The night rolled by until the time came for the wedding ceremony. Aleksander was awoken by a gentle tap on his shoulder, and he rolled over to see Henry's indifferent face. The vampire prince was slightly confused why he was woken up so early.
And then it hit him – the wedding was supposed to happen by the first crack of dawn.
He couldn't believe he would lose his dignity through such a shameless wedding. His mind raced to his previous plans which included a dead wife and Aleksander shook his head – that wasn't going to work out right for him. At least not as early as after the wedding.
There were just too many unknown variables he didn't know of yet. Perhaps he should see the slave first before he makes any hasty decision.
"Your highness, I have drawn your bath, and prepared your clothes for the ceremony," Henry said as he bowed his head slightly.
Aleksander nodded and waved for his attendant to go away, but Henry stood still and watched him until he got himself out of bed. Aleksander would have had him killed, but Henry was a loyal attendant, and he didn't want the man go to waste and die because of his ill-temper.
The vampire prince padded around his bed, and saw the havoc that was left scattered about. From the broken windows, down to the glass shards, the dirtiest trash that littered his bedchamber had to be the insolent blood servant sprawled on his bed.
"Get my bedchamber cleaned, Henry," Aleksander instructed the attendant.
Henry bowed down his head in acknowledgement, and Aleksander walked out of his chambers. The door creaked open, and closed with a loud thud. The attendant stood straight, and heaved a heavy sigh at the sight before him.
The dead blood servant was going to be a difficult clean up.
After an hour or so, Aleksander came back to a clean room. The window was still unreplaced, but everything else were in place and arranged now. At the very least, the insolent blood servant was taken away, and his bedsheets were newly changed.
The vampire prince noticed a neatly pressed uniform on his bed. He picked it up and his nose scrunched as he noted it bore something he despises. The emblem of the west vampire kingdom, a white bloody rose.
Aleksander didn't like roses – much more if it represented the kingdom ruled by his crazy father.
A knock came from his door, and he heard Henry announce the wedding would begin in less than an hour. With a heavy heart, Aleksander changed into the provided garments. By the time he was ready, the wedding was just twenty minutes away.
"Your highness, I will accompany you," Henry offered as he held the door open for the young prince.
"Where is the slave?" asked Aleksander with a petulant voice.
"She is in her temporary chambers, your highness. The servants that came with her will accompany her," came Henry's response.
The bastard prince exhaled, and Henry kept his head low avoiding the prince's ire. Aleksander was known to be notorious when he was angry. The ceremony was about to start, and he intends it to be done and over without much fuss.
"Your highness, the carriage is waiting," Henry reminded and he accompanied the prince down the great hall.
Just as they were to exit the manor, Aleksander saw a glimpse of his bride-to-be as the servants escorted her out. He still couldn't see her face with the customary wedding veils, which seemed to add in to his already sour mood.
"I will not ride with that woman," Aleksander announced, "Henry, prepare me a horse. I will ride alone."
Suddenly, audible whispers came from the servants that escorted Elys. Henry merely shook his head, and stepped in front of his master as he glumly said that Aleksander must ride with his bride.
"As with tradition, the bride and the groom will ride to the ceremony and there on the priest shall announce the start of the wedding," Henry said with a matter-of-fact tone.
"Tch!" the prince tutted, "What makes you think I have respect for traditions? I will ride alone!"
Aleksander burst out into the front of his manor. If he was going to suffer in this unwanted marriage, he might as well make everyone else suffer too. It was a petty move, but what was there left for him to lose when he was already at the lowest of the vampire hierarchy?
However, Aleksander's plans were for naught, as the coachman that waited for them was actually Teo. The knight turned his head and saw the flustered face of the bastard prince. Teo greeted him with a smile as he jumped down and opened the carriage door.
"The King Raxus has sent me to make sure the Prince Aleksander and his bride will travel safely to the abbey," he announced.
Aleksander's head whipped over to Henry, and the attendant kept low and avoided eye contact. He deliberately didn't tell Aleksander to make sure the prince wouldn't have the time to reject the King's orders.
The prince didn't have much choice anymore. He scowled at Teo as he stepped inside the carriage and soon thereafter came his bride who seemed to be drunk. She stumbled over her seat and eventually needed the servants' assistance as Aleksander only stared at her.
"What's wrong with you?" Aleksander hissed.
The slave didn't respond, nor did she make any noises at all after she was assisted to seat by the servants. She was like a helpless baby. Perhaps she was scared shitless that she couldn't even make a sound at all.
"Useless bitch," Aleksander mumbled under his breath.
He heard the whip of the coachman, and the carriage rolled off towards the abbey where royal marriages were always held. Henry and the other servants walked behind the carriage, and the entourage was complete.
Aleksander peeked over the carriage's window, and felt the heaviness of his heart with each second passing by they rode nearer the abbey. A vampire wedding meant they would have to exchange bloods as a rite of union between a man and a woman.
The vampire prince crossed his arms and stared at his useless bride. As the sun peeked over the horizon and light permeated inside the carriage's windows, Aleksander finally made up his mind.
He would have to make sure the bride wouldn't live long enough to burden him after this.