When Athena opened her eyes, it was night. She had been unconscious for hours. Her throat was dry due to dehydration. Her body was in pain, she touched her forehead to check if she had fever. So hot, it was burning. She wondered if Clara was okay. She was thirsty, but she couldn't move an inch. 

"Cough"

Unexpectedly, the door creaked open, Mikhail entered with a grin, a glass of water in his hand. It was as if the devil descended into the mortal realm disguised as an angel. A glass of water in one hand and a gun in his pocket, he exuded a dark allure . Athena was already trapped inside his cage, a cage with no exit.

"My wife, are you feeling okay?" 

Mikhail asked Athena in a warm manner. Athena got goosebumps hearing that. She made the face of 'what the fuck are you playing now?' He came closer to her, sitting right next to her on the bed. 

Mikhail smirked, hiding the craziness in his gaze, 

Mikhail took her hand and placed a warm, soft kiss on her knuckles. 

"Drink some water first." 

Mikhail requested her like a caring husband.

"Why did you send Clara away?" 

Athena mumbled, drinking the water. 

"What? I didn't catch that." 

Mikhail inquired.

"It's nothing... you don't need t— "

"Don't need to what?" 

Mikhail asked, his cold eyes, penetrated deeply into her, the exact opposite of the 'caring husband' act he showed before.

"I just...wanted to know why you send Clara away?" 

Athena said, looking at him, remembering his words, 'never be fearful of me'. His eyes stared at Athena, she knew she could never lie to him, his intuition was always right on the spot. Everything about him was perfect, his flawless skin to his seamless life, everything that Athena once wanted to have, was already occupied by him.

"My parents are coming today from their business trip. They have their own servants with them, so, there is no need for Clara anymore while they are here."

From his expression, it seemed that he hated his parents.

"What? Your parents are coming?"

Athena asked at the top of her voice.

Mikhail, surprised, glancing Athena with a chuckle, asked,

"Why? Don't you wanna see your in-laws?"

Obviously, she didn't want to meet them, she could think just how dangerous would be the parents of a debonair devil, but she can't say that to Mikhail.

"I have never thought about seeing them so soon."

Athena defensed softly. 

"It's not soon, actually. They are quite late to meet their daughter-in-law considering I'm their only son now that Nathan is dead."

Mikhail declared in a lively tone.

"But I really don't want to meet the infamous 'Lady Dracula'"

 Athena carelessly uttered. 

Mikhail sat agog with his mouth slightly opened. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, I just accident—" 

After unwittingly claiming Mikhail's mother as a lady Dracula, she didn't know how he would kill her. 

"Puhaha!" 

Suddenly, she heard a laughter, Mikhail was laughing, placing his one hand on his mouth.

"You seriously called my mom, 'a lady Dracula', if she had heard it, you would have kicked the bucket already."

Mikhail laughed again and again. His laughing face should never be seen by public; Athena was sure girls would definitely go crazy over him. Maybe he didn't want others to see him laughing; that's why he had covered his mouth with his hand. 

"My mama is not bad as you think; but she is like me, so she can be a bit unpredictable. As for my papa, he is very gentle unlike both of us."

He seemed very happy while talking about his parents, just like an innocent person from an ordinary household.

"If you are thinking about why I made an annoying expression earlier, it was because I was wondering how you would converse with my mama if you don't even talk to me. My mama is a very spirited person and she likes people who is active."

He rambled on and on about his mom and dad, unlike his usual demeanor.

And the conversation went on. Mikhail cleared Athena's doubts one after another without her asking him to, he could read her like an open book.

"You need to get ready before they arrive, my mom is a perfectionist, so we need to clean up here a bit. Take your time."

Declaring that, Mikhail left the room. As he went out, he was smiling; honestly, she didn't know why he had been smiling, was it because his mom and dad were coming to see him or was there something else? What Athena understood from the conversation with Mikhail was that he was a mama's boy, he loved his mom and dad very much. 

On the previous day, she had encountered a dead body in the basement and now, she had to meet her scary in-laws, her heart had been racing non-stop after Mikhail's entry in her life. She wondered whether his parents would beat her up and treat her worse than an animal. She gulped. Even during her high school examination days had she never been like this, totally tired, anxious and panicked.