A few vampires showed up from the walls and stared at her, "A human roaming around the market square. You sure are bold, young lady."
Hena froze, her mouth felt dry as she stared at the group of male vampires in front of her. It was her first time roaming around the East Kingdom, and it was also her first time roaming around the marketplace without anyone accompanying her.
The vampires' eyes flashed, red in color. She was reminded of blood whenever she stared at those eyes. It was something that reminded her of war, and didn't want to associate it. Seeing other people's eyes reminded her of it, but she had no choice but to fight her fears.
"H-How do you know that I'm a human just by looking at me?" asked Hena as she feigned bravery by slightly raising her chin.
"A vampire who has had some human blood will always recognize how humans' smell," a vampire replied. He wiped his lips with his tongue and the princess felt disgusted by furrowing her brows. "You're smell is strange and that confirms it."
"I-I don't care!" Hena retorted, stomping her feet in frustration. "Just give me back my money!"
The vampires laughed out loud.
One, who had a goatee on his chin, raised his right hand with the pouch in his grasp saying, "You sure are unique. Do you really think we'd return this back to you?"
"Of course," she cheekily replied. She crossed her arms and continued, "You have to."
The vampire with a goatee had a serious look on his face as he took a few steps closer towards Hena. He raised his brow and fixed his gaze onto her.
"It seemed that you're in a delusional state, human girl," he said as he smirked. "Humans like you are to be sold in the black market. You should have known it better if you're from the North Kingdom."
It appeared that even thugs like them already knew about the war between North and South, the human kingdoms. They have already assumed that she was a someone who did not belong there.
And they were right.
"Before selling you off to the black market, the three of us should have a taste of you first," the vampire declared.
Hena glared at the three vampires in front of her. She thought that she was safe, but it was far from what she had imagined.
"Step back," she ordered. She gritted her teeth and furrowed her brows. "I don't think you know what I could do to you!"
"What else can you do aside from crying for help, human girl?" the vampires continued to mock her, laughing their asses out. "You're just calling out more vampires to feast on your delicious blood!"
"I'm warning you," Hena fixed her eyes on them as she tightened her grip on the vial, Claire has given to her. "Don't come near me."
The vampire with a blonde hair frowned as he mocked the princess. He made a face as he remarked, "Oh my, I've never felt this scared to a pesky human girl who is supposed to be my dinner for today."
Hena only had that one useful vial Claire had given her. If she was to use it at this exact moment, then it would be hard for her to gather more information of the family she has left back in her kingdom.
They were as important as her life.
"Use this vial whenever you encounter a vampire who would recognize you as a human," Hena reminisced the maidservant's words, Claire, as she handed her a vial that had blue liquid in it. "Throw this in their direction and they will be blinded for a moment."
"Why? I thought lowly vampires scattered in the town would never recognize a human's smell?"
"That is right," Claire nodded as she grabbed her hand and put the vial on her small hand. "Only royalties, and people inside the castle can determine a human's scent as humans are taken as slaves to nobles. Aside from those vampires who have broken the law…" she trailed off and stared at her in the eye.
"Vampires who have broken the law?" asked Hena in a low tone.
"Those lowly vampires who have broken the law by taking a sip on a human's blood," Claire explained as she closed Hena's fingers, enclosing the vial on her right hand. "When they were not supposed to. They are just three to five percent of the whole population of this kingdom and meeting one is a game of luck." She took a breath and continued, "But to be safe, I want you to throw this vial and escape as soon as you can."
Hena stared at the vial the maidservant has given her. It had a strange shine onto it when the princess fixed her gaze on the vial on Claire's delicate fingers.
The vial was only useful for her as a human, and not to any vampires. The raven haired maidservant was a vampire as well and there was no use for her to carry this around. It seemed that Claire treated her more than an ally than she thought she would.
"Just give us a taste of your blood and it won't be that hard for you, human girl," the blonde haired vampire spoke as he grabbed several strands on Hena's hair and smelled it. "This won't end up getting nasty if you just follow my request."
Hena took a step back and opened the vial, throwing it on the vampire's line of sight. An invisible blinding smoke appeared from the vampires' eyes as the princess realized how she aimed at them correctly. She took this chance to take the money from the annoying blond haired vampire and ran for her life.
Randomly running along the streets, the princess realized how the road felt so unfamiliar for her. All she saw were tall walls on her sight. And it seemed like she wasn't running back to where the crowded place of the market area was as well.
She knew she had to escape this situation and come back to her place to the palace as soon as possible.
Hena was reminded of how rocky her twenty-third birthday was. She was tired of running away and wanted to face the enemies as soon as possible. But she was still weak, had no power and whatsoever and can be easily killed.
She knew that she had to take action and rise above all.
Her legs felt numb and weak, and so was her mind and body.
The desperation of wanting to escape all of this was big, but her body just won't cooperate with her.
The princess tripped on a rock, and fell on the ground. Her dress was already crumpled and dirt cover her face. The feeling of dread and weariness Hena felt was indescribable as she heard footsteps from the back. Her feet have already failed her as she realized that she had no strength left to move.
She moved her head slowly and met gazes with the blonde haired vampire who stole her money.
With the lowly vampire staring at her from afar, Hena could not help but feel the status as a princess getting ripped away from her. This lowly vampire dared to look down at her literally, when even nobles below her wouldn't even dare to look at her in the eye.
She was just nothing but a princess who had left her kingdom to live. That was all people believed, and rumors about her flew around the kingdoms.
The vampire's voice echoed in her ears as he spoke in a loud voice, "Human girl, you're definitely more than what we think you are. Now, let me do the honor and take a sip of your blood."