Kieran's lips lingered on her forehead for a long time as he kissed her, pouring out all his love and longing for her as well as the guilt that had accumulated over time in his heart. He caressed her forehead, pushing away the strands of hair that had fallen over her face and took in her exquisite features.
"You look as beautiful as ever, darling." He mumbled softly, letting out a blissful and contented smile. "I have waited for you all these years that it drove me mad. I often lost control of my desire to kill the people who separated you from me. But I stopped myself, for I know you would like to deal with them yourself."
He leaned forward until his nose was touching her neck where the vein was and he took a deep sniff. Kieran's eyes darkened, his blood lust coming back to him. "You smell divine, darling, as always and I wish to taste your delicious blood. But no, I will not do it, not now, at least." He muttered in resolution and caressed her cheek.
"I will wait for you, Irene, as I did the last few years. I will wait for you and I promise it will only be for a few days. After the Winter festival, you will be mine forever." He promised and kissed her forehead again.
Though Kieran wanted to stay with the love of his life, his time was ending soon. Soon, the people around him and Irene would wake from their sleep. His spell on them would be broken and they would return to their everyday lives with no memories of anything else.
"I need to leave now. Please wait for me, dear. Then, we will get back to how we were before." Kieran laid her back on the ground, ensuring he did not hurt her before his eyes fell on the stole covering her neck. The beautiful color combination of the stole looked incredible on his girl, and he immediately removed it, taking it as a souvenir until he got together with her.
"I will take this with me, sweetheart. This will remind me of you and keep me sane." Kieran sighed deeply as he gazed at her lovingly before he vanished from the spot. In the next instant, he returned to his original place where he had been with Seymour before he cast a spell on the people around him.
A few moments passed and he waited for the dead crowd around him to wake up. One by one, his subjects started to gain consciousness. But Kieran's eyes were trained in the direction where he had seen Irene. Even though he could not see where she was, he could sense her presence as he had fixed his mind and his keenness on her.
Audible murmurs broke out around him and all he could hear was the people's confusion. They were wondering how they had fallen unconscious all of a sudden and the thought that not one or two but the entire crowd falling asleep at once sent them into a mad frenzy.
Kieran waited until everyone was awake before he closed his eyes and snapped his fingers again. The next instant, the people stopped speaking and returned to what they were doing before they were put to sleep. It was as though nothing had happened to them at all this while.
Kieran closed his eyes, and the next time he opened them, they had returned to the color of his hair. Then, taking a deep breath, he turned to Seymour, who had an absent-minded look as he stared ahead. His confusion was evident on his face and Kieran had the sudden urge to laugh at the cute old man.
"Is something the matter, Seymour?" He questioned from beside, his voice startling the old man. He watched his hand jump to his chest as he patted it down.
"Your Majesty," Seymour took a deep breath to calm himself down. Only he knew how frightened he had been when he had heard his King's voice from beside him.
"If there is nothing else, shall we proceed?" Kieran did not allow him to reply and started walking in the direction where he had left Irene after making a promise to her. He was determined to watch her silently until she returned home. He had been looking for this opportunity for a long time and wished to cherish it with his dear life.
He held the stole in his hand, running his hand over the soft clothing before placing it in his coat's inner pocket. He did not even wait for Seymour to catch up, his long legs hurrying in the direction where he had last seen Irene. Kieran only breathed in relief when he saw her looking around her in confusion.
Unlike those around her, who seemed normal and perfectly fine, she looked perturbed. It was as though something was bothering her and Kieran just wanted to run to her and comfort her. But he stopped himself in time.
Kieran stayed where he was while his ears were already on the conversation that was taking place in front of him.
"What happened here?" He heard his Irene speak and his eyes narrowed in surprise.
'Does she know what happened to her a moment ago? Does she remember everything?' He wondered to himself. But his thoughts broke when he heard Seymour panting behind him before he questioned him as he let out deep breaths.
"What are we doing here, Your Majesty?"
"Observing." Kieran just answered in one word and before he turned around and placed his finger on his lip, sending out his order to Seymour silently. And the stunned old man just nodded his head, too terrified to disobey his King and his orders.
Kieran again focused on Irene, whose frown had not left her face.
"What happened, Milady?" The girl behind her, who he assumed was her maid, asked her as she started looking around, following Irene.
"How did we fall unconscious all at once?" Her question not only stunned the people she was with but Kieran was also stupefied. He had never expected Irene to have remembered everything that had transpired a few moments ago before she was forced to sleep by him.
"What happened after that?"
His spell had only worked partially on her. She had fainted just like everyone else. But she had not forgotten about it, unlike everyone else.
