Elys took her time outside breathing in the fresh and sweet scent of the flowers in full bloom.
The garden had her totally in awe.
There were butterflies and bees that buzzed around, collecting nectar and pollinating flower after flower. The princess swore she even saw a humming bird hovered by.
She stretched her hand out, the tips of her fingers gliding over the flowers. Bits of pollen gathered on her fingertips, an array of yellows and oranges soft and powdery to the touch.
Looking a little further ahead from the garden, trees lined around the property. The winds blew softly, rustling leaves and creating a flurry of dead leaves fly in the air.
Elys looked around, making sure no one was watching her. It seemed like the coast was clear, not a sign of Henry nor his master could be seen.
Perhaps the prince returned to his bedchamber and rested some more.
The princess walked over to the edge of the garden, her curiosity getting the better of her. The trees provided perfect shade, perhaps even too much shade that not even a single ray of light from the sun was permeated.
Elys found herself at the end of the property, tall metal fences separating the manor from the main road. She looked out into the distance, and suddenly her voice hitched.
"It can't be," she muttered under her voice.
The road further ahead was the very gate of the vampire capital! She knew the place too well, as she had once walked down the same road, leaving bloodstains from her blistered foot as she marched to her supposed execution.
Didn't she saw a flash of golden orbs back then?
Elys' hands shook. She turned around and gawked at the manor, seemingly stupefied by her discovery.
"The rundown manor which I passed by on my death march," she whispered under her voice.
Elys grabbed the metal fence with both hands. She shook it hard, and then tried to make her way up as if wanting to test a possible escape route for her and Cordelia.
"If I were you, I wouldn't do that," came a voice that was all too familiar to the princess for comfort.
Elys turned sharply towards the direction where the voice came.
Just a few meters away from where she stood, a man with golden hair was perched high on a tree branch. He looked as if he was there for a while now, perfectly balanced despite the bulk of his armor as he observed the happenings below him.
His eyes were a piercing tinge of gold, but not as mesmerizing as that of the prince. He looked like a jaguar brooding whether to play with his food first or just jump and attack.
"I see you have made your way around the manor's property already," the man spoke, seemingly amused.
"What is your purpose here at the manor, Sir Teo?" came Elys' defensive tone.
The man chuckled, "You are as feisty as the day that his majesty, King Raxus, saw you try to escape your execution. But at least you remembered my name – you even called me Sir!"
Elys was confused, but still kept a straight face in front of the vampire knight. She didn't remember him to be this talkative. At most, she only recalled how he was so condescending as he spoke to Yobab as if Elys was an object rather than a human being.
But if there was one thing that she did know for sure, it was that Teo wasn't someone she can trust. He had been the one that put Elys into a drugged state to keep her in check back then.
The princess didn't know what he used on her to actually have her obedient as a puppy for almost three days. The only thing she remembered was a sharp pain, and then, everything turned blurry for her.
Teo shuffled to a sitting position, and then effortlessly jumped down from the high tree branch. He had worn a complete set of armor, and Elys couldn't help but raise a brow at him.
The knight bowed down to her, a smirk on his lips. The princess knew he was being sarcastic with his manners. Teo stood straight and then smiled, to which Elys didn't return.
"Don't be so glum, your highness," the knight told her.
"I should be," she replied curtly, "I was forcefully taken as a slave, previously bound for execution because I stood up to violence, drugged and then forced yet again to marry. Not to mention that my husband wants nothing to do with me."
Teo howled in laughter, seemingly finding their conversation funny.
"What is your purpose here, Sir Teo?" Elys asked for the second time, "I could only presume you sneaked here undetected. I didn't hear from Henry that you would be coming over."
"Ah, the old man," Teo hummed, "the wedding was an exception. But Prince Aleksander and his loyal dog usually denies entry to anyone from the castle."
'Interesting,' Elys thought silently, 'so the bastard prince isn't in good terms with his own kingdom.'
The knight moved to get something from under his cloak, and Elys jumped instinctively far from him, assuming he was about to attack her.
Teo noticed her weird action, and only realized afterwards.
"Ah, don't worry, your highness," the knight convinced her, "I am not out to kill you."
"Can't be too careful," Elys retorted.
He chuckled, and then slowly revealed an envelope with the royal seal stamped on it. The bloody roses told Elys whom it could have possibly been.
"I am glad I have run into you, your highness" Teo smiled, his canines glinting menacingly, "I would have had to battle the prince just to deliver this. He might even destroy it even before it arrives in his hands."
The knight handed over the letter, to which Elys gingerly accepted.
"May I know what this is about?" she asked Teo.
"The King Raxus has sent a gift," Teo replied, "a gift fit for the newly wed prince and princess."