'Bright.'
'Too bright.'
A youth shielded his eyes from the harsh lights.
'A ring?'
He noticed a diamond ring on his finger; it looked exquisite and expensive.
'Why do I have a ring on my finger?'
His golden eyes had slightly adapted to the light.
'Caesar.'
He touched his hair, which was long and blonde; it was clean to the touch and soft.
'Is that my name?'
He squinted his eyes, trying to look around. He noticed that he was seated on a chair close to an exquisite wooden table which had books of all kinds on it. He looked at himself. He was wearing a thick brown leather coat; on his right hand was a diamond ring.
"Wasn't I somewhere else?" he muttered to himself.
He looked to his right. There, he saw a large bed; it was wide with black blankets and a brown canopy. On the bed was a figure sleeping.
'A person?'
Caesar tilted his head, looking at who was lying in his bed.
'Lady Ariana.'
A name soon came to mind. His memories were slowly coming back.
'Lady Ariana is the daughter of the Pope, is she not?'
He stroked his chin, his ring shining.
'I'm supposed to marry Lady Melissa—that is what this ring is for.'
He looked at the lady lying on his bed again; this time, his golden eyes held a sharp light.
'Isn't the act of another woman on my bed adultery?'
He stood up from his chair, fully adapted to the lighting. He glanced at the bright candles around his room.
'How can candles be this bright?'
He walked up to his bed. Once he was close, he saw that the figure was indeed a woman. She seemed to be naked, with her white skin exposed; she had clean, long brown hair. Her eyes were closed; she was deep asleep, unaware of being watched.
'It is Lady Ariana, the Pope's daughter.'
He raised his finger and glanced at his ring.
'I remember now. I had taken a liking to Lady Ariana, not Melissa. It seems that I let my lust get the better of me and slept with her.'
Most of his memories had fully come back. However, it was like there was something hidden in a thick layer of fog.
'What should I do now?'
Adultery was a big "no," especially with the Pope's daughter, who was supposed to be pure. But for now, he had to continue this act, as he had a goal to achieve.
Caesar walked to where a mirror was and looked at himself in the reflection. He had long blonde hair and unique golden eyes; he had quite an appealing appearance. His leather coat complemented his hair, giving him the look of a refined noble—well, he was a noble. His most charming feature was his golden eyes; such an eye color was extremely rare.
'She should be pregnant by now,' Caesar thought while watching Ariana sleep.
A swift sound of a door opening was heard. Looking at where the sound came from, he saw a woman standing at the door. She had long blonde hair and black eyes; she was wearing a long brown dress.
'Lady Melissa.'
Once Melissa abruptly entered, she glanced at the bed, and there she saw Ariana sleeping. She just looked at her with an unchanging look. Caesar looked at her; she looked back at him, but her expressions were hard to read.
"Morning, Lady Melissa," Caesar said, his tone flat.
"Morning, Sir Caesar," she said, then added, "Couldn't you have waited a few days to sleep with her?"
Caesar looked at her, thinking of an answer, then spoke.
"Yes, I could have waited if my soon-to-be wife was present and not doing whatever secretive things she does."
"Sir Caesar—"
Before she finished talking, Caesar interrupted: "Address me as Lord."
"Lord Caesar, I'm not stopping you from meeting with her. However, if you do it so openly, you'll be found out," Melissa said, then added, "If you're found out, you know the consequences won't be pleasant."
Since she started talking, Melissa maintained a calm voice.
"Sure, I'll take that into consideration," Caesar said, then asked, "How is the research going?"
"It's going quite well. I'll send you the results by nightfall," Melissa said while walking towards Caesar.
"I see. I'll await your results," Caesar said while watching Melissa approach him. Soon she was mere meters from him.
"My Lord, may I request something from you?" she asked while looking into Caesar's golden eyes.
"Yes, what is it?" Caesar responded while staring back at her, not avoiding eye contact.
"I need funding for the project," Melissa said.
"If you need funds, you'll have to wait until I receive my payments from Father," Caesar said.
Both were close to each other, looking into each other's eyes. Caesar was used to such behavior; Melissa was just the type to enjoy looking into people's eyes while talking to them.
"Thank you for considering my request, my Lord," Melissa said, her voice softening.
"You should leave together with Ariana," Caesar said, then added, "If you two are seen, use the excuse that she prayed for the both of us and slept in your quarters."
Melissa looked at the sleeping girl then nodded her head slightly.
"Okay, I can do that." She looked back at Caesar and spoke: "Is there anything else you need?"
"No, that's all for now," Caesar replied.
Once he did, Melissa moved close to him until there were mere inches between them and threw herself onto his chest.
"Sorry for not being with you right now," Melissa said. Her voice strangely caused something in Caesar's heart to move.
"It's okay. I know you're busy. I'm also sorry for my frequent nights with Ariana," Caesar said, his voice softening as he spoke.
"It will all be over soon. Things will go back to normal, right?" Melissa said, looking up at Caesar with her black eyes. She had a faint smile on her face.
"Yes, it will soon be over," Caesar replied.
They didn't talk too loudly, so the sleeping girl wasn't woken up.