"You took longer to realize it than I expected." Vladstin spoke through Prince Leron's mouth. "I guess it is true when they say that love is blind."
"What do you want?" Sangfroid stared right at him through those pale blue eyes, scowling.
"How impatient. I'm getting there, big guy." Vladstin's chuckle doesn't fit Prince Leron at all. "Do you not want to figure out how I knew about your feelings for your beloved prince?"
The gossipy nobles listened in carefully, whispering among themselves. Asver annoyingly picked his ear and yelled at them. "What, you've never seen a man liking a man before? Get a life!"
"Dear Asver, it's only natural for them to find it outrageous." Vladstin/Leron said. "After all, the Noble Huntsmen were sanctioned by the Bishop. They consider Sangfroid as a pure and holy man. There is no such taboo in Crescentia, but Leron told me how same-sex coupling is frowned upon widely in your kingdom. You burned women who liked women before, claiming they were witches."
"I did not ask for a history lesson from a Vampire Lord." Asver retorted. "I know all this."
"You're welcome. At least you know now how cruel your kingdom is towards people like you and Sangfroid."
The crowd was shocked, and Asver's froze for a moment, eyes wide.
"Oops, did I let that slip? Forget I said anything." He made Prince Leron cover his mouth cheekily, like a mischievous child.
"You..." Asver gritted his teeth, running towards the prince and grabbing his collar. "Why don't you just die!?"
"Asver, do not hurt the prince!" Rothfir placed a hand on the hot-headed teen. "He's not himself. The Vampire Lord is controlling him."
"Of course I know that." Asver let go, rolling his eyes and skulking. "I was talking to the bastard controlling his body like a puppet master."
"Hahaha, I like that. Puppet master, that has a nice ring to it." Vladstin/Leron clapped. "So how about it, Sangfroid? Do you deny that you have feelings for my puppet?"
"He is not your puppet." Sangfroid answered coldly.
"Ah, but you don't deny it?" Vladstin/Leron giggled, unbuttoning the prince's coat. "Maybe I should give you a nice view as thanks for the blood..."
"What do you want?" Sangfroid repeated, unmoved by his teasing.
"You're so boring." Vladstin/Leron pouted. "I'm giving you a treat here. But oh well, my time is almost up anyway. My puppet's soul will return to its body soon."
He stood up, declaring to the people with his bloody face. "Citizens of Ilvedia! Listen well! By a fortnight, the full moon will rise, and I shall send my army of corpse puppets to invade your country just as you had invaded mine! I look forward to your retaliation: how will you try to survive your Judgement Day? I hope you look forward to it as well~"
He craned his head back in an irregular angle towards Sangfroid. "And I will be taking your beloved prince from you, Hunter. Be prepared."
He finished with a dramatic bow. "That is all. Have a splendid afternoon!"
As he said this, Prince Leron's body collapsed and fell unconscious again.
"Your Highness!" The old adviser went to the young prince's side. "Has his soul returned? Is he no longer controlled by Vladstin?"
"On a fortnight!? Oh my, what should we do!?" A noble lady, probably a duchess cried in tears. "He's as powerful as the Father, he can control us!"
"Only when you are bitten by him." Asver replied, irritated. "And I'm sure he has no interest in biting any of you, his only goal is the prince."
"What shall we do with prince then!? He could be controlled any time and kill us all when we are not prepared!" Another noble interjected.
Palwien raised her hand. "The prince can only be controlled during Bloodlust. You have seen well how obvious the symptoms are, we cannot be caught unawares when it happens. I only learned about this now, but this is the most logical way of thinking. Please calm yourself and think first."
Sangfroid scooped up Prince Leron in his arms. He carried him bridal style even with his wounded arms, not showing any sign of pain.
"I could carry him for you, Chief! What about your wound?" A Huntsman suggested worriedly.
"It is fine. We're leaving." He carried the sleeping prince to his quarters. He can hear arguments in the throne room through the walls.
"Still, I suggest that the prince be kept in his room under surveillance until the day of the fortnight. Did you not hear that Vladstin threatened to take him during the attack?"
"I agree, someone must watch over in shifts from morning till night."
Asver listened in to their conversations as Sangfroid as the chief settled down the prince in his bed. Sangfroid asked the maids to get a basin and cloth so he can clean the blood off him. He was focused on wiping the blood off to notice anything else.
"Sir, here's some bandages for your wound..." A maid offered. "It's dripping all over, sir..."
"Thank you." Sangfroid said as if he had just now noticed the large gash on his wrist, the same way you would notice a bug on your skin. He was more annoyed by it than in pain. He poured holy water into it and wrapped it in bandages, not caring for the quality of the bandaging.
"You should have that stitched, it's a pretty nasty scar." Rothfir said.
"I'm keeping it open in case he goes into Bloodlust again." Sangfroid said.
The Noble Huntsmen were once again amazed by the Chief's resolution and pain resistance.
"Um... Chief?" Asver let go of the wall that he's been listening in. "I heard they said we should guard the prince in shifts. Should we assign them?"
"No need. I'll do it all by myself like I used to." Sangfroid answered.
"Eh? But wouldn't you be tired? How will you sleep?" Asver asked.
"I'll sleep on the floor beside his bed if I have to." Sangfroid said.
The Noble Huntsmen felt unsure of this, especially since they have heard about their chief's feelings for the prince, but they trusted him in everything. "We leave it up to you, Chief."
The chambermaid with twin braids heard this and became incredulous. "At least let us lay out a temporary sleeping mat for you! We have many extra mattresses and sheets in the palace."
"You are really kind." Asver told her. "What's your name?"
"Lillian." The maid answered.
"That's a beautiful name." Asver said without thinking.
"T-Thank you." She answered, blushing.
"I'll help you with carrying the beddings here, just lead the way." Asver joined Lillian as the maids left.
"Always the ladies' favorite, isn't he?" Rothfir watched the young lad go with a smile, and then it turned into a frown. "How did Vladstin know about our secrets?"
"I don't know. I haven't read about this in the Tome of Xendros, and the Bishop didn't tell me about this either so he must not have known as well." Sangfroid said. "But I have a feeling that it has something to do with him drinking my blood."
"So he can gain memories through your blood? But Leron was the one who drunk it. Is he that powerful enough?" Rothfir said.
"It's just my intuition, it doesn't make sense for now." Sangfroid said. "What matters at the moment is the prince's well-being. I will never allow him to take the prince. You go scout the borders and increase the defenses. I can take care of him on my own."
"We know that, Chief." Rothfir patted his shoulder. "If there's anyone who can single-handedly protect the prince, it's you. We'll be taking our leave."
-----------------
When Leron fell unconscious, he dreamed that he was in complete darkness.
He traveled for hours until his feet were tired, running in no direction. He shouted but no one heard him. Eventually, he felt thirsty from all the running, like his lungs are burning and about to go out his chest.
"Help me..." He pleaded, clawing at his own chest.
"I can help you." A voice suddenly said.
The voice came from nowhere, along with a strange light. A red string came from the direction of the light.
"Follow the string, and I shall quench your thirst."
"Where will it lead me?"
"To where you belong, to where you deserve to be." The voice answered.
Leron desperately crawled after the string.
"Yes, that's right. Keep following and come to me."
He was almost halfway through when an oasis emerged to his side, but instead of clear water, it flowed red. The light was brighter to that side, and much closer.
"No! Come back!" The voice shouted, but Leron didn't listen.
"My oasis!" He drank the crimson water, cupping it to his mouth. "You have saved me! Thank you!"
"Ah, what an idiot." The voice grumbled. "Fine then, I will have you come to me eventually. For now, I will settle with playing with your 'oasis'."
Leron didn't know what happened to the voice then, but eventually, he drank his full and fell asleep in the dream, satisfied.
Then he woke up to his bedroom. He was hugging an arm wrapped in gauze, still slightly red. He realized he was licking at the bandages and composed himself.
He looked up and met the sleeping face of Sangfroid. He realized he was not laying in his bed, but on a mattress beside it. He was hugging Sangfroid's wounded arm and licking it!
When he was about to stand up to his own bed, Sangfroid's single purple eye opened.
"Your Highness." The Huntsman turned to him. " Do you need anything from me?"
"Nothing, I must have fallen out of my bed." Prince Leron scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "More importantly, why are you sleeping here?"
"You went into Bloodlust." Sangfroid retold the events from earlier while Prince Leron was unaware and being controlled by Vladstin.
He left out the part about Vladstin guessing his feelings for him.
"He can control me..." Visible fear was written in the prince's face. "And you are hurt. I'm so sorry..."
"It was my choice to feed you my blood." Sangfroid said plainly. "Do not feel guilty about it. I did it out of my own volition."
"Still, Sangfroid, you must hate me now." Prince Leron shook his head. "I keep bringing people into trouble."
"I will never hate you for this, Your Highness." Sangfroid took his hand and pressed it. "It is my duty and my honor to serve you. I would do it all again in a heartbeat if I had to."
"And don't worry about Vladstin's empty threat. Our blessed arrows will kill him once they went straight to his heart. I will keep you safe, I swear to you and the heavens." Sangfroid added. "You can rest well with me by your side."
Prince Leron was moved by these words, and nodded. He remembered his dream, and thought that an oasis really fits his view of Sangfroid.
Sangfroid was his oasis in his thirst, his only hope in desperation.
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