The Cardinal was still wearing his black wolf mask adorned with golden accents and hood from the earlier ceremony. While that hadn't changed, the rest of his attire had. He was now wearing black, leather shoulder armor that draped across his chest while being clipped together by two small golden buckles around the collar bone area. Underneath was a tight fitting gray renaissance button down with a belt cinched around her torso and black pockets partially dangling off to the side of his waste. His dark blue trousers, black gloves, and black boots helped to pull the whole image of him together.

But she couldn't shake the feminine feeling she was getting as she glanced up to meet the golden-amber eyes of the masked person above her. Those shining eyes seemed to suck her in to another dimension with no intention of ever letting her go. They were possesive.

She had been too far away to see them before but now that she could she shivered, feeling his gaze linger on her. Something from the depths of her very being was responding to that gaze and she didn't know what to do nor how to take it. Surely there was no reason for him to be possesive.

Her body felt like it was on fire and she bit her lip to stop any unbecoming noises from leaving her mouth. What the hell was going on with her body? She needed it to calm down!

She bowed on one knee while looking at the floor, not sure what else she should do. This was the respectful things to do in front of a monarch, right? This is what she read about, at least. But usually, those scenes happened in grand halls with a throne at the back, not a giant bedroom!

Caroline was wishing she could go back in time and ask Minerva what she was supposed to do. She was truly a country bumpkin, but here she was trying to at least make a good impression in front of the Cardinal. Her heart raced, from what she didn't know. It could be from anxiety, but this nervousness seemed to stem from something else. She really hoped she was doing this right.

"Rise, Caroline Woods. Welcome to Asura, your new home." Why did he have such a beautiful voice for a man? Most of them seemed to have more deep or gruff voices, but not him.

He offered her his gloved hand and she put her slender hand in his, but he didn't let it go. "You certainly made quite the impression for your first day. Even befriending one of our dragons." She couldn't think straight. Why was this voice so familiar? It seemed like the more he spoke the more feminine he sounded. His pitch was definitely changing.

Before she could register what was happening, he pulled her towards him, her green eyes widening in shock now that she was pressed tightly to his chest with his other arms around her, embracing her. Caroline's head was spinning trying to figure out what was happening, 'W-what… is this…' she asked herself before her face heated up even more.

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She hadn't even gotten used to his gaze yet, let alone touch, 'I-I'm not prepared yet!' It was so abrupt. While she had walked in, expecting something like this to happen, she hadn't expected her body's reaction to even the simplest of things.

Then, the smell of cinnamon and cedar entered her nose, making her recall the mystery person from before the ceremony. 'It couldn't be…' Caroline's heartbeat quickened and the Cardinal gave her a squeeze before finally letting go, causing her to feel a sense of relief but also a tinge of disappointment. Wait, disappointment?! Caroline was seriously starting to wonder if she was losing her sanity.

Before her thoughts could even begin to spiral, the Cardinal added, "I was happy to hear that you didn't forget me telling you about the Lapis Oleander in all of today's excitement."

Her already blushing face was practically blazing and her ears became hot.

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It really was the person from before! In Caroline's mind, she was trying to figure out why the mystery person's, otherwise known as the Cardinal Majesty of Asura, voice would sound familiar to her. Was the voice becoming more feminine or was it just her?

"T-the person from before?"

"That depends, which before are you referring to?" The question came off teasingly and Caroline suspected that there was a smirking face beneath the mask. Even the teasing was familiar. An ache began to spread in her chest. That voice was more feminine than before.

And somehow, she realized that no one here had used any type of pronoun for the Cardinal. Her mind raced as she poured over her most recent memories. This was driving her crazy. So crazy that she forgot that this person in front of her was supposedly a dangerous and powerful 'monster.'

Shakily, after a few silent moments in which she was trapped in her own mind, she asked her question before she could forget, "T-then… I have met you before?"

Instead of answering her, The Cardinal's hand moved towards the hood covering their face. The action had little to no urgency to it. Caroline couldn't calm her racing heartbeat as it got faster and faster.

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The hood came down, revealing dark, copper locks slipping down what seemed to be a slim neck. Slowly, so agonizingly slow that it felt as if time had slowed for this one moment as the black and gold wolf mask came off the Cardinal's face and she felt her knees weaken when she saw the peerless beauty underneath.

It shouldn't be possible. She should have been dead or turned into some sort of monster. Even the authorities at home had declared her dead, along with countless others.

Tears threatened to come to Caroline's eyes and a trembling whisper appeared on her lips, "A…va?"