flowers.
It lingered gently.
He slowed for the smallest moment.
His eyes closed briefly before he stopped the reaction.
The spell inside his chest responded immediately, tightening softly as if approving of the closeness.
He continued walking without looking at her again.
The male rooms were simple.
Wooden beds stood against stone walls with small chests at the foot of each one.
A narrow window overlooked the woods.
Ray pushed open the door and stepped inside first.
“You will sleep here,” Ray said, gesturing toward an empty bed near the far wall.
His tone was faintly possessive, as if he were protecting his territory.
Auren stepped inside without hesitation.
He placed his bag down carefully and glanced around the room.
It was modest, far beneath the chambers he had left behind.
He did not react outwardly.
Ray watched him closely.
“You understand the rules here?
We rise early.
We work hard.
No special treatment.”
Auren met his gaze evenly.
“I require none,” he replied.
Ray seemed unsatisfied but had nothing else to say.
After a moment, he turned and left.
When the door closed, silence settled over the room.
Auren remained standing for a while.
He allowed himself to think, and he saw her again in his mind.
Up close, her beauty had surprised him.
It was not crafted for attention; it was softer.
Her brown hair fell naturally around her shoulders, and her hazel eyes carried warmth, even when her expression was sharp.
Her features were delicate, almost gentle.
She looked like someone who should speak softly and avoid confrontation.
But she did not.
Her personality was the opposite of her appearance.
She appeared soft, yet she was not.
Her beauty was not what unsettled him; it was the contrast.
It was the way softness hid steel, and how a smile could turn dangerous within seconds.
He exhaled slowly.
He understood now that the humiliation he had chosen would not be gentle.
She was nothing like he had expected, and that unsettled him more than magic ever could.
For the first time since the ceremony, he felt something else stir beneath the spell.
Not pain, but anticipation.
Auren steadied himself and told his mind to stay under control.
This was something new…strangely refreshing after centuries of routine.
In the end, it would be a simple exercise.
He only needed patience.