The Vampire King's Destined Queen

i- Marionette Valentine

Chapter One

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There she is, the most beautiful woman in the world, sitting at the dining table, together with her family and their guests, eating the fanciest supper ever served, gaining words and words of praises here and there.

"Look at Marionette, she's always graceful and elegant."

"Her mesmerizing innocent blue eyes, small and pointed nose and lips as red as blood. What a real enchantress!"

"She really looks like a living doll."

"With a face so beautiful, everyone truly admire."

Marionette, ever since she was a child, her stunning looks captivates and charms whoever spare her even a glance. She was the valuable piece and the foolish doll her parents ever dreamed of.

As the guests pours immense compliments right in front of her, she suddenly stiffened after hearing the next flood of flattery with the intention of emphasizing what she is truly worth in the eyes of everyone present in the banquet.

"With her achievements, no one would be suited enough for her."

"What about the youngest son of Mrs. Hamilton? He is considered as the prominent idol and model internationally."

"Oh, dear. However, the eldest son of Mr. Wilson is really kind and he is the best surgeon in his generation. He has already published at least ten studies and that was on United States only."

As they continued to argue who would be able to stand by her side in the near future, Marionette felt like melting, definitely not in a good way. She perceived that all her success and accomplishments have no importance for she is a girl and a girl has no value more than being a good pet to raise and sell for marriage for the prosperity of her parents' company.

She's fed up of being perceived as a doll.

A plan suddenly formulated in her head, she will not be able to take it enthusiasticly if they ever arranged her to someone she never knew, she needs to get a break, away from the chaotic world of the wealthy, even for just a week.

Unfortunately, as she was their walking treasure, she was never allowed to leave the house without a permission and a bodyguard and with a decade and eight years of age, it still is as it was implemented.

'I need to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Collins. They will surely help me out.'

The butler and the head maid who are a couple, are the only persons who let her feel like she was a human as well, with heart and feelings that discern warmth and other emotions and the ones who gave her the care and love she deserves, that she should be receiving from her parents but they never did.

She never joined a conversation, whatever their topic is and whoever talks about who, which clearly reeks of unpleasant intentions and motives; she only ate in serenity, like what she always does, until she emptied her crockery and drank a glass of the red wine she brew herself.

Lovely Marionette, with the idea of running away for a while, immediately excused herself thereafter eating by elegantly holding the skirt of her exquisite dress, gently pulling to each side, extending her right foot behind, bends her knees and gracefully brings herself back to her original position and smiles sophisticatedly.

'Ah, what a befitting name for a puppet like me.. Marionette Valentine.'

After turning her back to the crowd of people enjoying her debut party, she hastily but still poised and polished, walk towards the two magnificent doors and leave, headed to her room, signaling the couple, the butler and head maid, with the code she composed, to follow.

Few succeeding moments later, after discussing her brief strategy with her accomplices, somewhat forcing them to agree anyway, Marionette already know what to do in order to get out of the house, as she was the one who designed the renovation, and where to go after, without having anyone aware of this.

With the help of her personal maid, Rasha, she changed her lavish and expensive form-fitting strapless evening gown for the party into a baggy yet light high-waisted jeans and a white fitted and cropped blouse, together with a pair of white sneakers.

At exactly ten o'clock, all who were invited by the Valentine household was scheduled to be ushered out with gifts, and a glint of ambition on their faces as they know that they will get the support of one of the supreme famiglia in the world, she will execute her little scheme.

Then Marionette lifts up the corner of her lips to form a mischievous smile as she scrutinize those rich business partners and politicians of her so-called parents with hostile eyes. She will have to deal with them in the future, for now it's time to get the best break she ever dreamed of.

"THERE SHE IS! YOUNG MISS MARIONETTE!"

However, she was not even a step away from the gigantic gate of the mansion, a few butlers were already at her back, intending to stop her from running away.

With a little panic, she turned her gaze around and find a perfect place to run and hide away from the men's eyes, but only finding the road down to the town proper, without thinking twice, Marionette sprinted straight ahead without looking back at the men chasing after her.

There was a small alley which she had no idea where it will take her but when she looked back and seeing from afar that the butlers are already catching up in a little play of chase and run, she had no choice but to fit herself in the narrow space between two walls, she had a hard time walking aside but as she tried to check if they found her, she was glad they couldn't have thought she dared to move inside this narrow alleyway.

"Find the young miss! Scatter around!"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Marionette was able to get out alive and unscathed from the narrow space but as she turned to her front an unexpected place unveiled in her very eyes.

She gasped.

A white stone wall covered in moss and if she's not wrong, it's that abandoned castle everyone in town were talking about. Which were believed to be haunted and that a beast of a man lived in it.

Her forehead creased because she doesn't believe tales as such are real.

"Search this gap!"

Upon the voice of one of the butler seemingly coming from the alleyway she crossed booming through where she stands, she realized if she wanted to get away from them, she have to hurry and hide. Then, Marionette laid her eyes at the devil's lair and without a second of hesitation, she stride and run inside, climbing the slippery stairs also covered with moss, upon reaching the door, she tapped it with her fingers to check if it's open and when it cracked and moved, her widening eyes peeked through the crevice but only found darkness.

Afraid of getting caught and brought back to her caged like mansion, she boldly run inside and in an attempt to find her way on somewhere safe to hide, she suddenly bumped into something hard, stumbling on her knees.

"Who are you?" A rough, deep low voice following the sound after her fall.

***

Walking along the dark streets, a man with a tall structure continue to move unsteadily as though he has been starved for years. Actually, he is suffering from extreme hunger, however it is certainly not for food.

It's actually been more than a century since he stopped drinking blood and held on his burning thirst to feed on the vulnerable human beings. He does not remember when but beasts' and mutts' blood was satisfactorily sufficient for him to manage himself and continue to exist, until now.

'What changed?' he muttered to himself. 'Ah, it was supposed to be today isn't it.'

His lips curled into a bitter smile as his eyes turned red, with hunger.. and sadness as he remember a piece of memory, the meeting that was remarkable and exceptional.

"Maria..." a helpless, slightly hoarse voice echoed through the night as he mourn for the four hundredth year death anniversary of his beloved and their unborn child.

Maria was a straightforward and easy-go-lucky person to get along with, the only human who stayed with him even knowing what kind of bloodthirsty monster he is. She speaks much older than her age but undeniably reasons very identical to a young child, in an innocent and praiseworthy way.

Long lemon-colored hair that felt like slick, deep ocean-blue eyes that can drown anyone who catch a glimpse, lips that felt as if a pair petal of cherry blossom leaves and a fragile porcelain white skin that reddened if it was only lightly pinched, Maria is an exquisite beauty.

Her beauty and personality was so angelic and bewitching he felt his lifeless cold heart thumped for the first time.

She became his pillar as soon as she touched him, she became the light the moment her smile reached her eyes and she became his precious person when her lips brushed into his.

"Ugh.." he groaned as he felt his consciousness slowly fading.

As if to add up to his drama and pain, the heavens were empathetic of him that it started to rain, the heavy drops of rain falling on him felt cold but fiery on his skin.

Soon he reached the place he was heading to. The white castle where he used to lived with his beloved Lady Consort.

The man headed inside with a fuzzy vision and dizzy head, also damped like a stray cat, getting rained on.

He was still walking mindlessly, thinking about the blissful recollection of their past, when he was bumped into someone's body, as soft as marshmallow.

'How did he even know what marshmallow is?'

He tsk-ed when he felt a sudden sharp pang of pain. He held his hands to nudge his nose, the familiar metallic smell made his forehead form a frown.

'It stings.. what happened?'

"Ouch!" a well-modulated silvery voice rang into his sensitive hearing.

"My apologies, I wasn't very careful as I have my other attention in looking at my back in case someone followed me here--wait! Are you okay? Goodness, you're bleeding!"

'What did it say again? Oh, bleeding. He's bleeding.'

His frown deepened as he try to concentrate on looking at what is in front of him.

'It was a woman.'

A maiden, obviously taller than average but still a head or two smaller than him, straight pitch black-haired that reaches down to her waist--so small that even an arm can cover, a rare light blue to bluish ocean eyes that draws anyone in, natural bloody red lips and a milky pearl white skin.

However, what is a young maiden doing inside his territory? The territory he's grown possessive of because it was his love nest with his Lady Consort.

"Who are you?" he growled in an angry tone.

"What should I do? I'm in a hurry right now.." she mumbled quietly. Not knowing what to react in a situation like this, she was giddy and her legs were wobbly for bumping into a wall-like man.

"This is not a place for a cat to stray." He managed to utter while losing his strength.

His mind became a little foggy as he smelled something so arousal out of the blue, which entices him to seize and devour to have a fill of his centennial desire and craving for the sweet, sweet blood of a human, a chaste woman, right in front of him.

His thin self-restraint snapped like a thread barely hanging as the woman swayed on her feet and took a few tottering steps towards him, embracing him the moment he was about to fall into the ground due to dizziness.

"Ah, the sweetest..darling.." a thick and deep husky sound was heard from him. As he quench his thirst, as he dug his two sharp fangs into her porcelain like skin, he began to feel pleasure and relish and after taking a mouthful he licked the blood left on her neck and then his lips.

He pulled away for a while but return to his position after looking at the silhouette, he smiled blissfully and eventually passed out.

'It's her, she came back for me! Still mine! My beloved, Maria..'

The woman, on the other hand, was stupefied and did not know what to do, for the second time around. Despite of having an internal conflict, she accepted him whole-heartedly.

What blew her mind was that why was she not against it and whatever the man was doing was making her feel delightful instead.

Insane!

Yet Marionette found herself walking back home, holding the stranger in her delicate arms, she felt the need to rescue him and all it took was to be at the front porch of her maid and butler's home, knocking on their door before she completely passed out, holding the stranger's hand.

The maid and butler who were a long time couple saw two bodies lying on their porch, listless but not lifeless, one belonged to their young lady and a gentleman unfamiliar to them. Both were drenched in the rain.