"Where is the prince?" Elliana asked no one in particular as she walked to the hall, and everyone looked at her as if she was some kind of alien, not knowing how to act around her.
After she took a long bath, she heard a voice from the intercom that said the dinner was ready and she should come and eat.
She stood in the middle of the hall, not sure where to go or do anymore. Miss Zoya was nowhere in sight either.
Though her gaze was confident since she was practically from a royal family, in her heart, she was like a lost child, looking for a familiar face in a lost place.
"There our prince is," Someone commented, and Elliana turned around.
She looked at the majestic figure, walking slowly, with a power that screamed royalty and made everyone immediately lower their gaze.
It was funny how he wasn't even looking at anyone and held this much power. However, not once she felt compelled to bow to him. Maybe it was because she knew she was his bride, or probably because she was really suicidal.
"Why are you standing here?" Sebastian asked, his focus on the screen as he read about the report he received from his spies on the council of vampires.
"I was waiting for you," Elliana's quick answer made Sebastian look up at her, and he had the strangest urge to smile at her, making him grit his teeth at the sensation.
Bewitching cunning woman! He cursed in his mind before looking at Garold and nodding at him.
He hummed at Elliana, and they walked to the dining room together.
"I am a pure vegetarian," Elliana squealed, afraid he would really bring bottles of blood to the table, and Sebastian's hand on the chair paused before he looked at Elliana closely.
"Go and sit over there," he grumbled after some time, pointing to the other end of the long table for 30, and Elliana bit the inside of her cheeks, unsure if she offended him.
"That way, you won't have to smell anything not up to your taste," Sebastian explained even when he didn't need to, and Elliana raised her brows at his thoughtfulness before she quickly went and sat on the seat, ready for the food.
Sebastian placed the phone aside before looking straight at her.
Lucas was already on his way to bring information about her. Should he bother to get some information from her himself? He cracked his knuckles before dropping his gaze.
"Don't you think you have some explaining to do?" Sebastian started as the food arrived, and remembering Miss Zoya's words, Elliana didn't know where to start or how to tell him the truth.
"Hmm?" Sebastian probed, and Elliana nodded briefly.
"Can you promise you won't hurt Dad or anyone if I tell you the truth?" Elliana asked, and Sebastian quirked his brows.
This human here really thinks she is in a position to strike any kind of compromising deal with him? Well, it doesn't hurt to pretend a little, no? She is doing the same with him, isn't she?
Sebastian couldn't help himself but think she really gave in too quickly for someone from such a cunning bloodline.
"Uhmm," Sebastian hummed, not really agreeing, but Elliana started speaking.
"I am not Madeline," Elliana paused before reframing her sentence.
"I am not the girl you were destined to marry," Elliana looked at the prince, and when he didn't say anything, she continued.
"My sister caught an infectious disease, and my dad was afraid that your people would rain havoc if we presented Madeline in her ugly form to you. Everyone believed she was chosen because of her beauty and wisdom. That's why they put me there as a replacement. I... " Elliana's fingers tightened around the fork and knife, and Sebastian didn't miss it.
"I am actually the illegitimate daughter of the king. A... A drunk night mistake," Elliana said before she bit the inside of her cheeks, waiting for the insult, his anger, or just a ferocious growl.
He might even try to kill her since she was an illegitimate daughter and he was the to-be king of the Vampire kingdom, and people would question or make fun of him because of that.
"What is the important part? Come to the main point," Sebastian asked, and Elliana raised her eyes, confused.
What did he mean by that? It was the important part.
Seeing her confused look, Sebastian resumed his eating. Of course, how can he expect her to give up so easily? That earlier wary look was probably a hoax to show how innocent she was. Sebastian sighed before he stood from his place once he was done.
Elliana didn't know how to feel about the situation. Why didn't he say anything? Was he offended or not? Did his question mean that the information wasn't important? Or did he mean he doesn't care about anything since he would kill her sooner or later?
Elliana looked at his leaving back for a few seconds before shrugging and resuming her eating. It's been so long since she ate something so tasty. It felt like heaven.
"Mmmm," Elliana moaned shamelessly, and the chef from the kitchen, who had never been appreciated for his cooking skills, felt his heart warming as a smile stretched on his lips. This was the first time he saw genuine happiness on someone's face from eating his cooked food, and he couldn't contain himself from feeling happy.
The Princess was a pure vegetarian, right? He will prepare some good dishes for her for breakfast. The Chef grinned, motivated, before walking back into the kitchen.
After eating, Elliana went back to the room before looking around. There was a king-sized bed in the middle, which could fit more than eight people, but that belonged to the prince.
He wouldn't want to sleep with her, right? Even when she was his bride, it doesn't mean she was slow-witted and hadn't sensed the hostility in his eyes from time to time. It really looked like he was barely controlling himself.
With a sigh, she looked at the clean carpet before she walked to the side of the bed closer to the balcony.
Well, she can always sleep on the carpet, right?
Elliana sat on the carpet before touching it. This was far better than the prison. At least she wasn't sleeping on the cold hard floor.
Elliana smiled in delight before she pulled out the pendant she had worn earlier and kissed it.
"Thank you for this day, god. I hope you hear my prayers for my mom soon," Elliana lay on the carpet and closed her eyes, letting sleep take over her.
Meanwhile, Sebastian stood over the terrace, waiting for Lucas to start his report.
"So? What did you find?" Sebastian turned to his secretary.
"Well, I am not sure if it's anything useful. However, this is everything we could gather. The girl is the illegitimate daughter of the king. The biological mother is unknown. Someone left her on the kingdom doors when she was five years old," Lucas thinned his lips.
"Why did you stop? Continue," Sebastian turned to the forest, and Lucas sighed.
"The girl has been often bullied by her stepmom and stepsister. Since the king was out on the business most of the time, she was left with no one to look after her. They used her as a scapegoat for the real princess multiple times. In fact -" Lucas paused again, and Sebastian half turned to him.
"She returned from prison two days ago after serving for a year," Lucas's words made Sebastian raise his eyebrows.
"Prison?"
"The Malevolent," Lucas added.
"Isn't that the infamous prison for the worst convicts among humans?" Sebastian looked at him, confused.
"Is the reason stated?" Sebastian asked.
"It's again for something Madeline did. The crime itself is confidential. Her term was for 14 years. However, she was bailed so that she could marry you on behalf of Madeline," Lucas said.
"What about her character? Is there something suspicious?" Sebastian couldn't believe that the girl in front of him was actually so innocent and not pretending, that she was bullied in that royal kingdom. It was strangely making him feel bad for her since it resembled his current situation to some extent.
"On the contrary, from what the spies found from the workers in the royal family, Elliana was quite mocked for her naivety in the family, and that's why got used the most. The king was against the idea because he was afraid she wouldn't be able to live with the vampires, but he couldn't do anything in front of the emperor and queen. She might actually be this innocent and oblivious to those evil hunters. Also, she had completed her graduation last year," Lucas said.
Sebastian put the cigarette in the ashtray before looking at the forest thoughtfully.
She was innocent?
Sebastian did a once over through his memories of whatever interactions he had with her, and the girl was quite nervous and shy throughout the incidents.
"What are you thinking, sir?" Lucas asked when he saw Sebastian deep in thought.
"If she is innocent, I don't have any reason to hurt or make her sad. I am not a monster like other vampire royals. If what you said is true, she won't be of much help in our plans of infiltrating the hunters," Sebastain's words made Lucas nod.
"Maybe you can try to relax a bit with her and -
"She is useless to me now. She is as good as dead, no?" Sebastain's dark thoughts made Lucas sigh.
Lucas was in no position to speak anything, but he had seen the vampire prince being soft and calm with someone for the first time. Even if it was just a facade, it doesn't hurt to try to be a little happy, right?
Sebastian might have this facade where he thinks he doesn't deserve happiness, but Lucas knows how much he craves the old times with his mother.
"Hey, are you seriously going to kill her? Are you serious, sir?" Lucas followed Sebastian with wide eyes filled with horror, feeling strangely uneasy about this.
It's not like Sebastian would be killing a human for the first time, but -
"Do I look stupid to you? Grandpa is coming tomorrow. He deliberately wanted me to marry the hunter's girl. I won't do anything until I know what is going on inside his cunning head. I won't do anything that would risk my throne's dream. This girl is lucky for the time being. I am just returning to my room to sleep," Sebastian said, and Lucas sighed in relief.
Well, there are at least a couple of months until the throning ceremony. It is good it got postponed, or this girl would've lost her life uselessly.
Sebastian grabbed the knob of the door and looked at the empty room with a frown.
Where was she? The room smells like her, but -
Sebastian heard soft breathing sounds and walked to the other side of the bed.
He looked at the girl, curled up in a cocoon shape, and sleeping with a carefree smile on her face.
"Why is she sleeping on the floor?" Lucas asked, and Sebastian half-turned to him with narrowed eyes.
"What are you doing inside the room? I am a married man now,"
Lucas- "..."
To say Sebastain's cold words shocked Lucas would be an understatement. How can this guy go from hating the girl to respecting her privacy in a second just like that?
He saw Sebastian kneeling beside her before he scooped her in his arms.
He placed her on the bed gently before turning to Lucas.
"Do you want to join?"
Lucas -"..." The prince wasn't serious, was he?
Lucas looked at Sebastian, who took off his shoes before he lay on his side of the bed and pulled Elliana into his arms.
"At least she can be used as a pillow till then. Close the door before you leave," Sebastian's voice shook Lucas out of his thoughts, and he left in a daze.
The vampire prince was being really unpredictable since morning.
Meanwhile, Sebastian looked at the girl in his arms before narrowing his eyes. Why did he care if she was sleeping on the floor or bed? And why the hell is he hugging her? And letting her roam her hand on his chest and abdomen?
Bewitching woman!
Sebastian scoffed and closed his eyes to rest.