"Human, you're making me laugh. You should know your position here. This woman is my wife."
The soft warmth gave way to her like a ripe melon, flooding the man's lips with her thick, delicious blood.
The princess felt a sudden jolt of unexplainable pleasure. She felt herself getting full of life and a sensual feeling from that act. Her body shivered against the touch of the man's cold hands as her blood rushed to her head.
"One wrong move and I'll eradicate your entire kingdom in just one snap."
Hena was so surprised at the fact that the vampire guy bit her neck and even sipped her blood. But she stood still and just slightly opened her eyes. She felt a cold breeze on her face and realized that it was the first snow.
Everything was blurry but Hena tried her best to catch a glimpse of the man who attempted to assassinate her. If she was right, this man was the archer who tried to kill her.
Seeing a small glimpse from the man in front of her, Hena took this chance to engrave the man in her head for her future endeavor. Blonde hair, emerald green eyes, and a scar on his left eye. She will never forget this man.
The assassin knew that getting involved with a vampire would be like declaring a war on the East Kingdom, and he had no choice but to leave the scene.
Weak from her sudden fall, Hena felt her blood getting drained but instead, she felt herself getting stronger. All of her wounds had healed and all of her bruises disappeared. When the man finally left with his horse, Hena widely opened her eyes and pulled herself away from the man.
She was about to fall but the man grabbed her right hand and snaked his arm on her waist to prevent her from falling. Hena could still see drops of blood on his lips and she felt her insides tingle from disgust.
It was her own blood, after all!
"How dare you drink my blood without any permission, you scumbag!" Hena opened glared at the man. He had bristly eyebrows and an earthy scent swirled around him. Wriggling away from his grasp, Hena said. "I didn't give you any permission to do it!"
"Look at you being ungrateful to my noblesse oblige act towards an injured lady running away from an assassin." He sighed and raised his right brow. "I can't believe someone like me is being treated like this."
The princess snickered, "Even if you left me there, I could have lived without your help."
An obvious lie.
She knew that she'd already been dead by now if it wasn't for this man.
The red-eyed man leaned in closer, raised his hand, and touched the princess's neck where he had bitten it. "You know it too well, young lady. You're fooling no one here."
Princess Hena exhaled sharply as she questioned the man. "What did you do to me? Why did my bruises and wounds heal?"
He was silent for a moment. The snow had started falling on the newly clothed trees rose as white fairytale beings in that wintry landscape, for the grey clouds had bequeathed a bounty of snow.
Her gaze fell on the man's red eyes. The man had mysterious yet tantalizing eyes, staring directly at it made her feel like she's being sucked into a black hole.
"Didn't you know that by sucking your blood, I already proclaimed you as my partner and wife?" asked the vampire "You're already a part of the East Kingdom."
"What does that mean?"
"You're a half-human half-vampire."
"What?!"
"No need to thank me," said the prince with a slight nod. "No worries, you don't have to go around sipping other human's blood. Your only duty is to be my wife and provide me some of your delicious blood."
"Who said I'm thankful to you?!"
"You will be," he replied. He snapped his fingers after a second of consideration. "You know that."
"Aren't you being too full of yourself when it's our first time seeing each other, mister?" Hena sassily asked.
The prince's expression faltered for a second, then he composed himself and his face took on a sly grin. "Of course. Maybe you're worried since you haven't known my name." He extended his hand and smiled, "I'm Luka de Angelo, the crowned prince of the East Kingdom. You have no choice, baby, you're already my possession."
"As if I'd tell you." The princess replied. "Don't call me a baby."
"You're a feisty one." He sneaked a laugh as he continued. "I don't think our ages are that much of a difference."
Hena stared at the sky. She still didn't know if this man was the answer that the heavens had sent to her. That was right.
By midnight, she will turn twenty-three.
She didn't know chaos would befall her just a few moments before her twenty-third birthday. Her parents were dead. The kingdom was already on the verge of falling. And Hena didn't know what would happen to Arya, and her uncle protecting the kingdom with all her might.
Turning her head and gazing at the devilishly handsome man in front of her named Luka, her gaze softened and swallowed the lump of sadness in her.
"Vampire, didn't you come here because you knew about all of the things happening between the two kingdoms?"
"Well, I actually know a lot about what's happening to the North and South Kingdom and I have an idea of who you are." He flashed a smile and Hena caught a glimpse of the vampire's fangs. Those exact fangs bit her neck and sipped her blood."That's right. As expected from my baby. You're able to read everything well."
Things might have been taken to the worst. The only thing left was for Hena to continue.
She looked up to the sky and felt the cold breeze of the snow. It was possibly past midnight, wintry days of bluster and ice had been there. Seeing the earth of yesterday's chaos covered as white as any new page made her feel armed with a rainbow of hope, eager to set that right.
This vampire prince must be the answer to her problems. All the unexplainable things happening to her made her feel weak and dizzy. She felt her unconsciousness leaving her but before that, she heard the vampire's deep voice.
"You must be tired, Princess Hena. Take a rest first and I'll take you to my kingdom."