Aleksander woke up to the banging of his temples – he was having a light migraine.
It always happened when he abstained from blood even just for a day. Although it wasn't life threatening yet, it was still undeniably troublesome and annoying.
His day didn't start great right away, making his already sour mood from yesterday worse.
He raised his hands over to massage his head, his eyes still shut tight as if denying the fact that he was already awake. He wanted to rest yet again, uninterested to do anything before getting his sustenance of fresh blood.
Hopefully Henry would find someone fast.
Just as Aleksander was about to return to sleep, throwing all care for what he had planned for the day, his eyes suddenly fluttered open.
His heightened hearing had caught something intriguing.
"Your highness? I have arrived with the woman," he heard the attendant call out from the other side of the manor.
Apparently, Henry had brought a woman whose thoughts were running wild with a mixture of hope and dread.
He nearly forgot, but the prince was instantly reminded he was now married to a slave who boldly demanded for a maidservant last night.
Aleksander decided to take a look for himself. It was interesting that Henry brought one immediately. He didn't expect the maidservant to arrive so soon.
With lithe steps, the vampire prince stepped out of his room and walked down the corridor until he reached the slave's bedchamber.
Along the way, he overheard the drama that unfolded between the woman and the slave.
It seemed like they hailed from the same place after all.
'Ah, birds of the same feather really do flock together,' he thought to himself.
Aleksander chuckled, and then clapped slowly as Henry stepped aside to let him in.
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Elys tried to calm herself down.
She must think of something to counter the prince. But how was she even going to do that when she knew he could actually manipulate her mind if he wanted to?
It seemed like an impossible task.
In order for her to raise her case without being contradicted by the prince, she would need to think so fast that there wouldn't be time left for him to read into her plans.
At the very least, it seemed like he wasn't trying to do anything aside from leaving and rejecting Cordelia from being his blood servant.
For a second, Elys almost thought of using magic to counter him.
Shaking her head, Elys finally spoke, "No. Cordelia stays as my maidservant."
The prince turned back; his molten silvers momentarily flashing a tinge of gold. Was he angry by her objection? It looked like it, but Elys couldn't back down now.
She was stubborn and she will not eat her own words – especially now that they had tumbled out of her mouth already.
Elys stood her ground, her feet planted solidly to the marble floors of her bedchamber. Cordelia straightened her back, stepping aside as Elys put her foot forward.
"You dare to object what I just said, slave?" Aleksander raised a thick brow. "Is that a challenge I see painted on your face?"
Elys shook her head, moving slowly and clearing her mind before she replied, "If you don't want Cordelia as a blood servant, then drink my blood instead."
"Your highness!" Cordelia gasped behind her.
The woman was taken aback by the princess' offer to the vampire prince. Even Henry's mouth hung open in surprise.
Cordelia's brow knitted together in worry, and she observed how the prince's eyes changed to dangerous golden orbs. A smile crept all the way to his ears, eerily entertained by Elys' sudden offer.
"You aren't much as well. You are underweight, would you even risk if I drink blood from you every day?" Aleksander challenged. "You could die, to which I don't really give a damn too."
"I am much younger. I will heal and replenish myself fast. Now, drink my blood, and let Cordelia stay as a maidservant," Elys spoke with her fists clenched tightly.
"Quite an offer," the prince hummed mockingly.
"It is a fair deal, husband. You get your blood; I get my maidservant," Elys replied, steadfast on her offer.
She couldn't think of any other option. If blood was all he wanted, then Elys was willing to swallow her pride so that Cordelia could stay with her.
The price to pay was high, but the reward was going to be advantageous for her in the long run.
Aleksander grinned.
"Woman," he pointed at Cordelia, "get out. Henry, you too."
"Your highness, will you be alright?" Cordelia turned to Elys.
The princess nodded, but before she could even reply, Henry immediately dragged Cordelia outside to wait.
Henry closed the door shut with a soft thud. The attendant didn't question his master – especially when he was low on human blood – and then closed the door without even Aleksander instructing him.
"What made you so docile, wife?" Aleksander asked Elys, reaching out for a lock of her flaming hair as if to tease her.
"I pondered on what you said last night," Elys replied without blinking, her eyes fixed on how the prince lifted her hair to his nose, "I want to live."
"Ah," Aleksander sighed, "and I thought you would put up more of a fight just as you did with a broken glass."
"Would you want me to?" Elys couldn't help but retort, her pride bruised, "Because I can. More so, actually, I would really love to."
The prince chuckled, "Perhaps sometime when you have fully regained your health."
"You on the other hand have been too kind for your own sake," Elys remarked. "If you let me recover to full health, maybe you won't stand a chance against me."
This time around, Aleksander burst out laughing. He couldn't believe the human was bold enough to say she could win against a vampire.
"Sometimes I wonder if you are truly brave, or just plain stupid," he smirked.
The prince moved forward, his hand snatching Elys' wounded hand.
Aleksander removed the bandage, and then, with his pointed nail as sharp as razors, he slashed the wound open yet again.
Elys had anticipated him to attack her, but even when she knew what she was up against, she wasn't really able to see it coming.
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A/N: 01.27.22 sorry for the skipped days! I was so busy with work since the typhoon added a lot of extra things to do and I had to render overtime works.
ps. already edited!