207 vi. Lifeless
She sighs as she took another sip of the rose tea prepared by the crown prince earlier. It has gone cold but she sipped it ever so slowly, trying to make the tea-filled cup last until his return.
She looked outside the window and wondered how she could be so at peace in her situation. She has just been kidnapped by his royal highness, she tried to remind herself.
It must be partially attributed to the fact that her abductor, the crown prince himself, has been on his best behavior during this time.
She wasn’t forced into anything except his dizzying, mind-blowing, sensational kisses. She pressed her thumb against her lips, tracing the velvet-like petals that have been subjected to his frequent assaults.
She thought her lips would go numb just from how often he has been kissing her. Torrid, almost violent kisses that always result in her feeling warm all over.
Curses. The crown prince is even more despicable than she first thought. If not, then how was he able to confuse her feelings this much?
Whenever he would leave her side, she feels her heart aching so badly that she could sometimes convince herself... she miss him, in his all entirety.
The perfect smile that seems to adorn his handsome face so easily nowadays. The deep baritone of his voice would say the sweetest lies that make her heart beat faster than she would like.
And those golden eyes that look at her with such mischief or turn their shade to a murky gold whenever passion strikes. Or the way...
.....
The way that part of him would feel under her as he held her tightly on his lap. Just feeling the hard evidence of his desire made her underwear damp.
Fuck this. Fuck this all. She must have lost her mind. Somewhere somehow during this period of her being kept by his side... she must have had her sanity chipped away bit by bit.
Just when she thought she wouldn’t be able to deal with herself any longer, she would hear abrupt knocks on the door.
She tried to fight the anticipation but she was unable to stop herself from rushing to the door. She opened the door with the enthusiasm of a lover waiting for her beloved.
But instead of the golden eyes that looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world, she was met by calm blue eyes from what appeared to be a very charming man.
“A pleasant afternoon to the princess,” were the first words that came from his lips.
The shot of silver almost blinded her before she would be left in awe as she realizes it was the natural coloring of his hair. The man indeed is quite captivating.
“I’m sorry. Who might you be?” she hope she didn’t sound rude. But what does one say after being greeted by a complete stranger?
“Ahhhh, my apologies. I am the humble representation of the king’s magistrate. Malavar at your service, your highness,” she was shocked when the man took her hand in his and pressed a kiss on the back of it.
She knew it was customary to be greeted this way among the elites, but what surprised her was how cold his hands and lips were.
It terrified her so that she jolted her hand away from his hold, earning a chuckle from the man as if he has been amused by her reaction.
“I’m sorry. It’s just, your hands are so cold. Is everything alright?” she rubbed her hands together, still feeling the chill even seconds from the contact.
“It must be because of the weather your highness. Who knew it would be raining this much,” the stranger said as her eyes took note of his wet clothing.
“Oh! Forgive me so, kind sir. I simply didn’t realize you are soaking wet,” she felt embarrassment as she assessed him further, he indeed has been drenched in cold water from the rain.
The silver-haired man chuckled, “Perhaps, my lady would invite me inside for a bit of warmth by the fire?”
She hesitated for a bit, she was alone after all, and Dominus will be furious if she let in a complete stranger. But he is a minister of the king, and in all possibility brings forth a message of importance to the crown prince.
More importantly, it will feel inhumane to let the man suffer in the cold without so much as offering him shelter from the rain. This, of course, is not something her poor conscience can bear.
“Please, come inside,” she welcomed him inside like any person with a good conscience would.
He studied the cabin once he was inside, standing ever so close to her that it gave her chills. The man felt like a bloke of ice beside her, so much so that it would make her whole body tremble as his body temperature seemed to wrap around the air.
“Please, take a seat. I will prepare a hot tea right away,” she went in front of the stove as she prepared a teapot filled with rose petals and herbs.
It must be her concentration on the task at hand or simply a character trait of her visitor that made her unable to notice his presence behind her.
She gasped as she felt his cold clammy skin pressed against her back, “What are you doing?”
The man didn’t seem to hear what she said as he held her tighter, his hand circling around her neck as the other held her by her waist, pulling her close to him.
“You must be familiar with the race that has gone on extinction. All because the brilliant oh so heroic crown prince decided they are the worse enemies to mankind. Are you familiar with the race, princess?” the stranger’s voice was as cold as his touch, making her squirm as her eyes widened in shock.
The only race that has been murdered left and right ever since the crown prince was given the directive to be the protector of the realm whose orders and decrees are equivalent to those which were issued by the emperor himself... Vampires.
She didn’t even have time to answer the stranger, nor a time to think of what she should do. Or to plead for her case, or even to strike a bargain. It all took just a split second.
His fangs piercing through her skin, the pain of her bones crushing as he held her close, and her blood being drained away were the last things she felt before her whole world darkened as she collapsed lifelessly in his arms.
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