The Vampire Prince’s Bride

Chapter 9

***

When Lord Cole told Adaria that her father had summoned him, she didn’t know what to think. Surely if something horrible had happened in Hyland, she would have been ordered back home immediately. But Lord Cole assured her that all was well; King Nazar simply needed him to discuss something urgently.

He left late in the evening, quietly so no one would be aware of his absence. Before he left however, Adaria had to promise that she would keep an eye on both Regina and Liana. Since the passing of his wife, there was no one to look after them except the servants. With Adaria’s presence however, he hoped she would be a good influence on them.

Adaria merely listened and nodded as he spoke. She’d been despondent the entire day because she couldn’t get an opportunity to go to the forest that afternoon. Regina and Liana were not so keen on going, in light of what happened the previous day. She’d given up all hope of going when the sun began to set in the west.

The next day, the girls had a fun afternoon, traveling down to the arena to watch a fight. It was a quick fight, with the larger man punching the other man unconscious with a single hit. Of course they were escorted by a dozen guards, despite Regina’s best efforts to get rid of them. Lord Cole had given specific instructions that they should never be allowed out of sight.

Adaria was still preoccupied with thoughts of the handsome man who’d saved her. Nero must surely be livid with her since she didn’t show up yesterday. Perhaps he thought she had stood him up. Maybe he’d been waiting for her in the forest all day. She’d thought that he would come to the room that night, but there wasn’t a sign of him at all. Or if he’d even come, then he must have done so when she’d fallen asleep.

The thought of him prowling around the room while they slept somehow didn’t frighten her in the least. Perhaps it was because of how humane he seemed. Nero was nothing like the frightening and vicious vampires everyone spoke about. The man had saved her after all. And when she had spoken to him that night, he seemed calm; almost too calm.

“Wait, is that Hector?” Regina suddenly said, peering over the crowd. Liana immediately looked up, and Adaria craned forward to see who they were talking about.

“It’s him,” Regina said. “But what is he doing here?”

Adaria spotted the man, a young man clad in a silver armor. He was of heavy build, with thickset arms and dirty-blond hair which fell to his shoulders. Sharp, angular features marked his face, with high cheekbones and a sharp jawline which was clean-shaven. His eyes shone brilliantly, and the ghost of a smile sat on his lips as he watched the winner of the fight celebrating in the ring.

“I think he’s here for the same reason as us,” Adaria said. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Liana sitting up straighter, and tossing her hair back so her face would be more in view. There was no denying it; she had fallen hard for the man. It was expected of course, given how attractive he was.

“Why is he wearing an armor though?” she asked.

“Did I forget to mention he’s a knight?” Regina said.

“Not just any knight,” Liana said, still fawning over the man. “They say he’s the best swordsman in the four factions. He’s never lost a duel, and he once had to fight with one hand tied behind his back.”

“That’s only a rumor,” Regina said.

“But he could do it,” Liana retorted. “Couldn’t he?”

The question was directed at Adaria, who found Liana’s insatiable crush amusing.

“Of course,” she said. “He looks like a powerful knight indeed.”

“Don’t you think we should go over and introduce Adaria to him?” Liana suggested when the final contest was over and the crowd began to disperse. “He’s never met her before. And it’s only right, since she’s the princess of the kingdom he’s serving.”

“Right,” Regina said, drawing out the word sarcastically. “We should go and introduce them. But we’re only doing it for them. Not for any other reason.”

Liana beamed at the response, clearly unbothered by Regina’s sarcastic tone. She dragged Adaria along, just as Hector was about to disappear around a corner.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” he said, bowing as they approached him. “What brings you here?”

He had a baritone voice, smooth as a trickle of honey. Liana’s smile deepened as he spoke, while Adaria tried to hold back a chuckle.

“We heard about the fight,” she said. “So we decided to come and watch.”

Hector’s eyes shifted towards her, and his eyes widened at the sight of her. His mouth opened slightly, and then he closed them again before opening and closing them again.

“I’m sorry,” he finally managed to say, “but I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

“This is Princess Adaria,” Regina said. “She’s visiting from Hyland.”

Hector took a step back, stunned by the revelation.

“Princess?” he said quizzically. “As in Princess Adaria, daughter of the King?”

“Indeed,” Regina said, giving her a nudge from behind.

“It’s an honor, your Grace,” he said, dropping to one knee immediately. “Forgive me, but I wasn’t aware of who you are.”

Adaria merely smiled at him.

“You’re as beautiful as the songs foretold,” he said. “Indeed, words are not enough to describe how fair your beauty is. Or how enchanting your presence is. I never thought I would have the fortune of standing before a Royal, but here you are, in the flesh.”

“Thank you for your kind words, Hector,” she said. “Regina tells me you’re a knight of the realm.”

“Well I was only recently inducted into the brotherhood,” he said, rising to his feet. “But it is an honor to serve the realm. I’ve dreamt about becoming a knight ever since I was a little boy.”

“Well it’s a good thing you’ve achieved your dreams then,” she said. “I’m sure the realm would be pleased to know it was in the hands of a man like yourself.”

Her words touched his heart more than he could say. Alongside his longstanding dream of knighthood, Hector had always dreamt of meeting the Princess as well. For too long he’d heard about her beauty. And now that he was witnessing it firsthand, it shook him to the core. She was like a mural come to life, and her smile was as sweet as a song on midsummer’s night. He was thoroughly enraptured by her, and he knew that his mind would be absorbed with her from this point onward.

Less than an arm’s length away from them however, a vicious poison was brewing in Liana’s heart.

Her hatred wasn’t directed at either Adaria or Hector. Instead, it was directed at both of them as a pair, and it burned underneath her skin. She hated the way Hector looked at Adaria, for that was the same way she wished he would look at her. And she hated Adaria for indulging him, and even allowing him to look at her that way.

But mostly she hated Adaria for it, because as cruel as his actions were, Hector was too close to her heart for him to be at fault. She tried to mask her annoyance with a smile, but it merely came off as a grimace. And anyone who looked at her face would clearly see how mad she was. But Adaria and Hector were not paying attention to her at the moment.

“Would you ladies like an escort to wherever it is you’re heading to?” Hector offered. “I do not have any pressing matters I need to attend to at the moment.”

“We’re just heading back to the castle,” Regina said, being the only one to notice her sister’s irritation. “But we’ll see you soon, won’t we, Liana?”

“Sure,” the latter said, her smile tight and unfriendly.

“Well then I bid you good day, ladies,” he said. “It was a pleasure to meet you once again, Princess Adaria.”

As he walked away, Liana stared between him and Adaria, hoping to catch the slightest hint that would further her suspicion. Driven by fury, she sought out the tiniest details that would prove that Adaria was looking at Hector in a new light, and even though she knew it would only hurt her more if her suspicion was true, she sought it out anyway.

But Adaria’s face gave nothing away, for there was nothing to give away indeed. Her heart was untouched by Hector, even though she found him amusing and charming. When it came to matters of the heart, she wasn’t about to throw her senses out of the proverbial window and be on her jolly way. Hector was attractive, but that was all there was to it.

“Shall we head back then?” Regina suggested, since neither of the two seemed prepared to move an inch.

“Why don’t we go for a stroll in the woods?” Adaria suggested. “It’s such a beautiful day, and I would hate to waste it indoors.”

“Are you forgetting that you nearly got yourself killed just two days ago?” Regina asked. “Why are you in such a hurry to go back?”

Adaria cast about quickly for a decent lie.

“No particular reason,” she said. “I was just hoping to stretch my legs a little. Besides, we don’t have to take the horses if you two don’t want to. We can simply take a walk. And I never got to see the river that day.”

“You would have more than just seen the river if Old John hadn’t stopped dead in his tracks,” Regina said, laughing. “By the way, how did he even stop? Did he see something that frightened him?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Adaria said, lying through her teeth. “I guess he just finally felt me pulling at his reins. But are we going now?”

“Sure,” Regina said. “We can have the maids bring some food out and we’ll have another picnic.”

“Great,” Adaria said, practically bouncing on her feet.

“You two can go ahead,” Liana said. “I’m too tired to go for a walk. I’ll let the maids know that you want your lunch brought out.”

“But how can you be tired already?” Adaria asked. “We’ve barely done anything all day.”

Liana pretended not to have heard her.

The forest was quiet as usual when Regina and Adaria arrived. They made their way through the trees, while Regina told Adaria about their mother’s passing.

“Father was devastated,” she said. “Her death left a hole in his life that can never be filled. It’s why he hasn’t taken another wife since. And I think he blames himself for not finding a cure for the sickness fast enough.”

“But he couldn’t have known,” Adaria said, her eyes darting about the treetops. “Surely if there was something he could have done, no one would need to tell him to do it.”

“I know,” Regina said sadly. “But he loved her too greatly to not blame himself. As for me, I never knew her well enough to even love her. But I’m sure she must have been wonderful.”

“Indeed,” Adaria said.

And then she spotted Nero, perched atop a tall branch and watching her closely. Even before she saw him, some part of her had sensed his presence. And when she finally did see him, her breath caught in her chest.

“What is it?” Regina asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she said quickly. “Could you excuse me for a moment, please?”

Before Regina could answer, Adaria had disappeared behind a tall shrub.

Nero crawled down towards her, a lazy smile on his face. He gulped severally, reminding himself that her blood was not for drinking. But Adaria wasn’t the least bit frightened of him as she stopped just below the tree.

“You never came,” he said, drawing in a breath. The air smelled like her, and he loved it.

“I had some trouble along the way,” she said. “Listen, this isn’t a good time. Can you come tonight?”

“Perhaps,” he said. “Do you want me to come?”

“Just tell me if you can,” she said. “I need to ask you a few things.”

“As you wish, Princess,” he said. “But I...”

He froze, and his eyes darkened as he looked up. Adaria heard the sound as well, and terror seized her as she slowly turned around.

Regina was standing just behind her, a puzzled but terrified look in her eyes.

“What the devil is going on here?” she asked.

***