For a moment Paul looked as much stunned as he did crestfallen, though he seemed to recover from this quickly. Almost immeadiatly he pulled his arm back from Amelia and assumed a tense military stance.
"Yes my Lord, certainly" he answered curtly with a blank expression.
Paul didn't give her a second look before he turned from her and left them.
As he walked away Amelia stared at his back while trying to make sence of what had just happened. She felt like she'd been doused in freezing cold water. In only a moment Paul had turned in to what seemed like a different person, and Dario...
"You should have gone back without me."
Darios tired groan turned Amelias attention back to him. She could tell he was still angry though he seemed to try to hide it from her.
"I'll walk you back" he said and held out his arm. He did not look at her.
Amelia hesitated. A part of her did not want to go with him, however she ended up taking his arm anyway.
Neither of them said anything as they walked through the dark corridors that seemed to be never ending. Amelia was to preoccupied with her thoughts to be bothered by the heavy silence that loomed over them.
This side of Dario felt compeltely unfamiliar to her, with an intimidating bearing and eyes filled with rage. For one moment she'd barely even recognised him.
No, it had not been completely unfamiliar. This was how she had seen him on the night that they had first met. Letely she had forgotten how she'd ever been afraid of him but it seemed like she had finally been reminded.
Was this what feeling was: fear?
No, most of all Amelia was angry.
When her steps suddenly came to a halt he stoped as well. Amelia could feel his eyes on her but she didn't look at him.
"That was uneccessary" she said.
He didn't answer which only aggravated her more.
"Is that how you act towards all your subordinates? He did nothing wrong and yet you spoke to him like that, before even hearing him out."
Amelia hid her trembling hands in her dress. Her body signaled to her to keep quiet like she always did. But she did not want to stay quiet. She was overcome with disappointment that she couldn't contain, not sure whether it was at him for acting like every other noble she'd met or at herself for expecting different.
She took a breath and gathered herself.
"Do you view your men as beneath you, is that it?"
Her eyes started to sting and she bit her cheek in irritation. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat and hoped that he wouldn't notice in the dark.
It seemed like her effort was in vain. Dario layed his hand on her cheek and softly brushed a tear from under her eye with his thumb. At first she wanted to slap his hand away, but when she met his eyes she hesitated.
"I'm sorry" Dario said.
His face no longer carried any anger, rather he looked exhaused and regretful.
"You're right, I was out of line. I'll apologize to him tomorrow."
Amelia didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry to you as well. I don't want to admit it but I'm sure that my men are used to this by now. But you only just..."
He layed his hand over his eyes and scoffed.
"Sorry, I'm an idiot. Just let me take you back to your room and I'll leave you be."
She took his arm once again, without hesitation this time. As her mind was slowly making sense of it all her anger started to subside. Dario was not acting like himself. She had not seen him like this during the entire time that she'd known him.
"Are you alright" she eventually asked him. Her curt tone did not reflect the concern she was truly feeling.
"Something has happened, has it not" she followed.
"Nothing that excuses me being an ass" he answered with a tired smile.
Amelia squeezed his arm and shot him an irritated look.
"It's nothing that you should worry about tonight."
"Will you really not tell me" Amelia questioned.
"If you want to know I'll tell you tomorrow" he assured her. "But not tonight."
Despite finding his silence on the matter vexing Amelia didn't probe into it further. She understood his reason for not wanting to tell her without him having to say it.
Dario was a man who sincerily apologized and who refused to share bad news on the night of her birthday.
The thought of this seemed to instantly extinguish the last bit of anger that she still carried.
When they reached her room and Dario wished her a somewhat somber goodnight Amelia found that she did not want him to leave. It was funny how she could be so angry with him one moment and not want to part from him the next.
"You could stay" she said when he pulled back his arm.
"That's would be what's expected, wouldn't it" she added in an attempt to gloss over the indecent suggestion that she'd thoughtlessly blurted out.
"Yeah, you're right. But not tonight. I'm not feeling quite myself. I might do something that you won't like."
"What do you..."
Amelia paused. Only now did she realise it. Dario hadn't just been angry before, but jealous as well.
He sighed with a weary smile on his lips and squeezed her hand in his. Then he let go and turned to leave, but Amelia stopped him by taking hold of his sleeve.
It couldn't be drunken courage since she felt almost completely sober. However, all her worries from earlier that night had somehow vanished.
"I don't think you would. Do something that I won't like I mean" she said.
"I just did."
"But you feel regretful."
"I am not a good person Amelia. What I feel doesn't fix that."
"I think you are a good person."
"You don't know me enough to say that."
"I know enough" Amelia insisted.
Dario didn't look convinced.
"You're a better man than most that I've met. The men I have known trample on those beneath them without a care. You were being an ass, but you do care."
Dario took a step towards her, seemingly expecting her to move back. But Amelia stood her ground.
"I am cold hearted. Possessive. A killer. The only reason you don't know that is because I've been holding myself back."
He took another step towards her.
"You deserve better" he stated, so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face.
Perhaps he was right. Maybe this wasn't just a bad night, but how Dario really was. Maybe the reasonable thing for her to do was to do what he wanted her to and push him away.
Instead Amelia raised her chin and shifted her weight to her tipstoes, placing a soft kiss on his lips.